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Jets Reassign Elias Salomonsson

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The Jets announced that defenseman Elias Salomonsson has been reassigned to AHL Manitoba. His first stint in the big leagues ends at the two-week mark.

It’s the expected and best resolution for Salmonsson’s development. The 21-year-old is widely viewed as Winnipeg’s top defense prospect after being drafted 55th overall in 2022. He started the year in Manitoba and was summoned near the end of November when Neal Pionk exited the lineup with a lower-body injury. Pionk’s been back for several days now, though, meaning Salomonsson has been scratched in three of the Jets’ last five games.

Saying Salomonsson looked overmatched in his first taste of the NHL would be a fair statement. He got top-four deployment with Dylan Samberg in his first two appearances and it didn’t go well, posting a -5 rating and controlling just 11.8% of expected goals together. When he re-entered the lineup for a pair of games earlier this month, his ice time was reduced and his two-way play improved against easier competition.

He still ends his first call-up without a point and with a -4 rating in four appearances, averaging 14:44 of ice time per game. When Salmonsson was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Jets were outshot 38-16 and outchanced 32-18.

That’s not exactly what Winnipeg wanted to see out of the smooth-skating 21-year-old, but it’s a small sample size – and still far earlier than anyone expected him to make a full-time jump to the NHL. He now heads back to the farm, where he has six assists and an even rating in 17 games this season.

Canucks Reassign Jett Woo

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Dec. 9: Woo cleared waivers and will be on his way to Abbotsford, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK.

Dec. 8: According to Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Vancouver Canucks have placed defenseman Jett Woo on waivers. Assuming he clears, Vancouver will be able to reassign Woo to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks tomorrow.

Woo opened up the 2025-26 campaign on the Canucks’ season-opening injured reserve due to offseason surgery. The surgery was reportedly meant to address an upper-body injury that Woo played through on AHL Abbotsford’s run to a Calder Cup championship last spring.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Woo was considered an up-and-coming defensive prospect in Vancouver’s pipeline. The Canucks selected Woo with the 37th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, and he spent the next two years scoring 19 goals and 112 points in 126 games between the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors and Calgary Hitmen.

Unfortunately, that production hasn’t translated into success in the professional circuit. Despite spending the last six years playing for Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, Woo has yet to make his NHL debut, and it’s unlikely he’ll ever become a consistent part of the team’s defensive core.

He’s shown some promise on the defensive side of the puck, but Woo has shown little on offense. In 267 AHL contests, the 25-year-old blueliner has scored 21 goals and 83 points.

Blackhawks Recall Dominic Toninato

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The Blackhawks announced they’ve elevated center Dominic Toninato from AHL Rockford. The move gives Chicago another option at forward – and signals a return to a traditional 12-forward, six-defenseman alignment – ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Rangers. No corresponding transaction is necessary after the Hawks sent Sam Rinzel and Landon Slaggert down to Rockford yesterday.

Over the summer, the 31-year-old journeyman landed with Chicago in free agency on a two-year, two-way contract for situations like this. Serving as a dependable but clearly replacement-level call-up option who’s not a huge risk to get claimed on waivers, he entered the year with 189 games of NHL experience before passing through the wire and heading to Rockford.

He’s seen NHL action in each of the last eight seasons, including a career-high 77 appearances as a fourth-line regular with the Jets in 2021-22. That was his second of five years in the Winnipeg organization, which he finally departed a few months ago to sign with the Hawks. He’s only made 25 combined appearances across three years since then, though. He’s scored 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points for his career, posting a +12 rating while averaging 0.19 points per game.

The adjustment to a new environment in Rockford has gone off without a hitch for the 6’2″ pivot. He’s third on the team in scoring with a 5-12–17 line in 24 games. That’s better than his career average rate in the minors and a nice rebound campaign after he posted a more conservative 36 points in 60 games with Manitoba last season while serving as captain.

Toninato will get a prorated bump from $450K to $850K as a result of his contract’s two-way structure. He’ll likely be on hand as an extra forward for the Hawks as they need it – Sam Lafferty was already available as the extra forward while his opportunities were limited due to Chicago only dressing 11 forwards for much of the year. He’ll likely get the fourth-line insert, but if Chicago wants a player who’s a more natural fit at center, Toninato could get the call.

Penguins Recall Danton Heinen, Sam Poulin; Evgeni Malkin Out Week-To-Week

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9:04 a.m.: Malkin and Lizotte are destined for longer absences than the minimum ones required by IR. The team later announced both have been downgraded to week-to-week with their upper-body injuries.

