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Predators Activate Zachary L’Heureux From IR

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The Nashville Predators received some more good news on the injury front as rookie forward Zachary L’Heureux has been activated from injured reserve, per reporter Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game.

The 21-year-old is set to return ahead of tonight’s game against the Kings after a 12-game absence with an upper-body injury. He was originally injured prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

The team’s 2021 first round pick (27th overall) has scored four goals and collected nine assists through his first 45 games in the league. The 5’11, 197-pound L’Heureux plays a physical style that has endeared him to the Nashville fan base. His feisty play includes 145 hits on the season, but also a three-game suspension for slew-footing Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon.

L’Heureux has a history of suspensions dating back to his time in the QMJHL, where he was disciplined 10 games for an assault on a fan with a stick. Additionally, he was suspended on two separate occasions during the 2023-24 season in the AHL.

Disciplinary issues aside, L’Heureux has also displayed the talent and pedigree that made him a first-round choice. He put up 190 points in 167 QMJHL games, and scored 48 points in 66 games last season for the AHL Milwaukee Admirals. After a quick start to the AHL season, he was recalled for his first NHL contest on Oct. 22, and he has remained with the Preds since.

The team also activated trade deadline acquisition Michael Bunting from injured reserve yesterday, and Bunting suited up in last night’s 2-1 loss to Anaheim. The return of Bunting and L’Heureux should help the Preds offense that has generated just 2.62 goals per game on the season.

Predators Activate Michael Bunting From IR

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The Predators are slated to get one of their top returns from the trade deadline in the lineup, as winger Michael Bunting has been removed from IR and is a game-time decision for tonight’s game in Anaheim, according to reporter Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game.

The Preds acquired Bunting and a fourth-round pick from the Penguins in exchange for forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn. After the deal, Nashville GM Barry Trotz stated Bunting was an “impact player” the Preds were interested in acquiring, and noted the team’s desire to keep the 29-year-old Bunting in the fold moving forward.

Bunting has fought through injuries this season – as well as a short stint as a healthy scratch – in Pittsburgh prior to the trade. However, after a slow start, he started to turn things around to the tune of 14 goals and 29 points through 58 games. He also led the Penguins in power play goals (9) at the time of the trade. Through 326 career games, Bunting has scored 90 times, including two 20-plus goal seasons under his belt.

Although he’s only in his ninth NHL season, the Predators will mark the fifth NHL team Bunting will suit up for after stints with Arizona, Toronto, Carolina, and Pittsburgh. But Bunting should provide a veteran presence, solid top nine play, and power play production to the rebuilding Preds.

Bunting has one year remaining on his current contract with a 2025-26 cap hit of $4.5MM.

Predators Acquire Michael Bunting

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The Predators and Penguins have made a multi-player swap.  Nashville has acquired winger Michael Bunting along with a 2026 fourth-round pick from Pittsburgh in exchange for center Thomas Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn.

Pittsburgh acquired Bunting last season as the most prominent part of the package from the Jake Guentzel trade with Carolina.  However, the 29-year-old has struggled in his first full season with the Pens.  Through 58 games this season, Bunting has just 14 goals and 15 assists.  By comparison, he had 19 points in 21 games down the stretch last year and hasn’t recorded fewer than 49 points over the last three seasons, a streak that seems likely to come to an end.

Nashville will undoubtedly be hoping that the change of scenery will get him back to the level of production he had.  They’re taking on the final year and a bit of a contract that carries a $4.5MM cap charge.  When Bunting is at his best, he’s worth that type of money as a top-six winger who plays with an edge but he’ll be joining a team that has had several veterans underachieve this season.

The move is an interesting one from their standpoint.  While the expectation was that they’d be looking for younger pieces who are longer-term fits, they actually get a little older up front with the swap while losing some club control with Novak still having two years left on his contract after this one.  It suggests that GM Barry Trotz feels his team isn’t that far away from being a playoff contender once again and that a tweak or two to the forward group could propel them back in the right direction next season.  Bunting won’t be able to help in the short term, however, as he is currently on IR after undergoing an appendectomy.

As for Pittsburgh’s return, Novak is the headliner.  He’s a bit of a reclamation project himself as he’s in the midst of a down year as well.  The 27-year-old had two straight seasons of more than 40 points heading into this one, a performance that earned him a three-year, $10.5MM contract a little before the trade deadline last March.

