Blackhawks Recall Sam Rinzel
The Chicago Blackhawks have made a move to fortify their blue-line. Top prospect Sam Rinzel has been recalled to the NHL, putting him on the Blackhawks roster for the first time in 2026. This move comes amid a quiet spell for fellow top youngster Artyom Levshunov, who was on the ice for five goals against in Thursday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Attention will hone in on which young defender Chicago decides to roll out with three games left on their schedule before the Olympic break. Levshunov has struggled through much of January. In 15 games since the new year, he has been on the ice for 16 goals-against, while only posting three points of his own. The only Blackhawk to see more goals is Levshunov’s defense partner, Wyatt Kaiser, who has been on the ice for 17 goals-against.
Levshunov has recorded 21 points and a minus-27 in 52 games on the year. His scoring is up, but his plus-minus is down, from the six points and minus-13 that Levshunov recorded in 18 games last season. Even with the pit he’s in, Levshunov has still averaged 19 minutes of ice time each game, emphasizing that Chicago hasn’t lost faith in their former second-overall talent.
With this move, Chicago will open the door to potentially resting Levshunov for the short-term, while giving Rinzel another chance to stamp his spot in the NHL lineup. The Blackhawks assigned Rinzel to the AHL after he scored just eight points in 28 games to start the season. His first stint in the minors got off to a roaring start – with Rinzel scoring seven points in his first four AHL games – but it has quieted down as of late. Rinzel has scored only three points in his last 15 games, bringing his totals with the Rockford IceHogs up to 10 points and a minus-10 in 19 games. It’s another cold spell that Chicago is hoping to snap with this roster move. Rinzel scored five points in the first nine games of his NHL career at the end of the 2024-25 season. He has shown strong sparks that could help lift Chicago out of their recent four-game losing streak.
Golden Knights Recall Dylan Coghlan, Jonas Rondbjerg
The Vegas Golden Knights have brought two players up to the NHL club with four games remaining before the Winter Olympics break. Forward Jonas Rondbjerg and defenseman Dylan Coghlan have both been recalled, while forward Tanner Laczynski has been reassigned.
Coghlan was assigned to the AHL just hours before the Henderson Silver Knights’ Wednesday game. The defenseman went on to score both goals in the team’s 2-1 overtime win. He has alternated between the NHL and AHL lineups over his last four games, after earning his first call-up of the season earlier this month. He ranks third on the Silver Knights’ blue-line in scoring with 18 points in 30 games. Coghlan hasn’t scored yet in two NHL games this season. The pair of games were his first with Vegas since the 2021-22 season, when he scored 13 points in 59 games with the Golden Knights. Coghlan spent the last three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets, where he combined for three points in 24 NHL games.
Rondbjerg has also rotated between lineups throughout the season. He ranks second on Henderson in scoring with 12 goals and 23 points in 36 games. He has also scored one assist in two NHL games this season. Rondbjerg has served as one of Vegas’ go-to call-ups for the last five seasons. He has notched 11 points and eight penalty minutes in 78 NHL games in that span, to go with 142 points and 54 PIMs in 269 AHL games.
Coghlan and Rondbjerg will bring some assured depth to the Golden Knights’ roster in their last slate before an extended break. Vegas is currently facing injuries to William Karlsson, Brett Howden, Brandon Saad, and Colton Sissons – leaving notable holes in the forward group. That should be enough to earn Rondbjerg a fourth-line role in place of Laczynski, while Coghlan will likely serve as the team’s extra defenseman. Meanwhile, Henderson will welcome the return of top-scorer Laczynski, who has 35 points in 32 AHL games this season.
Blues Activate Oskar Sundqvist From Injured Reserve, Recall Matt Luff
1/30/26: The Blues once again recalled Luff from AHL Springfield under emergency conditions, restoring the recall they made, and then reversed, yesterday. The move fills the roster spot they opened when they reassigned Luff as part of the series of transactions they made that activated Sundqvist off of IR.
Luff has had a strong season so far, scoring 33 points in 33 games at the AHL level. That’s earned him the chance to dress for five NHL games, where he’s scored one goal and averaged 9:08 time on ice per game.
1/29/26: The Blues announced Thursday that they’ve activated center Oskar Sundqvist from injured reserve. As previously reported, St. Louis assigned wingers Matt Luff and Hugh McGing to AHL Springfield in the corresponding moves after recalling them under emergency conditions just this morning, leaving them with an open roster spot.
