Capitals Activate Aliaksei Protas
The Capitals have activated winger Aliaksei Protas from injured reserve, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. He’ll be back in the lineup tonight against the Blackhawks. Winger Tom Wilson took his spot on IR to open a roster space, but he’ll be eligible to be activated as soon as Sunday.
Protas missed Washington’s last three games, sustaining a lower-body injury against the Senators on New Year’s Day. Now that he’s back, he’ll be looking to pick up where he left off. He’s on a five-game point streak, during which he has four goals and five assists for nine points.
The 6’6″ Belarusian hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down following last season’s 30-goal, 66-point breakout. His 16-15–31 scoring line through 41 appearances this year makes for a slightly decreased overall point pace, but he’s scoring goals at the same rate. He’s also doing so in a more sustainable manner, compensating for a 3.1% dip in shooting percentage by averaging 16% more shots on goal per game than he did in 2024-25.
He continues to be one of the Caps’ most feared possession threats at even strength, too. His +21 rating is second on the team behind Jakob Chychrun, and his 55.8 CF% is inferior only to Wilson’s.
That’s a big boost for a Washington team that’s dropped three out of its last four, now out of the playoff picture for the time being. Their strong advanced numbers and +14 goal differential suggest they should get back into position sooner rather than later, though, especially with key bodies in Protas and Wilson returning in short order.
Wilson, who left the lineup one game after Protas did with a lower-body issue, could get his feet back on the ice in Nashville this weekend. The newly tabbed Olympian is enjoying a career year at age 31, leading the Caps in scoring with 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games. His 22.7% shooting rate is nearly 10 points above his career average and won’t hold up, but the added offense is greatly appreciated in addition to his trademark hard-nosed play, leading Washington with 110 hits.
Sharks Reassign Patrick Giles
Jan. 9: Giles was returned to the AHL today, the team announced. He was scratched for both games of his call-up on Tuesday and Wednesday. The move indicates one of the Sharks’ IR-bound defenders – Klingberg, Vincent Desharnais, and Shakir Mukhamadullin – could be returning to action tomorrow.
Jan. 5: The Sharks recalled center Patrick Giles from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on Monday, per a team announcement. To open a roster spot, the Sharks placed defenseman John Klingberg on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 31.
It’s the second recall of the season for Giles, who last appeared on the roster in November. The 26-year-old, who was acquired from the Panthers in last year’s Vítek Vaněček trade, has 20 games of NHL experience, including three on his previous recall this season.
The Chevy Chase, Maryland, native will provide the Sharks with an extra forward for Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jackets. While they now have 14 forwards on the active roster, Adam Gaudette has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury – although Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports he could be an option to return to the lineup against Columbus.
The 6’5″, 218-lb Giles grades out as a fine fourth-line pivot for a few games at a time, but shouldn’t be relied upon more than that. His possession numbers weren’t inspiring in more extended action with Florida last season, and he has a team-worst -10 rating with nine points in 28 games for the Barracuda.
As for Klingberg, San Jose’s top power play quarterback sustained a lower-body injury against the Wild on New Year’s Eve that caused him to sit out Saturday’s loss to the Lightning. He’s been ruled out of the Sharks’ upcoming back-to-back but will be eligible to return this weekend against the Stars, per Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest.
His absence means more opportunities for youngsters Sam Dickinson and Vincent Iorio while veteran Nick Leddy gets some added reps as well, despite serving as a healthy scratch for most of the campaign. Klingberg’s nine goals and 16 points in 31 games have him on pace for his best offensive showing since departing Dallas in free agency in 2022.
Avalanche Reassign Ivan Ivan
Jan. 9: The Avalanche announced they returned Ivan to the AHL following last night’s drubbing of the Senators. Ivan had a +1 rating in the win while skating 9:37 of ice time. A different name will likely be elevated tomorrow before their game against the Blue Jackets.
Jan. 8: The Avalanche announced they’ve recalled forward Ivan Ivan from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. They were operating with an open roster spot after sending Taylor Makar down yesterday, so no corresponding move is required.
Colorado has shown a tendency to frequently rotate depth forward options on the roster when needing to dip into its minor-league depth to address injuries. With Gabriel Landeskog and Joel Kiviranta now sidelined, that hasn’t changed.
Ivan, 23, gets his second recall of the season and will presumably draw into the lineup tonight against the Senators as the fourth-line left wing. Makar had skated in that role alongside Zakhar Bardakov and Parker Kelly in two of the last three games.
The 6’0″, 190-lb Ivan made three appearances for the Avs near the end of November, scoring one assist with a +1 rating while averaging 8:19 of ice time per game. Initially an undrafted free agent signing by the Eagles out of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles in 2023, he quickly worked his way up toward landing an NHL contract and being a frequently relied-upon call-up option. He made 40 appearances for the Avs as a rookie last year, notching five goals and eight points.
