Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Transactions

Ducks Activate Mikael Granlund From Injured Reserve

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Ducks have activated center Mikael Granlund from injured reserve, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports. Goaltender Petr Mrázek has landed on IR in the corresponding move, retroactive to Nov. 30, Lee adds.

Granlund’s availability has been sparse since Anaheim landed him as one of the big fish of last summer’s free agent class on a three-year, $21MM contract. The 33-year-old has now missed 18 of the Ducks’ last 19 games due to a lower-body injury he initially sustained in an Oct. 25 game against the Lightning. He missed several games before initially attempting a return on Nov. 13 against the Red Wings. He had a successful outing, scoring a goal on a pair of shots in 15:45 of ice time, but reaggravated the injury and has sat out the last 10 as a result.

When dressed, though, Granlund has delivered on the hype. The 5’10” pivot was once viewed as one of the league’s better two-way forwards and routinely put up 60-point campaigns during the early days of his career with the Wild. A 2019 trade to the Predators largely derailed his consistent production aside from a resurgent 2021-22 season in which he put up 64 points. After a post-trade deadline stint with the Penguins in 2023, where he scored just once in 21 games, his stock was at an all-time low. Pittsburgh flipped the remaining two years of his five-year, $20MM deal to the Sharks that offseason in the Erik Karlsson trade in what was largely viewed as a cap dump.

Playing important minutes on a bottom-feeder Sharks team, Granlund resurrected his career. He rattled off 60 points in only 69 games, tying his career high of 0.87 points per game, and had 45 points in 52 games for San Jose the following season before they landed a first-round pick from the Stars to take on him and Cody Ceci as rentals.

Granlund finished the year with a 7-14–21 scoring line in 31 games for Dallas, an expected slight reduction as his minutes were reduced on an infinitely deeper Stars forward roster. Nonetheless, his stock, along with a weak cast of centers on the open market, left the cap-strapped Stars with no chance of retaining him. A virtual lock to hit the open market, he ended up cashing on a short-term deal with the highest AAV of his career from Anaheim.

The experiment has worked out well so far. With three goals and six assists, he’s clicked at a point per game through nine appearances and has averaged north of 17 minutes per game. His linemates have fluctuated, and he’s expected to have a new set of them tonight against the Capitals. He took line rushes this morning between Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome on Anaheim’s third line, per Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune.

Importantly, Granlund has been the best faceoff man for a Ducks team that’s winning 46.4% of its draws, 29th in the league. At 52.8%, Granlund is the only Ducks center above the water line this season. He’s also been a special-teams beast, leading the team with 3:40 of power-play ice time per game while also averaging 1:14 per game shorthanded.

Mrázek’s IR placement is solely procedural. He’s already been ruled out week-to-week with the apparent groin injury he sustained late in last weekend’s loss to the Blackhawks. With starter Lukáš Dostál sidelined for another one to two weeks, it’s third-stringer Ville Husso’s net until he returns.

Predators Place Ozzy Wiesblatt, Justin Barron On Injured Reserve

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Predators announced that winger Ozzy Wiesblatt has been placed on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury. Defenseman Justin Barron was also placed on IR with a lower-body injury (retroactive to Dec. 1). Wiesblatt will miss eight to 10 weeks, while Barron was given a week-to-week status.

Wiesblatt left last night’s overtime win over the Panthers just 15 seconds into his first shift. He collided with Panthers winger Carter Verhaeghe while attempting to close him off in the offensive zone, spun out, and then got clipped by teammate Michael McCarron incidentally (via Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey). He did not return to the game.

The final pick of the first round by the Sharks in 2020, Wiesblatt had a tough go of things in their minor-league system before Nashville acquired him in exchange for the signing rights to Egor Afanasyev in the 2024 offseason. After never recording more than 15 points in a season for San Jose’s AHL club, he arrived with the Preds’ affiliate in Milwaukee last season and exploded for 15 goals and 40 points in 64 games. That effort earned Wiesblatt his NHL debut, playing five games last year on various recalls between January and March.

Wiesblatt could have been a restricted free agent last summer, but signed a two-year, two-way extension way back in November 2024 to avoid that outcome. No longer waiver-exempt and on the heels of his minor-league breakout, Wiesblatt earned a spot on Nashville’s opening night roster in October. He sat as a healthy scratch for the season’s first three games but has appeared in every contest since. He hasn’t been a significant offensive threat – he has four points in 24 games and only scored his first NHL goal earlier this week – but has been a part of one of the league’s most defensively responsible forward trios. Nashville’s fourth line of Wiesblatt, McCarron, and Cole Smith has controlled 64.3% of expected goals at 5-on-5 and is allowing just 1.58 xGA/60, fifth-best in the league among lines with at least 50 minutes together (per MoneyPuck).