Whether or not Sundqvist enters the lineup tonight against the Panthers remains to be seen. He was labeled as a game-time decision this morning by head coach Jim Montgomery alongside top-six wingers Jordan Kyrou and Jake Neighbours (via NHL.com’s Lou Korac). Returning Luff and McGing to Springfield indicates the Blues have certainty that at least two of those names will be available. Considering Sundqvist has been a healthy scratch on a few occasions this season, though, he may still be outside of the lineup if all three are healthy.
The 31-year-old’s stay on IR was brief. He landed there last Friday and ended up missing four games with an ankle laceration that he sustained on Jan. 18 against the Oilers. With that, the healthy scratches and a lower-body injury that kept him on the shelf for the first couple of weeks of the season, Sundqvist has been limited to 39 out of 53 possible contests in 2025-26.
Now in his 11th NHL season and second stint with the Blues, Sundqvist remains an all-situations pivot who’s anchored the fourth line between Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker for a decent portion of the campaign. He’s flexed into both the Blues’ second penalty-killing and power-play units when needed and is averaging 13:20 of ice time per game, right in line with his career average.
While he hasn’t been in the Blues’ lineup every night, he’s still been reasonably productive in his depth role for a St. Louis squad that struggles to score. He’s managed three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 39 games, a pace of 0.33 per game that outmatches what he’s done in either of his last two seasons in Missouri. That’s despite him shooting at 9.4%, more than a full point below his career average.
Sundqvist’s -13 rating is uninspiring but not unexplainable. He starts 71.5% of his shifts at 5-on-5 in the defensive zone, one of the highest rates in the league among forwards.
Utah Mammoth Reassign Dmitri Simashev
1/30/26: The Mammoth announced that Simashev has been reassigned to AHL Tucson just two days after he was recalled. Simashev was a healthy scratch for Utah’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last night. Returning Simashev to the AHL gives him the chance to play in the pair of games scheduled for the Roadrunners this weekend.
While he averages just 15:28 time on ice per game at the NHL level, Simashev has been trusted with a far more significant role in Tucson. He’s got 20 points in 20 games in the AHL this season, and letting Simashev continue to play a big role at that level could aid the development of the 2023 No. 6 pick.
1/28/26: Before last night’s win over the Panthers, the Mammoth announced they’ve recalled defenseman Dmitriy Simashev from AHL Tucson. He takes the roster spot of center Cameron Hebig, who’s on his way back down to Tucson in the corresponding move.
Simashev, who turns 21 next week, will get his second crack at NHL ice time in his rookie season. The sixth overall pick in the 2023 draft cracked Utah’s opening night roster and spent the first couple of months in a rather expanded role, riding shotgun with countryman Mikhail Sergachev on the Mammoth’s top pairing while Sean Durzi dealt with an upper-body injury.
The experiment didn’t go all too well. Drafted as a smooth-skating shutdown piece, Simashev had one assist and a -9 rating in 24 outings while averaging 15:28 of ice time per game. Despite owning a 6’4″, 200-lb frame, the lefty didn’t leverage it often and only recorded eight hits.
Sergachev ended up faring much better with Durzi than he did in several weeks of play with Simashev. The Sergachev-Durzi pairing has controlled 54.0% of expected goals at 5-on-5, while the Sergachev-Simashev unit posted a 48.3 xGF%, per MoneyPuck.
As such, Simashev was sent down to Tucson in early December. Since going down, he’s been nothing short of dominant. Most expected his lack of offense in Russia’s top league to be a concern, but he’s rattled off a point per game in 20 appearances with a +3 rating. He’s more than earned a second look and will get one now, likely competing with Nick DeSimone and Olli Määttä to take on a third-pairing job with fellow lefty Ian Cole.
As for Hebig, he’d been up as an extra forward for the last week after Utah sent veteran Kevin Rooney down. The 29-year-old didn’t end up playing and is thus still awaiting his NHL debut. The 5’10” pivot has enjoyed a career-best campaign in Tucson, where he ranks second on the team in scoring with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 35 games.
Blues Place Dylan Holloway On Injured Reserve
3:00 p.m.: According to regional reporter Lou Korac, the Blues have already returned Luff and McGing to AHL Springfield from their emergency call-ups. Korac hinted that this likely means either Jordan Kyrou or Jake Neighbours would return to the lineup tonight.
10:30 a.m.: Dylan Holloway‘s return from a high ankle sprain will be short-lived. According to a team announcement, the St. Louis Blues have placed Holloway back on the injured reserve and recalled Matt Luff and Hugh McGing under emergency conditions.