But, like many of Nashville’s players this season, Novak hasn’t been able to produce to expectations.  He has just 13 goals and nine assists in 52 games while his playing time has dipped to just over 13 minutes a night.  Meanwhile, his struggles at the faceoff dot continue as he’s winning just 43% of his draws which has resulted in him spending more time on the wing this year.

Clearly, Pittsburgh feels that a fresh start will be beneficial for Novak.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him moved back down the middle with a center group that’s on the older side, featuring Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kevin Hayes.  If they can get Novak back to even being a capable third-line option, that would be a solid outcome for a team that clearly isn’t looking to rebuild despite being on pace to miss the playoffs for the third straight year.

Schenn, meanwhile, has been a fixture on the third pairing of several teams in recent seasons.  After faring well with Vancouver and Toronto in the 2022-23 campaign, he signed a three-year, $8.25MM contract with Nashville in the 2023 offseason.  But his role has been more limited with the Predators as he has barely averaged 15 minutes a night since joining them.  While he brings plenty of physicality to the table – he has notched more than 200 hits in four straight years – he hasn’t been able to elevate himself to being higher than sixth on the depth chart.  Meanwhile, he has just five points in 61 outings this season although offense has never been his calling card.

It will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh intends to hold onto Schenn or if they intend to flip him, just like they did earlier tonight with Vincent Desharnais.  Despite Schenn’s struggles, his success at being a late-season addition before coupled with his toughness will undoubtedly have playoff-bound teams kicking the tires on the potential of him being moved once again.  If it doesn’t happen, he’s likely to have the same role on the depth chart with the Penguins on their third pairing.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the players involved while Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic was first with the pick inclusion.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Penguins Recall Emil Bemstrom, Place Michael Bunting On IR

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have made a flurry of roster moves in the wake of winger Michael Bunting’s appendectomy. Bunting has been moved to injured reserve and will miss at least a week of action. Pittsburgh has recalled winger Emil Bemstrom to fill the resulting roster vacancy. In a separate pair of moves, the Penguins activated enforcer Bokondji Imama off of injured reserve and assigned veteran forward Matthew Nieto to the minor leagues. Nieto cleared waivers earlier today.

Through the mix of injury, demotion, and surprise surgery, this flurry of moves should give Bemstrom a hardier crack at the NHL lineup. He leads the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with 21 goals and 46 points in 43 games this season – the only player on the team scoring above a point-per-game pace. Despite that, Pittsburgh waited until early February to award Bemstrom his first call-up of the season. He’s played in two NHL games since then but didn’t manage any scoring.

The Penguins acquired Bemstrom in a swap for Alexander Nylander and a conditional draft pick late last February. He spent the rest of the year on the NHL roster but scored just three goals and five points in 24 games. His pattern of red-hot minor-league scoring in the AHL and minimal scoring in the NHL keeps Bemstrom in the same rut he’s spent all six years of his North American career in. He’s scored 93 points in 76 career games in the minors but has just 34 goals and 74 points across 230 games in the NHL. On the back of an extended hot streak in the minors, Bemstrom will hope this call-up is the time he finally proves his NHL worthiness.

Bunting leaves big shoes to be filled in Pittsburgh’s lineup. He’s been one of Pittsburgh’s best power-play assets, with nine goals and 14 points on the man advantage in 58 games this season. Bemstrom should be the beneficiary of the power-play opening, though it could also go to Anthony Beauvillier or Philip Tomasino. Pittsburgh’s other roster moves likely won’t carry as much weight. Nieto ceded his bottom-six role to Danton Heinen and Blake Lizotte over February, on the back of just three points in 31 games this season. Meanwhile, Imama will return to his role as Pittsburgh’s extra man – having only played in six games, with no scoring and seven penalty minutes, on the year.

Penguins’ Michael Bunting Out Indefinitely Following Appendectomy

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Penguins left-winger Michael Bunting underwent surgery to remove his appendix yesterday, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He doesn’t have a timeline for a return but will miss at least a few weeks.

The 29-year-old Bunting had two points in his last five games, including an assist in Tuesday’s 6-1 drubbing at the hands of the Flyers. He’s the third NHLer to undergo an appendectomy this season (at least among what’s been publicly disclosed), joining Ducks netminder John Gibson and Canadiens blue-liner Kaiden Guhle.

