Red Wings Recall Erik Gustafsson
The Detroit Red Wings are adding some defensive depth ahead of their next contest. According to a team announcement, the Red Wings have recalled defenseman Erik Gustafsson from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Gustafsson, 33, is in the final year of a two-year, $4MM contract with Detroit. After scoring six goals and 31 points in 76 games with the New York Rangers during the 2023-24 campaign, the Nynashamn, Sweden, disappointed greatly in his first season in HockeyTown.
Originally signed to be an anchor for the team’s second power-play unit, Gustafsson finished the 2024-25 season with two goals and 18 points in 60 games, averaging 16:19 of ice time per game. Of his 18 points, half of those were scored on the powerplay.
He has fallen further down the team’s depth chart this season. Despite being on a one-way contract, he and fellow veteran blue liner, Justin Holl, failed to make the Red Wings’ opening night roster out of training camp and have spent most of the year with AHL Grand Rapids.
There’s little argument that Detroit didn’t make the right decision, either. Rookie defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka is one point away from matching Gustafsson’s point totals from last season, while free agent acquisition Jacob Bernard-Docker is providing excellent play on the defensive side of the puck.
Still, Gustafsson has been providing value to the organization in some capacity. He’s the Griffins top scorer among defensemen, scoring two goals and 20 points in 22 games, helping the team to a 29-2-2-1 record to begin the season. Due to the lack of NHL playing time, Gustafsson is exploring other options, with a report from Sweden last week suggesting he is likely headed to the SHL next year.
Jets’ Colin Miller Out Week-To-Week, Placed On IR
1/14/26: While Miller’s IR placement telegraphed to a certain extent that Miller’s absence would be an extended one, we now have a bit more clarity on his recovery timeline. Jets head coach Scott Arniel indicated today that Miller is week-to-week with his injury. As a result, the Jets are likely to need to increasingly rely on depth blueliners with a trio of established NHLers now sidelined on a week-to-week basis.
1/12/26: Back in action tomorrow, the Winnipeg Jets announced this afternoon that Isaak Phillips has been recalled from AHL Manitoba, while Colin Miller has landed on injured reserve.
Winnipeg, finally finding their game after an 11-game winless streak which possibly has sunk their season, has to reach deep into the organization’s defense stock for Phillips, especially with Haydn Fleury out, and Miller now banged up. If able to suit up this week, it would be Phillips’ first action as a Jet.
Miller, who has struggled considerably in what will likely be his third and final season with the team, left mid-game against New Jersey with a lower-body injury. At this point it is unclear when he will return, but with the 33-year-old a healthy scratch often, playing in just 15 games so far, it is not the biggest impact for the Jets as they desperately look to turn things around.
Phillips, 24, was acquired from Chicago just three days shy of exactly one year ago, as the team gave up prospect Dmitri Kuzmin last January to in exchange for a respectable NHL-capable depth defender. The Ontario native was a fifth round choice of Chicago in 2020, making 56 appearances for the team from 2021-2025, recording 12 points. After solid contributions for the rebuilders despite being a former fringe prospect, Phillips became expendable as he was passed up in favor of prospects with higher upside.
Since then, Phillips has yet to appear with the Jets, playing in 72 games for Manitoba over the last two seasons. A physical lefty standing at 6’3″, he earned a two year extension with Winnipeg last summer, which will keep him around through next year, followed by restricted free agent status. Interestingly, he gets the nod over other notable defenders in Manitoba. Prospect Elias Salomonsson, who last got a look in early December, will remain in the AHL, along with former standout prospects Ville Heinola and Kale Clague.
For now, Winnipeg will move forward with Phillips as a seventh defender, as Luke Schenn has re-entered the lineup, who is eager to prove himself to suitors as last week it was noted that the 36-year-old pending free agent would be open to a trade.
Naturally, Phillips figures to be the best option to come up as depth, without rocking the boat in Manitoba. The Jets will host the Islanders tomorrow, looking for their third straight win.
Detroit Red Wings Reassign Sheldon Dries
1/14/26: The Detroit Red Wings announced today that forward Dries has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. He didn’t dress during this recall, serving as a healthy scratch for four contests.
Since Dries’ contract carries a two-way structure, even though this recall didn’t carry much of an on-ice benefit, he did receive a nice pay bump for the time spent on the NHL roster.
1/9/26: 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.
Avalanche Activate Mackenzie Blackwood, Reassign Trent Miner
According to a team announcement, the Colorado Avalanche have activated netminder Mackenzie Blackwood from the injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, the Avalanche have reassigned goaltender Trent Miner to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
Blackwood, 29, has been on Colorado’s injured reserve for the last little while. After suffering a lower-body injury during a team practice, Blackwood has missed the Avalanche’s last six contests.
