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Avalanche Activate Ilya Solovyov

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The Avalanche have added defenseman Ilya Solovyov to their active roster, according to Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports. He started the year on the non-roster list, awaiting his work visa after Colorado claimed him off waivers from the Flames last week. The Avs cleared a roster spot earlier in the week by assigning fellow defender Jack Ahcan to the minors.

As a result, Solovyov has been cleared to practice with the team and will be available for Colorado’s third game of the season tomorrow. They’re 2-0-0 to start the year after handling the Kings on opening night and eking out a 2-1 win over the Mammoth yesterday. The Avs’ defense has held up decently well so far as constructed, so it’s likely Solovyov could be relegated to the press box for a while unless an injury occurs. The team has hovered around a league-average 29 shots against per game but has been propped up by a hot start between the pipes from Scott Wedgewood, who’s saved 56 of 58 shots faced for a .966 SV%, while starter Mackenzie Blackwood remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Even still, the 25-year-old Solovyov is ticketed for his most regular NHL role yet. The 2020 seventh-round pick had been a tweener for the last two years in Calgary, making 10 appearances in 2023-24 and five in 2024-25. He’s got four assists and a -6 rating in those 15 career contests and averaged 15:49 per game. The 6’3″ lefty was a physical force in those call-ups, recording 25 blocks and 26 hits, but overall struggled to control possession with a 47.0 CF% at even strength. The Avs will be hoping to boost that last number if he gets more consistent reps in the lineup.

Solovyov was waived to begin last season as well, but made it through. His claim came on the heels of a career year in the minors, posting a 6-22–28 scoring line and a +8 rating in 59 showings for AHL Calgary.

It might be worth watching if he gets a spot in the lineup over Sam Malinski in the coming days. Their third pairing of Malinski and Josh Manson, both righties, has only controlled 41.7% of expected goals so far, while their top two pairings have both logged an xGF% of at least 60, per MoneyPuck. Solovyov’s claim was no doubt influenced by the fact that he’s a left shot, an area of Colorado’s depth chart lacking NHL-caliber depth behind Devon Toews and Samuel Girard.

Sabres Recall Joshua Dunne

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The Sabres announced this morning that they’ve recalled center Joshua Dunne from AHL Rochester. They don’t have an open roster spot, so a corresponding transaction is coming. That could be an injured reserve placement for Zach Benson, who’s day-to-day after taking a puck to the face in practice that resulted in a hospital visit, or for Joshua Norris, who departed last night’s home opener late with an apparent lower-body injury and didn’t return.

Dunne, 27 in December, was an undrafted free agent signed by the Blue Jackets out of Clarkson in 2021. He made his NHL debut immediately after signing his entry-level contract but has only seen limited NHL minutes since. He made 14 total appearances for Columbus until reaching Group VI unrestricted free agency in 2024, upon which he signed a two-year, $1.55MM deal with Buffalo that pays him a one-way salary of $775K this season.

The Missouri native made a pair of appearances for Buffalo in 2024-25, his first since April 2023. The 6’4″ pivot managed one shot on goal on four attempts but had a -3 rating in just 14:11 of total ice time across the two contests, also going 2-for-7 on faceoffs. Even for a fourth-line fill-in, his NHL track record is concerning. He has no points and a -10 rating in 16 career appearances with Columbus and Buffalo, has won just 37% of his draws, and his teams have been out-attempted 139-98 with him on the ice at even strength for a CF% of 41.4.

In the minors, Dunne has plateaued as a middle-six piece. He served as an alternate captain for Rochester last year and managed a 10-19–29 scoring line with a +7 rating in 68 appearances. He enters his sixth professional season with 46 goals and 94 points in 202 career AHL contests.

If it’s Benson landing on IR, his placement can be backdated to the beginning of the month, as he was dealing with a separate ailment before his facial injury. He’ll be eligible to come off at any time. An IR placement for Norris would rule him out of the next three games and make him eligible for a return on Oct. 18 against the Panthers.

Blackhawks Reassign Ethan Del Mastro

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The Blackhawks have assigned defenseman Ethan Del Mastro to AHL Rockford, the team announced this morning. There’s no corresponding transaction yet, but freeing up a roster spot may indicate winger Landon Slaggert could soon be ready to come off injured reserve.

Del Mastro, 22, was drafted by the Blackhawks in the fourth round in 2021 and made his big league debut three years later. The shutdown lefty enjoyed much more offensive success in his first pro season than anyone imagined, recording a 7-30–37 scoring line in 67 games for Rockford in 2023-24 in addition to his two-game, late-season NHL call-up. After his first taste of play with the Blackhawks, which saw him record two hits and a shot attempt while averaging 18:35 per game, he was sent back to Rockford to begin the 2024-25 campaign.