Unfortunately, the Preds have only been able to ice that line in 10 of 27 games this season, in part due to Smith sitting out the last month with an upper-body injury. There’s still another couple of weeks until he’s expected to return, and they’ll now be without Wiesblatt until likely after the Olympic break. In the meantime, Wiesblatt’s absence means a longer leash for recent call-up Reid Schaefer and extra forward Tyson Jost.

Barron’s IR placement is far less consequential. He’s only carried an injury designation for the last two games after getting banged up in practice but hasn’t played since Nov. 16, sitting as a healthy scratch in five straight before sustaining the lower-body issue. His absence, though, plus an upper-body injury to Nicklaus Perbix that has him out day-to-day, has caused some lineup construction issues on Nashville’s back end. Without those two, Nick Blankenburg stands as the only righty on the roster, meaning their top four group of Nicolas Hague, Roman Josi, Brady Skjei, and Adam Wilsby is made up solely of left-shot options.

Interestingly enough, the Preds’ underlying numbers have improved with Hague-Josi and Skjei-Wilsby deployed as their top two units. They’re controlling 58.7% and 59.1% of expected goals at 5-on-5, respectively, the top two figures among Nashville d-pairings with at least 30 minutes together.

Unless Perbix is healthy enough for tomorrow’s game against the Hurricanes, the IR placements leave Nashville without an extra skater on their roster – not an ideal position for a road game, even if it’s a relatively short travel distance. With two newly-opened roster spots, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them make a recall from AHL Milwaukee tomorrow.

Hurricanes Reassign Domenick Fensore

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Dec. 5: Fensore was returned to AHL Chicago today, the team announced. He wasn’t needed for last night’s 5-1 loss at the hands of the Leafs.

Dec. 4: The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that defenseman Domenick Fensore has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. The move comes as veteran defenseman K’Andre Miller manages an illness, according to team reporter Walt Ruff.

This isn’t Fensore’s first NHL recall of 2025-26. He was recalled by Carolina in late October while the team was dealing with a slate of defensive injuries. He made his season debut in the team’s Oct. 28 contest against the Vegas Golden Knights, a game where he received nearly 20 minutes of ice time. Outside of that one NHL game played, Fensore has largely served as a healthy scratch during his time spent on the NHL roster so far in 2025-26.

While it’s unclear at this point whether Fensore will dress for the team’s game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s entirely possible he’s been recalled to once more serve as a spare defenseman and healthy scratch.

The 24-year-old former Boston University captain has proven himself to be a quality creator of offense from the back end at the AHL level. He scored 32 points in 67 games last season and has upped his production considerably so far this year. Fensore ranks second on the Wolves in scoring for 2025-26 with 15 points in 17 games, just behind forward Felix Unger-Sorum, who has 19 points in 20 games.

A pending RFA with arbitration rights, these repeated recalls are a positive sign for Fensore’s upcoming free agency. They signal the Hurricanes’ increased level of trust in Fensore as an NHL option, even if he hasn’t been able to crack Carolina’s lineup on a full-time basis.

The one-year contract extension Fensore signed in July of last year contained a two-way structure and an AHL salary of just $70K, with a $100K guarantee. Fensore’s on-ice value so far this season merits a significant pay raise, and the more call-ups he can receive, the more likely it is that Fensore will be able to earn a more significant AHL salary on his next contract, assuming his next deal also carries a two-way structure.

Lightning Reassign Declan Carlile

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Lightning announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Declan Carlile to AHL Syracuse. The move leaves them with no extra defensemen and an open roster spot, an indication that they plan on activating captain Victor Hedman from injured reserve before Saturday’s match with the Islanders. He was a full participant in today’s practice, according to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider.

Carlile, 25, was recalled from Syracuse in mid-November in the wake of injuries to Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Erik Černák. The latter two remain on injured reserve, but getting Hedman back to anchor the team’s top pairing with J.J. Moser is nonetheless a significant boon for a club that’s navigated its rash of injuries quite well. Since the Lightning lost both Hedman and McDonagh to injuries in their Nov. 8 game against the Capitals, the club has taken hold of first place in the Atlantic Division with an 8-4-0 record. Their .667 points percentage is sixth-best in the league during that frame.

