Avalanche Place Miles Wood On IR, Recall Chris Wagner
The Colorado Avalanche won’t have forward Miles Wood for at least a week. The organization announced that Wood has been placed on IR and that they’ve recalled forward Chris Wagner from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, in his stead.
It’s the second time Wood has landed on the injured reserve this season. He missed seven games from late October to mid-November and was only on his sixth game back from his previous activation.
The injury to Wood may be a re-aggravation of the upper-body injury that kept him out of the lineup a few weeks ago. He tried to deliver a hit in last night’s contest against the Vegas Golden Knights and was visibly in pain after missing his mark. Wood had scored one goal and two points in his six games back from injury with another goal in 10 games prior.
Replacing Wood in the lineup will be a frequent recall of the Avalanche this season. Wagner has already played in 12 games for Colorado this season, one game shy of his total mark from a year ago. With the number of injuries Colorado has had in their forward group, Wagner should easily eclipse that total for the most games he’s played since the 2020-21 NHL season.
Wagner has spent most of his two-year stint with the Avalanche organization just north on I-25 with the Eagles. Since returning to the Avalanche last year, he’s scored nine goals and 15 points in 26 games for AHL Colorado.
New Jersey Devils Reassign Nolan Foote
Nolan Foote is headed back to the American Hockey League after a short two-game stretch with the New Jersey Devils. The Devils organization announced they’ve reassigned Foote to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
Foote could be recalled before New Jersey’s upcoming back-to-back games against the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals, respectively. He’s making slightly above the league minimum salary ($825K) giving the Devils a one-day window for salary cap capture.
He’s primarily played on the third line in two appearances for New Jersey this season. He’s failed to register any points while averaging 10:46 of ice time per game but has posted a solid 60.5% CorsiFor% in limited action.
Foote is in his fifth season at the professional level since being drafted with the 27th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s been a fairly consistent scorer in the AHL with Utica (one season in Binghamton) but hasn’t proven enough to become a full-time NHLer.
Since moving to professional hockey in the 2020-21 season, Foote has scored 48 goals and 99 points in 150 AHL games with another one goal and three points in six postseason contests. Over his lean NHL experience, he’s scored six goals and eight points in 25 games.
Penguins Reassign Valtteri Puustinen, Activate Blake Lizotte
11/27: According to a team announcement, the Penguins have successfully reassigned Puustinen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and activated forward Blake Lizotte in advance of their matchup against the Vancouver Canucks tonight.
11/26: The Pittsburgh Penguins are creating additional room for their recent trade acquisition, Philip Tomasino. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Penguins have placed Valtteri Puustinen on waivers to eventually assign him to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
It’ll be the first time Puustinen’s been on waivers after being a frequent call-up of the Penguins last season. He’s had an impressive pathway to the NHL after being the 203rd overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft.
After being drafted, Puustinen put together an exceptional two-year stretch with HPK of the Finnish Liiga. He scored 38 goals and 81 points in 105 games from 2019 to 2021 while also suiting up in two games for Finland’s 2021 IIHF World Championship team.
He made his NHL debut the following season despite playing mostly for the AHL Penguins. Puustinen scored 20 goals and 42 points in 73 games during his rookie campaign in the AHL while tallying another three assists in six postseason contests. He improved dramatically the next year scoring 24 goals and 59 points in 72 games and became a legitimate prospect within the Penguins organization.
Puustinen saw an increased opportunity in the NHL last season. He suited up in 52 games for Pittsburgh throughout the regular season and produced respectably with five goals and 20 points overall. He posted adequate possession numbers with a 56.9% CorsiFor% at even strength and wasn’t a concern on the defensive side of the puck.
He quickly became a popular candidate for a consistent middle-six role with the Penguins this season. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone to plan with Puustinen only mustering two points in 10 games for the Penguins to start this season.
His performance this season may disinterest clubs from giving him a roster spot during his time on the waiver wire. Still, teams that could use an offensive jolt like the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, and New York Islanders may claim Puustinen by tomorrow if they believe they can get his offensive production back on track.
Predators Activate, Reassign Spencer Stastney
The Predators have activated defenseman Spencer Stastney off the non-roster list and assigned him to AHL Milwaukee, Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean relays.
Stastney, 24, has been on personal leave for over two months. Nashville never issued an update on his status aside from head coach Andrew Brunette saying he’d be out indefinitely at the beginning of training camp.
