Penguins’ Stuart Skinner Out With Upper-Body Injury
The Penguins announced this afternoon that they’ve recalled winger Avery Hayes from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and goaltender Taylor Gauthier from ECHL Wheeling. Gauthier is dressing as Arturs Silovs‘ backup this afternoon against the Panthers, as Stuart Skinner is unable to dress because of an upper-body injury.
Skinner was healthy enough to dress as Silovs’ backup in a scheduled start for the latter yesterday, so it’s unclear what’s causing him to have to stay off the ice today. That’ll also mean back-to-back starts for Silovs in under 24 hours against Florida after he allowed four goals on 23 shots yesterday. Luckily, he got nine goals’ worth of support from Pittsburgh’s offense to record his 18th win of the season.
For whatever reason, the Penguins weren’t going to be able to get either of their highly-touted AHL netminders, Sergey Murashov or Joel Blomqvist, to Pittsburgh in time for today’s 2:00 p.m. Central puck drop. It’ll be Gauthier, the #5 on Pittsburgh’s goaltending depth chart, getting the bump for now as a result. Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports that the Pens will recall Murashov later in the week if Skinner needs to miss multiple games, though.
Gauthier, 25, initially signed with the Pens as an undrafted free agent out of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks back in 2022. They opted not to issue him a qualifying offer when his entry-level contract expired last summer, but he returned to the organization on a one-year minor-league contract anyway. The ECHL’s Goalie of the Year back in 2023-24, he’s had another spectacular season in Wheeling with a .932 SV%, 2.00 GAA, three shutouts, and a 20-7-5 record in 33 games. That was enough to earn him a two-way deal from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline, making him eligible to join the club as an emergency backup option for the playoffs.
As the Penguins continue to jockey for playoff positioning in the Metropolitan Division, they’ll have to do so without Skinner for now. He had been emerging as their likely Game 1 starter. Head coach Dan Muse had been quite strict in a nightly rotation with Skinner and Silovs since the former’s acquisition from the Oilers in December, but Skinner had started four out of five leading into yesterday’s win over Florida and was expected to make it five of seven today.
Skinner’s .886 SV% and 11-8-5 record in 24 games since his acquisition aren’t much to write home about, but he’s been steadily improving while Silovs has hit a rough patch. Over each netminder’s last 10 games, Skinner has saved 1.4 goals above expected while Silovs has a gnarly -6.4 GSAx, per MoneyPuck.
The Penguins have all but clinched a playoff spot, entering today’s schedule with a 99.2% chance at a postseason berth. There’s now a five-point gap between them and the Islanders for second place in the Metro, with the Pens having five games left and New York having four.
As for Hayes, he was technically rostered for yesterday’s game as well as a scratch, so this morning’s announcement is overdue. He was just sent down to WBS on Friday but played for them that night, making him eligible to come back up to the NHL roster right away. He didn’t draw into the lineup for today’s game either but now has three goals through his first 13 NHL games, all this season.
Ducks Assign Damian Clara, Lucas Pettersson To AHL
The Anaheim Ducks have announced a pair of additions following the end of Brynäs IF’s season in the SHL. Anaheim has assigned forward Lucas Pettersson and goaltender Damian Clara to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. The duo will join San Diego as they make a final push for the 2026 Clarke Cup playoffs with six games left on the schedule. The Gulls currently sit in the final spot of playoff contention in the AHL’s Pacific Division.
Clara served as Brynäs’ starter for much of the year. He finished the year with17 wins and a .887 save percentage in 33 games. The performance was a slight uptick from the .879 save percentage he posted in 21 SHL games last season. He boosted his stat line with a transfer to Finland’s Liiga at the end of last season, where he posted one shutout and a .910 save percentage in 10 games.
Clara garnered plenty of attention while starting for Team Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He played in four games before sustaining a leg injury that knocked him out of the rest of the tournament. Clara faced an average of 33 shots per game at the Olympics and still left the tournament with a .911 save percentage. That is the fourth-highest save percentage ever recorded by a U22 goalie with three-or-more appearances in an Olympic tournament.
