Avalanche Recall T.J. Tynan
The Avalanche have added some depth up front for this afternoon’s game against Columbus. The team announced (Twitter link) that forward T.J. Tynan has been recalled from AHL Colorado.
It’s the first recall of the season for the 33-year-old. Tynan has spent the full 2025-26 campaign with the Eagles and his output can be viewed a couple of ways. Through 30 games, Tynan has scored just once which is hardly ideal for one of a team’s top veterans. On the other hand, he sits third in the AHL in assists with 25, keeping him within striking distance of the point-per-game mark. He has just missed that threshold the last two years but reached or surpassed it in the previous five.
Despite the consistent production in the minors, it hasn’t yielded too many NHL opportunities for Tynan. He has played in just 30 NHL games over his career, nine of which came last season when the Avs churned through the majority of their farm team in an effort to find some pieces to stick on the fourth line. Although he has been a point producer in the AHL, that hasn’t been the case at the top level as he has been limited to just two assists in those 30 outings while averaging 8:21 per game of ice time.
With Tynan’s recall, Colorado’s roster is now at the maximum of 23 players.
Hurricanes Activate Jaccob Slavin Off Injured Reserve
The Hurricanes will be welcoming back a critical piece of their back end for tonight’s game against Seattle. The team announced that defenseman Jaccob Slavin has been activated off injured reserve.
They’ll be hoping that the second time is the charm when it comes to returning from injury. Last month, Slavin returned from a lower-body injury only to sustain an upper-body issue in his third game back. As a result, the 31-year-old has been limited to just five games so far this season.
Slavin has received down-ballot Norris votes in each of the last nine seasons and is widely regarded as one of the top shutdown defenders in the NHL. He’s sitting on 299 career points in 750 career regular season contests so he has certainly been more than just a traditional stay-at-home blueliner. His previous play was good enough to earn a spot on Team USA for the Olympics next month despite hardly playing in 2025-26.
The Hurricanes enter tonight’s action atop the Eastern Conference which is especially impressive given how infrequently Slavin has been available to them. He’s listed by the team as being likely to be on their top pairing tonight alongside Jalen Chatfield.
On Friday, Carolina sent blueliner Joel Nystrom back to AHL Chicago without calling anyone else up. As a result, they had an open roster spot to activate Slavin. Their roster now stands at the maximum of 23 players once again.
Rangers Assign Justin Dowling To AHL
With center Noah Laba expected to return to the lineup tonight, the Rangers have sent some forward depth back to the minors. The team announced (Twitter link) that center Justin Dowling has been assigned back to AHL Hartford. They now have one open roster spot.
The 35-year-old was brought up at the beginning of the month when Laba and others were injured and got into two games with New York during this stint. He was held off the scoresheet while recording one shot on goal in a total of just over 14 minutes of playing time.
It’s the third straight season in which Dowling has seen NHL action; he played in a career-best 52 with New Jersey last season. That was enough to land him a two-year deal with the Rangers this summer with 2025-26 seeing him earn a one-way salary before reverting to a two-way pact next season.
Dowling has spent the bulk of the campaign with the Wolf Pack where he has fared well offensively, notching five goals and 11 assists in 24 games. After being a limited role player with the Rangers, he’ll return to being a key top-six forward in Hartford with the hopes of playing his way into another recall in the coming months.
Canadiens To Activate Kaiden Guhle Off LTIR
The Canadiens will welcome back a key part of their back end tonight against Detroit. The team announced that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will return to the lineup, meaning he will be activated off long-term injured reserve.
The 23-year-old has been limited to just five games so far this season before a mid-October groin injury sidelined him until now. In those five outings, Guhle had a goal and an assist along with 16 hits in a little over 19 minutes per night of playing time.
In the first season of a six-year, $33MM contract, Guhle has been a very important part of Montreal’s back end. At least, that is, when he has been in the lineup. He has logged more than 20 minutes per game in each of his first three NHL seasons while averaging just shy of 20 points in each. However, he’s now missed 116 of a possible 290 games since his rookie campaign, meaning he has been out 40% of the time.
With Guhle’s return, the Canadiens now have their full defense corps available to them. The same can’t be said up front, however, with the team still without Josh Anderson, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, Patrik Laine, and Alex Newhook with recovery timelines ranging from day-to-day to multiple months away from returning.
Earlier this week, Montreal assigned defenseman Adam Engstrom to AHL Laval with no corresponding roster move made at the time. As a result, the Canadiens had an open slot to activate Guhle so no other roster moves are required.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Zachary Jones
Saturday: It was a short-term demotion for Jones as WGR 550’s Paul Hamilton relays (Twitter link) that he is back up with Buffalo to once again serve as the reserve defender. The assignment was simply to get him into a game with AHL Rochester to keep him fresh.
