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Atlantic Injury Updates: Bruins, Maple Leafs, Sabres

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The Boston Bruins have had to deal with their fair share of injuries so far this season, but that hasn’t stopped the club from continuing its longstanding tradition of consistent regular-season success. Through 21 games this season, Boston sits first in the Atlantic Division with a 12-9-0 record, including a 8-2-0 record in their last 10 games. On Saturday in Montreal, though, the Bruins were dealt their most significant injury blow to date this season: Charlie McAvoy took a Noah Dobson one-timer to the face and had to leave the game immediately. Today, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm provided a small update on McAvoy’s status, per Conor Ryan of Boston.com, stating that McAvoy will not travel with the team on its upcoming road trip. In addition, he also said that veteran center Elias Lindholm would travel with the team.

It should not come as any surprise that McAvoy isn’t ready to play just yet, and Sturm did add that an official update on McAvoy’s health will likely be issued either today or tomorrow. In any case, adequately replacing what McAvoy brings to the Bruins will be very difficult. McAvoy averages nearly 24 minutes of ice time per game (good for the team lead) and has 14 points in 19 games. While it won’t help their defense, the fact that Lindholm is nearing a return to the ice should help soften the blow of losing McAvoy. He’s a reliable two-way center whose return should help alleviate some of the pressure the Bruins’ center injuries have placed on veteran Pavel Zacha and rookie Fraser Minten.

Other injury updates from the Atlantic Division:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving confirmed today, per The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, that team captain and franchise center Auston Matthews won’t play today or on Thursday due to the injury he suffered Nov. 11 against the Boston Bruins. Matthews did begin skating again today, but still needs some time before he’s ready to return to game action. The 28-year-old has scored 14 points in 17 games this season, and had 33 goals, 78 points in 67 games in 2024-25. In addition to speaking on Matthews, Treliving also said that veteran defenseman Chris Tanev’s health status will be re-evaluated in a week or two, and head coach Craig Berube confirmed that center Nicolas Roy will miss a few games with an injury of his own. Tanev suffered his injury Nov. 1 while Roy, who has four points in 19 games this season, played in the team’s last game on Saturday.
  • Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff announced today that defenseman Michael Kesselring suffered an injury in the team’s game Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, and “an extended period of time” as a result. The nature of the injury is not yet clear, but Ruff said that Kesselring’s absence would be “on the longer side – weeks.” The big 25-year-old right-shot blueliner, who was acquired this past summer from the Utah Mammoth in the J.J. Peterka trade, has played in nine games this season. In better injury news, Ruff also announced that forward Zach Benson will return to skating in a non-contact capacity

Sabres Recall Zach Metsa, Place Michael Kesselring On IR

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The Sabres announced they’ve recalled defenseman Zach Metsa from AHL Rochester. They didn’t have an open roster spot but placed fellow rearguard Michael Kesselring on injured reserve to make one, according to Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News. Kesselring is still being evaluated after sustaining an apparent ankle injury Saturday against the Red Wings, but is expected to be out long-term, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters (including Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550).

Metsa has already been recalled once this season. He was summoned for 11 days last month, resulting in the first four appearances of the 27-year-old’s NHL career. He didn’t record a point and averaged a minuscule 8:49 of ice time per game, but managed to record a +3 rating and four shot attempts. The 5’9″ righty added two blocks and a hit but didn’t have great possession metrics, controlling 42% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 despite starting nearly 80% of shifts in the offensive zone.

The Wisconsin native went undrafted out of the BCHL in 2017 but eventually landed at Quinnipiac University, where he spent five seasons and captained the team to a national championship in 2023. He recorded a 9-28–37 scoring line in 40 games during his graduate season, earning NCAA All-Tournament Team honors, but he didn’t initially secure an NHL contract. He spent the last two seasons on minor-league deals with Rochester before finally landing his first big-league deal, a two-year, two-way pact, from the Sabres in July.

Metsa has rewarded Buffalo’s commitment with his best play yet in the minors. The talented playmaker at the blue line has two goals and nine assists for 11 points through 11 games with a +2 rating. Ten of those points have come in his last six games down in Rochester, including a three-assist night against the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday.

His right-shot attribute made him the natural replacement for a fellow righty in Kesselring instead of more experienced names like Zachary Jones or Ryan Johnson. He’ll serve as the Sabres’ extra defenseman for the foreseeable future, but with Conor Timmins serving as the only other right-shot rearguard on the active roster, he might have the inside track toward a No. 6 job over lefty Jacob Bryson.