Colorado brought Blackwood into the mix last year in a trade with the San Jose Sharks in an effort to alleviate the team’s goaltending woes. He provided exactly that, winning 22 of 36 starts with the Avalanche with a .913 SV% and 2.33 GAA.
Somehow, Blackwood has performed even better this year. Mostly sharing the net with fellow netminder Scott Wedgewood due to injuries, Blackwood has only started 14 of Colorado’s 45 games. During that time, he’s garnered a 13-1-1 record with a .924 SV%, 2.07 GAA, and 10.6 Goals Saved Above Average.
Despite having the league’s best offense by a significant margin, the Avalanche also tops the NHL in GA/G, largely due to their efficient goaltending. Colorado has produced a .919 SV% across the year — 10 points higher than the next closest.
Meanwhile, Miner heads back to Loveland, CO, after appearing in two games for the Avalanche. The 24-year-old won the first game of his career, a 29-save shutout against the Columbus Blue Jackets. His next contest didn’t go well, resulting in an overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs a few days ago.
He’ll return to an Eagles club where he’s spent much of the 2025-26 campaign. In 10 games for the team this year, Miner owns a 7-2-0 record with a .907 SV% and 2.40 GAA.
Flyers Activate Jamie Drysdale
The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they’ve activated defenseman Jamie Drysdale from the injured reserve. The transaction was largely expected after the Flyers assigned fellow blue liner Adam Ginning to the AHL yesterday afternoon.
Drysdale, 23, has missed a little over a week with Philadelphia after suffering an undisclosed injury against his former team, the Anaheim Ducks. The Flyers have not played well without him — losing all three games in his absence.
Fortunately, Drysdale will return tonight in what’s expected to be a competitive matchup against the Buffalo Sabres. Drysdale is having a solid campaign so far, scoring three goals and 18 points in 41 games, averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game.
Although it’s not the offensive production that many expected of Drysdale after being selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, it’s certainly a step in the right direction. He’s nearly reached his point totals from last season, when he scored seven goals and 20 points in 70 contests with a -32 rating.
Now, as Drysdale sits as the third-highest scoring defenseman on the roster, he’s on pace to reach a career-high in points, with his previous being set during his sophomore campaign in 2021-22. Additionally, he’s performing much better on the defensive side of the puck since Rick Tocchet took over behind the bench, averaging a 90.9% on-ice SV% at even strength after posting an 84.4% and 85.1% marks in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively.
Canadiens Sign Alexandre Texier To Two-Year Extension
According to his agent, Dan Milstein, Alexandre Texier has signed a two-year, $5MM ($2.5MM AAV) extension with the Montreal Canadiens. Texier originally joined the Canadiens on a one-year, $1MM contract in November after his previous contract with the St. Louis Blues was terminated.
At the beginning of the year, it would have been fair to question whether Texier would even be playing in the NHL next season, let alone signing an extension. Being a frequent healthy scratch by the Blues, Texier had recorded only one assist in eight games, averaging 10:15 of ice time per game.
Considering he was largely used as a depth forward for St. Louis in the previous season, it wasn’t surprising to see that Texier wanted to explore other options. Texier was placed on unconditional waivers for contract termination by the Blues, and once he cleared, he was signed by the Canadiens.
He has looked like a completely different player. Moving into a middle-six role with the Canadiens, he’s already surpassed his point totals across two years in St. Louis. In 25 games after signing with Montreal, Texier has scored seven goals and 16 points with a +7 rating. He’s already become the seventh-highest scoring forward on the team.
His advanced metrics have never looked better, either. He’s managing the highest CorsiFor% at even strength of his career with a 53.3% mark, and has averaged a 91.3% on-ice SV% at even strength, showing off his value as a two-way force.
It’s unrealistic to think that Texier will sustain his current scoring pace, as he’s never scored more than 30 points in a regular season. Still, even if he gets to that point over the duration of the contract, it will prove to be a solid investment by Montreal. If the upper limit of the salary cap reaches its expected levels, Texier will only be earning approximately 2.2% of the Canadiens’ available cap dollars by the 2027-28 campaign.
It likely didn’t require much negotiation to finalize this deal. Texier bet on himself at a time of great strife for his on-ice play, and the Canadiens must feel emboldened by the quality of play he’s shown since joining the team.