Carlile, a fourth-year pro, had played in each of Tampa’s nine games since his recall. That set a new career-high in games played for the 6’3″ lefty, who made his NHL debut in 2023-24 and made three appearances last season.

The Lightning signed Carlile as an undrafted free agent out of Merrimack College near the end of a 2021-22 season in which he was a Hobey Baker Award nominee and was named to the Hockey East conference’s Second All-Star Team. The Michigan native has been a stable two-way presence at the minor-league level since making the jump to the pro ranks, but had appeared to find a new gear offensively to begin this season, rattling off two goals, eight assists, and 10 points in 15 games before being added to the Lightning’s roster. That’s already more than half the production he managed in 55 appearances for Syracuse last year.

As with his previous NHL stints, Carlile didn’t look entirely out of place in bottom-pairing duties. He scored his second career goal and managed a +1 rating while averaging 12:53 of ice time per game. He recorded eight blocks and nine hits. Among Lightning defensemen with at least 100 minutes at 5-on-5, only Moser has controlled a higher share of scoring chances than Carlile’s 57.1%. That comes from him playing a stout, low-event defensive game – per 60 minutes, no qualified Lightning skater has been on the ice for fewer scoring chances than Carlile at 17.9.

If Carlile played one more game, he would have needed to clear waivers again to return to Syracuse. With his strong play in bottom-pairing minutes and his offensive improvement in the AHL, that wasn’t a guarantee after he did so already during training camp. If he’s called up again and enters game action or is rostered for 13 days, then he’ll need waivers at the conclusion of that recall.

Canadiens Reassign Adam Engstrom And Florian Xhekaj To AHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Following last night’s victory over Winnipeg, the Canadiens announced a pair of roster moves.  The team has assigned defenseman Adam Engstrom and winger Florian Xhekaj to AHL Laval.

Engstrom, a 2022 third-round pick, got off to a hot start in the minors this season, posting five goals and nine assists in 18 games, the last of which was a five-point effort to earn him the promotion.  The 22-year-old got into a pair of games with Montreal in his first NHL stint, blocking a pair of shots while averaging a little over 12 minutes of ice time.

As for Xhekaj, he also was in his initial NHL stint.  He got into five games with the Canadiens, recording an assist in his NHL debut and added nine hits while logging 9:36 of playing time per contest.  The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2023 and while he had a promising rookie year in 2024-25 with Laval where he had 24 goals in 69 games, he has been limited to just two goals and two assists in 16 games in the minors this season.

With these moves, Montreal is now at the minimum of 20 players on the active roster.  With a back-to-back set coming up this weekend including a road game in Toronto, it stands to reason that they’ll likely be bringing a player or two up from Laval in the near future.

Lightning Sign Ryan McDonagh To Three-Year Extension

at CDT | by 9 Comments

3:20 p.m.: PuckPedia have reported some new details regarding the specific financial terms of McDonagh’s three-year extension. The structure of the contract remains the same in all three years of its duration: $3.1MM base salary, $1MM signing bonus, and a full no-movement clause.

PuckPedia also noted that because this deal includes signing bonuses beyond its first year, it is considered a 35+ contract. As a result, the Lightning are eligible to buy out this contract, but doing so would not provide them with any cap relief.

7:35 a.m.:The Lightning announced they’ve signed defenseman Ryan McDonagh to a three-year extension. The deal, which keeps him in Tampa through the 2028-29 season, is worth $12.3MM for an average annual value of $4.1MM. Instead of testing the unrestricted free agent market next summer, he’ll stay with the club where he won championships in 2020 and 2021.

It’s a nice gift for the veteran rearguard, who remains out with an undisclosed injury that’s kept him out of the lineup for over three weeks. While the deal takes him through his age-39 season, McDonagh has so far defied the aging curve. He was arguably the NHL’s top shutdown defenseman last season, posting a league-high +43 rating and controlling 51.9% of expected goals at 5-on-5 despite seeing 264 defensive zone starts compared to 160 offensive zone starts. On top of that, his 4-27–31 scoring line remained nearly in line with his career average and marked the eighth time in his 16-year career that he’s crossed the 30-point plateau.