Kesselring, 25, was viewed as the principal piece of the return the Sabres received from the Mammoth for winger JJ Peterka during the offseason. So far, though, it’s been winger Josh Doan who’s proved the more invaluable part of the deal with 12 points in 18 games. That’s not entirely Kesselring’s fault, though. He sustained an undisclosed injury in training camp that, together with his now-injured ankle, has limited him to nine games. However, he’s been a non-factor when healthy, averaging just 15:37 of ice time per game and posting a -3 rating with no points.

Sabres’ Michael Kesselring Sustains Lower-Body Injury

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The Buffalo Sabres could lose a recent acquisition to another injury. Defenseman Michael Kesselring was seen in a walking boot after Saturday night’s win over the Detroit Red Wings. He tweaked his ankle on a hit midway through the second period and had to hop to the bench. He returned for one shift in the third period, but head coach Lindy Ruff told media that the injury “doesn’t look good”following the game, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Kesselring began the season on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury that Ruff said plagued him through much of training camp. He didn’t make his Sabres debut until October 28th, and has only played in nine game since. He has managed no scoring, 10 shots on goal, and nine blocks in those appearances, while operating from a third-pair role.

Another injury will dampen the excitement around Kesselring in Buffalo. He moved to the city alongside forward Josh Doan as part of the deal that sent JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth. It seemed the Sabres were landing a true impact defender, after Kesselring posted the second-most points on Utah’s blue-line in their inaugural season. He scored 29 points to go with 89 penalty minutes, 150 shots on goal, and 87 hits in 82 games. It was a nice step up from Kesselring’s rookie year in Arizona, where he recorded 21 points, 66 penalty minutes, and 106 hits in 65 games.

The extent of Kesselring’s new injury isn’t yet clear. His return to the ice, even for one shift, could be a positive sign. Buffalo has three games ahead of them this week, and will lean on Jacob Bryson if Kesselring is forced to sit. Bryson has one point, four penalty minutes, and four blocks in eight games this season.

Sabres Activate Michael Kesselring From Injured Reserve

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Oct. 28: Kesselring will make his Sabres debut tonight and come off injured reserve, Ruff confirmed to Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News.

Oct. 27: The Buffalo Sabres have assigned defenseman Zach Metsa to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. The move will open the roster space to activate defenseman Michael Kesselring off of injured reserve. Head coach Lindy Ruff said he expects the team to make that roster move before Tuesday’s game against Columbus, as long as all goes well in the morning.

Kesselring has missed the first nine games of the season with a lower-body injury sustained in an October 1st preseason game. The injury delayed his debut with the Buffalo Sabres after joining the team alongside Josh Doan in the June trade that sent JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth.

That trade will be top of mind as Kesselring prepares for his first regular-season game in the blue and gold. Doan has already wowed fans with his early-year performance, netting six points and already rivaling a top-line role. But at the time of the move, many expected Kesselring to have a bigger impact in Buffalo after he proved to be a capable top-four defender in Utah.

Kesselring played in all 82 games of Utah’s inaugural season. He received the lowest average ice time (17:41) among a heavily-rotated Hockey Club defense, but routinely faced challenging roles alongside top defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and against top competition. He was strong on both sides of the puck, showing off a strong stick, lightning-quick speed, and heads-up passing. Those talents led Kesselring to 29 points on the year, the second-most on Utah’s blue line behind Sergachev (53).

Kesselring looked similarly capable in his rookie season of 2023-24. He finished that year with 21 points in 65 games, while operating from a third-pair role with the Arizona Coyotes. With two years of improvement to start his career, he now seems well-poised to bear some more responsibility with the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo has relied on Conor Timmins and Metsa to fill the right side behind captain Rasmus Dahlin. Timmins has faired pretty well in the second-pair role, recording three assists and 24 blocked shots in nine games. Metsa has been less productive, with no scoring and just two blocks in four games. Kesselring should step ahead of Timmins on the depth chart, placing him next to former first-overall pick Owen Power. Power’s sturdy defense could be a great match for the typically aggressive Kesselring.

Meanwhile, Metsa’s brief appearance in the NHL will come to an end. He played the first NHL games of his career this season, after starting the year with two pointless games with the Americans. Metsa led Rochester’s blue line with 46 points in 69 games last season. It was his second pro season. He posted 24 points in 54 games as an AHL rookie. The 27-year-old will look to return to his top role on the Rochester blue line, and could remain a call-up option should Buffalo face any more injuries.