Penguins Place Erik Karlsson On IR, Recall Ryan Graves
Jan. 14th: Broz’s recall will end without playing a game for Pittsburgh. The Penguins announced this morning that they’ve reassigned Broz back to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Jan. 13th: The Pittsburgh Penguins made a series of roster moves this morning. Most notably, defenseman Erik Karlsson has landed on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury. He will miss at least two weeks of action per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. The Penguins have recalled defenseman Ryan Graves in place of Karlsson. Pittsburgh has also recalled winger Tristan Broz and reassigned Rafael Harvey-Pinard.
This will be Karlsson’s first time missing games for the Penguins. He is riding a team-best 208-game ironman streak that dates back to Pittsburgh’s trade for the former Norris Trophy winner all the way back in 2023. Karlsson has filled a major role on the Penguins’ blue-line since joining the team but his importance has seemed to only rise this season. He leads Pittsburgh’s defense – and ranks third on the team – with 33 points in 44 games this season. He also leads the blue-line in shots on goal (94), takeaways (21), and power-play ice time (135 minutes).
That level of offense from the blue-line will be impossible for Pittsburgh to replace. Kris Letang is the blue-line’s second-highest scorer with 22 points in 44 games. He has matched a 0.5 point-per-game pace for much of the season and will certainly take on top offensive-defenseman duties in Karlsson’s absence. But who steps up for Letang is less clear. Ryan Shea has 16 points and 37 shots on goal this season, while Parker Wotherspoon has 15 points and 43 shots on goal.
Neither are known for their offense but may be called upon to fill heavy minutes with Karlsson on the shelf. Some focus will also land on Graves, who has an impressive nine points in 13 AHL games this season. That scoring hasn’t risen to the NHL level just yet – Graves has five points in his last 78 NHL games dating back to last season – but an open opportunity could be what changes that. Pittsburgh could also turn towards AHL prospect Owen Pickering, who leads the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ defense with 15 points in 33 games. He has only appeared in four NHL games this season – setting no scoring and a minus-three. He did manage three points and a minus-five in 25 NHL games last season.
The Penguins will also swap out depth forwards on the roster. Broz leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in scoring with 11 goals and 24 points in 33 games. He is the only member of the team with double-digit goals this season. He made his NHL debut earlier in the year and recorded no scoring and a minus-one. Back on the NHL roster, Broz will offer a nice bit of skill and scoring upside while Pittsburgh faces injuries to Bryan Rust and Rutger McGroarty. Broz would likely step into the lineup over high-speed bruiser Connor Dewar, in a bottom-six role. Meanwhile, Harvey-Pinard will return to the minors where he has already posted 13 points in 32 games.
Pittsburgh will be without Karlsson for at least seven games. That’s a big window to try and keep their ship sailing straight, after curbing an eight-game losing streak in early December with a 7-3-0 record since December 21st. The Penguins have averaged 3.7 goals-per-game on that recent win-streak, a number that could quickly dwindle with a future Hall-of-Fame, offensive-defenseman on the sidelines.
New York Islanders To Sign Pierrick Dube
According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, the New York Islanders are closing in on a contract with forward Pierrick Dube. Rosner later shared that although he’s awaiting firm information on the contract details, he believes it’ll be a two-way deal and that Dube will report to AHL Bridgeport.
Dube’s connection to the Islanders organization is already clear. In 2017-18, Dube began his first year of junior hockey with the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts, when Islanders’ head coach Patrick Roy was a team consultant. Dube spent the next three years with the Remparts, playing under the tutelage of Roy after he was named the head coach and General Manager.
Going undrafted, Dube still made it to the professional ranks toward the end of the 2021-22 season after signing with the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions. He spent a year and a half there before signing an AHL tryout agreement with the Laval Rocket. He performed well, scoring 16 goals and 32 points in 44 games with a +10 rating, leading to a two-way deal with the Washington Capitals the following summer.
He continued his impressive performance in the AHL the next season with the Hershey Bears. Dube finished the campaign with 28 goals and 48 points in 66 games with a +12 rating, good for third on the team in scoring. Additionally, Dube tallied seven goals and 10 points in 17 postseason contests, helping the Bears win the second half of their back-to-back Calder Cup championships.
Outside of helping the Bears win another Calder Cup ring, Dube made his debut in the NHL with the Capitals, going scoreless across three games. He spent the 2024-25 season exclusively with the Bears, finishing with 19 goals and 40 points in 58 games.
Without much NHL interest, Dube headed overseas to join the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk. He began the year scoring seven goals and 14 points in 21 games for Traktor, and was eventually traded to SKA St. Petersburg in a salary dump. He tallied two assists in seven games for St. Petersburg before eventually terminating his contract so he could join the Islanders.
Nashville Predators Place Jonathan Marchessault On Injured Reserve
Ahead of their game against Edmonton tonight, the Nashville Predators shared that Jonathan Marchessault has been played on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury, and remains day-to-day. No corresponding transaction was made.