That was McDonagh’s first season back in Tampa after a two-year absence. Following their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2022, a loss to the Avalanche, he had completed the third year of the seven-year, $47.25MM extension he signed with the Bolts in 2019. He was still viewed as a high-end top-four piece at the time, but his offensive production had taken somewhat of a hit since signing the extension. He was coming off a career-best 46 points in 82 games and an eighth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting before the deal went into effect, but he averaged just four goals and 24 points per 82 games over the following three seasons. That led Tampa to make him and his $6.75MM cap hit a cap dump under a still relatively flat cap environment, asking him to waive his no-trade clause. He accepted a move to the Predators, who brought him in at full price in exchange for a pair of depth skaters.

McDonagh’s play in Nashville was more of the same steady, two-way hockey that the former Rangers captain has played from the start. Across two years with the Preds, he racked up 52 points and a +31 rating in 145 games, serving as their top penalty killer and averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game. In the 2024 offseason, the Lightning, armed with more cap flexibility, needed repair on the blue line after allowing 3.26 goals per game, their worst defensive performance in 12 years. The Predators were happy to return McDonagh to the Bolts, landing a second-round pick for their trouble after acquiring him for nothing of value.

The 36-year-old still looked like a natural fit in a top-four workload before sustaining his injury in a game against the Capitals on Nov. 8. Through 15 appearances, he was averaging 20:10 of ice time per game – a figure brought down by his early departure from the Washington outing – and had rattled off three goals and three assists for six points with a +1 rating. His usual even-strength pairing with Erik Černák also serves as the Bolts’ top shorthanded duo.

Under the hood, there’s very little cause for concern. McDonagh is perhaps the best case study in the league for quality over quantity on defense. He’s still receiving an extremely skewed workload toward the defensive zone at 5-on-5. Naturally, that means he’s getting shelled in shot attempts, only controlling 49.4% of them to rank fifth-worst among Bolts skaters with at least 10 appearances. The shot attempts they’re allowing with him on the ice, though, amount to a high volume of low-danger chances. McDonagh’s 58.0% share of expected goals at 5-on-5 ranks fifth-best on the Lightning. They also only allow 8.8 high-danger chances per 60 minutes with McDonagh on the ice at 5-on-5, which is also the fifth-best mark on the team.

With that type of value, the Lightning understandably wanted to make sure the steady McDonagh was retained behind an also-aging Victor Hedman as they squeeze what they can out of their championship contention window. At a significant discount that’s just a few ticks over the league-average salary, getting him locked in without submitting to a crushing contract length that takes him into his 40s is also a real win for Tampa GM Julien BriseBois.

Barring trades, the Bolts’ defense is virtually locked in for next season. Alongside McDonagh, Hedman, Černák, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, and Maxwell Crozier are also signed through at least next year on one-way deals, while breakout defender J.J. Moser is a pending restricted free agent and will be back. They also boast one of the most advantageous cap situations in the league, particularly for a team in win-now mode. With a total cap commitment of $81.92MM on the books for 2026-27 to 20 roster players, that leaves them over $22MM in projected space to fill just three spots, per PuckPedia.

Image of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.

Kings To Activate Drew Doughty From Injured Reserve

at CDT | by 1 Comment

3:15 p.m.: The Kings have now officially announced that they have activated Doughty off of injured reserve.

12:56 p.m.: Kings star defenseman Drew Doughty is going to be activated from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Blackhawks, according to Zach Dooley of NHL.com. Los Angeles has an open roster spot, so no corresponding transaction is required.

The contest will mark Doughty’s first performance since sustaining an apparent left leg/foot injury while blocking a shot against the Senators on Nov. 15. There was initial fear that his injury was related to the left ankle fracture that sidelined him for the first few months of the 2024-25 campaign. However, the team quickly confirmed there was no connection and that he only carried a week-to-week designation, unlike the month-to-month one his previous ankle injury carried.

Shortly thereafter, general manager Ken Holland told reporters he only expected Doughty to miss two to three weeks. Today’s game is the first in that return window, so his comeback is right on schedule.

Doughty returned to practice on Thanksgiving, so he’s been skating for at least a week. Doughty said his “cardio is where it needs to be,” according to Dooley, so the injury was minor enough not to significantly interrupt his conditioning. Doughty added he didn’t sustain any sort of fracture in his foot (via Eric Stephens of The Athletic).

The five-time All-Star and 2016 Norris Trophy winner wasn’t off to a great start before exiting the lineup. His 2-6–8 scoring line in 19 appearances worked out to 0.42 points per game, his lowest pace since his rookie season. His 22:33 average time on ice is also the lowest mark of his 18-year career, although that figure is dragged down somewhat by his early departure from the Ottawa game.

