Utah, Miloš Kelemen Mutually Terminate Contract
Jan. 29: Kelemen cleared waivers and will have his deal terminated, per Friedman.
Jan. 28: Utah Hockey Club depth winger Miloš Kelemen landed on unconditional waivers Tuesday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. It’s the first step for a mutual contract termination, which will occur if he clears tomorrow.
Kelemen, 25, made the move from Arizona to Utah last summer after two seasons in the Coyotes organization. The Slovak forward was briefly a restricted free agent but quickly signed a two-way deal to play his third season in North America. He cleared waivers to begin the season, but after scoring once through 11 games with AHL Tucson, Utah granted him a loan to the Czech Extraliga with HC Dynamo Pardubice.
That’s where Kelemen has suited up since late November, posting six points (4 G, 2 A) in 12 games for the top-level Czech club. He was slated to be a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer and was destined to remain in Europe once Utah lost his NHL rights, so the two sides are just terminating their relationship early to allow Kelemen to better plan for next season.
Standing at 6’2″ and 218 lbs, Kelemen was somewhat of an intriguing undrafted free agent signing by the Coyotes in 2022. He largely did well in Tucson aside from this year’s early-season struggles, totaling 68 points in 124 games for the AHL club. He also got into 24 NHL games with Arizona over his first two seasons stateside, scoring a goal and an assist with a minus-seven rating and 46 hits.
Utah will gain a contract slot after terminating Kelemen’s deal, giving them four open spaces.
Senators’ Cole Reinhardt Clears Waivers
Jan. 29: Reinhardt cleared waivers Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Jan. 28: The Senators placed left-winger Cole Reinhardt on waivers Tuesday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If he clears, he’ll be reassigned to AHL Belleville.
Reinhardt, 24, signed a two-way extension with the Senators in the offseason to avoid restricted free agency. He cleared waivers during training camp and was sent to Belleville but has spent a good portion of the season on the NHL roster, playing in 12 games since his initial recall on Oct. 20. That brought his tally of NHL appearances to 13, as he also appeared in one game with the Senators three years ago. He has a goal and an assist with a minus-five rating, averaging 8:10 per game at the top level.
Reinhardt was last recalled on Dec. 27, after which he lost his temporary waiver exemption because he’d played more than 10 games. He last played on Jan. 11 against the Penguins and has missed nine games with an upper-body injury, so today’s placement indicates he’s been cleared to play.
He’s made 13 AHL appearances this year with a raucous 16 points (6 G, 10 A). His plus-eight rating also leads B-Sens forwards despite only spending a small portion of the season on the farm. Dating back to 2020-21, he has 115 points in 238 minor-league games with 239 PIMs and an even rating.
He’s destined for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer because he’s played more than three professional seasons with fewer than 80 career NHL appearances. His AHL breakout could convince some clubs to take a flyer on him off waivers tomorrow, potentially getting him more ice time somewhere with a thinner forward group.
Ottawa’s wingers are the healthiest they’ve been in quite some time with offseason pickups Michael Amadio and David Perron back in action. Their depth isn’t at 100%, though, as Nick Cousins is dealing with a lower-body injury after taking the worst of a knee-on-knee collision with Maple Leafs rookie Jacob Quillan on Saturday, and Noah Gregor remains on injured reserve with a lower-body issue.
Kings Activate Drew Doughty From LTIR
12:25 p.m.: Doughty is indeed off LTIR, per a team announced. As expected, Helenius was reassigned to AHL Ontario in a corresponding transaction.
10:15 a.m.: The Kings will have star defenseman Drew Doughty in the lineup for the first time this season when they face the Panthers on Wednesday, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. He’ll come off long-term injured reserve after missing just over four months with an ankle fracture sustained in preseason action.
Los Angeles is short about $84K in cap space to remove Doughty from LTIR, but they also have a full active roster. Opening up a roster space by assigning a player to AHL Ontario will also open the necessary cap space for his activation.
Doughty remains the anchor of the Kings’ blue line, even as he kicks off his age-35 season. The four-time Norris Trophy finalist is coming off a resurgent 2023-24 campaign in which he scored 15 goals, the second-highest total of his 16-season career, and secured a second straight 50-point year for the first time. Doughty also remained the Kings’ average ice time leader by a wide margin last season with 25:48, and he ranked second on the club with 142 blocks and seventh with 109 hits.
