Senators Reassign Leevi Meriläinen, Recall Cole Reinhardt
The Senators announced Friday morning that they sent goaltender Leevi Meriläinen back to AHL Belleville and recalled winger Cole Reinhardt.
That indicates Linus Ullmark is ready to return from a muscle strain that’s kept him out of the lineup for nearly two weeks. He was widely anticipated to return against Utah on Tuesday but was ruled out on the day of the game, prompting Meriläinen’s recall a few hours before puck drop. Meriläinen didn’t play against Utah, instead backing up Anton Forsberg, who pitched a 31-save shutout.
Unsurprisingly, Meriläinen didn’t get to add to his two-game NHL résumé. The 22-year-old netminder was a third-round pick of the Sens in 2020 and made his major league debut in a brief call-up in the 2022-23 campaign, posting a .878 SV%, 4.23 GAA, and a 0-1-1 record. The 6’3″ Finn has fared decently well in the minors, where he has a career 2.82 GAA, .906 SV%, two shutouts, and a 15-10-1 record in 31 appearances with the B-Sens over the past three years. He also had a sparkling .926 SV% in 13 games for the ECHL’s Allen Americans last season.
Reinhardt has been ferried between leagues a couple of times this season, most recently being sent down on Tuesday to make room for Meriläinen on the active roster. He’s back up today, meaning Shane Pinto remains a game-time decision at best for tonight’s contest against the Golden Knights after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Utah, per Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.
The 24-year-old Reinhardt has yet to be rostered for a Sens game in 2024-25 despite the transactions, but that will change tonight. They have 13 other forwards on the active roster, but with David Perron on personal leave, Reinhardt will make his season debut against Vegas if Pinto can’t play. The 2020 sixth-rounder has one NHL appearance to his name, coming against the Predators on April 7, 2022. He recorded a shot on goal and two hits in 8:35 of ice time. He’s been off to a hot start in Belleville, posting two goals and three assists through his first three games of the season.
Panthers, Hunter St. Martin Agree To Entry-Level Deal
The Panthers announced Friday that they’ve agreed to terms with left-wing prospect Hunter St. Martin on a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Florida picked up St. Martin, 19, in the sixth round of this year’s draft. He was initially draft-eligible in 2023 but was passed over, which wasn’t surprising given his underwhelming offensive production for WHL Medicine Hat. The 6’2″ winger posted eight goals and 22 points in 61 games for the Tigers.
But last year was a breakthrough campaign for St. Martin. The Edmonton native finished fifth on a deep team in scoring, logging 52 points (24 G, 28 A) in 68 games and a +14 rating. That was enough for the defending champions to snag him with the last pick of Round Six.
Dobber Prospects calls St. Martin “a true Swiss Army Knife-style player” who can slot in anywhere he’s needed, at least at the junior level. If he continues to build on that offensive breakout and march toward receiving an NHL look in a few years, he likely won’t be restricted to certain types of deployment. That’s arguably the most intriguing part of St. Martin’s upside.
As for why the Panthers signed him to his entry-level contract now with 19 months left to evaluate his game before they lose his rights, his torrid start to the campaign likely has something to do with it. St. Martin now serves as an alternate captain in Medicine Hat and leads them with seven goals in eight games, doing so on a star-studded team that includes likely 2026 No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna and 2024 Flames first-rounder Andrew Basha.
St. Martin won’t play 10 NHL games this season, and since he doesn’t turn 20 until next June, his entry-level contract is eligible to slide for one year and one year only. The deal will go into effect for the 2025-26 season and expire after the 2027-28 campaign, making him an RFA.
Calen Addison Signs AHL Contract With Henderson
Calen Addison’s stock has certainly taken a hit over the last couple of seasons. After failing to secure an NHL contract in free agency, he has accepted an AHL one as Henderson, affiliate of the Golden Knights, announced that they’ve signed the blueliner to a one-year deal.
In 2022-23, the 24-year-old picked up 29 points in 62 games with Minnesota and it looked like he at least had found a fit as an offensive-minded depth player. However, he struggled in the early going last season before being traded to San Jose. Unfortunately for both him and the Sharks, things didn’t go particularly well for Addison there either. He managed just one goal and 11 assists in 60 games following the swap and struggled considerably in the defensive end. That resulted in San Jose deciding to non-tender him in late June.
Addison eventually had to settle for a training camp tryout with Ottawa in early September. He got into three games with the Sens where he was held off the scoresheet and eventually was released. Now a couple of weeks into the season, it’s clear there wasn’t an NHL offer on the horizon for him.