Part of that reduction has come via a decrease in shorthanded deployment. The team’s offseason signings of Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci pushed Doughty out of a spot on L.A.’s top two penalty kill units.

He’s also received a greater challenge for the No. 1 power play quarterback job from young righty Brandt Clarke, who leads the Kings’ defense in scoring with three goals, nine assists, and 12 points in 26 games. Doughty did not record a point on the man advantage before his injury, with seven of his eight points coming at even strength and the other coming shorthanded.

However, Doughty’s 5-on-5 game remains among the best the Kings have to offer on the back end. Among L.A.’s six regular defenders, he ranks second behind Clarke in Corsi share (55.7%), shot share (55.1%), and expected goal share (53.9%). He tops Clarke with a 53.5% control of high-danger chances. That’s with Doughty having only the third-highest rate of offensive zone starts among Kings defenders at 56.5%.

Doughty will presumably return to his regular top-pairing role on the right side along Mikey Anderson. Lefty Joel Edmundson had filled in there on his off side for the past several games, but will now return to a more comfortable job on the second or third pairing on the left side. Jacob Moverare, who only played once this season before Doughty’s injury, will return to a press-box role.

Bruins Place Michael Callahan On Injured Reserve, Recall Victor Soderstrom

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Bruins announced they’ve placed defenseman Michael Callahan on injured reserve. In a corresponding move, defenseman Victor Söderström was recalled from AHL Providence under emergency conditions. Boston is still working with an open roster spot after the moves.

Callahan, 26, sustained a lower-body injury on Tuesday against the Red Wings and left the game in the first period. There was no visually apparent injury, but the Bruins quickly ruled him out of a return and head coach Marco Sturm said postgame they weren’t expecting him back in the lineup for at least a few days (via Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub).

The IR placement rules Callahan out of tonight’s contest against the Blues and will also hold him out of Saturday’s game against the Devils. He’ll be eligible for activation ahead of a rematch against St. Louis next Tuesday.

Callahan, a Massachusetts native, was an injury replacement himself. He’d been called up from Providence last weekend – his third stint on Boston’s roster this season – after Henri Jokiharju landed on IR with an undisclosed injury.

Initially a 2018 fifth-round pick by the Coyotes, Callahan has developed into a solid organizational depth piece for the Bruins. He’s a no-fuss stay-at-home defenseman who’s comfortable operating in the No. 8-10 range on an NHL depth chart and can handle the role of a frequent call-up option who doesn’t get extended stints in either the NHL or AHL well.

His five NHL appearances this season have brought his career total up to 22, with the other 17 all coming last season. He’s averaged 13:53 of ice time per game in bottom-pairing duties, recording one goal and a -6 rating.

The 6’2″ lefty doesn’t play a particularly physical game, with only 0.5 hits per contest. His possession metrics in his limited sample are promising, though. Boston has controlled 46.7% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 despite him starting only 30.5% of his shifts in the offensive zone.

Coming up to relieve Callahan and make his Bruins debut tonight is Söderström. He’s also a former Coyotes prospect but was a much more high-profile one, going No. 11 overall in the 2019 draft.

Söderström, now 24, had 11 points in 53 career NHL games with Arizona before he opted to spurn his qualifying offer from Utah in 2024 and return home to Sweden. He signed with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League and re-emerged as a star, posting a 9-28–37 scoring line and a league-leading +28 rating in 49 games and was named the Swedish Defenseman of the Year.

That piqued his interest in an NHL return, but he wasn’t interested in signing with the Blackhawks, who had acquired his rights from Utah at the 2025 trade deadline. In June, Chicago flipped his rights to Boston for a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft and depth defender Ryan Mast.

Söderström promptly signed a two-way deal with the Bruins, carrying a $400K guarantee. He was viewed as the primary competitor to offseason pickup Jordan Harris to win a roster spot as Boston’s extra defenseman, but lost the battle in training camp and ended up on waivers.

He was reassigned to Providence after clearing, and the 6’0″ righty has quietly gone about his business with a 1-8–9 scoring line and a +3 rating in 18 games. With Jokiharju and Charlie McAvoy both on IR, he suddenly slots in as Boston’s top puck-moving option on the right side, although he’s not expected to see power play deployment with Hampus Lindholm and Mason Lohrei anchoring the first and second units, respectively.

