East Notes: Lightning, Rangers, Thomson
The Lightning found themselves down a pair of important contributors up front today against Ottawa. Prior to the contest, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Nikita Kucherov and center Nick Paul were both scratched due to illness. Kucherov entered play today in a share of the league lead in scoring with 121 points, tied with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. This is now the fifth game this season that he has missed. As for Paul, he has been fairly quiet since returning from the injury midway through the month, recording just one assist in seven games since then, bringing him to 13 points in 41 games on the campaign. Without enough cap space to recall a replacement forward, the team went with just 11 forwards and seven defensemen versus the Sens.
Elsewhere in the East:
- The Rangers will have to wait at least one more game to get veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick back. Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that Quick won’t dress on Sunday but is still considered to be day-to-day. Once he returns, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them use all three goalies, allowing Dylan Garand to get a bit more action at the top level. There is some good news on the injury front for New York, however. In a separate tweet, Mercogliano adds that center Noah Laba has been listed as a game-time decision for tomorrow’s contest. The 22-year-old was listed as being out week-to-week less than two weeks ago, suggesting his return is going to be ahead of schedule.
- The Senators welcomed back one of their injured defenders today as Julian McKenzie of The Athletic noted (Twitter link) that Lassi Thomson was cleared to return from his lower-body injury. The 25-year-old was an injury recall earlier this month and then was injured less than five minutes into his season debut on Monday. He took the place of Jorian Donovan in the lineup; Ottawa will now have to decide if they want to convert Donovan’s recall to a regular one (counting against their post-deadline limit) or return him to AHL Belleville.
Noah Laba And Urho Vaakanainen Out Week-To-Week
With the Rangers well out of playoff contention and playing out the stretch, this is the time of year when it would be good to get some of their younger players or depth pieces a bit more playing time to help evaluate things for next season. That won’t be happening for a pair of players, however. Newsday’s Denis P. Gorman relays (Twitter link) that center Noah Laba and defenseman Urho Vaakanainen are listed as out week-to-week.
Laba sustained a lower-body injury on Wednesday against New Jersey. The 22-year-old came into training camp, locked down a roster spot to start the year, and hasn’t looked back since as he has been a regular in New York’s bottom six. Through 65 games this season, Laba has nine goals and 12 assists while winning just over half of his faceoffs. He has also chipped in with 90 hits while logging over 13 minutes a night of ice time, a solid freshman year overall.
As for Vaakanainen, he also was injured against the Devils, though with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old has been a depth defender for the Rangers since coming over as part of the Jacob Trouba trade early last season. Through 33 games, he has six assists and 26 blocks in 13:48 per game of ice time. Instead of possibly getting a chance to make a case for a more stable role down the stretch, he’ll now be sidelined for the next little while.
With Connor Mackey being recalled on Thursday and New York still having 12 healthy forwards on the roster, it’s unlikely that there will be any further promotions from AHL Hartford for the time being. If they do elect to call up someone, that move would count against their post-deadline limit of five since they have enough healthy players to not be eligible for an emergency recall.
Snapshots: CHL, Vaakanainen, Laba
In November, we covered reports indicating that the NHL was seeking to come to an agreement with the CHL on allowing 19-year-old CHL players to play in the AHL under specific circumstances. At the time, it appeared the league was seeking a deal that would allow each club to select one player, who would have previously been ineligible to play in the AHL, to be loaned to that league. The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Pierre LeBrun reported today that NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly had a meeting scheduled for today with the CHL’s President, alongside the three commissioners of the CHL’s leagues. Per Russo and LeBrun, “there will be some type of change” to the rule, and the negotiations are reportedly more about determining “the number of 19-year-olds that could be assigned” and “the criteria” of who would be allowed to be assigned.