His absence is relatively insignificant for Pittsburgh at this stage of the season. Now out of the Eastern Conference playoff race and on pace to finish the season with 75 points, the Penguins will likely be selling off additional assets ahead of the trade deadline after dealing Drew O’Connor and Marcus Pettersson to the Canucks before the 4 Nations break. Bunting, signed through next season at a $4.5MM cap hit, wasn’t expected to be one of them.

Acquired from the Hurricanes in last season’s Jake Guentzel trade, Bunting has been underwhelming in 2024-25 after finishing the 2023-24 campaign with 19 points in 21 games for the Pens. He’s been durable, playing 58 of 60 games, but his point production has dropped to 14-15–29. His 0.50 points per game are tracking as his worst offensive performance in his five seasons’ worth of extended NHL ice time, accompanied by his lowest usage at 15:15 per game.

A solid complementary top-six winger for Auston Matthews during his time in Toronto, the late-blooming Bunting burst onto the scene with a 23-goal, 63-point campaign for the Leafs at age 26 in 2021-22. He had just 26 NHL games to his name with the Coyotes before signing a two-year, $1.9MM deal in Toronto in the 2021 offseason, arguably the highest-value contract in the league during his time in the Canadian metropolis. He’s struggled to replicate that level play in a similar role alongside Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh, though, despite how promising his scorching finish to the 2023-24 campaign was. The duo hasn’t had a consistent right-winger this year, seeing names like Anthony Beauvillier, Cody Glass, and Philip Tomasino rotate through. With Bunting and Malkin on the ice together, the Pens have been outscored 19-10 at 5v5, per Natural Stat Trick. They’ve each fared far better apart from each other.

If Gibson’s and Guhle’s return timelines are any indication, Bunting should miss around four to six weeks. That means he should be back in the lineup with a few games left on the Penguins’ schedule, although it’s fair to describe his likelihood of returning this season as uncertain.

Pittsburgh’s injury list is relatively brief. Bryan Rust recently returned from a lower-body injury and illness, and recent AHL call-up Bokondji Imama is the only other forward carrying an injury designation. He’s on IR but could come off today to face the Flyers after missing four games with an upper-body injury. Bunting’s absence, however, could mean the Penguins wait before demoting Matthew Nieto to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton if he clears waivers today.

Penguins Place Evgeni Malkin On IR, Activate Philip Tomasino

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed star Evgeni Malkin on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Malkin has already missed Pittsburgh’s last three games, and will now be forced out of at least four more games. He had previously played in Pittsburgh’s first 41 games of the season, and was red-hot in the winter months. Malkin had seven points in nine games leading up to his injury.

In a corresponding move, Pittsburgh has also activated Philip Tomasino off of injured reserve, returning him from a four-game absence due to a lower-body injury. Tomasino has been one of the brightest spots of Pittsburgh’s middling year. Acquired for a fourth-round pick in a late-November trade with Nashville, Tomasino has since posted four goals and seven points in 16 games with the Penguins – the highest scoring pace of his career. He’s looked properly alive in the Penguins lineup, filling a much-needed top-six role after four up-and-down seasons in Nashville. Tomasino was a first-round draft pick in 2019, and made the jump into a full-time NHL role two seasons later. He scored 11 goals and 32 points in 76 games as a rookie – a very encouraging start for the then-20-year-old forward. But Tomasino struggled to maintain that into his sophomore year, and would only reach 20 points one more time – in 41 games of the 2023-24 campaign – during his time in Nashville.

Malkin’s absence will leave a glaring hole in the Pittsburgh lineup. The future Hall-of-Famer has, once again, been one of Pittsburgh’s most utilized forwards at both even-strength and on the power-play. The need for another top-unit forward could pave a golden path for Tomasino upon his return, giving the young center yet another chance to show Pittsburgh what he can do with a proper role. Pittsburgh has turned towards Anthony Beauvillier to fill the top-six vacancy over the last three games, though he hasn’t managed any scoring in the boosted role.

In other Penguins news, forward Michael Bunting will also miss the team’s Sunday game after being involved in a car accident outside PPG Paints Arena per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told Rorabaugh that Bunting isn’t expected to miss extended time. Bunting has been another red-hot Penguin, with four points in his last five games.