That made many believe Doughty’s long-term absence would spell doom for L.A.’s season, especially after they lost No. 2 righty Matt Roy to the Capitals in free agency. Not only are the Kings squarely in the playoff picture, but they’re on pace for 101 points and rank second in the league in goals against despite poor goaltending from backup David Rittich, who’s started 20 of their 47 games.
As expected, no one single player has filled in for Doughty. His absence has been shouldered by committee. 2021 eighth-overall pick Brandt Clarke emerged as their top offensive option in the interim with 24 points in 47 games, while Vladislav Gavrikov shifted to his off-side to replace Doughty alongside Michael Anderson on the top pair. While he’s got just a fraction of Doughty’s offensive upside, the 6’3″ Gavrikov has averaged a career-high 23:56 per game with strong defensive numbers. His 96 blocks lead the team, and his pairing with Anderson has controlled 56.2% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.
The Kings are already carrying eight defensemen on their active roster, so one of them is likely destined for waivers. That won’t open up space quickly enough to activate Doughty for tonight’s game, though, so the waiver-exempt Clarke (or, more likely, depth center Samuel Helenius) will be sent down today to give the Kings time to do some roster shuffling.
Doughty returns with six games to go until the 4 Nations Face-Off, enough time to put himself in consideration to replace Alex Pietrangelo on Team Canada’s roster after the Golden Knight withdrew from the tournament over the weekend. He still has two years after this one left on his eight-year, $88MM mega-deal he signed with the Kings in 2018.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Wild Recall Ben Jones
Forward Ben Jones has been recalled by the Wild again Wednesday, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. He’d been with their AHL affiliate in Iowa for the past two weeks after clearing waivers. He’s now once again on the active roster, which still has one open spot, after spending nearly two months there earlier this season amid a rash of forward injuries.
Today’s recall is the corresponding transaction for yesterday’s roster moves that saw superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov land back on injured reserve and defenseman Jonas Brodin move from IR to LTIR. Kaprizov’s IR placement came following news that he will undergo lower-body surgery later this week to address a lingering muscular issue, keeping him out of the lineup for the next four to six weeks.
Jones, 25, has played 26 games with the big club this season without recording a point. He posted a minus-three rating in his most extended NHL action to date, averaging a minimal 8:23 per game and controlling just 39.7% of shot attempts at even strength. He’s been much more productive on the farm, where he has 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in 20 games for Iowa.
Jones entered the season with only two NHL games under his belt, both coming with the Golden Knights in the 2021-22 season. He was a seventh-round pick of Vegas’ inaugural 2017 draft class, scoring 64 points in 140 games for their AHL affiliates in Chicago and Henderson before being non-tendered and landing with the Flames in free agency. The Ontario native spent two seasons with AHL Calgary before landing in the Wild organization this summer, posting 97 points (38 G, 59 A) with a +34 rating in 143 games.
The Wild, who have not had a healthy lineup since Nov. 10, will likely have Jones sit as a healthy extra for Wednesday’s game against the Maple Leafs. They no longer have Kaprizov or Marcus Johansson available, but the recent activation of Jakub Lauko and the recall of winger prospect Liam Ohgren gives them 12 healthy options to dress at forward outside of Jones, at least for now. Jones signed a two-year, two-way deal over the summer, so he won’t be hitting free agency again until 2026.
Andrei Vasilevskiy Out, Lightning Sign Kyle Konin To Emergency Contract
The Tampa Bay Lightning Will be without star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy in Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Vasilevskiy missed Tampa’s morning practice due to an illness, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. Encina adds that backup Jonas Johansson will start the matchup, and that Kyle Konin has been signed to serve as an emergency backup.
In a rare occurrence for emergency backups, Konin has been in these shoes many times before. He filled an EBUG role for the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this season, supported Tampa Bay last April, and got a rookie lap with the St. Louis Blues in 2022. But despite multiple appearances, Konin hasn’t yet had to step into an NHL game. In fact, he hasn’t played since the 2018-19 season, when he set a .911 save percentage in 40 EHL games – a tier-three American juniors league. Konin now resides in Clearwater, Florida and works with a hockey-based scholarship program when he’s not being called to fill NHL benches.
But a warm story doesn’t reassure Tampa Bay’s chances on Tuesday. The Lightning are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. Johansson has supported the squad to a manageable 6-4-1 record in his starts, on the back of a .892 save percentage and 3.27 goals-against average. Tampa Bay will also be without heavy hitting defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, who was suspended two games for a late and high hit on Detroit’s J.T. Compher in Tampa Bay’s loss on Saturday. Declan Carlile has been tapped to fill in for Lilleberg and will hopefully help limit a barrage against Johansson.