Russo and LeBrun indicated that with the flow of CHL players to the NCAA, now that the NCAA’s rules permit CHLers to join the college ranks, NHL teams “want to maintain control of their drafted players.” Providing a player with the flexibility to turn pro might keep a player from playing college hockey, something that would accomplish that goal for teams. Recent history is littered with players who teams would likely have preferred to turn pro rather than return to the CHL, perhaps none more high-profile than 2022 No. 4 pick Shane Wright. The year after he was drafted, Wright got into eight NHL games, a handful of AHL games (on a conditioning loan), and was reassigned to the OHL after the World Juniors. It’s likely that Wright would have simply spent the year in the AHL had the rules been different, and with today’s reporting, it appears the next Wright might very well get the chance to do just that.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- The New York Rangers announced tonight that defenseman Urho Vaakanainen left the team’s contest against the New Jersey Devils after suffering an upper-body injury. The full extent of Vaakanainen’s injury is, of course, unclear at this time. The 27-year-old, who is under contract through next season at a $1.55MM AAV, has served as a seventh defenseman for the Rangers this season. He’s gotten into 32 games, scoring six points and averaging 14:08 time on ice per game.
- Vaakanainen isn’t the only Rangers player who left their game against the Devils with an injury: the team also announced that rookie center Noah Laba has been sidelined with a lower-body injury. Laba’s emergence has been one of the more positive storylines for the Rangers this season, as the 2022 fourth-round pick has been a developmental bright spot for a team whose track record in that area has come under scrutiny. The 22-year-old has 21 points in 64 games this season and has been operating as the team’s No. 3 center, averaging 13:33 time on ice per game including a secondary role on the penalty kill.
East Injury Notes: Texier, Rielly, Laba, Drouin
Montreal Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier missed last night’s victory over the Buffalo Sabres with a lower-body injury, according to a team announcement. Texier missed two games, on Jan. 20 and Jan. 22, with a lower-body injury, before returning for three games from Jan. 24 through Jan. 29. It is unclear at this time whether Texier’s current lower-body ailment is related to the one that cost him those two games, though it would certainly not be a huge surprise. The Canadiens did not issue a timeline related to Texier’s injury, so as of right now, he should be considered day-to-day.
Texier plays an important role in the Canadiens’ lineup, serving as the third wheel on the team’s top line alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. In a role formerly occupied by 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky, Texier has managed seven goals and 17 points in 30 games as a Canadien. His solid play earned him a two-year, $2.5MM AAV contract extension last month. 2019 No. 3 pick Kirby Dach skated in Texier’s vacated top line role against the Sabres, making a crucial play along the boards to help set up the team’s game-winning goal. For as long as Texier is injured, Dach, a pending RFA, figures to get the significant opportunity that is playing alongside two star forwards on Montreal’s top line.
Other injury notes from around the NHL:
- Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Morgan Rielly left yesterday’s victory over the Vancouver Canucks with an upper-body injury, according to a team announcement. Rielly, 31, has missed just a single game this season, meaning if his absence is in any way extended, it would have significant implications for how head coach Craig Berube is able to staff his lineup. While Rielly’s play has come under increased criticism this season as Toronto has struggled to gain ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race, he still plays a significant role on the team. He’s scored 31 points in 54 games, and is Toronto’s No. 2 defenseman in terms of average ice time per game, skating 21:33 per night in a role that includes key power play responsibilities.
- New York Rangers rookie forward Noah Laba left yesterday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins with an upper-body injury, according to a team announcement. The Rangers did not have any further update on Laba’s status after the game, other than to say that he will continue to be evaluated. Laba, 22, has broken into the Rangers organization as a full-time NHL bottom-six center in what is his first full campaign of professional hockey. The former Colorado College pivot has scored 16 points in 53 games and is playing 13:17 time on ice per game, including a limited role on both sides of special teams. If Laba’s absence is extended, the Rangers could struggle to adequately replace the role Laba fills in their lineup, and that’s especially true if the club elects to trade 33-year-old veteran center Sam Carrick, who is under contract for an additional year at a $1MM cap hit and could draw interest from contending teams.