If he was available, Stastney likely would have logged a fair amount of NHL action for the Predators this season already. The 2018 fifth-round pick played a career-high 20 games last season, recording four points with a +9 rating while averaging 15:59 per game. He also appeared in the first three games of Nashville’s first-round loss to the Canucks before sustaining an upper-body injury.
An Illinois native, Stastney logged reasonably strong possession numbers in relatively even offensive zone and defensive zone usage. His 51.9 CF% and 59.3 xGF% marks at even strength means he had an overall positive impact on Nashville’s possession quality in limited minutes.
Those numbers would be a major improvement on what the Predators’ depth corps of Alexandre Carrier, Marc Del Gaizo, Jeremy Lauzon, and Luke Schenn have given them this season. With Lauzon now out week-to-week after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Devils on Monday, expect the waiver-exempt Stastney to be recalled sooner rather than later after he’s able to get his feet back under him in Milwaukee.
Stastney was a restricted free agent last summer and took Nashville to arbitration, where he was awarded a two-year, partial two-way contract worth $825K per season in the NHL. Now that he’s been assigned to the minors, his pro-rated paycheck will be a reduced $400K for the time being. Stastney carried a roughly $253K cap hit while on season-opening injured reserve that is now off the Preds’ books.
Predators Acquire Ryder Rolston From Blackhawks
The Predators have made their second trade this week, announcing the acquisition of forward prospect Ryder Rolston from the Blackhawks in exchange for future considerations.
Rolston, 23, was a fifth-round pick of the Avalanche in 2020, but was traded to Chicago the following year in exchange for Carl Söderberg. The son of longtime NHLer Brian Rolston stands at 6’1″ and 174 lbs and can play all three forward positions, although he’s a natural winger.
The Boston native signed his entry-level contract with Chicago in 2023 after three years at Notre Dame, where he totaled 18 goals and 35 assists for 53 points in 93 games. He spent all of last season on assignment to AHL Rockford, where he made a marginal impact in his first professional campaign with 10 goals, nine assists, 19 points, and a -5 rating in 62 appearances.
This season, it’s become quite clear that Rolston doesn’t have much of a future in the Blackhawks organization. He’s played in only six of Rockford’s 15 games and has one goal with a -3 rating.
He now moves to the Predators organization and will report to their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee as he looks for more ice time. Rolston has historically been lauded as a good skater, and while that’s carried over to the pros, the Blackhawks evidently ran out of patience for the rest of his game to develop and wanted more space for higher-ceiling prospects in the organization to continue developing.
As is often the case with NHL trades involving minor-leaguers and future considerations, the swap will likely be completed by Milwaukee sending a player signed to an AHL contract to Rockford.
Rolston is in the second season of his three-year entry-level contract. He carries a cap hit of $895K in the NHL and will be a restricted free agent in 2026.
Red Wings Notes: Lyon, Husso, Kane, Guimond
Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon sustained an undisclosed injury during Wednesday’s morning skate and is unavailable tonight against the Flames, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports. Ville Husso was recalled from AHL Grand Rapids and will serve as Cam Talbot‘s backup against the latter’s former team.
It’s a tough break for Lyon, who had stopped 49 of 52 shots in his last two outings en route to a pair of wins, a 1.50 GAA and a .942 SV%. The 31-year-old has only made three appearances since the start of November due to a lower-body injury, although it’s unclear if today’s tweak is related to that previous ailment.
Lyon, a pending UFA, has been strong overall in his second season in Hockeytown. The Minnesota native has a 4-4-0 record in eight starts and one relief appearance, adding a .911 SV% and 2.74 GAA with one shutout. He’s saved 2.5 goals above average, up from last year’s 1.1 mark in a career-high 44 games.
Husso, the No. 3 option for Detroit between the pipes, is in the final season of his ill-advised three-year, $14.25MM contract. He’s made two appearances for the Red Wings this season amid lengthy reassignments to Grand Rapids, allowing seven goals on 37 shots for an 0-2-0 record and .811 SV%. Since arriving in Detroit in 2022, he’s posted a 35-29-9 record but has a subpar .893 SV% and -22.1 GSAA. To his credit, the 29-year-old Finn has been exceptional in the minors, logging a .944 SV% and 1.58 GAA in five showings for Grand Rapids.