While his offense dried up, Del Mastro’s steady defensive play earned him a longer look in NHL minutes last year. Chicago first recalled him in January, and he spent the vast majority of the balance of the season up with the big club. He finished the season with a 2-4–6 scoring line in 24 appearances with a -3 rating, 21 blocks, and 40 hits while averaging 18:19 per contest. He didn’t see any special teams usage, but his even-strength possession impacts were promising, controlling 47.4% of shot attempts and 44.7% of expected goals – not impressive on their own but strong considering Chicago’s woeful possession control and Del Mastro’s defense-oriented deployment.

That showing led the Blackhawks to include him on their opening night roster earlier this week. He played their first game of the season against the Panthers on Tuesday, but was the odd man out when No. 1 defender Alex Vlasic was ready to return to the lineup last night after missing a game with a lower-body injury. Still with room to develop, Chicago would rather have Del Mastro playing regular minutes in Rockford than have him sit in Chicago’s press box. Del Mastro still has another season left to go until he’ll require waivers to head to the minors.

As for Slaggert, he started the year on IR after sustaining a minor hip injury in the preseason. It looked like opening night was a possibility for him initially, but he hasn’t been able to go yet. He’s eligible for activation before tomorrow’s game against the Canadiens.

Sabres Expected To Activate Owen Power From IR

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5:32 p.m.: While Power’s cleared to return from his injury, he’s now dealing with an illness that will keep him out of tonight’s opener, along with winger Zach Benson after he took a puck to the face in yesterday’s practice, the team announced. He’ll stay on IR for now as a result. Both are listed as day-to-day. Ryan Johnson and Tyson Kozak will enter the lineup in their place, according to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.

10:21 a.m.: The Sabres are set to activate defenseman Owen Power from injured reserve before tonight’s home opener against the Rangers, head coach Lindy Ruff implied (via Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550). Buffalo opened a roster spot yesterday by reassigning goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to AHL Rochester after he cleared waivers, so no corresponding transaction will be required.

Despite being listed on IR for the Sabres’ opening roster submission, Power won’t miss any time. He’s been dealing with a minor strain since the tail end of training camp and was unavailable for Buffalo’s final two preseason games. The team first told reporters he was banged up on Sep. 30, presumably when they backdated his IR placement. As such, he’s already “missed” the seven days required for the designation.

Power, the first overall pick of the 2021 draft, is entering his fourth full NHL season. He saw more conservative deployment in 2024-25 than he’s gotten used to, averaging 21:19 per game after hovering around the 23-24 minute range for his first two years. Nonetheless, he managed career highs across the board offensively with seven goals, 33 assists, and 40 points in 79 contests. His defensive involvement was a different story. His -13 rating, 26 hits, 73 giveaways, 51.5 CF%, and 45.2 xGF% at even strength were all career worsts.

As such, he’ll be looking to get his all-around game back on track – a significant factor in Buffalo ending its 14-season playoff drought. While the club brought in righty Michael Kesselring from the Mammoth in the JJ Peterka deal this offseason with the primary objective of deploying him as Power’s partner, they won’t be able to do that tonight. Kesselring also landed on IR to open the year with an undisclosed injury and remains week-to-week. It’ll be Jacob Bryson, who would likely be scratched if everyone is healthy, opening the year with Power as a result, according to Buffalo’s practice line rushes earlier this week (via Heather Engel of NHL.com).

Power, still just 22 years old, is beginning the second year of the seven-year, $58.45MM extension he signed in October 2023. The 6’6″ lefty leads all 2021 draftees with 92 career assists, a touch ahead of forwards Matty Beniers, Wyatt Johnston, and Mason McTavish.

Oilers Place Jake Walman On Injured Reserve

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The Oilers announced that defenseman Jake Walman is headed to injured reserve after sitting out last night’s season opener with an undisclosed injury. They’ll use his vacant spot to officially register forward Jack Roslovic’s contract and add him to the active roster after announcing his signing last night.

Walman suffered a setback in his recovery from the injury on Monday, according to the team’s Tony Brar. That was hours after the club announced a seven-year, $49MM extension for the pending unrestricted free agent, in addition to locking up captain Connor McDavid for another two years after this one. He hasn’t played since logging over 21 minutes of ice time in Edmonton’s preseason opener against the Flames on Sep. 21, so his IR placement will be backdated to then, and he’ll be eligible for activation at any time.