- New York Islanders forward Jonathan Drouin missed the team’s loss yesterday with an illness, per a team announcement. Drouin, who has 20 points in 48 games this season, had been skating on a top-six line with the Islanders alongside Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair. Head coach Patrick Roy elected to elevate rookie Maxim Shabanov into Drouin’s role as his response to Drouin’s illness. While it’s not known exactly how long Drouin will miss as a result of being under the weather, it would be safe to consider him day-to-day.
East Notes: Sabres, Romanov, Lundell, Laba
In Tuesday’s rendition of Oilers NOW with Bob Stauffer, his guest, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, spoke on the situation in the crease for the Buffalo Sabres. Friedman believes that the Sabres will need to recall Devon Levi sooner rather than later, which would confound an already complicated situation between the pipes.
Even without Levi, Buffalo already has three goaltenders on the roster when healthy: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis. However, in his introductory press conference, new General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen stated that he wasn’t comfortable having three on the roster and would address that as soon as possible. Since then, Ellis and Lyon have each spent time on the IR, effectively kicking the can down the road.
Despite Kekäläinen’s desire to move a goalie off the roster, Levi remains blocked. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old has made a name for himself, compiling a record of 53-25-15 in 91 games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, achieving a .917 SV% and a 2.45 GAA over the past three years. It’s hard to see how Levi could make the NHL roster this season, so the Sabres have more work ahead regarding their goaltending situation.
Additional notes from the Eastern Conference:
- In late November, the New York Islanders shared that defenseman Alexander Romanov would miss five to six months after undergoing shoulder surgery. Giving a little bit more specificity to that timeline today, Andrew Gross of Newsday shared that Romanov is a possibility to return to the playoffs if the Islanders qualify. Given that there was no indication provided otherwise, that means that Romanov’s 2025-26 regular season has concluded. The 26-year-old will finish with one assist in 15 games with a -7 rating, averaging 19:27 of ice time per game.
- The NHL’s Department of Player Safety is involved in last night’s game between the Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadiens. They have fined Panthers forward Anton Lundell $5,000, the maximum allowable under the current CBA, for high-sticking Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier. Lundell was originally given a double-minor on the play.
- If everything goes according to plan, the New York Rangers will return third-line center Noah Laba to the lineup tomorrow afternoon. According to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, Laba was a full participant at practice today. The 22-year-old forward has been dealing with an upper-body injury since December 31st, and was given a week-to-week recovery timeline.
Injury Notes: Rangers, Capitals, Monahan
Colin Stephenson of Newsday Sports reported that Rangers captain J.T. Miller remains in a red no-contact jersey in practice this morning, while fellow forward Noah Laba was also a limited participant, skating on his own.
Miller has been out since December 20 after sustaining a hit versus Philadelphia, injuring his right shoulder. Subsequently, he was forced to miss the Winter Classic. Initially listed as week-to-week, the 32-year-old’s scoring has taken a step backwards so far this season, with 22 points in 35 games and a -11. However, once healthy, the veteran will lean into his imposing style and leadership on Team USA in the upcoming Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, Laba is also week-to-week with an upper-body injury, after taking a hard hit from Tom Wilson on New Year’s Eve. The rookie was an everyday player before the injury, with 12 points in 42 games on Head Coach Mike Sullivan’s third line. In his absence, 35-year-old depth forward Justin Dowling has slotted in from the AHL, getting to make his Rangers debut under the bright lights in Miami.
New York hosts Utah tomorrow night, and will do so without Miller or Laba. It is safe to assume neither will return for another week or so, but the club hopes their resounding Winter Classic win over Florida will kickstart a playoff push in the New Year.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network provided several injury updates on the Capitals: Tom Wilson is receiving further evaluation, and a better indication on a return time frame should come tomorrow. Aliaksei Protas is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Finally, Justin Sourdif and Jakob Chychrun are absent, but just due to maintenance. Wilson left last night’s game, seeming to suffer an awkward ankle injury. The team desperately hopes he won’t be out long, as the 31-year-old is possibly having his best season yet, in year 13. Wilson has been a force, leading the team with 42 points in 41 games, while still maintaining his usual wrecking ball physicality. Such output is a new level for the veteran who has a career high of 65 points, coming last season. Protas, on the other hand, missed last night’s game, his first absence of the year. The towering power forward has produced right on track with last season’s 30-goal, 66-point breakout, and thankfully, should return quickly. Washington is right back in action tomorrow night, taking on Anaheim at home, where Wilson and Protas’ presence will be watched closely.