More from the Red Wings:
- Right-winger Patrick Kane will miss his second straight game tonight with an upper-body injury, head coach Derek Lalonde told Ansar Khan of MLive.com. It’s been a tough season for the future Hall of Famer, who remains day-to-day and has only three goals and 10 points in 20 outings. With the absences, he’s now on pace for just 12 goals and 40 points, each checking in as career-lows even including shortened seasons. The 36-year-old signed a one-year, $4MM extension with $2.5MM in potential performance bonuses in June.
- Detroit goalie prospect Rudy Guimond has jumped from the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders to the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, becoming the latest player to take advantage of the NCAA’s new eligibility rules for major junior players. Guimond was a sixth-round pick of the Red Wings in 2023 and is committed to Yale for the 2025-26 season. It’s been a tough showing for Guimond since he was drafted, logging a porous .871 SV% and 3.53 GAA in 38 USHL games for Cedar Rapids after being selected out of prep school.
Sabres Reassign Isak Rosen, Activate Tage Thompson
Nov. 27, 10:25 a.m.: Thompson will come off injured reserve and play tonight against the Wild, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed to reporters, including Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Nov. 26, 5:50 p.m.: The Buffalo Sabres have assigned top prospect Isak Rosen back to the minor leagues, clearing up the room to activate star forward Tage Thompson off of injured reserve per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Thompson has missed Buffalo’s last five games after suffering a lower-body injury in the team’s November 11th matchup against Montreal. He returned to practice in full earlier today and shared that he’ll be good to go on Wednesday with reporters, including Jonathan Acosta of WGRZ.
Thompson will return to the lineup with an intact four-game goal streak since he scored once in the game when he sustained his injury. He has 11 goals and 18 points in 16 games this season and is still the only Sabre to cross 10 goals despite five fewer appearances. Thompson has continued to serve as the heart of Buffalo’s lineup this season, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time and a key role on the power-play. He’ll jump right back into a top role when Buffalo hosts Minnesota on Wednesday, likely between his usual wing pair of JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch.
Buffalo has persevered through Thompson’s absence, setting a 4-1-0 record in their last five games. But the offense has taken a notable hit, with Buffalo averaging just 2.8 goals-per-game without Thompson – down from the 3.44 goals they averaged in their first 16 games. It’s been defender Bowen Byram and goaltenders Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stepping up in response, with Byram averaging nearly 24 minutes of ice time and the netminders averaging 2.40 goals against without Thompson.
Meanwhile, Rosen will return to the minors after receiving 6:30 of ice time in Buffalo’s Saturday win over San Jose. He didn’t record any points in the outing, pulling Rosen through his eighth career NHL game with still no scoring. That’s despite the young Swede serving as the Rochester Americans’ leading scorer, with 13 points through 14 games this year. He ranked second on the team in scoring last year, with 50 points in 67 games as an AHL rookie. Rosen still stands as one of Buffalo’s top-shelf prospects, and will rejoin company like Konsta Helenius, Viktor Neuchev, and Anton Wahlberg in Rochester. All four prospects will fight to climb Buffalo’s call-up list before the winter break by righting a sinking Rochester lineup currently on a seven-game losing streak.
Predators Recall Nick Blankenburg, Adam Wilsby
10:16 a.m.: Center Michael McCarron has landed on injured reserve to open up a necessary roster spot for Blankenburg’s and Wilsby’s recalls, per Kieser. He’s sat out the last two games with an upper-body injury and will be out again tonight against the Flyers, but he’s eligible to return Friday against the Lightning.
9:49 a.m.: The Predators have recalled defenseman Nick Blankenburg from AHL Milwaukee ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Flyers, reports Nick Kieser of 102.5 & 106.3 The Game Nashville. Adam Wilsby was also summoned from the minors, per Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean.
Either could make their Preds debut after Jeremy Lauzon left Monday’s loss to the Devils with an injury and did not return. Nashville only has one open roster spot, so a corresponding transaction must be pending.
Blankenburg, 26, is in his first season in the Predators organization. The former University of Michigan captain spent parts of three seasons with the Blue Jackets en route to becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent last summer, inking a two-year, partial two-way deal with Nashville.
The diminutive 5’9″ right-shot defender passed through waivers on his way to AHL Milwaukee at the tail end of the preseason. Blankenburg, a skilled puck-mover, responded to the demotion with eight points (3 G, 5 A) in 13 games, leading Milwaukee defensemen in scoring.