Addison has 78 career AHL appearances under his belt and has fared quite well at that level, notching 13 goals and 45 assists in those contests while being named to the All-Rookie Team in 2020-21. He should be an impactful player for the Silver Knights as well and if he fares well with them, an NHL opportunity could come up later in the season, either with Vegas or elsewhere.
Kings Activate Darcy Kuemper, Reassign Pheonix Copley
Netminder Darcy Kuemper‘s time on the injured reserve is ending. The Los Angeles Kings announced they’ve activated Kuemper off injured reserve and reassigned goaltender Pheonix Copley in a corresponding roster move. This move puts Kuemper in line to make the start tonight as the Kings take on their rivals, the San Jose Sharks.
Kuemper’s been on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered during a difficult start against the Ottawa Senators on October 14th. His first two starts back with the Kings organization were exceptional with Kuemper 56 of 59 shots against the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins to the tune of a .949 save percentage. Kuemper more than doubled his goals against in the contest against Ottawa allowing eight goals on 41 shots in an overtime loss.
The team’s goaltending has been a mixed bag since Kuemper went on the injured reserve. The combination of David Rittich and Copley allowed 14 goals in four games but 12 of those goals came in two separate games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights. Kuemper, assuming he’s fully healthy, should put Los Angeles in a better position to improve upon their modest 3-2-2 start to the regular season.
Copley didn’t garner any starts for Los Angeles during his emergency recall but filled in for Rittich during the team’s loss to the Maple Leafs on October 16th. He managed to stop 10 out of 12 shots in 27:29 of ice time for a .833 save percentage and 4.37 goals against average. He’ll now return to the crease for the AHL’s Ontario Reign where the team has averaged four goals against per game using three netminders.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Shea Theodore To Seven-Year Extension
The Vegas Golden Knights are keeping one of their most important pending unrestricted free agents for the long haul. The team announced they had signed defenseman Shea Theodore to a seven-year contract extension worth $51.975MM, making for an AAV of $7.425MM. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that the deal breaks down as follows:
2025-26: $9.5MM
2026-27: $9.5MM
2027-28: $8.6MM
2028-29: $7.275MM
2029-30: $5.7MM
2030-31: $5.7MM
2031-32: $5.7MM
Theodore is one of three original members of the Golden Knights organization left, and this extension will keep him with the team through the 2031-32 NHL season. He was projected to become one of the most sought-after defensemen in free agency next offseason, making this extension somewhat of a hometown discount. Evolving-Hockey projected Theodore to land an eight-year extension worth just over $9MM a season, meaning the Golden Knights will get him for $1.5MM cheaper, with the salary cap continuing to rise.
Part of the lower-than-expected price tag may be due to Theodore’s availability over the last several years. The former 26th overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft only managed 180 regular-season games for Vegas from 2021 to the end of last season, losing over a quarter of the games due to various injuries. Should his injury history continue into this contract, it could mark one of the riskier extensions of the last year.
Despite the absence due to injuries over the last few years, there is credibility for the Golden Knights, making Theodore their second-highest-paid defenseman. He’s arguably been Vegas’ best offensive weapon from the blue line over his eight-year tenure, scoring 67 goals and 296 points in 450 games, with 88 points from the powerplay.
He hasn’t been a slouch on the other side of the puck, either. Theodore has posted an impressive 58.8 CF% with a 91.0% on-ice save percentage in all situations throughout his time in Sin City, with an expected rating of +78.4, according to Hockey Reference. There’s an argument to be made that much of Theodore’s success in the possession metrics comes from his 63.2% offensive zone start rate, but it wouldn’t excuse all of it from a defenseman who’s averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time per game.
Starting next season, the Golden Knights will have $23.575MM invested in three defensemen at the top of their lineup. This may prohibit the organization from retaining other pending unrestricted and restricted free agents currently on the roster, but it’s par for the course from one of the league’s most aggressive franchises.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Nick Ritchie Signs In Slovakia
Former NHL winger Nick Ritchie has found a place to play for 2024-25. Slovakia’s HC Nove Zamky announced on Facebook that he’d inked a one-year deal.
Ritchie, 28, last played in the NHL with the Coyotes and Flames in the 2022-23 season. He began the year in Arizona and was a decent depth scoring option, scoring nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 58 games. At the trade deadline, he was dealt to the Flames for his brother, Brett Ritchie, and finished the year with five points in 16 games for Calgary.
He wasn’t re-signed upon reaching unrestricted free agency. Ritchie had to settle for a professional tryout, inking a PTO to attend the Blues’ training camp in 2023 but was released and wasn’t offered a contract. That signaled the likely end of Ritchie’s NHL career unless he could dominate on an AHL contract or overseas.
