Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Transactions

Maple Leafs To Activate Auston Matthews, Nicolas Roy From IR

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Maple Leafs forwards Auston Matthews and Nicolas Roy will be activated from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Blue Jackets, per Mark Masters of TSN. Toronto needs to open up a pair of roster spots before it does so. One of them has been opened by reassigning center Jacob Quillan to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, David Alter of The Hockey News reports. Also returning to the lineup is top-line winger Matthew Knies, who’d missed the last three games with a lower-body issue but never landed on IR.

Matthews returns after a two-week absence. The Leafs captain sustained a lower-body injury when Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov leveled him on Nov. 11. He sat out the last five games, during which time the reeling Leafs went 1-2-2. Their lone win in that period, a 3-2 overtime victory over the Blues on Nov. 18, is their only victory in the last three weeks.

Without Matthews, the Leafs, who have relied heavily on their offense to outscore their defensive shortcomings this season, only managed 2.4 goals per game. While the two-time 60-goal scorer hasn’t performed to that level of dominance this season, his return remains a legitimate needle-mover as Toronto looks to string together some solid two-way efforts with five games left on its road trip. Through 17 appearances, Matthews was finishing at a 13.8% clip – the third-lowest of his 10-year career – for nine goals and five assists.

The most concerning aspect of Matthews’ performance pre-injury was his possession play. Over the past several seasons, he’d emerged as a Selke-level defensive threat in addition to his elite scoring ability, finishing as a finalist for the award in 2024. The Leafs are still outscoring opponents 16-8 at 5-on-5 with Matthews on the ice this year, but the under-the-hood numbers have taken a significant step back. Matthews had controlled 52% of shot attempts or better for seven consecutive seasons, but has just a 46.9 CF% in 2025-26.

Joining Matthews in the lineup down the middle will be Roy, who sustained an upper-body injury against the Blackhawks on Nov. 15 and had missed the last three games. Aside from his work in the faceoff dot (52.3% win rate), there hasn’t been much to like from the 28-year-old, whom the Leafs acquired from the Golden Knights in last summer’s Mitch Marner sign-and-trade. He’s been limited to just one goal and four points in 19 appearances, and his deployment as a defensive specialist at even strength has greatly limited his two-way effectiveness. He’s averaging fewer than two shot attempts per game for the first time since 2021, and the Leafs have been outscored 13-8 with him on the ice at 5-on-5.

Quillan had gotten the call-up in Roy’s absence but, as one of two waiver-exempt skaters on the Leafs’ roster, was the logical choice to be the first one sent down when Toronto needed a roster spot – especially considering he was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s loss in Montreal. The 23-year-old second-year pro earned the look after a scorching start to his season with the Marlies, rattling off two goals and 12 assists in 14 appearances for a point per game.

In two appearances, he was deployed as the Leafs’ fourth-line center between Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli. He didn’t record a point but did manage a +1 rating while averaging 8:39 of ice time per game. The undrafted free agent out of Quinnipiac laid six hits as well.

Avalanche Recall Ivan Ivan

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Avalanche announced that they’ve recalled center Ivan Ivan from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The team has two open roster spots, so they’ll be able to add him and activate Joel Kiviranta from injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Sharks without making a corresponding transaction.

Ivan, 23, went undrafted after wrapping up his junior career with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles and originally landed with Colorado on a minor-league deal in 2023. Amid a rookie season in which the Czech forward posted 12 goals and 31 points in 67 games for the Eagles, the Avalanche gave him an entry-level contract that made him eligible for a recall beginning with the 2024-25 campaign.

With the Avs’ injury struggles to begin last season, Ivan didn’t just get a recall – he spent nearly half the season up on the NHL roster before being sent back to the minors in late January, where he remained for the rest of the year. The 6’0″ pivot did well enough as a fourth-line piece as he was forced into action sooner in his development than anyone expected. In 40 appearances, he managed five goals and three assists for eight points while averaging 10:02 of ice time per game. A skilled shooter, he finished at a 14.7% clip and averaged 1.63 shot attempts per game. The Avs were outscored 14-12 in Ivan’s minutes at 5-on-5, but he managed to control 51.7% of shot attempts.