It has been a tough season for the 35-year-old both on and off the ice. As noted by Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Pucks, Marchessault’s absence tonight marks his 12th straight, along with 18 so far in the campaign.
Even when healthy in his 28 games so far, Marchessault has just 10 points and is a -18. Signed to a five-year deal worth $5.5MM per season after a career best 42-goal season with Vegas in 2023-24, Nashville were aware the veteran would slow down as he entered his mid-thirties, but such production so far this year indicates decline two years or so ahead of schedule. Whether the 2023 Conn Smythe winner’s output is more a result of age, or a poor fit as a Predator where he could offer more elsewhere, is not entirely clear.
After his 56-point output last year, the undrafted Stanley Cup Champion sought to turn the page in 2025-26, but it has not gone to plan yet. Seemingly dead in the water when he was healthy, the Predators have found their stride recently without Marchessault, leaving Head Coach Andrew Brunette with a difficult choice of how to slot back in the winger when he returns. Rookie Reid Schaefer has been a good fit on the fourth line, making a case to stay up for the rest of the season.
Still with three additional years on his contract, Marchessault will hopefully find his game again and help the Predators make a push this spring, as a possible change-of-scenery may be difficult for GM Barry Trotz to work out. The Predators take on Marchessault’s former team in Vegas on Saturday, and it is hard to imagine he will return before then.
Blues Sign Logan Mailloux To One-Year Extension
Having just started their game tonight, the St. Louis Blues announced that defenseman Logan Mailloux has been signed to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth $850k.
Acquired by the Blues last summer from Montreal in exchange for Zachary Bolduc, Mailloux has had his struggles this season across 31 games. The 6’3″ righty known as an offensive defender has just two points, and is a -21.
St. Louis, in the process of a youth movement of sorts, clearly still values the former first round pick and is intent on developing him further. Interestingly, given his previous draft status and current production underwhelming, Mailloux will come in on his next deal at a cap hit $25k below his current $875k, although it brings stability with one-way status.
A restricted free agent at season’s end, the organization was in no particular hurry to work out a deal, but with Mailloux now settled, they can turn attention to their other pending restricted free agents: Dylan Holloway, Jonatan Berggren, and Matthew Kessel, with a core essentially locked up.
Subject to criticism considering his play this season, which offers metrics among the league’s worst both offensively and defensively, the 22-year-old is still a project of sorts. Mailloux is in a strange place at the moment, in which he has contributed at the highest level considerably more than his counterparts, other defensemen selected in the back half of the 2021 draft’s first round, but also not showing much progress either.
Fresh out of the OHL, the Windsor, Ontario native burst onto the scene with the Laval Rocket in 2023-24, posting 47 points and representing the team at the AHL All Star Game. There were concerns with his decision-making, especially in his own zone, but Montreal figured to have an intriguing prospect, offering the size and skill on the back end that scouts salivate over.
Breaking into the NHL in eight games as a Hab, Mailloux recorded five points, but he was unable to solidify a role, spending most of 2024-25 back in Laval. After recording 33 points, a step back from his rookie campaign, the Canadiens brought in star Noah Dobson, further clouding Mailloux’s future, already contending with fellow top prospect David Reinbacher.
In a simple player swap, Mailloux was brought in to St. Louis in exchange for Bolduc last July, another 2021 draftee. Since then, he has struggled under Head Coach Jim Montgomery, his defensive lapses especially magnified. Remaining confident in his potential, the Blues have remained patient, keeping him in the lineup of late, mostly in sheltered third pairing roles.
After a hot start with Montreal, Bolduc has cooled off a bit, with 17 points in 46 games. Another restricted free agent to-be, we may figure out the team’s plans with the forward sooner rather than later. Naturally, it will be compared to Mailloux and his deal today, which is indicative that St. Louis remains cautiously optimistic.
With the team seemingly out of playoff reach, Mailloux offers enough raw potential that they have little to lose in giving it another year. By the end of the extension, the righty will be 24, still on the young side, but at an age in which their evaluations can be grounded. St. Louis features accomplished veteran puck movers Justin Faulk and Cam Fowler, who the youngster can lean on.
Typically regarded as the Blues’ top defense prospect, if he’s unable to pan out, thankfully the team has Adam Jiříček coming along, who offers the same size as Mailloux with potentially more sound defensive play. Selected 16th overall in 2024, the Czech is still a ways away from contribution. Philip Broberg, another former first rounder brought in by the team in their retool, has flourished in a big way. The lefty earned a six-year extension last Saturday.
Things have yet to work out for Mailloux, but still in need of youth, the Blues will give it another year to try and unlock his potential.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images