The 2014 10th overall pick attempted to do the latter, signing with Finland’s Kärpät. It didn’t go to plan, though. He scored just once and posted a whopping 70 PIMs and a -7 rating in 10 games. They mutually terminated his contract, and he finished the year in Germany with the Iserlohn Roosters, where things didn’t go much better with two points and a -4 rating in eight appearances.
Unsigned for this year up to this point, Ritchie will now look to ply his trade in a slightly less competitive European professional circuit in Slovakia. He joins Nove Zamky’s roster as the only player with NHL experience besides defenseman Shawn Lalonde, who appeared in one game with the Blackhawks in the 2012-13 season.
Barring a significant resurgence overseas, Ritchie’s NHL stats will likely remain where they are until he retires. The 6’3″ left-winger made 481 appearances for the Ducks, Coyotes, Bruins, Maple Leafs, and Flames across eight seasons, scoring 84 goals and adding 102 assists for 186 points.
Lightning To Reassign Conor Sheary
Oct. 24: Sheary has cleared waivers, per Friedman. He can now be assigned to Syracuse at will, something Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports will happen in short order.
Oct. 23: The Lightning have placed winger Conor Sheary on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Syracuse, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Sheary’s time in Tampa hasn’t gone to plan since inking a three-year, $6MM contract in free agency in 2023. He missed significant time in the first half of last season with an upper-body injury and wasn’t the same after coming back, serving as a healthy scratch on several occasions later on. His four goals in 57 games were his lowest ever in a season, and his 15 points were undermined only by his 10 in 44 games with the Penguins in his rookie season in 2015-16.
Fast forward to the beginning of this season, and little has changed for the 32-year-old. He was a healthy scratch for the Lightning’s first game and has only played every other contest, going without a point and recording a -2 rating in third-line minutes alongside Michael Eyssimont and Conor Geekie. Possession quality has become an issue for the veteran, who controlled a career-low 43.5% of expected goals at even strength last season.
Sheary will likely clear waivers given the money and term left on his deal. If so, and assuming he reports to Syracuse, it will mark his first AHL action since he was part of the Penguins organization nine years ago. The preference on both sides would likely be to find a trade for Sheary, which he’d likely need to waive his 16-team no-trade list to make happen.
The Lightning can reduce Sheary’s cap hit from $2MM to $850K by stashing him in the minors.
Devils To Activate Luke Hughes, Brett Pesce
Oct. 24: Hughes and Pesce will make their season debuts tonight against the Red Wings, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed today (via Spaulding). They’ll need to be activated from injured reserve, but with two open roster spots, no corresponding transaction will be necessary.
Oct. 23: The New Jersey Devils could be getting a major boost on the blue line before their matchup tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wings. Bill Spaulding of MSG Networks confirmed earlier that defensemen Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce will travel with the team to Detroit but couldn’t commit to either player participating tomorrow night.
It would seem that the Devils organization is leaning toward both players participating in tomorrow night’s action, as Detroit represents the only road game for the week. The Devils return to Newark as soon as Friday, meaning Hughes and Pesce should suit up against the New York Islanders or Anaheim Ducks by the end of the weekend.
It’ll be a major addition to a lineup that’s had a solid start to the campaign. New Jersey currently sits ninth in the league in GF/G at 3.56 and 17th in GA/G at 3.11. Pesce should help in the latter category with a career 51.2 CF% and 90.6% on-ice save percentage in all situations.
Neither defenseman has participated in a regular-season contest up to this point in the year, with Hughes recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and Pesce making his way back from leg surgery to repair a fibula fracture. New Jersey’s overall play in the defensive zone up to this point is largely a testament to the depth they added this past offseason.
This leads to the question of which defensemen will ultimately exit the lineup once Hughes and Pesce return. Rookie newcomer Daniil Misyul is an obvious candidate for reassignment for Hughes, but the Devils have a much more difficult question on the right side.
Before the start of the season, Johnathan Kovacevic would have been the likeliest candidate to become the team’s seventh defenseman. Instead, he’s been the Devils highest-scoring defenseman to start the season with one goal and five points in nine games while averaging 21:34 minutes a night.
Putting stalwart Dougie Hamilton aside, this leaves youngster Simon Nemec as the likeliest candidate for the Devils’ seventh defenseman role. The former second-overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft only has one assist through nine games to start the year and has been largely sheltered with a 16:07 average ice time. Coupled with Nemec’s poor possession metrics to start the year — the Devils could use Pesce or Hughes’s return as a wake-up call to their young blue-liner.