In the minors, though, Ivan hasn’t managed to recapture the offensive success he had during his rookie season. He had just two goals in 36 games for the Eagles last year and only has another pair through 18 appearances in 2025-26. After scoring 0.46 points per game as a rookie, Ivan’s 4-14–18 scoring line in 54 AHL games since is only good for 0.33 points per game.

Ivan should be ticketed to make his season debut tonight, though. His recall plus Kiviranta’s reinstatement give the Avs 12 healthy forwards for the San Jose game after reassigning Tristen Nielsen and Jason Polin to the Eagles earlier in the week. They’re expected to serve as Zakhar Bardakov’s wingmen on Colorado’s fourth line.

Islanders Recall Travis Mitchell

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Islanders announced Wednesday that they’ve recalled defenseman Travis Mitchell from AHL Bridgeport. Barring a surprise, he’ll serve as a healthy extra for tonight’s tilt against the Bruins. They had an open roster spot and thus don’t need to make a corresponding move.

This is the second time Mitchell has been summoned this month. He was added to the roster for two days from Nov. 13-15 while Scott Mayfield took a brief paternity leave. Mitchell was recalled in a similar manner last season, but despite this being his third stint on the Isles’ roster, he’s yet to make his NHL debut.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Cornell in 2023, the 6’4″ lefty has never profiled as anything more than minor-league depth. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Now in his third full season in the organization, he has five goals and 16 assists for 21 points in 119 career games for Bridgeport with 181 penalty minutes and a -33 rating. He was more of a puck-mover in juniors and in college, but has settled in more as a physical stay-at-home piece in the pros.

That makes him an ideal candidate to roster as a seventh defenseman when the Islanders don’t anticipate using their healthy extra for a lengthy stretch. While he’ll need waivers to return to Bridgeport if he stays up for longer than 30 nonconsecutive days, that’s not much of a concern, as he’s not likely to drum up much consideration for a claim.

The 26-year-old could be in for a more extended stint in the Isles’ press box this time around. With Alexander Romanov’s right shoulder surgery likely costing him the remainder of the regular season, New York will lean further into its organizational depth on the blue line. They’re not keen on recalling more promising blueliners like Isaiah George or Marshall Warren unless it means getting them into the NHL lineup. Unless their defense corps suffers another injury or they’re looking to scratch someone from their current group, Mitchell could stick around as the No. 7 for the foreseeable future.

Louis Domingue Signs With AHL’s Charlotte Checkers

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The AHL’s Charlotte Checkers announced that they’ve signed goaltender Louis Domingue for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. He signed in Russia with Sibir Novosibirsk over the offseason but was released from that deal at the beginning of the month.

Domingue, 33, didn’t fare well in his first tenure overseas. He made 11 appearances but only mustered a 3.83 GAA and .892 SV%, going 0-9-2 with one shutout behind one of the Kontinental Hockey League’s worst teams. He was released at his request for “family reasons,” but considering Novosibirsk’s new starter, Anton Krasotkin, has put up a .910 SV% in 21 outings, they were likely happy to let him walk.

The former Coyotes and Lightning backup has 144 games behind him at the top level, but hasn’t been an NHL regular for several years now. His last time making double-digit appearances in a single season was 2019-20 and he hasn’t been a full-time No. 2 option since the year prior with the Lightning. He’s bounced around multiple organizations in the last several years as a third or fourth-string option. He’d spent the last three years in the Rangers’ system, making a single spot start for them at the NHL level in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

While Domingue’s recent NHL track record in limited showings is strong – a .949 SV% in his last four starts dating back to 2021-22 – he took a tumble in the minors last season. In 28 showings for the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford, Domingue was limited to a .896 SV%, 3.32 GAA, and a 7-20-1 record. The Rangers understandably weren’t interested in bringing him back as a depth option after that performance, and he evidently didn’t net any two-way offers to stay in the NHL.

He’ll now catch on with the Panthers’ affiliate to extend a professional career that began with the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators back in 2012 while in the Coyotes’ system. Charlotte hasn’t gotten great play out of their starter, Florida third-stringer Cooper Black, who’s only managed a .899 SV% and 2.77 GAA in 11 appearances. Domingue’s recent track record doesn’t suggest he’ll be much of an upgrade, but he’s a solid depth option to aid a rather inexperienced minor-league crease.