8:55 a.m.: The Penguins announced they’ve again added forwards Danton Heinen and Samuel Poulin to the NHL roster, marking each player’s second recall of the season from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They placed forwards Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte on injured reserve in corresponding moves.

Heinen was one of the most surprising training camp cuts across the league. The 30-year-old is in the back half of a two-year, $4.5MM deal he signed with the Canucks as a free agent in 2024. After scoring six goals and 18 points in 51 games for Vancouver, he was sent to Pittsburgh in the deal that saw the Nucks acquire Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. Heinen was a familiar pickup for the Pens, having scored a career-high 18 goals for them in the 2021-22 season.

For his $2.25MM cap hit, he was reasonably productive down the stretch. He totaled a 3-8–11 scoring line in 28 games and was viewed as likely trade bait entering this season as the Pens looked to clear out some veterans. After all, the 2014 fourth-round pick has been an NHL fixture for years now and hadn’t seen extended time out of the lineup since spending most of 2016-17, his first professional season, in the minors.

Pittsburgh hasn’t shown a propensity to keep veterans in the lineup for the sake of doing so this season, though. With Heinen not serving as much of a fit in their long-term plans – or short-term ones, for that matter – they opted to waive him at the beginning of this season with no desirable trade options on the table. The 6’2″, 187-lb forward has proved he still has NHL talent, lighting up the scoresheet in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a 6-12–18 scoring line in just 12 appearances.

Heinen spent most of November on the NHL roster as a result of injuries to Noel Acciari and Justin Brazeau, both of whom were recently activated from IR. He was returned to WBS on Nov. 30 after scoring one assist in nine games. He saw 12:15 of ice time per contest, getting some occasional reps on both special teams. While his production wasn’t impressive, his two-way impacts were spectacular. Among players with at least 50 5-on-5 minutes for the Pens this year, Heinen boasts the highest share of shot attempts (58.2%), expected goals (59.7%), scoring chances (60.0%), and high-danger chances (61.1%). He managed that with a 43.8 offensive zone start percentage, 17th out of 26 skaters.

Poulin has been similarly productive in the minors. He’s the only WBS skater with more points than Heinen this season, on track for a career year with nine goals and 20 points in 21 games. The 2019 first-round pick is now 24 years old and has aged out of being a top prospect, but he’s proving he can hold down a job as solid organizational depth and be a reliable call-up. He got into two games for the Pens last month on his call-up, recording a -2 rating and six shot attempts while averaging 13:49 of ice time.

Both will be on hand to add to their games-played totals this season tonight against the Ducks as the injury bug continues to bite Pittsburgh’s forward group. Malkin already missed Sunday’s game against the Stars with an upper-body injury and remains listed as day-to-day. Before landing on IR, the future Hall-of-Fame had rattled off two goals and three assists in his last two games. The IR placement technically only rules him out of tonight’s game. Since his last appearance was on Dec. 4, he’ll be eligible to be activated ahead of Thursday’s game against the Canadiens.

Lizotte’s IR placement comes as a surprise. He played nearly 14 minutes in Sunday’s shootout loss in Dallas, recording an assist in the process. He didn’t leave the game, and it’s unclear when he got banged up. The team hasn’t assigned any injury designation other than his IR placement. He’s not eligible for reinstatement until Dec. 14, so whatever’s going on with him will cause him to miss at least three games.

Lizotte, who turns 28 on Saturday, signed a two-year, $3.7MM pact with Pittsburgh in 2024 after being non-tendered by the Kings. He tied his career-high 11 goals last season despite being limited to 59 games and has continued to be quite valuable in a fourth-line role this season. He’s managed a +1 rating despite being used almost exclusively in the defensive zone at 5-on-5 and has contributed a 3-2–5 scoring line in 27 showings. He’s averaging 13:57 of ice time per game and is the Pens’ top penalty-killing forward, likely influencing their decision to add Heinen back into the fold. With Joona Koppanen in the minors and Filip Hallander and Rickard Rakell still on IR, Heinen is ticketed for a job on Pittsburgh’s top two shorthanded units.

Golden Knights Recall Dylan Coghlan, Assign Jaycob Megna

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The Vegas Golden Knights have swapped depth defenseman on the NHL roster. Dylan Coghlan has been recalled, while Jaycob Megna has been reassigned to the AHL. Neither player has appeared in an NHL game this season.