Evening Notes: Bunting, Team Canada, Heinola

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Michael Bunting earned praise last night from his head coach Mike Sullivan (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). Sullivan compared Bunting to former Penguins player Patric Hornqvist, saying that Bunting has the ability to get under the opponent’s skin.

It wasn’t that long ago that Bunting appeared to be getting under the skin of Sullivan, as the 29-year-old had just a single assist in his first 12 games this season. Bunting found himself a healthy scratch in mid-October and had to work his way out of the doghouse and back into the lineup. November wasn’t exactly a month to remember, but it did enough to quiet trade rumors as Bunting was back to his usual production, posting five goals and four assists in 14 games.

In other evening notes:

  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweeted that Team Canada’s 4-nations roster has been finalized and will be announced after the deadline tomorrow. LeBrun added that the final decisions were made last night and the decision on the final few roster spots was quite difficult. Team Canada already named their first six players back in June, and those names were Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brad Marchand, Brayden Point and Nathan MacKinnon.
  • Winnipeg Jets defenseman Ville Heinola was scratched once again today, marking the second game in a row he has sat in the press box (as per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press). The 23-year-old was recalled from his AHL conditioning assignment last Sunday and played twice this past week, going scoreless while averaging 13:01 in ice time per game. Logan Stanley remained in the Jets lineup today, presumably over Heinola, and struggled as he took three minor penalties against the Stars.

Penguins Notes: Rust, Bunting, Nieto

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The Penguins were without winger Bryan Rust at practice today, per Josh Getzoff of SportsNet Pittsburgh. Head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that Rust is being evaluated for a lower-body injury he sustained against the Canucks on Saturday, and there’s no timeline for his return to the ice yet (via Michelle Crechiolo of Pens Inside Scoop).

Rust, 32, left the weekend loss to Vancouver after getting his right leg tangled up awkwardly with Canucks winger Nils Höglander. It’s been a mediocre start to the campaign for the five-time 20-goal scorer, who’s been limited to three goals and an assist in eight games with a -7 rating. But he’s still averaging 19:20 per game – that’s second-most among Pittsburgh forwards and, correspondingly, a large hole to fill for a team short on forward depth if he misses any extended time.

Almost no Penguin has started the season as they’d like to, aside from a handful of exceptions – namely Evgeni Malkin, who’s turned back the clock with 14 points in 10 games. But it’s been especially difficult for Rust, who also missed the season’s first two games with a separate lower-body injury. If he can’t play tomorrow against the Wild, Cody Glass is the extra forward on hand and will return to the lineup after missing the Canucks game with an illness.

Other items of note out of Pittsburgh:

  • One of this season’s biggest disappointments so far has been winger Michael Bunting. Acquired from the Hurricanes near the tail end of last year as arguably the highest-value part of the return for Jake Guentzel, he’s fallen completely flat with just one assist in nine games. He’s already been a healthy scratch once in 2024-25, and Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports the Penguins organization as a whole is “very unhappy” with his performance. It’s a completely unforeseen drop-off after he ended last season with 19 points in 21 games for the Pens, mainly playing alongside the red-hot Malkin.
  • Winger Matthew Nieto returned to practice today for the first time since sustaining a knee injury that ended his 2023-24 season all the way back in November, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Nieto, 32 next week, underwent laparoscopic surgery on his left knee shortly after the New Year but suffered a setback that required him to undergo a reconstructive MCL procedure in May. After inking a two-year, $1.8MM deal in free agency in 2023, Nieto had a goal and three assists in 22 appearances for Pittsburgh before the season-ending injury.

East Notes: Woll, Bunting, Jarry

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Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll revealed to the media that he has been dealing with groin tightness (as per Nick Barden of The Hockey News). The issue has kept him out of regular-season action, but Woll feels as though he should be back sooner rather than later.

It’s possible that the issue could have occurred during training camp in early October, but Woll didn’t get into the specifics regarding where and when the groin issue began to surface. During the moment in question on October 3rd, Woll slid across his crease to make a save and looked to be in discomfort as he moved back to his feet.