While the Czech native stood out as a rookie with the Eagles in 2023-24, he hasn’t been able to recapture that offensive success in the minors. He went from a 12-19–31 scoring line in 67 games as a first-year pro to churning out just four goals and 20 points in 64 AHL games since the beginning of last year.
Ivan’s always profiled as more of a penalty-killing forward with good playmaking skills, though, so the lack of goal-scoring isn’t entirely unexpected. Nonetheless, for a talent who twice hit a point per game in high-level junior hockey, he’ll be looking for more production as the season rolls on.
Hurricanes Reassign Joel Nystrom
The Hurricanes announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Joel Nystrom to AHL Chicago. While there’s no corresponding transaction yet, the open roster spot could indicate that top shutdown man Jaccob Slavin will come off injured reserve on Saturday before their clash with the Kraken.
Nystrom is having an impressive enough rookie season to warrant a four-year, $4.9MM extension from the Canes last month. His waiver-exempt status means he’s still a logical candidate to get ferried between the NHL and AHL when roster space is needed, but he’ll be a full-timer from the drop on Carolina’s roster starting in 2026-27.
This might be the second time in a month that Nystrom’s roster spot is sacrificed for Slavin returning from IR. The latter initially attempted to return from his lower-body injury on Dec. 14 but sustained an upper-body issue three games later that put him back on the inactive list. Nystrom was sent down then, too, to make room for his activation, but was immediately recalled again when Slavin got re-injured.
Averaging 15:37 per game across 33 contests, the 23-year-old Nystrom has eight assists with a +4 rating. That’s already far more than anyone expected out of the right-shot Swede, who was a seventh-round pick in 2021. He’s posted spectacular possession numbers, including a 62.0 xGF% and 60.0 CF%, while bouncing up and down the lineup.
Nonetheless, the 5’11” puck-mover has yet to score a goal since arriving in North America at the end of last season. In nine career AHL contests, he’s got two assists with a +3 rating. That comes after Nystrom led his Swedish Hockey League team, Färjestad BK, in scoring from the blue line with 27 points in 51 games last year.
Slavin has been absent from Carolina’s lineup for all but five games this season. His limited workload in his brief return to the lineup means he’s only averaged 17:24 of ice time per game after starting his career with a 10-year streak of 20 or higher. Regarded as one of the league’s best defensive defensemen for the last decade, the missed time means he’s likely to go without earning a Norris Trophy vote since his rookie year.
Maple Leafs Reassign Jacob Quillan, Expected To Activate William Nylander
The Maple Leafs announced they’ve sent center Jacob Quillan to AHL Toronto. They’re left with an open roster spot, which is expected to go to William Nylander as he comes off injured reserve ahead of his anticipated return to the lineup tomorrow against the Canucks.
Quillan, 23, had been up since Dec. 30 but only got into one game. He entered the lineup that night against the Devils, recording a +1 rating in 7:01 of ice time, before heading to the press box for four straight.
The undrafted free agent signing out of Quinnipiac has been one of Toronto’s best minor-leaguers this season, though. Despite getting just three NHL games across his two call-ups, he’s just shy of the AHL team lead in points per game with 0.88 after recording five goals and 18 assists through 26 contests to date.
Toronto increasingly relying on the 6’0″ Nova Scotia native as a call-up option indicates he has a decent chance of plucking a roster spot for a larger portion of next season, particularly if he settles for a reasonable extension or re-signs at a low cost. His entry-level deal is up following this season, and he’ll be eligible for arbitration should he choose to test restricted free agency.
Nylander, should he get back into action tomorrow, will return after missing the last six games with a lower-body injury he sustained against the Senators on Dec. 27. The Leafs’ top winger had scored three goals and two assists in his final two appearances before exiting the lineup, momentum he’ll hope to keep up as Toronto continues to gain ground in the East playoff race. They’re now six games above .500, their highest points percentage since winning their season opener, and are one point back of the Sabres for the final playoff spot after going 6-2-2 in their last 10. Their chances of making the postseason are up to 23.8%, per MoneyPuck.
The star Swede has been immensely productive this season, and his offense is one of the biggest reasons they’re still squarely in the race. Despite the missed time, his 27 assists and 41 points in 33 games still lead the team.
Blackhawks Activate Connor Bedard, Recall Kevin Korchinski, Drew Commesso
1:43 p.m.: The Blackhawks announced they’ve activated Bedard from injured reserve. They also recalled defenseman Kevin Korchinski and goaltender Drew Commesso from AHL Rockford to account for their game-time decisions tonight. Korchinski, the seventh overall pick in 2022, would be making his season debut if he draws into the lineup. He hasn’t exactly been lighting up the AHL, but has 19 points and a -12 rating in 32 showings for Rockford. Commesso, on the other hand, has been a strong starter with a .909 SV% and 2.72 GAA in 19 games.