Megna, 32, was recalled to the Golden Knights roster on December 1st. He has been rotated between the NHL and AHL roster three times since clearing waivers on October 2nd. Through that movement, he’s managed to appear in 15 games with the Henderson Silver Knights. He’s recorded five points, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus-six in those appearances. That includes two points, four penalty minutes, and a plus-three in his last four games. Megna also has eight seasons of NHL experience. He has appeared in 193 games, and scored 27 points, through stints with the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, and Florida Panthers.

Coghlan, 27, has performed well in-line with Megna. He has 10 points, 10 penalty minutes, and a plus-four in 20 games with Henderson. This is his recall of the season. He appeared in six games with the Winnipeg Jets, with no scoring, last year and 18 games with the Carolina Hurricanes between 2022 and 2024. Coghlan has appeared in 112 games across six seasons, and three teams. He has 22 points and a minus-10 in those appearances.

This swap surely has more to do with roster technicalities than it does lineup implications. Megna will only be able to spend 15 more days on the NHL roster, before he will have to clear through waivers to be reassigned to the minors. The Golden Knights appear to be using those days sparingly, after recalling Megna for one week in October and the first week of December.

Canadiens Reassign Kaapo Kahkonen

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12/8: The Canadiens have reversed this move with Montembeault feeling better.

12/7: The Montreal Canadiens have recalled goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen from the AHL. He will backup Jakub Dobes with Sam Montembeault under the weather, per hockey insider Frank Seravalli.

Kahkonen has served as backup for the AHL’s Laval Rockets this season. He has a 6-2-0 record and .895 save percentage through nine games. Those numbers pale in comparison to rookie starter Jacob Fowler, who has 10 wins, three shutouts, and a .919 save percentage in 15 games. Recalling the veteran Kahkonen will allow Montreal to keep Fowler in a starting net with three games ahead this week.

Kahkonen has fallen down the depth chart, but still brings plenty of experience to the fill-in role. He has appeared in 140 games across seven NHL seasons. That includes a nightly backup role through two years with the Minnesota Wild, and two years with the San Jose Sharks, between 2020 and 2024. He routinely eclipsed a .900 save percentage through his first five seasons in the NHL. That includes a .913 save percentage in 36 games of the 2021-22 season, which he split between Minnesota and San Jose. His performance fell off with a move to the Colorado Avalanche last season, landing him in a routine AHL role. That role has now stretched across four AHL clubs – three last season, then a move to Laval this year. He isn’t likely to curb the slow years on this recall, but should offer a steady hand if the Canadiens need it.

Lightning, Flyers Swap Roman Schmidt, Ethan Samson

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The Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers have swapped minor-league defenseman. Tampa Bay has sent Roman Schmidt to Philadelphia in exchange for Ethan Samson. Schmidt is in his second season in the AHL, while Samson is in his third.

This move swaps an imposing, physical defender for a more mobile, two-way option. Schmidt stands at 6-foot-5 and 215-pounds. He uses that heft, and a long reach, to shut down entry into the defensive zone and control space in front of his own net. That focus has held Schmidt to just one point in 13 games this season and six points in 62 career AHL games. He has led the Syrcause Crunch in penalty minutes in each of the last two seasons – with 38 PIMs this year and 79 PIMs in 49 games last year. Tampa Bay originally drafted Schmidt in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, out of the U.S. National Team Development Program.

Samson has offered a bit more offense through his AHL career. He has four assists, and only four penalty minutes, in 10 games this season – after missing the start of the year due to a training camp injury. He’s continued to offer a physical and engaged presence on defense, with a bit more downhill drive with the puck on his stick. He has 40 points, a minus-19, and 100 PIMs in 142 career AHL games. The Flyers drafted Samson three rounds after Schmidt in 2021 from the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.

This move will provide the Flyers with a bit more grit behind a young depth chart filled with skill-first players. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay will look to bank on Samson’s upside. The Lightning are no strangers to rewarding AHL defenders on NHL contracts. They have had 10 different defenders appear in NHL games this season and briefly had Schmidt on their roster, though he didn’t make his NHL debut.

Blues Recall Hugh McGing

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled center Hugh McGing with their open roster spot. He will join the Blues with three games ahead of them this week. McGing has six points, 25 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven in 18 games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds this season.

McGing has been near the top of St. Louis’ call-up sheet since 2022. He has appearead in six NHL games in that span, with no scoring, no penalties, and a minus-five. He brings a hard-working energy to the bottom of the lineup. Despite his 5-foot-8 frame, McGing isn’t afraid to get involved with puck battles in the corners or in front of the net. That grit has earned him a key role as Springfield’s third-line center. He has also appeared on the team’s penalty-kill.