Maple Leafs Activate Joseph Woll From Injured Reserve
The Maple Leafs announced they’ve activated goaltender Joseph Woll from injured reserve. Netminder Dennis Hildeby was returned to AHL Toronto from his emergency loan in a corresponding transaction to open a roster spot.
There’s a chance Woll will make his season debut and start tonight against his hometown Blues, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. Even if not, he’ll dress as the backup to Anthony Stolarz, who initially signed with Toronto in free agency to be a 1B option behind Woll but has stolen the show thus far with a .938 SV% and 1.83 GAA through five games.
Woll, 26, spent the first couple of weeks of the regular season on the shelf due to what head coach Craig Berube called “lower-body tightness.” He was on Toronto’s opening night roster but landed on IR hours before their season opener against the Canadiens on Oct. 9. The netminder spent over a week off the ice before returning to practice last Friday.
A third-round pick of the Leafs back in 2016, Woll was a full-time NHL option for the first time last season. A high ankle sprain cost him nearly three months in the middle of the season and limited him to 25 appearances in what amounted to a three-goalie rotation with Martin Jones and Ilya Samsonov, neither of whom are still in the organization. He churned out slightly above-average numbers, logging a .907 SV%, 2.94 GAA, and 2.6 GSAA with a 12-11-1 record.
That showing, plus a sublime .964 SV% and 0.86 GAA in nearly 140 minutes of postseason action in Toronto’s first-round loss to the Bruins, earned him a three-year, $11MM contract extension over the summer that goes into effect for the 2025-26 season. This year, he still costs just $766.7K against the salary cap as part of a three-year, $2.3MM deal he signed back in 2022.
Assuming he can stay healthy for the rest of the campaign, he’ll surely eclipse the career-high 23 starts and 25 appearances he set last season. Whether he takes the lion’s share of the starts the rest of the way is another question entirely, given how well Stolarz has started the campaign, but it would be surprising to see the Leafs deviate too far away from a 50/50 split between the pipes the rest of the way.
For the 23-year-old Hildeby, his NHL debut was a mixed showing. The 2022 fourth-round pick had been on emergency call-ups at some points last season but never got into a game. Now the No. 3 option behind Stolarz and Woll after outplaying veteran Matt Murray during training camp, he was called up as soon as Woll landed on IR. He made two starts while backing up Stolarz to begin the season, looking excellent in his debut against the Devils in Toronto’s second game. But after making 21 saves on 23 shots in his debut, the Swede gave up six goals on 38 shots against the Blue Jackets in a 6-2 loss on Tuesday.
Hildeby now returns to the Marlies, where he posted a .913 SV%, 2.41 GAA, 21-11-7 record, and four shutouts in 41 games last season. It was his first in North America after spending his entire development in his native Sweden. The 6’7″, 223-lb netminder earned an All-Star Game nod for those strong numbers.
Avalanche Recall Chris Wagner, Reassign Calum Ritchie To OHL
Colorado Avalanche forward Calum Ritchie still had three games to play before burning the first year of his entry-level contract but the organization has opted to make its move prematurely. The Avalanche announced they reassigned Ritchie to the OHL’s Oshawa Generals and recalled forward Chris Wagner in a corresponding roster move.
Ritchie’s first seven games of his NHL career were somewhat of a mixed bag. He scored one goal in his first three contests while averaging 14:47 of ice time per game but didn’t have much to offer in the following four appearances. His ice time began dropping in Colorado’s loss to the Boston Bruins on October 16th and finished with just over seven minutes in last night’s win over the Seattle Kraken.
He primarily played on a line with Casey Mittelstadt and fellow rookie Nikolai Kovalenko as the trio collected five games together. The group finished with a net zero rating in x Goals For per 60 minutes and x Goals Against per 60 minutes according to MoneyPuck which is fair production from a line carrying two rookies.
Ritchie will continue his season on a Generals team including 2024 NHL Draft standouts Beckett Sennecke and Luca Marrelli. All signs indicate Ritchie will crack Team Canada’s U20 Roster for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships and help the Generals expand upon their 5-5-1 record through their first 11 contests.
Replacing Ritchie in the lineup will be Wagner who’s already managed two games with the Avalanche on the year. Colorado may not trust him with middle six minutes like Ritchie so don’t be surprised to see Ivan Ivan or Matthew Stienburg move up a line.
It’s important to note that Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette shared earlier that Artturi Lehkonen and Jonathan Drouin could be close to a return giving more context to the early roster move for Ritchie. Both would represent immediate placements in the team’s top six giving Ritchie access to much less ice time than he started the campaign with.