12:00 p.m.: The Chicago Blackhawks will have their lineup star back from injury when they host the Washington Capitals on Friday night. Connor Bedard confirmed that he will return to the lineup after missing the last 12 games due to a shoulder injury to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. Bedard skated on the top power-play unit at Friday morning’s practice.
Bedard was injured in the final second of Chicago’s Dec. 12th loss to the St. Louis Blues. He was on a scoring tear before his injury, with five goals and 11 points in his last seven games. Those marks brought Bedard up to 19 goals and 44 points in 31 games on the season. That ranked the Blackhawks youngster third in points and fourth in goals in the NHL.
Naturally, Chicago hit a skid once Bedard fell out of the lineup. Their average goals per game fell from 2.9 to 2.1 over their remaining eight games in December, leading to a 1-6-1 record to end 2025. Surprisingly, the young roster snapped out of that struggle in the New Year. Chicago is currently riding a four-game win streak, capped off by a 7-3 win over the Blues on Wednesday. That win was spurred by young forwards Oliver Moore, Nick Lardis, Landon Slaggert, and Ryan Greene.
With that quartet now clicking down the lineup, Chicago will be in a perfect position to add their top scorer back to the lineup. Bedard spent most of his time next to Greene and Andre Burakovsky prior to his injury. That line outscored opponents 13-to-6 at even-strength, the most of only four Blackhawks lines with a positive goal-differential. The chances that Bedard returns to that line on Friday could be slim, though, as Greene has taken on the second-line center role with Frank Nazar also injured.
Chicago will need to spread their depth after forwards Nick Foligno and Ilya Mikheyev, goaltender Arvid Soderblom, and head coach Jeff Blashill all missed Friday’s morning skate. The team isn’t yet sure which of those four will be available for Friday night’s game, per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio. The four seem to have fallen victim to a flu bug making its way through the Blackhawks locker room right now. The injury-ridden Blackhawks have two extra forwards – Sam Lafferty and Landon Slaggert – but had to call upon famous emergency backup goaltender Scott Foster to backup at practice. They would be eligible for an emergency recall should they need to fill an additional spot.
Should Blashill need to sit on the side, Chicago would likely ask Anders Sorensen to fill the head coach spot. Sorensen coached the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs from 2022 to 2025, then earned a promotion to an interim head coach role partway through last season. He remains with Chicago as an assistant coach this year.
Senators Sign James Reimer To AHL PTO
The Ottawa Senators will be taking a look at a veteran goaltender, as James Reimer has been signed to an AHL professional tryout agreement, per Darren Dreger of TSN. According to Dreger, Reimer is expected to report to Ottawa in the next few days with an NHL contract.
With #1 option Linus Ullmark taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, the team needs help for the time being. Mads Søgaard was recalled from AHL Belleville earlier today, but he, along with Leevi Merilainen, surrendered eight goals in a resounding defeat against Colorado tonight. Merilainen has backed up Ullmark so far this season and played 15 games, but the 23-year-old has a 6-8 record and an .868 goals-against-average. Such a result tonight was indicative that a move was needed. Even once Ullmark returns, Reimer figures to be a steady enough backup, allowing Merilainen to develop further.
Reimer, 37, was listed as an outside option available to Ottawa just five days ago, and sure enough, the veteran has earned an opportunity to extend his career. Unable to secure a contract from his tryout with Toronto in the fall, Reimer will technically join the AHL’s Belleville Senators for now. If he were to play in a “tune up” of sorts, it would be his first AHL action since the 2010-11 season as a Toronto Marlie.
As long as he takes the crease for Ottawa at some point, they would become Reimer’s eighth NHL club. Belleville also offers Hunter Shepard between the pipes, a respectable AHLer, but the 30-year-old has not played at the same level as he did with the Hershey Bears over the past several seasons. Currently 23rd in the AHL despite having the league’s second highest scorer in Arthur Kaliyev, Belleville has lacked stability in net, and the latest news in Ottawa only intensifies it.
At this point, the Sens have little to lose to bring in a netminder with over 500 games of NHL experience. Reimer’s patience to keep playing has paid off, and the 2006 draftee could appear sooner rather than later, given the circumstances.
Blackhawks Assign Ethan Del Mastro To AHL
The Chicago Blackhawks shared earlier today that Ethan Del Mastro was assigned to AHL Rockford. No corresponding transaction was made.
Recalled in mid-December, the defenseman only got into one game, recording 15:07 of ice time in a loss at Toronto on December 16. At 22, Del Mastro is among the Hawks’ more notable prospects, forecasting as a long-term solid third pairing defender with untapped raw potential, so sitting in the press box was naturally not beneficial.