Atlantic Notes: Gadjovich, Marchand, Kesselring, Järnkrok

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The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have been severely affected by injuries this season. That theme continues today as team reporter Jameson Oliven shared that forward Jonah Gadjovich would miss the next week after being elbowed against the Vegas Golden Knights.

After appearing in nearly half of Florida’s regular-season games over the past two years, Gadjovich had appeared in all 10 for the Panthers to begin the 2025-26 campaign. He’s tallied three assists while averaging 7:57 of ice time per game, only one point shy of his totals over 42 games last year. The Panthers are expected to utilize Noah Gregor on the fourth line in his stead.

Gadjovich won’t be the only freshly missing piece from Florida’s forward core in their next contest. According to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, veteran Brad Marchand will miss tomorrow’s contest due to a death in his family. The 37-year-old wing has scored five goals and 11 points in 10 games to start the year, and there’s no word on when he’ll return to the Panthers lineup.

More notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Buffalo Sabres could be getting a huge boost to their defensive core. After today’s practice, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald relayed a note from head coach Lindy Ruff indicating Michael Kesselring could be activated from the injured reserve for tomorrow’s game. Kesselring, who was acquired from the Utah Mammoth this past offseason, scored seven goals and 29 points in 82 games last year, averaging 17:41 of ice time per game.
  • According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, forward Calle Järnkrok is questionable for the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night due to a lower-body injury. Järnkrok missed the team’s practice today and has dealt with lower-body injuries over the past few years. He’s registered three goals in eight games for the Maple Leafs this season, but has already sustained a -5 rating in the team’s middle-six.

Sabres Notes: Luukkonen, Kesselring, Mrtka

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The Sabres issued multiple injury updates today, none of them particularly positive. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is dealing with a new injury unrelated to the one that’s kept him out of commission thus far, head coach Lindy Ruff told WGR Sports Radio 550’s Paul Hamilton. According to Ruff, Luukkonen’s injury will keep him sidelined on a week-to-week timeline, ruling him out for the Sabres’ season-opening contest and perhaps several more after that.

Luukkonen, 26, has emerged as the Sabres’ undisputed number-one netminder over the last two years. He was brilliant in 2023-24 posting a .910 save percentage in 54 games, but took a step back in 2024-25. (.887 save percentage across 55 games) With Luukkonen sidelined moving forward, the Sabres will turn to one of Alex Lyon or Alexandar Georgiev as the team’s season-opening starting netminder. Georgiev was signed to a league-minimum deal just before the preseason, while Lyon signed a two-year $1.5MM AAV deal earlier in the offseason.

Some other notes from Western New York:

  • Luukkonen was not the only Sabre Ruff said would be out week-to-week: he also noted that defenseman Michael Kesselring would be out of commission on a similar timeline. That’s a tough blow for the Sabres, who acquired Kesselring in the JJ Peterka trade and had hoped his addition would go a long way to shoring up their defense. He still could, of course, but it now appears he’ll miss at least the start of the season. In his place, the Sabres could elevate Conor Timmins from the third pair to play next to Owen Power on the team’s second pairing, or Jacob Bryson could draw into the lineup to fill that role.
  • Ruff also said today that 2025 first-round pick Radim Mrtka is dealing with an illness and will be unable to play in the short-term as a result. Because of this, Rochester Americans defenseman Zach Metsa will be recalled to play in his place in the team’s final preseason game. Metsa, 26, is an NCAA National Championship-winning defenseman who scored an impressive 46 points in 69 games last year for the Americans. He’s expected to begin the season in Rochester, but if his stellar play continues he could be a name to watch for an NHL call-up down the line.

Mammoth Acquire, Extend J.J. Peterka

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The Buffalo Sabres are reportedly close to finalizing a deal that would send winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for forward prospect Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It’s been further announced that Peterka has agreed to a five-year, $38.5MM extension with the Mammoth, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. The Mammoth later confirmed the trade and signing. It’s a late-night blockbuster, and a rare three-player swap with no additions.

Utah has now completed the franchise’s biggest trade under its new moniker. In Peterka, the Mammoth have acquired a consistent goal-scorer they can plug into their top six without having to part with too many quality assets. Kesselring and Doan filled important needs for the team last season, but they didn’t replicate what Peterka can bring to their offense.