Söderström is eligible for an emergency recall because the Bruins wouldn’t have six defensemen available without him. He’s eligible to remain with them under emergency conditions as long as that scenario persists. That distinction is essential for waiver-eligible players because their standard 10-game, 30-day clock on the roster until they require waivers again resets if those emergency conditions are removed.

Canucks Recall Nikita Tolopilo, Elias Pettersson

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Dec. 4: The demotion for both Pettersson and Tolopilo was brief and solely to get them into game action for Abbotsford last night. The Canucks have added both players back to the active roster today, with Patera being loaned back to the minors in a corresponding move.

Dec. 3: According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have assigned netminder Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Elias N. Pettersson to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. The transaction indirectly confirms that the Canucks had previously activated Tolopilo from the non-roster designation.

It’s been nearly 10 days since Tolopilo was initially recalled by the Canucks. Dealing with an injury to Thatcher Demko and a brief leave of absence from Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver had to rely on Tolopilo and Jiří Patera for a short period.

He played relatively well in his first NHL action of the 2025-26 campaign, securing a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on 41 shots. Unfortunately, that success didn’t translate to his next start against the San Jose Sharks, where he managed a .875 SV% on 24 shots.

Following the loss to San Jose, Tolopilo took his own leave of absence for the birth of his child and hadn’t played since. He’ll return to Abbotsford, where he’s managed a 1-3-1 record in five games with a .901 SV% while Vancouver moves forward with a combination of Lankinen and Patera for the time being.

Meanwhile, Pettersson will suit up in his first AHL appearance of the season. Cracking the Canucks roster out of training camp, the 21-year-old blueliner has tallied two assists in 24 games with a -6 rating, averaging 13:29 of ice time per night. It’s essentially the same production he provided last season, when he scored one goal and three points in 28 games with a -4 rating while finishing with an ATOI of 12:49.

Simply put, the former 80th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft hasn’t earned a spot on the NHL blue line, even on a disappointing Vancouver team. He’ll look to build confidence and develop in the AHL for the foreseeable future. Unless the Canucks unexpectedly activate Derek Forbort from the LTIR or make a separate call-up, they’ll play their next few contests with six defenseman on the active roster.

Blue Jackets Reassign Luca Pinelli

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Blue Jackets announced they’ve ended center Luca Pinelli’s emergency recall and reassigned him to AHL Cleveland. The team now has an open roster spot, which will likely go to captain Boone Jenner in the coming days. He’s on injured reserve with an upper-body issue and has been out since Nov. 11, but head coach Dean Evason said last weekend that Jenner is close to a return. That won’t come tonight against the Red Wings, per Jeff Svoboda of NHL.com, but could come before Saturday’s tilt against the Panthers.

Because of injuries to Jenner, Kirill Marchenko, and Mathieu Olivier, the 20-year-old Pinelli had suited up in Columbus’ last three games. With Marchenko returning to the lineup tonight after a four-game absence, though, Pinelli’s presence on the active roster was no longer required to ensure the Blue Jackets had 12 healthy forwards. Since he was recalled under emergency conditions, the Jackets either had to return him to Cleveland today or convert the recall to a standard one.

Pinelli, a 5’9″ sniper, is in his first professional season. Columbus drafted him in the fourth round in 2023. He’s the fourth player from that round to make his NHL debut, following the Sharks’ Luca Cagnoni, the Canucks’ Ty Mueller, and the Canadiens’ Florian Xhekaj. The Ontario native has had a rather seamless transition to the professional ranks. With five goals in 13 games for Cleveland, he’s tied for the team lead. He’s added five assists for 10 points to rank third on the club behind more experienced call-up options Mikael Pyyhtia and Luca Del Bel Belluz.

Through his first three NHL games, Pinelli got a longer leash than expected, averaging 13:48 of ice time per game. He got top-six deployment at even strength, skating on Sean Monahan’s right wing. That’s a clear indication of where the organization views his ceiling, and given his small frame and lack of physical habits, he’ll likely need to produce enough to warrant a top-six job if he’s going to carve out an NHL career. He didn’t record a point in those minutes but was active with the puck, recording 10 shot attempts – six of which got on goal. Columbus outshot opponents 20-18 and outchanced them 25-17 with Pinelli on the ice at 5-on-5.

Pinelli’s usage for the remainder of the season at the NHL level will likely be sparse, if it even exists at all. A full season of adapting to the pro game in the AHL is a virtual necessity for a mid-to-late-round pick. Nonetheless, he’s done enough in the early going in 2025-26 to put himself on the long list for a roster spot next season.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top