Pettersson rotated throughout Brynäs’ middle-six this season and finished the year with 20 points in 41 games. He was a red-hot scorer in tournament play this season, netting four goals and six points in six games at the 2026 World Junior Championship and seven points in 10 games during the Champions Hockey League tournament. The 2024 second-round pick has long been praised for his confident puck-movement and strong shot. He racked up 57 points in 44 U20 games during his draft year but had a slow start to his pro career last year. Pettersson racked up 19 points in 26 HockeyAllsvenskan games and one assist in 29 SHL games as a first-year pro. He vastly improved on that production this year and could bring an interesting boost in skill to San Diego’s lineup.
Clara will offer another starting option while Ville Husso is on the NHL roster. He will compete with Calle Clang and Tomas Suchanek for minutes. Clang has notched 17 wins and a .896 save percentage in 33 games this season, while Suchanek has five wins and a .883 save percentage in 14 games. Meanwhile, Pettersson will look to pull some minutes away from Judd Caulfield and Sam Colangelo in the Gulls’ middle-six.
Kings Sign Henry Brzustewicz To Entry-Level Contract
The Los Angeles Kings have signed 2025 first-round pick Henry Brzustewicz to a three-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. He will complete the 2025-26 season on a professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. This news will shift Brzustewicz to the pro level after the OHL London Knights’ season came to an end on Friday.
Brzustewicz stepped into London’s top defender role this season, following Sam Dickinson’s move to the pros at the end of last season. He filled the role seamlessly and finished the season with a team-leading 54 points in 59 games. Brzustewicz also scored 19 goals, tied with St. Louis Blues prospect Adam Jiricek for the third-most among OHL defensemen. Brzustewicz’s stat line was rounded out with 57 penalty minutes and a minus-15.
All together, Brzustewicz’s 2025-26 campaign was another gradual step up from his previous year. He scored 10 goals, 42 points, and 77 penalty minutes in 67 games on the OHL championship-winning London Knights last season. It was a major improvement over the six points he scored in 52 games of his rookie OHL season. That performance, complimented by Brzustewicz’s knack for physical hockey, helped him earn the 31st selection in the 2025 NHL Draft. He earned that spot despite not appearing in any junior-level, international tournaments. Brzustewicz, an American playing Canadian hockey, was left off of Team USA’s roster at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and World U18 Championships, two tournaments that his older brother, Hunter Brzustewicz, appeared in during his junior career.
Despite a slimmer resume than his peers, the younger Brzustewicz will bring an exciting and well-rounded profile to the Kings’ depth chart. The right-shot defenseman plays a 200-foot game with impressive strength, smooth passing, and reliable skating. His game is best suited for the defensive side of the puck, where his quick reactions help spark breakouts and keep play out of the defensive end. That style will be welcome on a Kings blue-line that has found roles for styles like Michael Anderson, Joel Edmundson, Cody Ceci, and Brian Dumoulin. With the right development, Brzustewicz could begin to test his own footing in those roles next season, with hopes of one day serving as the defensive-punch behind Brandt Clarke‘s offense.
First, Brzustewicz will look to be an X-factor addition to an Ontario Reign club that leads the AHL’s Pacific Division. The Reign haven’t generated much offense from the blue-line this season, with the defense led in scoring by Samuel Bolduc‘s 21 points in 56 games. Brzustewicz will compete with Otto Salin and Jack Millar for minutes on Ontario’s right-side.
Maple Leafs Recall William Villeneuve On Emergency Basis
The Maple Leafs are expected to be without Oliver Ekman-Larsson tonight for his first injury-related absence of the year. Additionally, David Alter of The Hockey News notes (Twitter link) that there are some other players banged up as well. As a result, the team has decided to bring up an extra blueliner, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled William Villeneuve on an emergency basis from AHL Toronto.
It’s the second recall of the season (and of his career) for the 24-year-old although his first stint came during the Olympic break so he’s still waiting to make his NHL debut. Villeneuve was a fourth-round pick by Toronto back in 2022, going 122nd overall. He has been fairly productive in the minors over the years but that has yet to materialize into an opportunity at the top level yet.
Villeneuve had 40 points for the Marlies last season but that didn’t seem to help his cause much in contract negotiations as a restricted free agent for the first time. In exchange for accepting the minimum salary at the NHL level, he received an additional $20K guarantee on his deal, bringing his total salary for this season to $100K overall. Villeneuve hasn’t been quite as productive this season as he has three goals and 25 assists in 58 games but that’s enough to sit third on the team in assists and first in points among blueliners.