The Blues will be looking for any help they can to keep their recent hot streak going. They have won their last two games by a combined score of 6-4 – after losing eight of their previous 11 games. The Blues face two of the top 15 offenses in the league through their next five games in Boston (ranked seventh in goals-for) and Chicago (ranked 14th). They’ll get a bit of respite with two matches against the Nashville Predators, who are one of only five teams with fewer goals than the Blues this season.

McGing will offer an alternative for Matt Luff, who made his Blues debut on Suunday. Luff recorded one hit, two shot blocks, and a minus-one in eight minutes of ice time.

Canucks Activate Nils Hoglander From LTIR

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The Canucks are activating winger Nils Höglander from long-term injured reserve prior to tonight’s game against the Red Wings, head coach Adam Foote told reporters (including Randip Janda of Sportsnet 650). The active roster had a vacancy due to winger Jonathan Lekkerimäki being reassigned to AHL Abbotsford yesterday.

Hoglander, 25 later this month, will be making his season debut to kick off his sixth campaign in Vancouver. The 2019 second-round pick sustained a lower-body injury early in the preseason and has been listed as week-to-week ever since.

It ended up being well over two months on the sidelines for Höglander, who was shifted to LTIR in late October. The Canucks are exceeding the cap by $1.64MM but still have defenseman Derek Forbort on LTIR, providing $2MM of relief, so they’re still in the clear.

The 5’9″ winger returns to the ice hoping to prove last season’s performance was a fluke. In 2023-24, he was a highly valuable Swiss Army knife for the ’Nucks as he broke out for 24 goals and 36 points, helping them along to their first division title in 11 years. Last season, his production dropped off to just eight goals and 25 points in 72 appearances. Some regression was expected after he finished at a 20% rate the year prior, just as some improvement should be expected on the 9.6% mark his shooting percentage cratered to last season.

His return couldn’t come at a better time for the Canucks, who have Teddy Blueger and Filip Chytil on injured reserve while leading point-getter Elias Pettersson is ticketed to miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury. Still, he’s expected to be nursed back into the lineup in a fourth-line role, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650, perhaps an indication that he’s cleared to play but not quite 100% yet.

Panthers Reassign Jack Devine

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The Panthers announced this afternoon that forward Jack Devine has been assigned to AHL Charlotte. That clears an active roster spot, one that could be used to activate star winger Matthew Tkachuk from long-term injured reserve in the coming days. Nearly two weeks have passed since he started skating again following offseason groin surgery.

If that’s the case, Florida isn’t done making roster moves. With Devine off the roster, they’re exceeding the cap by $7.24MM. They’re compliant because that’s less than their LTIR pool of $9.52MM. That pool will shrink to $5.7MM when Tkachuk is activated, though. That’s a $1.54MM difference they need to make up for. They’ll likely do so by shifting forwards Jonah Gadjovich and Cole Schwindt from standard IR to LTIR. They carry a combined cap hit of $1.6MM, increasing their LTIR pool by just enough to carry Tkachuk on the active roster without making any other changes to the roster.

Devine is in his first professional season and still has three years or 64 NHL games played remaining until he’ll require waivers to head to the minors, so that’s not a concern anytime soon. He’s the only waiver-exempt player on the roster aside from lineup fixture Mackie Samoskevich, so that made his reassignment more or less inevitable as Florida got healthier.

The right-shooting Devine had been out of the lineup as a healthy scratch in three consecutive games. He didn’t manage a point in six appearances since being recalled from Charlotte on Nov. 18. His possession numbers are solid enough, but he was deployed in extremely sheltered usage and had a -3 rating while averaging only 8:26 of ice time per game.

Florida drafted Devine with the fifth-to-last pick of the 2022 draft. He’s been on an upward trajectory ever since and turned pro this year on the heels of back-to-back 50-point seasons at the University of Denver, where he totaled a 57-106–163 scoring line in 162 collegiate appearances across four years. He won two national championships with the Pioneers and was the top scorer in college hockey with 57 points in 2024-25, finishing as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for the second year in a row.

His offensive success in the NCAA has followed him to the pros, just not yet to the NHL. He rattled off six goals and 12 points through his first 13 games with Charlotte before getting called up. He was the team’s leading scorer when he was removed from the roster last month and should reclaim that title soon enough as he’s in for an extended stint – potentially the rest of the season – down in the AHL after a quiet first stint on the Cats’ roster.

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