Golden Knights Recall Raphael Lavoie
The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Raphael Lavoie from the minor leagues, per a video of him at team practice on Vegas’ Twitter/X. The move was confirmed by The Daily Faceoff, who added that Lavoie is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday.
Lavoie was the subject of a sparring match between Vegas and Edmonton in the days leading up to the 2024-25 season. In a matter of five days, he was placed on waivers by Edmonton and claimed by Vegas; waived by Vegas and claimed by Edmonton; and then needed waived again by Edmonton since the Golden Knights were one of two teams to put in an original claim. Vegas was then able to put in a second claim and assign Lavoie to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, where he’s been ever since.
After a winding path to land in Henderson and a slow start to the year, Lavoie finally seems to be finding his footing with the Silver Knights. He has nine points, 33 penalty minutes, and a +9 through his last 10 games, including the game-winning overtime goal in Henderson’s Saturday win over Colorado. Lavoie has more than doubled his scoring with the hot streak, moving up to 16 points in 29 games this season. The Golden Knights seem poised to reward his hard work as they plan to award him just the eighth NHL game of his career. Lavoie played in seven games with the Oilers last November, but failed to manage any scoring and received under 10 minutes of ice time in each game. He closed out the 2023-24 campaign by going on a tear in the minor leagues, finishing the year third on the Bakersfield Condors in scoring with 50 points in 66 games. At just 24, Lavoie now represents another low-risk, high-upside winger for the Golden Knights to mold.
Sabres To Reassign Nicolas Aubé-Kubel
Jan. 28: Aubé-Kubel cleared waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The Sabres announced they’ve recalled forward Tyson Kozak from Rochester in a corresponding move.
Jan. 27: The Buffalo Sabres placed winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel on waivers Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’ll head to AHL Rochester tomorrow if he clears.
This roster move marks the fourth time in his seven-year NHL career that Aubé-Kubel has been placed on the waiver wire. He was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche from the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021, claimed by the Washington Capitals from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2022, and went through unscathed at the beginning of last season. Granted, all those waiver claims came when Aubé-Kubel was making significantly less.
He signed the richest contract of his career this past summer with the Sabres. Buffalo gave Aubé-Kubel a one-year, $1.5MM contract in the hopes he would help reimagine the bottom six of their forward group. Unfortunately, Aubé-Kubel is amidst the least productive season of his career registering a measly one goal and one assist in 19 games with the Sabres.
Still, Aubé-Kubel lost a few games at the beginning of the season due to a lower-body injury which could help explain his decrease in productivity. He’s continued to be a very physical forward in Buffalo and is managing the third-highest CorsiFor% of his career at even strength with a 52.0% mark albeit in limited action.
Some less physical teams such as the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and Capitals could use a player with Aubé-Kubel’s expertise. However, given his relatively high salary for a player destined for a lower-tier role, it would be unsurprising to see Aubé-Kubel go unclaimed over the next 24 hours.
Kirill Kaprizov To Undergo Lower-Body Surgery, Out Minimum Four Weeks
1:34 p.m.: The Wild moved Kaprizov to IR to open up a roster spot, per a team announcement. They also shifted Brodin from IR to LTIR retroactive to Jan. 7 to open up the cap space for a forward recall, ruling him out of the team’s next two games at minimum.
10:35 a.m.: Wild star winger Kirill Kaprizov missed Tuesday’s practice and will undergo surgery to address his nagging lower-body injury, according to Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic. Russo and Smith report the surgery, which would address what’s believed to be a muscular issue in his groin and is scheduled for Friday, carries an expected recovery time of six weeks. General manager Bill Guerin handed down an official week-to-week designation with a minimum four-week window, per Jessi Pierce of NHL.com.
The loss of Kaprizov is less devastating than when he missed 12 games over the past month-plus, with most of his absence set to fall while the NHL schedule stops for the 4 Nations Face-Off. They still have six games left before the break, though, and their best player will join top shutdown defenseman Jonas Brodin and middle-six winger Marcus Johansson on injured reserve for that stretch. While the ageless Mats Zuccarello and breakout center Marco Rossi still form two-thirds of a formidable top line, there’s simply no replacement for Kaprizov as the Wild desperately try to hold onto their top-three spot in the Central Division heading into the break.