Latest On Travis Dermott

at CDT | by 1 Comment

28-year-old defenseman Travis Dermott is a veteran of nearly 350 NHL games, but doesn’t currently have a contract for the 2025-26 season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported today that Dermott underwent shoulder surgery in June and has now fully recovered, and is looking for a place to play this season to resume his career.

At one point, it looked as though Dermott was going to be a steady, long-term fixture on an NHL blueline – specifically that of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team that selected him 34th overall at the 2015 draft. The former Erie Otter was ranked No. 3 in the Maple Leafs’ prospect pool in February 2018 by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. Dermott ended the season a Calder Cup champion, and Wheeler at the time projected him to become a No. 3 or No. 4 NHL defenseman, someone “who can positively impact possession and play on the penalty kill.”

Dermott’s offensive production never quite took a step forward at the NHL level, and he has a career-high of just 17 points. His overall play was inconsistent, and persistent injury issues cost him the chance to get into a rhythm at the NHL level.

If one specific point can be looked at as a turning point for Dermott in Toronto, it was overtime of game six of the team’s 2021 first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens. While the Maple Leafs dominated most of the extra frame, Dermott ended up fumbling the puck and had to watch as Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi rifled a game-winning goal past Jack Campbell, forcing a game seven that the Maple Leafs ultimately lost.

Dermott was never able to fully earn the trust of the Maple Leafs, and that moment underscored his inability to secure a firm grasp on a regular NHL role in Toronto. The following year after that playoff series, Dermott was traded to the Vancouver Canucks.

Injuries once again proved a major roadblock to Dermott’s progress, limiting him to just 28 NHL games across two seasons in Vancouver. The Canucks cut him loose after he played in just 12 games in 2022-23.

Dermott spent all of 2023-24 in the NHL with the since-relocated Arizona Coyotes, and sticking in the NHL for the full season helped him earn a one-year, $775K deal with the Edmonton Oilers for 2024-25, a deal that contained a hefty $500K AHL salary in the event Dermott got sent down.

Once again, Dermott wasn’t able to get on the ice consistently. He was limited to just 10 games in Edmonton in total, and nine games for the Minnesota Wild after he was claimed off of waivers in December. Injuries had limited him in the past, but in Minnesota, he was a regular healthy scratch.

At this point, the key for Dermott to re-establish himself as an NHL-relevant player will be to stay and find a way to get into an NHL lineup and play well enough to hold onto that spot. He offers more NHL experience than most players still without a contract at this point in the season, so it’s easy to see a team giving Dermott a shot. But given his form over the last few years, those hoping to get the version of Dermott that existed at times during his Maple Leafs tenure should probably temper their expectations.

At 28 years old, whatever playing opportunity Dermott receives will be an absolutely massive one for the future of his career. It’s easy to see Dermott’s next contract as a fork-in-the-road moment in his NHL career, so it’ll be extremely important for him to get off to a fast start wherever he lands in the next few weeks.

Photos courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Blue Jackets Recall Luca Pinelli On Emergency Basis

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Blue Jackets have recalled forward Luca Pinelli from AHL Cleveland under emergency conditions, the team announced. Since Pinelli isn’t waiver-eligible, there’s no extra privilege granted to Columbus by performing his recall on an emergency basis. They had an open roster spot, so no corresponding move is required.

Pinelli will be on hand for tomorrow’s game against the Maple Leafs and could make his NHL debut depending on the status of wingers Kirill Marchenko and Mathieu Olivier. Marchenko sat out yesterday’s loss to the Capitals with a muscle strain and is day-to-day, while Olivier left that contest with an upper-body injury after the first period. If neither is available, Pinelli would draw in if they’re to continue dressing 12 forwards and six defensemen. With the newly signed Brendan Smith also on the roster, he’s an option to play as well if they want to dress seven defensemen or deploy him as a forward, as Smith’s done in the past.