A 2014 third-rounder, Walman is entering his first full season with the Oilers and his seventh NHL campaign overall. He’s coming off a breakout campaign that earned him that extension and saw him average almost 23 minutes per game across 65 appearances with the Sharks and Oilers, posting a 7-33–40 scoring line and +4 rating. If he’d not been banged up for nearly 20 games last year, he was on pace for a 50-point campaign in 82 games, ranking 22nd in the league in points per game.

It’s still not clear when Edmonton expects Walman to make his season debut. The lefty was widely expected to play mostly on his off side this season and round out Edmonton’s second pairing with Darnell Nurse. Alec Regula filled that spot last night in the Oilers’ shootout loss to the Flames, and it didn’t go very well. While the pairing controlled 63.8% of expected goals at 5-on-5,  he ended up being a -2 on the night.

Ducks Place Ryan Strome On IR, Beckett Sennecke To Debut

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The Ducks already announced they won’t have veteran forward Ryan Strome on hand for their season-opening road trip due to an upper-body injury. Today, they formalized an injured reserve placement for Strome, according to the NHL’s media site. It’s not clear yet if there’s a corresponding transaction. They recalled Tim Washe from AHL San Diego last night in Strome’s place, but the roster spot for Washe was opened up by goaltender Ville Husso heading to the minors after clearing waivers.

In any event, Anaheim is now working with an open roster spot. They can backdate his IR placement to yesterday, meaning he’s now on Day 2 of his required seven-day absence. The earliest he’ll be eligible to return is Oct. 15, which would also rule him out of Anaheim’s home opener against the Penguins next Tuesday unless his IR placement is backdated further than anticipated. The Ducks haven’t divulged any specifics, but their only ruling him out for their road trip is a promising sign that he shouldn’t miss too much, if any time, after he’s eligible for activation.

Strome has rarely missed time since signing a five-year, $25MM deal with Anaheim in free agency in 2022. He’s played all 82 games twice and only missed three games in the 2023-24 season due to an illness and an upper-body injury.

Strome’s absence opens the door for 2024 No. 3 overall pick Beckett Sennecke to make his NHL debut after breaking camp with the team. Strome had spent most of camp centering Anaheim’s veteran third line between Frank Vatrano and Alex Killorn. Free-agent splash Mikael Granlund will move down to fill that 3C role while Sennecke slots into second-line duties on the right side on a youth-fueled line with Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune relayed yesterday.

The 32-year-old Strome has been as consistent as possible as a Duck, hitting 41 points on the nose in each of his three seasons in Orange County. He’s had decent defensive impacts, particularly last season, when he posted a relative +3.7% Corsi share at even strength. He chews up minutes, averaging more than 16 per game, and quietly leaves a significant hole in Anaheim’s lineup early on that Sennecke, who’s coming off an 86-point season for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, will look to fill.

Blues Reassign Georgi Romanov

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Oct. 9: Romanov has cleared waivers and will be assigned to Springfield, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.

Oct. 8: The Blues have signed goaltender Georgi Romanov to a two-way deal, the team announced. He’ll be reporting to AHL Springfield, but he needs to clear waivers first. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports confirms he landed on the wire today. He had been in training camp with the Devils on a PTO, and while they never confirmed they released him, today’s news solidifies it.

Romanov is entering his seventh professional season and his third in North America. The Russian netminder signed with the Sharks as an undrafted free agent in 2023 after putting together a strong resume with Gornyak-UGMK in the second-tier VHL, only getting one game of top-flight KHL action with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg before making the jump. He enjoyed brief call-ups to San Jose in each of his two years there but was not given a qualifying offer this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The 25-year-old brings six career starts and four relief appearances to the Blues’ pipeline. He fared as expected in them for a rookie netminder behind a league-worst team, going 0-6-0 but posting a respectable .888 SV% and 3.53 GAA while cumulatively allowing 3.5 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.

Romanov did well at the AHL level, posting a 3.12 GAA and a .904 SV% with a 20-15-13 record in 50 appearances for the San Jose Barracuda over the past two years. He looks to slot in as the new AHL starter and No. 3 goalie on St. Louis’ depth chart. The club lost Colten Ellis, who logged a .922 SV% in 42 games for AHL Springfield last season, on waivers to the Sabres earlier this week.

Jets Expected To Activate Jonathan Toews From IR

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Jonathan Toews’ return to NHL ice will proceed as scheduled tonight. Despite being listed on injured reserve due to an undisclosed issue on the Jets’ opening night roster, Toews was a full participant in morning skate and is expected to be added to the active roster before tonight’s home opener, according to the team’s Mitchell Clinton. Winnipeg has a full 23-man roster and will need to make a corresponding transaction – presumably demoting one of their two waiver-exempt scratches in Parker Ford or Brad Lambert to AHL Manitoba.