Ducks Recall Tyson Hinds
With Radko Gudas and Pavel Mintyukov continuing to battle lower-body injuries, the Ducks have brought up some extra defensive depth heading into tonight’s game against Calgary. The team announced (Twitter link) that blueliner Tyson Hinds has been recalled from AHL San Diego.
It’s the first recall of the season for the 23-year-old and third of his career although he’s still looking to make his NHL debut. Hinds was a third-round pick by the Ducks back in 2021, going 76th overall out of QMJHL Rimouski. Moved to Sherbrooke soon after, Hinds had a big jump in production in 2022-23, his final junior season, where he tallied 54 points in 56 games.
However, that offensive output hasn’t carried over to the AHL. Over his three professional seasons, Hinds has collected a total of 47 points. A career-best 19 of those have come in 2025-26 as Hinds has five goals and 14 assists through 62 appearances with San Diego so far this season.
Even with the injuries, Anaheim still has six healthy blueliners, unless another player’s availability is in question for tonight. If so, Hinds’ recall would fall under emergency status and not count against their post-deadline limit. If not, he will be one of their five allowable post-deadline regular recalls.
Mammoth Recall Dmitri Simashev
The Mammoth have added some extra defensive depth heading into their game today against Vancouver. According to the AHL’s transactions log, Utah has recalled blueliner Dmitri Simashev from AHL Tucson.
This will be Simashev’s sixth stint with the Mammoth this season, his first in North America. The 21-year-old was the sixth overall pick back in 2023 and broke camp with Utah, spending the better part of two months with the team and playing in 24 games. In his four subsequent recalls before this one, he suited up just once. On the season, he has just one assist in those 25 outings along with 26 blocked shots in 15:21 of ice time per contest as the team has tried to shelter him somewhat.
That hasn’t been the case in the minors. With the Roadrunners, he has been an all-situations player and has been quite productive, tallying eight goals and 27 assists in just 40 games. Despite missing 25 games there this season, he sits third among all rookie defensemen in points and is tied for 13th overall among all blueliners.
Utah already had seven defenders on the roster so unless there are two players whose availability for today’s game is in question, Simashev’s recall will count against the Mammoth’s post-deadline limit of five. Between that and the fact that the Roadrunners are currently out of a playoff spot in the minors, Simashev’s recall could be for the rest of the season and playoffs. Given the role he has thrived in with Tucson, it will be interesting to see if Simashev gets a chance to play a bigger role in Utah or if he’ll continue to be a depth option for them.
Penguins Assign Harrison Brunicke To AHL
Penguins defenseman Harrison Brunicke was a pleasant surprise heading into this season as he secured a roster spot with the big club despite still being a junior-aged player. He was eventually sent back to the WHL with a full-time assignment to the minors not an allowable option. Now that Brunicke’s junior team has been eliminated, that’s no longer the case and today, the Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve reassigned the blueliner to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The 19-year-old has played in nine games with Pittsburgh this season, picking up a goal along with 13 blocked shots in 15:43 per night of ice time, certainly respectable numbers for a rookie. They sat him for an extended stretch to allow for an AHL conditioning stint where Brunicke was productive, picking up four assists in five games. He was recalled in early December and was immediately loaned to Canada’s World Junior team.
In that tournament, Brunicke didn’t stand out in the way that NHL defensemen often do. He notched two assists in seven games and averaged 16:07 per night, fifth among Canada’s blueliners. Pressed with a decision after the tournament to either recall Brunicke or send him back to junior, the Penguins opted for the latter.
Brunicke suited up in 24 regular season games for WHL Kamloops in the second half of the season, notching two goals and 22 assists, his first point-per-game junior campaign. But with the Blazers being swept in the opening round of the playoffs, he became eligible for reassignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where it’s likely that he’ll play a regular role down the stretch. He remains eligible for recall to Pittsburgh as well but with his next game officially starting his contract, it’s unlikely that he’ll see more NHL action until next season.
Devils Recall Brian Halonen And Marc McLaughlin
The Devils have made a pair of roster moves heading into the first half of a back-to-back set against Montreal that begins tonight. The team announced that they’ve recalled winger Brian Halonen and center Marc McLaughlin from AHL Utica.