Pinelli, 20, lands his first NHL recall early in his first professional season. The 5’9″ center was a fourth-round pick in 2023 out of OHL Ottawa. He produced well over a point per game for the 67’s post-draft and found himself on Team Canada at this year’s World Juniors, posting a goal and an assist in five games on his first go-around for the national club.

While his size will be a concern for his long-term adjustment to the NHL, he hasn’t let it impede his adjustment from the juniors to the minors one bit. He hasn’t missed a beat since first reporting to Cleveland late last season after the 67’s’ campaign ended. In 22 regular-season and playoff games since making his pro debut, Pinelli’s put up a 7-9–16 scoring line with a +3 rating. That includes five goals and 10 points in 13 games to begin 2025-26.

That said, he’s something of an under-the-radar name in one of the league’s deeper systems. His lack of physicality, plus some discipline issues in juniors, limited his ranking to No. 14 in Columbus’ pool over the offseason by Elite Prospects. Still, it’s a good sign that he’s been able to hold his own out of the gate as he makes the first significant leap in his development.

Avalanche To Activate Joel Kiviranta From Injured Reserve

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Avalanche have cleared left-winger Joel Kiviranta to play and expect to activate him from injured reserve before tomorrow’s game against the Sharks, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters (including Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now). The Avs had two open roster spots after reassigning Tristen Nielsen and Jason Polin to AHL Colorado yesterday, so no corresponding move is required.

Kiviranta has been out of commission since Oct. 16, having sustained a lower-body injury in the fifth game of the season. He’s back far earlier than anyone expected. Colorado only officially termed him out indefinitely, and multiple reports relayed the Avalanche initially weren’t expecting him back until after the New Year. Instead, he’ll be able to re-enter the lineup in under two months, an important feat for a team down three regular forwards in Gavin Brindley, Valeri Nichushkin, and Logan O’Connor.

The 29-year-old is now in his third season in Denver. He was initially brought in on a PTO in 2023 and was subsequently released to their AHL club, but they ended up signing him to an NHL contract in November. He’s signed two subsequent one-year deals to remain with the Avs. Last year was by far the best performance of the Finn’s seven-year NHL career. Usually cast as a dependable 13th forward, Kiviranta played all but three games for Colorado and scored a career-high 16 goals and 23 points, even working his way into top-nine minutes at times while finishing third on the team with 114 hits.

The return of captain Gabriel Landeskog to the lineup and the Avs’ offseason work meant Kiviranta was in for a reduced role this year, and his usage through five games reflected that. His ice time decreased from 12:31 per game last year to 10:47, and he was held without a point.

Even with Kiviranta back, the demotions of Nielsen and Polin mean they’re set to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen against San Jose unless they recall a forward tomorrow. He’ll be centered by Zakhar Bardakov while someone from the Avs’ top-nine double shifts on the opposite wing.

Flames Reassign Sam Morton

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Flames announced today that center Sam Morton has been sent back to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. Since he’s only been rostered for eight days and played three games since clearing waivers during the preseason, he doesn’t need them today.

Morton, 26, is in his second pro season after inking with the Flames as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State in 2024. The Colorado native was the Mavericks’ captain in his final season – his sixth year of NCAA hockey, thanks to COVID – and broke out for 24 goals and 34 points in 37 games to be named the CCHA’s Player of the Year and make himself a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.

Morton’s age meant he had no trouble adjusting to the pro game. He rattled off five goals and seven points in 13 AHL games to end 2023-24 on a tryout with the Wranglers and then had 20 goals and 45 points in 70 games for them in his first full pro season in 2024-25. That led the Flames to call the 6’0″ pivot up to make his NHL debut in the final game of last year’s regular season, and he notched his first goal in the process.

This season, Morton went unclaimed on waivers on his way down to the Wranglers but took the training camp cut in stride. He had a 4-8–12 scoring line through 16 games, good for sixth on the team, before earning a call-up last week.

Calgary gave Morton a brief trial as the fourth-line center, but that job will now go to waiver claim John Beecher. In three games, he went an impressive 16-for-24 (66.7%) on faceoffs but didn’t record a point and had a -1 rating, averaging just 9:20 per game. The Flames were outshot 11-10 and outchanced 9-8 in Morton’s 5-on-5 minutes.