The Maple Leafs are unlikely to rush Woll as Anthony Stolarz has been terrific this season thus far.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Michelle Crechiolo of Pens Inside Scoop tweeted the Pittsburgh Penguins line rushes yesterday, which appeared to show forward Michael Bunting as a healthy scratch. Bunting was moved off the second line in the Penguins loss to the Hurricanes on Friday night and he was also moved off the second power-play unit. Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports tweeted that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was asked on Friday by reporters about Bunting’s performance this season and replied, “I think our expectation is higher.” Bunting has struggled this season, with just a single assist in six games. However, his underlying numbers remain strong and could be an indicator of bad luck rather than bad play.
  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes that Pittsburgh Penguins general manager doesn’t appear keen on placing goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers as a way to address the team’s goaltending predicament, not yet anyway. Jarry has struggled dating back to last year when he didn’t start the Penguins’ final 13 regular season games and is arguably third in Pittsburgh’s current goaltending ranks. The Penguins are carrying three goaltenders on the roster and are bringing Jarry, Joel Blomqvist, and Alex Nedeljkovic on their road trip through Western Canada. Jarry currently has a .836 save percentage and a 5.47 goals-against average in three games but is owed $5.375MM this season and for an additional three years after that, making him nearly unmovable.

Canucks Announce Offseason Plans

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Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin and head coach Rick Tocchet spoke with the media on Thursday about the team’s plans for the upcoming off-season. Coming off their most successful season in nine years, Allvin started interviews by emphasizing that the team needs to enter the summer with the mindset that they only managed to reach the second round. As shared by Pass It To Bulis’ Daniel Wagner, Allvin said “I’m not happy sitting here today…we lost our last game and it was only in round two.” 

The team’s off-season plans will reflect that high bar, with Allvin most notably sharing that they’re looking to bring in a top-six winger, shares Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor (Twitter link). Allvin added that the team is also looking to bring in more speed, while Tocchet spoke to needing more creativity and shooting out of the lineup. Each of those attributes could be met by pending Carolina Hurricanes free agent Jake Guentzel, who Vancouver was reportedly very interested in ahead of the Trade Deadline.

The Hurricanes ultimately acquired Guentzel in exchange for Michael Bunting, top prospects Vaisili Ponomaryov and Cruz Lucius, and second-and-fifth-round picks in 2024. That’s a tall price to pay for a Spring rental, and there’s no doubt Carolina will make a hardy push to extend Guentzel after he posted a combined 34 points in 28 games with the club. But Guentzel left the door open to other destinations in his exit interview, acknowledging that hockey is ultimately a business. He’ll almost assuredly be due for an enthusiastic call from Allvin, should he decide to enter the open market.

The search for a top-six winger will headline Vancouver’s summer, with Allvin sharing that the team wants to retain its pending free agents otherwise, per Batchelor (Twitter link). Allvin went on to name Nikita Zadorov, Tyler Myers, and Dakota Joshua as specific free agents the team is looking to retain. There shouldn’t be any pushback from the player’s side, with Joshua’s agent expressing a desire to return on the Donnie & Dhali Show while Zadorov speaking openly about his love for Vancouver during exit interviews. The trio are a part of Vancouver’s 11 pending free agents – a list that most notably includes Elias Lindholm and backup goaltenders Arturs Silovs and Casey DeSmith. The Canucks paid a pretty penny to acquire Lindholm earlier this season, while Silovs earned expanded opportunity with his fantastic playoff run. If and how the Canucks are able to lock up both players will be a major factor in how their 2024-25 roster is constructed.

Among his other thoughts, Allvin also made sure to mention the team’s top prospects – sharing that the team wants to create opportunity for those players. While he didn’t name any players outright, it’s not hard to reason that reigning SHL ’Rookie of the Year’ Jonathan Lekkerimaki is among the top to earn a chance. Lekkerimaki recorded 31 points in 46 SHL games this season, adding two points in six AHL games following the end of Orebro’s season. He signed a three-year, $4.3MM entry-level contract in early May and could be one of Vancouver’s most exciting breakout candidates next season. Other top prospects Aatu Raty, Danila Klimovich, and defenseman Elias Pettersson could also push for an added role.

Vancouver’s postseason berth was just their second of the last nine seasons, and just their seventh time making it to the second round this century. It seems the team’s leadership core is ready to carry that winning mentality forward, looking at making impacts with externally, internally, and prospect decisions.

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