While second-line winger Matt Boldy is a top-line player in most markets and would likely do well with a bump in ice time, the 27-year-old Kaprizov has solidified himself as a top-three winger in the league this season. In 37 games, the 5’10” lefty has tallied 23 goals and 29 assists for 52 points with a +19 rating. His 1.41 points per game are fifth in the league, and tops among left-wingers, not a level of production Boldy or the other few high-upside offensive options in the organization can aim to touch.
Boldy slid into Kaprizov’s minutes during his previous absence, doing well offensively but causing the line’s two-way dominance to falter. He posted five goals and six assists for 11 points over the 12-game span, but the Boldy-Rossi-Zuccarello trio has conceded 3.61 expected goals against per 60 minutes compared to just 2.38 xGA/60 with Kaprizov on that line, per MoneyPuck. With Johansson also missing from the top nine, 2022 first-round pick Liam Ohgren is likely to get an extended run in increased minutes. It’s a shot in the dark, though – Ohgren has just two points in 13 NHL showings this season, both assists against the Avalanche on Jan. 20.
Kaprizov will be back shortly after the trade deadline if he undergoes surgery this week and the six-week recovery window holds true. That won’t allow Minnesota to keep Kaprizov’s cap hit on long-term injured reserve for the remainder of the regular season, but it should allow them additional options for short-term flexibility as they look to add to their roster. They’ve been linked to Islanders pending UFA pivot Brock Nelson, and The Fourth Period reports they’ve at least demonstrated loose interest in Canucks stars J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. But they currently project to have just $200K in deadline space, requiring them to move out salary in any deal they make, plus asking for maximum retention on the other end.
Canucks Recall Aatu Räty
The Canucks have recalled center Aatu Räty from AHL Abbotsford, per a team announcement. Vancouver had an open roster spot after sending down defenseman Mark Friedman over the weekend, so no corresponding transaction is required.
Räty, 22, is amid his second season of NHL action, spending his brief career with the Islanders and Canucks. The 2021 second-round pick was sent to Vancouver in the 2023 Bo Horvat trade, recording four goals and three assists for seven points across 35 games with the two clubs.
Räty ranks as the Canucks’ fourth-best prospect in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s most recent rankings, and for good reason. In addition to his most extended run in the NHL earlier this season, skating in 20 games over the first two months of the campaign, he’s developing a strong minor-league track record that includes 23 points (8 G, 15 A) in 23 games played for Abbotsford in 2024-25. The natural center has also remained down the middle for nearly all of his NHL call-ups instead of being shifted to the wing, a testament to his two-way instincts.
The Canucks have a crowded group of NHL/AHL tweeners and a banged-up forward group with Dakota Joshua and Kiefer Sherwood on the shelf, so it’s not a shock to see them give Räty another chance. Whether he enters the lineup tomorrow against the Predators remains to be seen, though, as they still have 13 healthy forwards available.
Flames Recall Tyson Barrie, Adam Klapka
The Flames announced Tuesday they’ve recalled forward Adam Klapka from AHL Calgary and reinstated defenseman Tyson Barrie from his conditioning loan. They only had one open active roster spot, but that’s all they needed since Barrie still counted against the limit during his short-lived demotion.
Barrie could have stayed in the minors for up to 10 more days on his conditioning stint, but he once again finds himself available to dress in an NHL contest. That hasn’t happened since Nov. 12, though, the reason behind his first AHL action in 11 years. The offensive-minded veteran scored once and added a pair of assists in two appearances for the Wranglers over the weekend.
After signing Barrie to a one-year, $1.25MM deal following a successful PTO during training camp, Calgary has only played him in nine of their 48 games this season. The 33-year-old posted a goal and an assist with a minus-two rating while averaging a career-low 15:20 per game. He’ll now return to a battle for minutes with depth defenders Jake Bean, Joel Hanley, Daniil Miromanov, and Brayden Pachal – a battle he’s clearly lost thus far.
The hulking 24-year-old Klapka comes up to replace upstart Rory Kerins as a fourth-line option after the latter was demoted yesterday. The 6’7″ Czech forward skated in six games for Calgary over the first two months of the campaign, going without a point but recording 20 hits in 8:29 of average ice time. He ranks among the AHL club’s point-per-game leaders this season with 25 through 29 appearances, though.