The 37-year-old has carried a day-to-day designation for the past week after getting banged up in his final preseason appearance against the Wild on Sep. 30. Toews did not record a point in any of his three exhibition appearances but skated heavy minutes in the first two, around 18 minutes per game. The elite faceoff man showed no rust in the dot, going 28-for-46 on draws for a 60.9% win rate.

Toews will be anchoring Winnipeg’s second line between rookie Nikita Chibrikov and fellow offseason free agent signing Gustav Nyquist in his debut for his hometown team. The three-time Stanley Cup champion and future Hall of Famer last played a regular-season game 910 days ago on April 13, 2023, the final game of the Blackhawks’ 2022-23 season.

The longtime Chicago franchise cornerstone became a free agent the following summer and spent the last two seasons on the sidelines while dealing with the combined effects of chronic inflammatory response syndrome and long COVID. Back in May, he made clear his intent to return to play in 2025-26 and fielded calls from the Avalanche and Lightning as well before opting to sign in Winnipeg.

In his most recent NHL showing, Toews churned out a 15-16–31 scoring line in 53 appearances for the Hawks. With Winnipeg needing Toews to shoulder top-six minutes out of necessity to kick off the campaign, they’ll need at least that level of production – if not more – to help their offense stay afloat behind their dominant first line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Gabriel Vilardi. In addition to losing top-six fixture Nikolaj Ehlers to free agency, the club is also without Cole Perfetti to begin the campaign after a preseason ankle injury and is missing captain Adam Lowry until later this month in the best-case scenario after he underwent hip surgery at the beginning of the offseason.

Will Butcher Signs With AHL Cleveland

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After one year overseas, a former Calder Trophy vote recipient is returning to North America. According to an announcement from the team, the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters have signed defenseman Will Butcher to a one-year contract for the 2025-26 season.

Last season, the University of Denver alumnus split his time between the KHL’s Barys Astana and the DEL’s EHC München. He performed much better with the latter, scoring three goals and 11 points in 32 games with a +7 rating, after tallying three assists in 15 games with the former.

Despite his offensive struggles in Europe, Butcher is only two years removed from being one of the better puck-moving defenseman in the AHL. In his first full season in the AHL with the Texas Stars during the 2022-23 season, Butcher scored six goals and 43 points in 65 games with a +11 rating, tying for 14th in scoring among defensemen.

Still, it’s difficult not to assess Butcher’s career as somewhat disappointing. On his entry-level deal with the New Jersey Devils, as recently as the 2018-19 campaign, Butcher was considered to be an up-and-coming offensive contributor from the blue line, scoring nine goals and 74 points in 159 games, averaging 17:38 of ice time per game.

New Jersey rewarded Butcher with a three-year, $11.2MM extension, though his production began to decline almost immediately upon putting pen to paper. In the following three campaigns, the final one with the Buffalo Sabres, Butcher registered seven goals and 40 points in 116 games before becoming a full-time AHL contributor.

In Cleveland, he’ll join a team that’s reached the postseason in back-to-back seasons. Given that Denton Mateychuk has graduated into a full-time role with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Butcher could be in line for significant responsibility on the Monsters’ blue line alongside Stanislav Svozil, especially if he returns to form from his 2022-23 campaign.

Michael McLeod Signs With KHL’s Avangard Omsk

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After some lukewarm interest from the Carolina Hurricanes, Michael McLeod’s comeback bid to the NHL will prove unsuccessful. He will return to the organization where he played last season, as the KHL announced a three-year deal for McLeod with Avangard Omsk.

Toward the beginning of training camp, reports indicated that McLeod would inevitably sign with the Hurricanes to return to the North American professional circuit. Still, since the NHL determined that none of the acquitted players from the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial could sign until October 15th, it gave Carolina plenty of time to change their mind.

The Hurricanes faced significant backlash from fans over their decision to target McLeod and former Philadelphia Flyer Carter Hart after they became eligible to return. Carolina pivoted relatively quickly, with TSN’s Chris Johnston saying the two sides couldn’t “get to something both sides would be comfortable with.”

Now, McLeod will return to Russia on a relatively lengthy three-year pact with Avangard Omsk. He spent much of last season with the team, scoring three goals and 13 points in 19 games, and another three goals and six points in 13 games for Barys Astana. He had much improved offensive production in the Gagarin Cup playoffs, tallying one goal and eight points in nine postseason contests.

Avangard Omsk doesn’t have much in the way of former NHL talent outside of McLeod, though they do have former three-time AHL scoring champion Andrew Poturalski and former first overall pick Nail Yakupov. Additionally, the team is coached by Guy Boucher, former head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators.

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