Friday: The Buffalo Sabres announced that they’ve reassigned depth defenseman Zachary Jones to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. The Sabres are now down to six defensemen on the active roster.
Since the team has an upcoming five-game homestand beginning tomorrow night against the Anaheim Ducks, they may be able to wait a few days before recalling another defenseman if the rest of the core is fully healthy. Still, since Michael Kesselring won’t be eligible for activation until Buffalo’s January 14th contest against the Philadelphia Flyers, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them recall a different option, such as Ryan Johnson for a day or two.
Despite being the second recall of the year for Jones, he has yet to play a game for the Sabres. After being non-tendered by the New York Rangers last offseason, Jones quickly signed a one-year, $900K agreement with Buffalo on the opening day of free agency.
Although he may have liked to get into an NHL contest by now, it’s been all AHL for the former 68th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. Given his output with AHL Rochester this season, it’s somewhat surprising that the Sabres haven’t gotten him at least one look.
At the time of writing, Jones has scored three goals and 31 points in 28 games for the Americans, leading the team in scoring. He’s only two points back of Ryan Ufko for the highest-scoring defenseman in the AHL with four fewer games played. If he continues his current pace, it’ll be surprising if Jones doesn’t come home with the Eddie Shore Award, annually given to the league’s top defenseman.
Flyers Place Jamie Drysdale On Injured Reserve, Recall Adam Ginning
8:00 p.m.: Philadelphia has quickly replaced the void left by Drysdale on the active roster. According to a public announcement, the Flyers have recalled Adam Ginning from AHL Lehigh Valley. He’s gone scoreless in five games for the Flyers this season, averaging 15:20 of ice time per night.
2:26 p.m.: The Flyers placed defenseman Jamie Drysdale on injured reserve today, per Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer. With six healthy defensemen still on the active roster and a two-game homestand upcoming, there’s no immediate need to fill his roster spot.
Drysdale has already sat out one game after getting rocked by Ducks winger Ross Johnston on Tuesday night. Johnston was ejected for the hit but wasn’t given any further discipline. While Drysdale is still officially day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, the move rules him out of Philadelphia’s next two games. He’ll be eligible to return on Jan. 14 against the Sabres.
The sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft is having his best all-around season. He’s battled through a lengthy list of injuries throughout his development to overcome some defensive warts in his game. His 3-15–18 scoring line in 41 appearances isn’t the offensive ceiling expected from him, but he’s averaging over 21 minutes per night for the Flyers while posting good possession numbers as their right-shot second-pairing anchor with either Emil Andrae or Nick Seeler on his left flank.
On track to finish the season with a plus rating for the first time in his six-year career, he’s been splitting top power-play quarterback duties with Cameron York. A long-term absence could be tough to swallow for the Flyers, who haven’t gotten a ton of offensive output from their blue line. They also haven’t seen good two-way numbers from Rasmus Ristolainen, next up on the right-shot depth chart behind Drysdale, since his return from injury last month.
Detroit Red Wings Recall Sheldon Dries
The Detroit Red Wings have addressed their need for a 13th forward after reassigning John Leonard earlier today. According to a team announcement, the Red Wings have recalled Sheldon Dries from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
If Detroit didn’t want to recall one of their prospects and weren’t willing to remove the Griffins’ captain, Dominik Shine, it was almost certainly going to be Dries. Dries, 31, is in his second year with the Red Wings organization after spending multiple years with the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks’ organizations.
It’ll be a coming home of sorts for the Macomb, MI native. Dries spent his youth days playing for the local travel hockey programs in Honeybaked and Belle Tire. He moved to the southwest part of the state for his collegiate hockey days, playing four years with the Western Michigan University Broncos, where he scored 44 goals and 84 points in 148 career games.
He’s always been a quality scorer in the AHL, highlighted by a 35-goal, 62-point performance in 54 games throughout the 2021-22 season for the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. In his last year with the AHL Canucks in the 2023-24 campaign, Dries registered 29 goals and 52 points in 55 games.
His first year with AHL Grand Rapids was similarly solid, finishing fourth on the team in scoring with 25 goals and 40 points in 65 games. Still, like many of his teammates this year, he’s been playing at a different level entirely. Dries currently sits third on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 25 points in 26 games with a +16 rating, on pace for nearly 70 points before the recall.
If he draws into the lineup for the Red Wings, it’ll be his first NHL appearance since the 2022-23 season. That was his longest stretch in the top league by a significant margin, scoring 11 goals and 17 points in 63 games for the Canucks, averaging 11:32 of ice time per game.
