Minor Transactions: 10/4/25
With the preseason wrapping up today, some teams will be recalling players they’ve already cut to give them one more game or they will be returning players recently brought up for that purpose. We’ll keep track of those moves here along with any other minor transactions.
- The Sabres announced that defensemen Vsevelod Komarov and Zach Metsa have been returned to AHL Rochester. Komarov is entering his second professional season while Metsa was one of the top-scoring blueliners in the minors last season, notching 46 points with the Amerks.
- The Devils have brought up forwards Jack Malone and Matyas Melovsky from AHL Utica, per a team release. Malone had 13 points in 57 games with the Comets in his first professional campaign while Melovsky is entering the first year of his entry-level deal after putting up 83 points in 57 games with QMJHL Baie-Comeau last season.
- The Blackhawks announced that they’ve recalled more than half a lineup from Rockford for their preseason finale. Returning from AHL Rockford are goalie Mitchell Weeks, defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald, Taige Harding, and Kevin Korchinski, plus forwards Gavin Hayes, Paul Ludwinski, Martin Misiak, Samuel Savoie, Brett Seney, Aidan Thompson, and Dominic Toninato.
- Veteran defenseman Andrej Sustr was let go from his NHL PTO last weekend. However, he has found a new team to try out for as Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News relays (Twitter link) that the 34-year-old has inked a PTO deal with AHL Bridgeport. Sustr split last season between Czechia and Finland and hasn’t played in North America since 2022-23 when he split time between Minnesota and Anaheim’s farm teams.
- The Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forwards Chase Bradley, Maros Jedlicka, Taylor Makar, Jayson Megna, Tristen Nielsen, and T.J. Tynan, along with defensemen Sean Behrens and Alex Gagne from AHL Colorado. They were all cut earlier in training camp and should be sent back to the Eagles in short order following their game tonight.
- The Rangers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goalie Callum Tung and forward Casey Terrance from AHL Hartford. Tung will be entering his first full professional campaign after signing with New York out of college late last season while Terrance was acquired this past offseason as part of the Chris Kreider trade.
- As expected, a day after recalling forward Shane Bowers, defenseman Braden Hache, and goalie Jakub Skarek from AHL San Jose, the Sharks announced (Twitter link) that all three players have been returned to the Barracuda.
- A day after recalling him, the Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve sent goaltender Matt Tomkins back to AHL Bakersfield. Tomkins is in his first season with Edmonton and cleared waivers earlier this week.
- The Lightning have brought a few players back for their preseason finale. The team has recalled forwards Dylan Duke, Boris Katchouk, Scott Sabourin, and Wojciech Stachowiak, plus defensemen Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Roman Schmidt from AHL Syracuse, per a team release.
Devils’ Matyas Melovsky Signs AHL Contract
Devils prospect Matyas Melovsky will turn pro in 2025-26, just not under an NHL deal. He’s beginning his journey in the organization on a minor-league deal with AHL Utica, the club announced.
A sixth-round pick last year, Melovsky was an overage selection who’d spent the last two seasons with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He returned to the Drakkar for his age-20 season in 2024-25, exploding to lead the team with a 26-57–83 scoring line in 57 games. The versatile 6’1″, 190-lb forward added a +40 rating, hitting the mark for the second year in a row, and tied for seventh overall in QMJHL scoring.
While passed over in the 2022 and 2023 drafts, the Czech forward has been a high-end offensive producer for Baie-Comeau since coming stateside from the HC Vítkovice organization for the 2022-23 campaign. He led the QMJHL in assists by a rookie (52) in 2022-23 and was a key producer for Czechia at the 2024 World Juniors, helping the team to a bronze medal with a tournament-leading 10 assists in seven games. He was over a point per game in the Czech top junior league in his draft year, too, so he’s got a track record of offensive success.
That makes Melovsky a definite sleeper pick in New Jersey’s system. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked him as the Devils’ No. 7 prospect in January. It’s a tad surprising not to see them reward him with an NHL entry-level contract out of the gate, but since they’re not at risk of losing his exclusive signing rights until June 2026, they can afford to have him play out a year on an AHL deal without taking up a contract slot.
It’s worth noting that while Melovsky is eligible for a three-year ELC if he signs before Jan. 1, 2026, he’ll only be eligible for a two-year rookie deal if New Jersey signs him after. He turns 21 next month, so that’s his signing age for 2025.