The German-born winger was selected by the Sabres as the 34th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, coming from EHC München in the DEL. A year later, after scoring nine goals and 20 points in 30 DEL contests and 10 points in only five World Junior Championship games, the Sabres knew that it wouldn’t be long before Peterka debuted in North America.

He did just that the following season. Primarily playing for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, Peterka gave an impressive rookie performance, scoring 28 goals and 68 points in 70 games. Despite being named to the All-Rookie Team and finishing 10th in AHL scoring, Peterka lost out on the Dudley “Red” Garrett Memorial Award as the league’s most outstanding rookie to teammate Jack Quinn.

Despite playing in two games during the 2021-22 campaign, Peterka made the full transition to NHL hockey in 2022-23 and never looked back. Being a capable tertiary scorer during the 2022-23 campaign with limited ice time, Peterka became a full-fledged top-six winger the last two seasons, scoring 55 goals and 118 points in 159 games played.

Peterka has some defensive shortcomings to work on, which is to be expected of any young winger. Still, he brings a wealth of offensive capabilities and possession quality to plug into a similarly styled offense in Salt Lake City. Peterka will join the likes of Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther, and Barrett Hayton and the Mammoth’s top-six, with every player falling under the age of 30.

Meanwhile, Buffalo adds a young, right-handed defenseman whom they’ve been coveting for some time. The team was oversaturated on the left side last season, with all four of the team’s highest-paid blue liners shooting from the left. Even at 25 years old, Kesselring has already proven to be a capable puck-moving defenseman who can hold his own in the defensive zone.

It’s hard to imagine the Mammoth thought Kesselring would become the player he is. The Arizona Coyotes acquired Kesselring from the Edmonton Oilers in 2023 as part of the Nick Bjugstad trade, whom they later re-signed the following offseason. They quickly assigned him to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners.

Since then, Kesselring has scored 12 goals and 50 points in 147 NHL contests, jumping into a top-four role with the formerly named Utah Hockey Club last season. The scoring totals may not stand out, but his possession and defensive metrics are impressive. He finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 53.7% CorsiFor% at even strength, and a on-ice save percentage of 92.2%. His positive possession quality should help the Sabres dramatically, as they finished the 2024-25 campaign as the league’s 17th-best possession team.

Lastly, Doan, the son of former Coyotes icon Shane Doan, comes to the Sabres organization without having made his mark on the NHL level. The former 37th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has been a productive AHL scorer since his draft year, accumulating 40 goals and 78 points in 104 games.

Still, that talent hasn’t yet translated to the NHL level, and much of that can be explained by a lack of ice time. Doan finished the 2024-25 campaign with seven goals and 21 points in 51 games, averaging 13:31 seconds of ice time in a third-line role. Unfortunately, given the talent that the Sabres have on the wing in their top-six, Doan is likely destined for the same role in New York.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.

Team USA Announces 2025 World Championship Roster

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Team USA has announced the first 18 players on their World Championship roster. The lineup contains all three goaltenders, six of seven defensemen, and nine of 13 forwards. The roster is led by American stars like Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson, and Brady Skjei. That trio will look to take a mixed group of experience to Team USA’s first gold medal appearance since 1960.

The American roster notably features top young players like Frank Nazar, Mason Lohrei, Cutter Gauthier, Logan Cooley, Jackson LaCombe, and Matty Beniers. Beniers offers the most experience on the Men’s Team, having joined USA at the 2021 World Championship and 2022 Winter Olympics. He scored two points in each tournament. Team USA will also continue their trend of bringing collegiate goaltending by adding Los Angeles Kings prospect Hampton Slukynsky to the roster. Slukynsky led the Fargo Force to a USHL championship last season, then won Western Michigan’s starting role and carried the school to their first NCAA National Championship as a freshman this season.

Team USA will still need to add four forwards and one defenseman. The World Championship will run from May 9th to May 25th in Herning, Denmark – giving the Americans a chance to add some more firepower after playoff exits. Jeff Kealty is serving as USA’s general manager, while San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky heads a coaching staff that also features Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Mike Vellucci, Chciago Blackhawks assistant Kevin Dean, and Michigan State University head coach Adam Nightingale.