- Ahead of today’s matinee action against Pittsburgh, Columbus will be missing Sean Monahan again, as reported by Jeff Svoboda, official team reporter. The center hasn’t played since December 28, with no official injury designation listed, making today his fourth straight game sidelined. Monahan, 31, had a strong campaign in his first as a Jacket last season, posting 57 points in 54 games. Things have not gone as to plan this year, with 19 in 37 contests, as Monahan has rotated at times with fellow veteran Charlie Coyle between second and third line center duties. As noted by Svoboda, the club hopes Monahan can return sometime this week. Currently at the bottom of a very deep Metropolitan Division, the Blue Jackets face an uphill battle to end their five year postseason drought.
Rangers Recall Brett Berard, Anton Blidh, Justin Dowling
2:54 p.m.: Laba has been listed as week-to-week with his upper-body injury, per Colin Stephenson of Newsday. He will not be in the lineup for the Winter Classic.
10:21 a.m.: The Rangers have recalled forwards Brett Berard, Anton Blidh, and Justin Dowling from AHL Hartford, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports. In corresponding moves, the team placed left winger Conor Sheary on long-term injured reserve and returned winger Brennan Othmann to Hartford. The club had an open roster spot entering the day, hence why only two roster spots needed to be opened.
New York’s recalls come after losing Sheary and Noah Laba to injuries in Wednesday’s loss to the Capitals, leaving them shorthanded leading into Friday’s Winter Classic in Miami. Laba remains on the active roster but is unlikely to be available for the outdoor game, according to Baugh.
As such, two of Berard, Blidh, and Dowling are set to feature against the Panthers at LoanDepot Park, home of MLB’s Miami Marlins. Berard is the only one of the group to see NHL time this season, going pointless with a -1 rating through 11 appearances.
The 23-year-old has been knocking on the door of a full-time roster spot for some time, but his waiver-exempt status and lack of offensive success on this year’s call-ups have limited his playing time. He was recently rostered as a healthy scratch during the holiday roster freeze, but hasn’t played an NHL contest since Dec. 15.
Still, the 2020 fifth-round pick got some reps in top-nine minutes last year, notching a 6-4–10 scoring line in 35 games as a rookie. It stands to reason his familiarity with the job will lead him to step in for Sheary as the Blueshirts’ third line left wing.
Even in the minors, it’s been a forgettable season for the 5’9″ lefty. After scoring 25 goals for Hartford as a rookie in 2023-24 and then managing 23 points in just 30 games last year, he’s gone cold with two goals, nine points, and a -9 rating in 20 showings this year.
Blidh, also a winger, seems the likeliest to serve as an extra forward with Laba’s absence stressing the need for a center option in Dowling. The 30-year-old is in his fourth season with the Rangers organization but hasn’t made an NHL appearance since debuting for New York in January 2024.
The 6’1″, 196-lb lefty was a sixth-round pick by Boston in 2013 and appeared in eight consecutive NHL seasons for the Bruins, Avalanche, and Rangers from 2016-24, reaching a career-high nine points in 32 games with the B’s in 2021-22. He’s never served as much more than a bottom-six penalty killing piece, even in the AHL, but is coming off a career-best 19 goals and 36 points in 71 games with Hartford last year. Through 28 showings this season, the Swede has a 3-4–7 scoring line in 28 games.
Dowling would be making his Rangers debut if he plays after signing a two-year, $1.55MM deal as a free agent last summer before ending up on waivers. While he’s the newest to the organization, the 35-year-old has the most NHL experience of the group at 152 games and is used to stepping in as a short-term bottom-six option.