Blankenburg saw AHL ice for the first time last season, suiting up 24 times for the Blue Jackets affiliate in Cleveland. He played a career-high 36 games for Columbus in 2022-23 amid upper-body and ankle injuries, recording four goals and 10 assists for 14 points with a -16 rating. He’s flashed legitimate offensive upside at the NHL level and has handled fringe top-four minutes. Given his smaller frame, he also plays a far more physical game than one might imagine.
That makes him an above-average recall option for a Nashville squad with limited offensive contributions from their defensemen outside of perennial Norris contender Roman Josi. Brady Skjei and Alexandre Carrier are within the team’s top 10 in scoring with eight and five points, respectively, but their bottom trio of Lauzon, Marc Del Gaizo and Luke Schenn have combined for one goal, four assists and a -13 rating.
Wilsby, 24, has already been recalled twice this month and been rostered for three games but has not made his NHL debut. The Swedish lefty has a goal and five points with a +5 rating in 13 games for Milwaukee in what’s now his third season in North America. He remains waiver-exempt, but Blankenburg does not, so the latter can only remain on Nashville’s roster for up to 10 games or 30 days before he needs to pass through them again to return to the minors.
Maple Leafs Assign Dakota Mermis To AHL On Conditioning Loan
The Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that they’ve assigned defenseman Dakota Mermis to AHL Toronto on an LTIR conditioning loan.
Mermis, 30, played some preseason hockey for Toronto but broke his jaw and underwent surgery on Sep. 26. The Maple Leafs placed him on long-term injured reserve when season-opening rosters were due on Oct. 7, and he’s remained there since. He’s recently ramped up his on-ice appearances and has been skating for over a week.
On his conditioning loan, the depth defenseman can stay in the minors for up to three games or six days. However, the Leafs can apply for an extension from the league to extend that stay before he must be activated from LTIR or remain on the list if he’s not ready to return to play.
If Mermis is ready to go when his conditioning loan ends, he’ll likely hit waivers en route to a lengthier assignment to the AHL. The Maple Leafs already carry eight defensemen on the active roster and certainly don’t have the room or flexibility for a ninth with a rash of injuries at forward.
Mermis signed a one-year, one-way league minimum deal with the Leafs over the summer in free agency after playing a career-high 47 games with the Wild last season. A long-time top-four AHL fixture capable of playing depth NHL minutes, the Illinois native posted three goals and five assists for eight points with a -2 rating, 33 PIMs, 59 blocks, and 45 hits while averaging 14:05 per game for Minnesota.
An undrafted free agent signing from the OHL’s Oshawa Generals by the Coyotes in 2015, Mermis now has 431 AHL games and 74 NHL games under his belt across a nine-year professional career. The 6’0″, 194-lb lefty could undoubtedly generate some interest on the waiver wire in the coming weeks as a physical bottom-pairing or press-box option on a cheap contract.
Pacific Notes: Boeser, Meyers, Hinds
Vancouver Canucks’ winger Brock Boeser will return to the lineup tonight after missing the last seven games with a concussion (X Link). Boeser’s concussion stems from the illegal check received from Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot which warranted a three-game suspension.
The Canucks experienced a mild downturn in scoring since Boeser exited the lineup on November 7th. The team averaged 3.25 goals per game when Boeser was in the lineup but fell to 3.14 goals per game in the past seven games. Vancouver’s biggest downturn has been in the standings, posting a 3-4-0 record in Boeser’s absence after starting the year 7-2-3.
Boeser’s reintroduction into the lineup will surely help the Canucks build upon their 14th-ranked offense and will soften the blow of forward J.T. Miller landing on the injured non-roster list. He was off to a quick start before the concussion posting six goals and 11 points through his first 12 contests.
Other notes from the Pacific Division:
- After debuting with the third team of his young career, forward Ben Meyers is headed back to the American Hockey League. The Seattle Kraken announced they’ve reassigned Meyers to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, a short while ago. In his first NHL action since last April Meyers picked up three games with the Kraken scoring zero points while averaging 7:56 of ice time.
- According to the AHL transactions log, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled defenseman Tyson Hinds from their affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. It’ll mark the second call-up of the year for Hinds after failing to make his NHL debut on the previous one. He’s collected one goal and three points in 16 games for the AHL Gulls this season.