After suffering a high ankle sprain in his right foot against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 12th, Holloway missed a month of action. He returned against the Edmonton Oilers on January 18th, but has missed the Blues’ last four games. Combined, since mid-December, Holloway has missed 19 games, and that absence is expected to grow.
Technically speaking, Holloway is eligible to return this upcoming Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, given his injury struggles of late, it’s far likelier that St. Louis will hold him out through the Olympic break, giving him ample time to recover fully.
Regardless, it’s been a difficult follow-up campaign for Holloway’s breakout last season. In his first year with the Blues during the 2024-25 season, Holloway scored 26 goals and 63 points in 77 games, helping the team qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Due to the multiple injuries, Holloway has been limited to 34 appearances this year, registering eight goals and 17 points.
Meanwhile, St. Louis has recalled a pair of relatively older options from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds to fill out the rest of their forward core as they conclude their four-game homestand. The pair have combined for eight games with the Blues this season, scoring two goals and three points.
In Springfield, however, the difference between the two is clear. Luff is leading the team in scoring by a healthy margin, putting up 13 goals and 33 points in 33 games. McGing, on the other hand, has provided more tertiary scoring, providing four goals and 12 points in 35 games.
Lightning To Activate Ryan McDonagh
The long-awaited return of defenseman Ryan McDonagh has come to pass. According to team insider Erik Erlendsson, the Tampa Bay Lightning are expected to activate McDonagh ahead of tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Much has already been made of McDonagh’s 2025-26 campaign. The 16-year veteran has suffered multiple injuries, missing nearly two months of action altogether. In the year, McDonagh has only appeared in 18 games for the Bolts, scoring four goals and eight points with a +1 rating, averaging 20 minutes of ice time per game.
Still, even without one of their top four defenseman, the team hasn’t blinked. During McDonagh’s first absence from November 12th to December 15th, Tampa Bay earned a record of 10-7-1 in 18 games. Since December 22nd, during McDonagh’s second absence, the Lightning have managed a 13-1-1 record in 15 games. Their outlook for the year should improve if McDonagh shows consistency in the lineup for the rest of the season.
Given that Tampa Bay’s defensive core has played so well this year without multiple names, it would be in the team’s best interest to slow-play McDonagh’s return as much as they can. He has been consistently reliable over the past few years, participating in 70 or more games each season since the 2021-22 campaign. However, especially since he’s the oldest player on the team, the Lightning can’t afford for injuries to become a theme for McDonagh.
It’s important to note that the Lightning signed McDonagh to a three-year, $12.3MM extension toward the beginning of December. The contract will take him through the 2028-29 campaign, his age-39 season. Given that Tampa Bay typically operates fairly close to the salary cap’s upper limit, they’ll need McDonagh in the lineup more often than not, making his recovery process one of the most important on the team.
Hurricanes Reassign Noah Philp, Joel Nystrom
Jan. 29th: Carolina indirectly confirmed that Philp cleared waivers, announcing that they’ve reassigned him and defenseman Joel Nystrom to AHL Chicago. Nystrom’s demotion was expected, given that the team shared that Shayne Gostisbehere would return tonight after a five-game absence due to a lower-body injury. Nystrom scored one goal in four games during his recall, averaging 11:25 of ice time per game.
Jan. 28th: The Hurricanes have placed center Noah Philp on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He had been on injured reserve with a concussion; now that he’s healthy, he won’t be back with Carolina. He’ll either be headed to AHL Chicago or another NHL club if he’s claimed off the wire.
Philp, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Oilers just last month. If Edmonton submits a claim for him and is the only team to do so, they could send him directly to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield without having to waive him again.
The Alberta-born pivot sustained the concussion in just his second appearance for Carolina on Jan. 6 against the Stars. He logged just 18:26 of total ice time across the pair of contests in a Canes sweater, notching two shots on goal and six hits while going 11-for-21 (52.4%) on draws. Including a 15-game run with the Oilers earlier in the year, he has a 2-1–3 scoring line with a -7 rating in 17 showings in his second NHL season.