Del Mastro will rejoin an IceHogs club where he still ranks as the second highest scoring defender, despite spending the past few weeks away. Only ranking above is Kevin Korchinski, another intriguing lefty. A nice find in the fourth round of the 2021 draft by Chicago, the Ontario native Del Mastro stands at 6’4” and has shown real two-way upside in the AHL. He managed to make 24 appearances for the Blackhawks last season, notching six points as a respectable -3 on a bottom feeding team.
As veteran Matt Grzelcyk entered the fold this season, Del Mastro’s opportunities at the highest level have been more limited. Chicago, currently at .500, has turned the corner from their struggles in previous years. However, still a long shot for the playoffs, at some point GM Kyle Davidson could consider moving Grzelcyk, a pending unrestricted free agent, and opening a spot for the steady youngster in the spring to stay in the lineup.
Until then, Del Mastro figures to be the team’s top option to call upon if any injuries affect their blue line, and will continue his development in Rockford.
Golden Knights Place Brayden McNabb On Injured Reserve
Ahead of tonight’s game, the Vegas Golden Knights placed Brayden McNabb on injured reserve, according to SinBin.vegas. No corresponding transaction was required, however, later in the day, the club called up Dylan Coghlan to enter the lineup in place of Jaycob Megna, who returns to the AHL.
McNabb has not played since he left mid-game New Year’s Eve against Nashville. The defender was listed as out “multiple weeks” on January 2, so naturally, he figures to become likely available sometime mid-month.
Standing alongside William Karlsson and Shea Theodore as the final remaining original “misfits” of the Golden Knights franchise, and each of whom have dealt with injuries this season, McNabb, now 34, has slowed down noticeably of late. Unfortunately losing his streak of 82 games played in each of the last three seasons, even when healthy, McNabb has struggled at five-on-five, with career lows in CorsiFor%.
Offense has never been a focal part of the Saskatchewan native’s game, but usually capable of chipping in 15-20 points in a season, he has just three in 38 games, and is a -5, in the negatives for the first time since as a Sabres rookie in 2011-12. There is ample time to turn things around when he returns to the lineup, but it is a far cry from last season’s career best of +42.
Although the numbers aren’t necessarily pretty, McNabb is still leaned upon as a minutes-eater, averaging north of 20 a night. In recent games the club inputted Megna into the lineup, a 33-year-old who was brought in last offseason to serve as captain for AHL Henderson. At 6’6” he figured to bring a relatively similar skill set to the table, but it did not quite materialize, proving McNabb’s value even at this stage.
Still in his first year of a three year extension worth $3.65MM per season, once healthy, McNabb will continue to help lead the Pacific-leading Knights into a likely fourth straight postseason appearance. Until then, Coghlan slots in tonight, returning to his original club in Vegas.
Wild Activate Daemon Hunt, Assign David Jiricek
The Minnesota Wild announced earlier today that Daemon Hunt has been activated from injured reserve, while David Jiříček has been re-assigned to AHL Iowa in a corresponding transaction. Hunt is expected to return to the lineup tonight on the third pair alongside Jacob Middleton.
The defenseman has been out since mid-December due to an undisclosed injury. Claimed off waivers from Columbus in October, today’s transaction proves to be a bit ironic as Hunt was traded by Minnesota to Columbus in exchange for Jiříček last year alongside several draft picks.
Unable to make his mark as a Blue Jacket after the trade, Hunt quickly found his way back to the team that chose him in the third round of the 2020 draft. With two points in 12 games on the season, Hunt has some puck moving ability, untapped so far at the NHL level, but at age 23, he figures to be a steady third pair defender, still with just 25 games under his belt.
Jiříček, thought to have elite upside coming out of the 2022 draft, where he was selected sixth overall by Columbus, has been scoreless in 18 games with the Wild this season. Taking a swing on the Czech righty seemed to be worth a gamble, especially as Minnesota promptly snatched back the player they’d given up for him, but at some point Jiříček will need to show something to warrant a future in the NHL. A restricted free agent at season’s end, Jiříček’s play with Iowa has not inspired much confidence either, with 10 points in 40 games across the last two seasons. With offense hard to come by, the 6’4″ Jiříček has also struggled in his own end, ineffective even in smaller sheltered roles on Minnesota, a team with high ambitions.
Still just 22, the Wild are not necessarily in any rush with him, but as a contender with limited spots on their back end going into the future, Jiříček may be a name worth monitoring this spring in another deal.
For now, Hunt will rejoin the high flying Wild against Seattle tonight, while Jiříček will try to help the bottom-ranked Iowa Wild get on track, vying for another shot in the NHL.