The Calgary native made a career-high 52 appearances with the Devils last season, scoring seven points with a -6 rating while going 48.3% on faceoffs. Whether he or Sam Carrick gets the bump into third-line minutes to replace Laba remains to be seen, although considering Dowling’s produced well with 16 points in 24 AHL games, it’ll likely be him.
As for Sheary, it’s still not clear what caused him to exit yesterday’s game. Nonetheless, he’ll now be out for the Rangers’ next 10 games and 24 days. He will be eligible to return on Jan. 26 against the Bruins.
Signed off a professional tryout in training camp, the two-time Stanley Cup champion hasn’t found much success in third-line duties despite reuniting with former Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan. Despite averaging 14:35 of ice time per game, he’s scored just once in 37 appearances with an abysmal 1.8% shooting clip.
Needing to add so many players left the Rangers within a few thousand dollars of the cap – even with Sheary and Adam Edstrom on LTIR. Blidh and Dowling likely got the call-ups primarily because of their league minimum salary, making Othmann and his slightly more expensive $863.3K cap hit unaffordable for the time being.
After being made available for trade at the beginning of the season, Othmann, the No. 16 overall pick in 2021, has spent most of the year in the minors and has no points and a -3 rating in six NHL appearances. With four goals and 10 points in 19 games for Hartford, he’s likely hurt his trade value more than he’s helped it.
Injury Notes: Rangers, Matthews, Barkov
This afternoon’s action was especially tough for the Rangers, as the team shared that Noah Laba (upper body) and Conor Sheary (lower body) did not return, as they lost to Washington. It was not immediately specified, but Laba’s injury is likely related to the heavy hit he sustained from Tom Wilson, while Sheary’s ailment was not as glaringly noticeable.
Laba, a rookie, has not yet missed a game this season, posting 12 points in 42 games mostly in a third line role. Sheary, meanwhile, has been scratched this season, with just one goal in 37 games, production far from his past as a dependable secondary scorer. Although their forward depth has taken a hit, thankfully the Blueshirts welcomed back top defenseman Adam Fox today, who made an immediate impact with a goal and an assist.
Now set to travel to Miami and take on the Panthers under the eyes of the hockey world in the 2026 NHL Winter Classic, a roster move may be in order if neither are able to play. Brennan Othmann, a scratch today, could slot into the marquee game on January 2.
Elsewhere across the league:
- This morning Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews returned to practice, as shared by Dave McCarthy of NHL.com. The superstar was listed as day-to-day yesterday with a lower-body injury, which happened from a blocked shot last Sunday. In his absence, the Leafs picked up a shutout win over New Jersey, but now Matthews could be in line to return by tomorrow, as the team hosts Winnipeg. Toronto dodged a bullet with Matthews’ status, and will seek a rapid turnaround in the New Year on the back of the 28-year-old sniper once healthy.
- Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has begun light skating, as reported in a Hockey News article by David Dwork. After suffering a devastating ACL and MCL injury in the first practice of training camp, Barkov still has a long way to go, but today’s update is encouraging news entering 2026. The injury riddled Panthers have stayed afloat, and with Matthew Tkachuk nearing a return, Florida will look to secure a playoff spot and set the table for Barkov to possibly join the group by March. If healthy come postseason, the two-time reining Selke winner would give Florida a real shot at the first Stanley Cup three-peat since the Islanders 40 years ago.
Metro Notes: Ristolainen, Rangers, Horcoff
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was on the ice for the Flyers’ morning skate today wearing a no-contact jersey, reports NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall. Per Hall, this is Ristolainen’s first skate with the team in 2025-26. Ristolainen is still recovering from the right triceps surgery he underwent in March. While it’s unclear at this point how far Ristolainen is from fitness to play in games, today’s sight is an encouraging one for the Flyers, who stand to benefit greatly whenever Ristolainen is back to full health.