The current roster is as follows:

F Tage Thompson (Sabres)
F Drew O’Connor (Canucks)
F Frank Nazar (Blackhawks)
F Michael McCarron (Predators)
F Clayton Keller (Hockey Club)
F Cutter Gauther (Ducks)
F Conor Garland (Canucks)
F Logan Cooley (Hockey Club)
F Matty Beniers (Kraken)

D Alex Vlasic (Blackhawks)
D Brady Skjei (Predators)
D Andrew Peeke (Bruins)
D Mason Lohrei (Bruins)
D Jackson LaCombe (Ducks)
D Michael Kesselring (Hockey Club)

G Joey Daccord (Kraken)
G Jeremy Swayman (Bruins)
G Hampton Slukynsky (Kings)

Injury Notes: Capitals, Hakanpaa, Määttä, Kesselring

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The Washington Capitals will have a mess to sort out on defense with Jakob Chychrun (upper-body) and Alexander Alexeyev (personal) each out day-to-day, per Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network. El-Bashir also shares that Matt Roy, who has been out since October 12th, is nearing a return but likely won’t play on Thursday.

Chychrun suffered his injury after just four shifts in Washington’s Tuesday night win over the New York Rangers. He was seen nursing his left ribs partway through his final shift, though it’s hard to place exactly when he suffered his injury.

Alexeyev and Roy would stand as the de facto options to fill Chychrun’s top-pair role. But with both also potentially missing Thursday night’s game, the Capitals will have to instead turn towards Rasmus Sandin or Martin Fehervary to fill their role of top left-defender. The team could also turn to the minor leagues for a fill-in, where Hardy Haman-Aktell stands as the top left-defense with three assists in six games to start the year.

Other notes from blue-lines around the league:

  • Defenseman Jani Hakanpaa is nearing his debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs after spending the start of the season on IR with a knee injury, shares David Alter of The Hockey News. Hakanpaa opened the year on long-term injured reserve, nursing an injury that ended his 2023-24 campaign in March. He proceeded to go through contract cartwheels with Toronto throughout the summer, signing with the team in July but not finalizing the deal until September. He joined Toronto’s practices on October 2nd, and even traveled with the team on their recent two-game road trip – all suggesting a return is imminent. Hakanpaa is awaiting clearance from Toronto’s doctors and activation off of LTIR, but figures to support the team’s defensive depth when he returns.
  • The Utah Hockey Club could plan to ice seven defensemen on Wednesday – per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports – with Michael Kesselring returning from illness (link) and Olli Määttä quickly joining the team after trade (link). Kesselring has so far played in all 10 of Utah’s games, and ranks second on the blue-line in scoring with five points. Meanwhile, Maatta has yet to change his stat line at all this season – recording no scoring, no penalties, and no lasting change in +/- through seven games with the Detroit Red Wings. He was flipped to Utah for a 2025 third-round pick, and offers much-needed depth to a Utah club without both Sean Durzi and John Marino for the long-term. Kesselring should maintain his spot on the team’s top pair, while Maatta will join Vladislav Kolyachonok and Maveric Lamoureux in fighting for depth ice time.

West Notes: Jiricek, Kesselring, Hague

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The St. Louis Blues have reassigned defenseman Adam Jiricek to the Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldogs (news release). Jiricek was the 16th overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft and will bring a wealth of experience to the Bulldogs, having already accumulated 31 games of professional experience in his native Czechia.

The younger brother of Columbus defenseman David Jiricek has played quite a bit internationally in the last few seasons, including appearances in the U17 World Hockey Challenge, U18 World Hockey Championships, Hlinka-Gretzky Cup & World Junior Hockey Championships.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Utah Hockey Club defenseman Michael Kesselring is out with an illness and will be a game-time decision tomorrow night (as per Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune). Kesselring logged almost 23 minutes in ice time last night in a loss against the San Jose Sharks but woke up and was sick with a fever today. The 24-year-old has seen a huge increase in ice time this season, averaging over 20 minutes a night in the absence of top-four defensemen John Marino and Sean Durzi. Kesselring has filled in admirably, posting two goals and three assists in 10 games this season.
  • Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague has been officially ruled out for tomorrow night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings (as per Sin Bin Vegas). The 25-year-old skated by himself as he ramped up his efforts to get back into the lineup. Hague last played on October 25th and will miss his third consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Kaedan Korczak will likely continue to fill in for Hague on the Golden Knights backend. Korczak has dressed in three games this season, posting a single assist while averaging over 16 minutes of ice time per game.

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