It’s the second recall of the season for Halonen, who spent nearly a month with the Devils in his first stint early in the year. The 27-year-old got into nine games during his first stint, picking up his first career NHL goal and point along with 18 hits in 7:30 of playing time per game. He was sent down right before he was set to become waiver-eligible once more after clearing at the end of training camp. Since then, Halonen has played with the Comets, collecting 19 goals and 13 assists in 48 appearances, good for second on the team in points.
As for McLaughlin, he was on season-opening IR until February and after he cleared waivers during the Olympic break, he has been with the Comets since. The 26-year-old has been relatively productive in Utica, notching six goals and seven assists in 21 games to earn this promotion. McLaughlin has seen NHL action in each of the last four years but has been limited to just 28 outings overall where he has six goals and one assist.
Both players are expected to suit up tonight. Team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that the two will play on the fourth line alongside Paul Cotter while Maxim Tsyplakov and Evgenii Dadonov will cede their spots in the lineup.
Red Wings Recall Axel Sandin-Pellikka
The Red Wings recalled defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka from AHL Grand Rapids on an emergency basis Saturday, per a team announcement. He will be an option to step into the lineup for today’s matinee against the Rangers in place of Justin Faulk, who will need to miss at least one game with the lower-body injury that knocked him out of Thursday’s big win over the Flyers.
The Wings’ defense has been a bit of a pain point all season, with starting goalie John Gibson doing some legwork to cover up their flaws. Sandin-Pellikka, who appeared in 63 consecutive games to begin the season but was replaced in the lineup by Faulk’s acquisition from the Blues at the trade deadline, was a top-four piece through much of it.
The 21-year-old was the 17th overall pick in 2023 and still arguably has top-pairing upside, but the initial returns were underwhelming. He provided a 6-13–19 scoring line, but his possession impacts were subpar. He suited up primarily as the Wings’ #2 righty on a unit with Ben Chiarot. That pairing only controlled 46.5% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. Chiarot and Faulk have gotten closer to the waterline with a 49.2 xGF%. Sandin-Pellikka also spent some time with countryman Simon Edvinsson, in which they were porous defensively, allowing 3.25 xGA/60 for a 34.2 xGF%.
It wasn’t too surprising, then, that general manager Steve Yzerman saw upgrading Detroit’s bottom-four on the blue line behind Moritz Seider‘s spectacular top-pair showing as a must at the deadline. Since then, a rash of injuries has contributed to the Wings going on a 5-7-1 skid and falling out of a playoff position. They can rectify that today with two points against the conference-worst Rangers. That, combined with a loss of any kind by the Senators against the Wild, will put them back into the second wild-card spot.
Sandin-Pellikka has looked like a natural in his brief run of play in Grand Rapids over the past few weeks. The 6’0″ Swede has a pair of goals and an assist in four games with a +1 rating. It’s not his minor-league debut; the rookie came over from his loan to Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League late last season and had an assist in two games with Grand Rapids to close out the regular season.
Flames Recall Aydar Suniev
The Flames recalled wing prospect Aydar Suniev from AHL Calgary on Friday, per a team announcement. It appears he’ll be getting a look in the lineup this weekend against the Ducks as Calgary continues to flex its youngsters into limited trial roles down the stretch. In doing so, they’ve now used up four of the five regular recalls they’re allotted after the trade deadline.
If he gets into a game, it’ll be Suniev’s first since making his NHL debut in Game 82 of last season. The 21-year-old was a third-round pick in 2023 out of the Penticton Vees, then of British Columbia’s junior ‘A’ league, before spending the next two seasons at UMass. He starred as a sophomore for the Minutemen, posting 20 goals and 38 points in 35 games, before opting to turn pro.
Suniev hasn’t had the adjustment the Flames were hoping for. He hasn’t done much to push for a recall throughout the season. His work-in-progress skating has severely hampered his two-way utility, so while he’s tied for fourth on the AHL squad with 15 goals in 55 games, he’s added just eight assists and has a team-worst -26 rating.
As Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff opined last offseason, Suniev is the Flames’ #10 prospect and can easily rise up that list if the club’s development coaches are able to continue working on his skating. He’ll get a brief check-in at the NHL level here with seven games left in the Flames’ season to see how he looks against tougher competition. If there isn’t some meaningful progress there, though, the 6’2″, 198-lb winger will likely need to start leveraging his frame more to try and carve out a role as a bottom-six grinder.