The 31-year-old had a strong 2024-25 season in Philadelphia. While he only managed 19 points, which is a far cry from the production he used to post consistently as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, he made his mark defensively. Standing 6’4″ and 208 pounds, Ristolainen provided valuable size to the Flyers’ defense, and managed to kill penalties at a decent clip. He was the Flyers’ No. 2 defenseman in terms of ice time last season, averaging 20:31 time on ice per game including time on both special teams units. The Flyers have relied more heavily on Cam York and Jamie Drysdale in Ristolainen’s absence, with each player currently at a significantly higher average time on ice per game in 2025-26 compared to last season. Getting Ristolainen back at some point should allow for more balance in terms of how the Flyers coaching staff is able to deploy their blueliners.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- In 2022, the New York Rangers made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, and their run was greatly aided by their “kid” line made up of a trio of top draft picks: Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, and Filip Chytil. While two of those three players have since been traded away, it appears the Rangers could be in the process of discovering another third line made up of its youngest players. The Athletic’s Peter Baugh wrote today that “The Rangers’ third line of Will Cuylle, Noah Laba and Brett Berard was buzzing” during the team’s win over the Dallas Stars, and brought up that the Rangers held a decisive lead in high-danger scoring chances whenever that line was on the ice. While it’s too early to tell if that line will stick long-term, those early results are promising. Cuylle is the most experienced player on the line (195 career NHL games played, 45 points last season) while Laba is in his rookie campaign and Berard has just 40 career NHL games. While the Rangers’ track record of developing its top forward draft picks has come under some recent scrutiny, each member of the aforementioned trio is a success story for the organization. Both Cuylle and Berard were second-day NHL draft picks who spent time in AHL Hartford before reaching the NHL, while Laba is a fourth-round pick who spent time in the NCAA.
- When the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted center Will Horcoff at the No. 24 slot at the 2025 NHL Draft, their selection came earlier than where Horcoff had been ranked by most public-facing outlets. While he was ranked No. 27 by TSN’s Bob McKenzie and No. 28 by Corey Pronman of The Athletic, many other outlets, such as the team at Elite Prospects and TSN’s Craig Button, ranked him more as a second-rounder. So far, Horcoff’s performances have easily justified his first-round draft slot. He’s currently tied for the overall scoring lead in all of college hockey with 26 points in 18 games. He also leads the country in goal-scoring by a wide margin, his 18 markers quite a bit higher than the next-highest scorer. (DET’s Max Plante, who has 13) While it’s unclear whether Horcoff’s incredible start to 2025-26 has materially impacted how scouts view his long-term projection, it is clear that the early returns on Pittsburgh’s investment of a first-round draft choice have been wholly positive.
East Notes: Rangers, Mikkola, Malenstyn
Earlier today, Rangers Head Coach Mike Sullivan told Mollie Walker of the New York Post that Vincent Trocheck is still not skating. Although they sit in the middle of the pack at .500, it has not been the smoothest of starts for New York, in a year where the group faces real pressure to turn the corner from a turbulent 2024-25.
Trocheck appeared in the Rangers’ first two games before being injured vs Buffalo. Earlier it had been announced that the forward is week-to-week. Despite now being 32, Trocheck has been very reliable, being an 82-game player in his first three seasons in New York. Now the team hopes to have their vital center back soon.
More injury news has come out of New York, as Colin Stephenson of Newsday confirmed that Noah Laba left tonight’s game vs Minnesota after taking a puck to the face. The rookie forward was helped off the ice, however, Stephenson went on to update that Laba has returned to the game.
Elsewhere across the league:
- David Dwork of The Hockey News noted earlier today that Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola has returned to practice. Mikkola left Saturday’s game in Buffalo with an upper-body injury. The wear-and-tear of back to back Stanley Cups is certainly a possibility this year, for a Panthers group which has lost four straight games, already sorely missing Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Thankfully Mikkola appears ready to help the team get back on track.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced today that forward Beck Malenstyn will be absent for the next few days due to a personal matter. The team did not elaborate, however, Head Coach Lindy Ruff’s comments suggest it is likely due to paternity leave. 26-year-old Josh Dunne, an organizational depth forward, has drawn into the Sabres lineup in place of Malenstyn.