Golden Knights Recall Carl Lindbom; Carter Hart Injured
According to a team announcement, the Vegas Golden Knights have recalled netminder Carl Lindbom from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. The transaction is undeniably in connection to Carter Hart‘s injury (video link) from yesterday’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Golden Knights don’t immediately need to place Hart on injured reserve given they had an open roster spot. Still, they may be headed in that direction regardless.
During the play in question, after being scored on by Columbus captain Boone Jenner early in the first period, Hart exited for the remainder of the contest. He was unable to make it down the tunnel on his own power, instead being helped by teammates and staff. There have been no additional updates to Hart’s status, though they may come tomorrow morning after practice.
Before the injury, Hart had a relatively shaky start with his new team. Throughout his first six starts with the Golden Knights, Hart managed a 3-1-2 record with a .903 SV%. Unfortunately, he’s fallen off the rails since then, earning an .825 SV% over his last six starts on 114 shots.
Meanwhile, Lindbom returns to Vegas for his second stint of the year. Over his first recall in late-October, Lindbom picked up one win in seven starts with a .870 SV% and 3.14 GAA. He’s understandably been much better with AHL Henderson this year, managing a 6-3-4 record in 12 games with a .926 SV% and 2.08 GAA.
Capitals Activate Aliaksei Protas
The Capitals have activated winger Aliaksei Protas from injured reserve, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. He’ll be back in the lineup tonight against the Blackhawks. Winger Tom Wilson took his spot on IR to open a roster space, but he’ll be eligible to be activated as soon as Sunday.
Protas missed Washington’s last three games, sustaining a lower-body injury against the Senators on New Year’s Day. Now that he’s back, he’ll be looking to pick up where he left off. He’s on a five-game point streak, during which he has four goals and five assists for nine points.
The 6’6″ Belarusian hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down following last season’s 30-goal, 66-point breakout. His 16-15–31 scoring line through 41 appearances this year makes for a slightly decreased overall point pace, but he’s scoring goals at the same rate. He’s also doing so in a more sustainable manner, compensating for a 3.1% dip in shooting percentage by averaging 16% more shots on goal per game than he did in 2024-25.
He continues to be one of the Caps’ most feared possession threats at even strength, too. His +21 rating is second on the team behind Jakob Chychrun, and his 55.8 CF% is inferior only to Wilson’s.
That’s a big boost for a Washington team that’s dropped three out of its last four, now out of the playoff picture for the time being. Their strong advanced numbers and +14 goal differential suggest they should get back into position sooner rather than later, though, especially with key bodies in Protas and Wilson returning in short order.
Wilson, who left the lineup one game after Protas did with a lower-body issue, could get his feet back on the ice in Nashville this weekend. The newly tabbed Olympian is enjoying a career year at age 31, leading the Caps in scoring with 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games. His 22.7% shooting rate is nearly 10 points above his career average and won’t hold up, but the added offense is greatly appreciated in addition to his trademark hard-nosed play, leading Washington with 110 hits.
Sharks Reassign Patrick Giles
Jan. 9: Giles was returned to the AHL today, the team announced. He was scratched for both games of his call-up on Tuesday and Wednesday. The move indicates one of the Sharks’ IR-bound defenders – Klingberg, Vincent Desharnais, and Shakir Mukhamadullin – could be returning to action tomorrow.
Jan. 5: The Sharks recalled center Patrick Giles from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on Monday, per a team announcement. To open a roster spot, the Sharks placed defenseman John Klingberg on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 31.
It’s the second recall of the season for Giles, who last appeared on the roster in November. The 26-year-old, who was acquired from the Panthers in last year’s Vítek Vaněček trade, has 20 games of NHL experience, including three on his previous recall this season.
The Chevy Chase, Maryland, native will provide the Sharks with an extra forward for Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jackets. While they now have 14 forwards on the active roster, Adam Gaudette has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury – although Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports he could be an option to return to the lineup against Columbus.
The 6’5″, 218-lb Giles grades out as a fine fourth-line pivot for a few games at a time, but shouldn’t be relied upon more than that. His possession numbers weren’t inspiring in more extended action with Florida last season, and he has a team-worst -10 rating with nine points in 28 games for the Barracuda.
As for Klingberg, San Jose’s top power play quarterback sustained a lower-body injury against the Wild on New Year’s Eve that caused him to sit out Saturday’s loss to the Lightning. He’s been ruled out of the Sharks’ upcoming back-to-back but will be eligible to return this weekend against the Stars, per Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest.
His absence means more opportunities for youngsters Sam Dickinson and Vincent Iorio while veteran Nick Leddy gets some added reps as well, despite serving as a healthy scratch for most of the campaign. Klingberg’s nine goals and 16 points in 31 games have him on pace for his best offensive showing since departing Dallas in free agency in 2022.