Blues Release Milan Lucic From AHL Tryout

at CDT | by 12 Comments

Nov. 25: Lucic has now been released from his AHL tryout as well, the Blues announced. He had just one assist and posted a -7 rating through five games, likely limiting his interest elsewhere.

Nov. 4: The Blues have released left-winger Milan Lucic from his professional tryout, according to a team announcement. He’ll nonetheless remain in the organization for now and will report to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, also in a tryout capacity.

Lucic, 37, landed a PTO with St. Louis all the way back in August and showed up for his first NHL training camp in two years. He skated in four preseason games for the Blues, recording a goal and an assist. He then sustained a lower-body injury that shut him down late in camp, removing any hope he had of converting his PTO into an opening night roster spot.

The Blues quietly kept extending Lucic’s PTO in 10-day increments – a new vehicle in the recent CBA extension – while he rehabbed his injury. Evidently, he’s now healthy. Even with the team’s 4-7-2 start to the season, though, they didn’t see enough out of him to warrant giving the 17-year veteran a look on the fourth line, at least not yet. Releasing him from his tryout does nothing to preclude the club from giving him a contract later if they like what they see during his return to action in Springfield.

If Lucic suits up for the Thunderbirds, it will be the first AHL action of his career. He made the transition straight from the WHL to the Bruins’ roster when he first broke into the NHL in 2007 as a 19-year-old. It will also be his first action of any kind in over two years. Lucic’s last appearance came for Boston on Oct. 21, 2023, his fourth of the young season. He then sustained an ankle injury and missed the rest of the season after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program following an alleged domestic incident, although those charges were dropped.

Penguins Reassign Samuel Poulin, Likely To Activate Tristan Jarry

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Penguins returned winger Samuel Poulin to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after suiting up in their last two games, per the team. His roster spot will likely go to goaltender Tristan Jarry, whom head coach Dan Muse implied should be ready to come off injured reserve before tomorrow’s contest with the Sabres, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Poulin, 24, continues to be a fine call-up option but has seemingly plateaued far short of what the Pens hoped for him when they selected him No. 21 overall in the 2019 draft. His two-game call-up in place of winger Ville Koivunen, who Rorabaugh also said could be an option to come off IR tomorrow, raised his career total of NHL appearances to 15. He’s still looking for his first goal but has two assists with a -5 rating in 10:06 of average ice time. He got a bit of a longer leash on this call-up, averaging 13:49 per game, but posted a -2 rating and only managed one shot on goal. The Pens did out-attempt opponents 29-24 with Poulin on the ice at 5-on-5, though.

However, in the minors, the 6’2″ Quebec native is having his best season yet. After establishing himself as a top AHL contributor in the past two years, he’s now flirting with a point-per-game pace. In 16 appearances, he has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points to lead the team in scoring. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Poulin now has a 42-47–89 scoring line in 114 games.

His demotion comes as Bryan Rust is expected not to miss any time with the illness that kept him out of yesterday’s practice, per Rorabaugh. That’s spectacular news for a Pens team that already has five forwards on IR, including top-six pieces Justin Brazeau and Rickard Rakell.

As for how they’ll use Poulin’s roster spot, there’s a bit of a question mark. If only Jarry is coming off IR tomorrow, that means the Pens will carry three netminders for the time being. Top prospect Sergey Murashov has looked the part through his first four NHL appearances in Jarry’s weeks-long absence, posting a 1-1-1 record with a .913 SV%, 1.90 GAA, and his first career shutout through four appearances. With only 0.1 goals saved above expected, though, he clearly grades out as the Pens’ third-best netminder behind Jarry and Arturs Silovs, at least based on the latter two’s early-season samples (per MoneyPuck). It does little for the 21-year-old’s development to keep him on the active roster if he’s not going to be used in an equal three-goalie rotation.

In all likelihood, they haven’t returned the waiver-exempt Murashov to WBS because they’re still waiting for absolute certainty on Jarry’s status for tomorrow. If he and Koivunen are both available, Murashov would presumably be reassigned in a corresponding transaction to keep them at the 23-player roster limit.

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