There are red flags in Philp’s possession game. Even accounting for his deployment as a shutdown center at even strength, his 41.6 CF% at 5-on-5 is ghastly for a center who played in two extremely favorable possession environments in Carolina and Edmonton. He had a 54.8 CF% in 15 games with the Oilers last year, but in far more sheltered usage. There’s been some intrigue in the 6’3″, 200-lb frame he brings to the table, but it will be hard to continue justifying deploying him in a grinder role at the bottom of the lineup if he continues to be a significant drag on his team’s ability to control play.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Alberta in 2022, Philp does have a nice 38-34–72 scoring line with a +13 rating in 130 career AHL games, all with Bakersfield. That includes a 35-point effort in only 55 games last year after he took a leave of absence for the entire 2023-24 campaign. The Oilers are likely hoping they’re the lone interested party in retaining him, either for familiar fourth-line depth or an AHL needle-mover.
Nashville Predators Reassign Fedor Svechkov
The Nashville Predators announced that they’ve reassigned forward Fedor Svechkov to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Nashville has a full roster after the transaction, though they’ll likely make another recall, particularly to their forward core, before their current road trip concludes.
Svechkov’s demotion is a clear-cut case of a younger player needing a reset. The former 19th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has struggled this season, scoring two goals and nine points in 49 games while averaging 12:03 of ice time per game. His last point came via a goal against the St. Louis Blues on December 27th.
Simply put, his production has been cut in half compared to last season’s results. That’s not something the Predators can afford for an up-and-coming 22-year-old forward at this stage of their retooling efforts. Last year, Svechkov played in 52 games with Nashville, scoring eight goals and 17 points with a -17 rating.
Still, he has shown mild improvements in his possession and defensive metrics. During his rookie campaign, Svechkov finished with a 50.0% CorsiFor and 87.5% on-ice SV% at even strength. This season, he’s improved those to 53.5% and 88.8%, respectively.
He’ll return to a familiar environment where he’s already experienced some success. Although he hasn’t played in the AHL this season, Svechkov has recorded 21 goals and 51 points in 70 games for the Admirals. Additionally, he’s been a beneficial playoff performer, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 25 games during the Calder Cup playoffs.
There’s no indication that the Predators plan to keep Svechkov in the AHL for the remainder of the season. Still, the Admirals are trending toward the playoffs again, allowing Svechkov to be in a competitive environment where he can excel.
Capitals Recall Clay Stevenson
According to a team announcement, the Washington Capitals have recalled netminder Clay Stevenson from the AHL’s Hershey Bears. The Capitals already have a full 23-man roster, so they’ll need to make a corresponding roster move before tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Stevenson’s recall immediately indicated that Washington would be down a typical netminder for tonight’s contest. According to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post, Logan Thompson was not with the team for this morning’s practice, so he won’t be available in Detroit.
After practice, Johnson confirmed that Thompson is dealing with an upper-body injury that’s expected to keep him out for the next few days. During the Capitals’ six-game road trip, Thompson started in three games, achieving a record of 1-2-0 with a .880 SV%.
Meanwhile, Stevenson, 26, returns to Washington for the second time this season. His first recall came back in early December, though he failed to participate in any games. His last, and only, NHL contest came back in mid-April of last season, where he stopped 33 of 38 shots in a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Taking over as the de facto starter with Hershey after Hunter Shepard departed in free agency, Stevenson has performed well. Through 24 games this season, he’s managed an 11-8-4 record with a .912 SV% and 2.57 GAA.
New York Rangers Recall Brett Berard
Now that they’re committed to sitting out Artemi Panarin until he’s eventually traded, the New York Rangers needed another forward to fill the void. According to a team announcement, the Rangers have recalled Brett Berard from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
Today’s transaction marks the fourth time that Berard has been recalled by New York this season. Throughout his previous three recalls, he appeared in 12 games for the Rangers, going scoreless while earning a -1 rating, averaging 10:42 of ice time per game. He’ll likely slot into a similar bottom-six role, if he plays at all.
Regardless, it’s a significant decrease in NHL action for Berard compared to last season. During the 2024-25 campaign, Berard played in 35 games with New York, registering six goals and 10 points with a -6 rating, averaging 10:43 of ice time. That limited his availability in Hartford, where he scored nine goals and 23 points in 30 games. He has already played the same number of games for the Wolf Pack this season, putting up six goals and 18 points.
Despite the relatively solid offensive output last season for a former fifth-round pick, there were some concerns with Berard’s play on the defensive side of the puck. That’s not uncommon for a younger forward. At even strength, he concluded the 2024-25 season with an 89.2% on-ice SV%. Still, he’s improved drastically this season, managing a 95.0% mark, albeit in fewer appearances.
At any rate, given that the Rangers are expected to make a few trades leading up to the March 6 trade deadline, there will likely be more opportunities for Bedard. If that’s the case, he’ll be in range of usurping his total games played from last year.