Philadelphia Flyers Reassign Adam Ginning
According to a team announcement, the Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned defenseman Adam Ginning to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The transaction reduces the Flyers’ active roster to 22 players.
Beginning tomorrow, Philadelphia will embark on a brief two-game road trip against the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins before returning home on Saturday. Given that it’s atypical for a team not to have at least one extra forward and defenseman on the roster for a road trip, the expectation is that another roster move is coming.
That roster move will likely come in the form of Jamie Drysdale‘s activation from the injured reserve, when he’s eligible to be tomorrow. Head coach Rick Tocchet left that possibility open this morning when he indicated that both Drysdale and Bobby Brink may be in the lineup tomorrow.
Ginning, 26, wraps up his second stint with the Flyers this season. He has gone scoreless across five games, averaging 15:20 of ice time per game. He’s been a boon on the defensive side of the puck, averaging a 94.3% on-ice SV% at even strength.
He’s returning to a Lehigh Valley club where he has already played in 17 games this year. Throughout those 17 appearances, he’s registered one goal and three points with a -2 rating. His +/- is tied for third-worst on the team.
Blue Jackets Recall Dysin Mayo On Emergency Basis
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Dysin Mayo on an emergency basis. It’s the fourth time that Mayo has been recalled this season.
Unfortunately, the emergency recall indicates that the Blue Jackets have fallen below the threshold of having six healthy defensemen on the active roster. Veterans Erik Gudbranson and Brendan Smith are already on the injured reserve, meaning an additional injury has happened.
Earlier today, team reporter Jeff Svoboda shared that blue liner Denton Mateychuk is visiting with a doctor to get a second opinion on the upper-body injury that he sustained in Sunday’s contest against the Utah Mammoth. Mayo’s recall indicates that Mateychuk has been ruled out for tonight’s contest.
Mayo, 29, is in his first year with the Blue Jackets, much of which has been spent with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Throughout that duration, he has scored two goals and seven points in 21 games with a -2 rating. It’s a similar production to what he showed last season with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, where Mayo scored eight goals and 19 points in 58 contests.
Meanwhile, although it’s expected to be a short-term absence, missing Mateychuk for any duration will certainly hurt Columbus’s chance of winning. The former 12th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft is in his first full year with the team, scoring eight goals and 21 points in 44 games, averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game.
Minnesota Wild Reassign Matt Kiersted
According to a team announcement, the Minnesota Wild have reassigned depth defenseman Matt Kiersted to the AHL’s Iowa Wild. The transaction indicates that veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian could return to the lineup on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets.
Despite being on the active roster for more than a month, Kiersted has hardly been utilized by the Wild. Minnesota has dealt with multiple injuries on the blue line throughout that stretch. However, they’ve typically had at least six healthy defenseman available, leading to many nights in the press box for Kiersted.
Kiersted, 27, signed a two-year, $1.55MM contract with the Wild last summer. Throughout his recall, he appeared in four games, registering one assist and a -1 rating while averaging 13:42 of ice time per game.
Still, he was likely brought in to stabilize AHL Iowa’s defensive core. He was coming off his best professional season to date, scoring one goal and 29 points in 64 games with an excellent +34 rating. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to provide that when he’s been on the AHL roster.
In fact, he’s on pace for one of his worst seasons in the AHL. The Elk River, MN native has registered only three assists in 23 games with a -12 rating on the year. Despite missing the last month, his +/- remains one of the worst on the team among defensemen.
Flames Place Blake Coleman On Injured Reserve
As expected, the Calgary Flames announced they’ve placed forward Blake Coleman on the team’s injured reserve. The transaction opens up a roster spot for tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, though the Flames haven’t shared a corresponding roster move.
Assuming he remains on a day-to-day recovery timeline, Coleman should return by the weekend. The Flames likely made the transaction retroactive to his last game on January 8th, meaning Coleman will be eligible to return on Saturday against the New York Islanders. He’s dealing with a minor upper-body issue.
The 34-year-old forward has been the topic of much conversation this season, though not on the injury front. There is a growing expectation that the Flames will trade Coleman ahead of the trade deadline. He has recently been connected to the Montreal Canadiens.
Still, Coleman holds some of the power in any trade negotiations as the owner of a 10-team no-trade list in his contract. Additionally, he’s signed through next season at a $4.9MM salary, giving Calgary plenty of time to pull the trigger one way or another.
When healthy, he’s been his consistent self with the Flames, scoring 13 goals and 21 points in 44 games. Being one of the most consistent goal-scorers on the team throughout the duration of his contract, Coleman is only eight goals away from 100 in a Flames uniform. For any team looking to add more firepower to their secondary scoring, Coleman fits the bill.
Oilers Activate Tristan Jarry, Jake Walman
The Edmonton Oilers are nearly back to full force. According to a team announcement, the Oilers have activated goaltender Tristan Jarry and defenseman Jake Walman from their long-term injured reserve.
The moving parts don’t end there either. In the same announcement, Edmonton shared that they’ve moved veteran forward Adam Henrique to the long-term injured reserve, and have converted netminder Connor Ingram‘s emergency recall into standard one.
Despite being acquired a month ago, the Oilers have seen very little of Jarry. In only his third game with the team, Jarry left the contest with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played since.
Throughout his brief intro to the team, he played relatively well, being credited for three wins in his three starts. However, much of that had to do with the performance of the team in front of him, as Jarry only managed an .887 SV%, 3.08 GAA, and -0.7 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA).
It is still too small a sample size to accurately predict his future performance in Edmonton. Before the trade, Jarry had managed a 9-3-1 record in 14 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins with a .909 SV%, 2.66 GAA, and 4.8 GSAA.
Meanwhile, the Oilers will get a major boost to their defensive core with the return of Walman. The 29-year-old blueliner hasn’t played since late November due to a lower-body injury, missing the team’s last 23 games.
Before the injury, Walman was his typically steady self, scoring three goals and 10 points in 17 games while averaging more than 20 minutes per game. Still, Edmonton will want more stability from him on the defensive side of the puck, as he’s only managed an 85.4% on-ice SV% at even strength this season.
On the other side of the transaction, the Oilers have expectedly moved Henrique to the LTIR. The 16-year veteran suffered an undisclosed injury on January 6th and isn’t expected to return until after the Olympics.
Lastly, Edmonton will surprisingly move forward with three netminders on the active roster. Despite having a disastrous performance with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, Ingram has provided some stability in net for the Oilers of late. In his first year with the organization, he has managed a 4-2-1 record in seven games with a .904 SV% and 2.70 GAA. If he continues his success, fellow netminder Calvin Pickard‘s days with the team could be numbered.
Flames Assign Martin Pospisil To AHL On Conditioning Loan
According to a team announcement, the Calgary Flames have moved forward Martin Pospisil to the long-term injury list, and have loaned him to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on a conditioning loan. Pospisil has been on the Flames’ injured reserve for the entire 2025-26 campaign.
There haven’t been many reports specifying Pospisil’s injury. Still, it’s known that he has been dealing with an undisclosed upper-body injury dating back to the preseason, and he has been ramping up skating over the past few weeks.
Once he returns, he should provide additional scoring to Calgary’s bottom-six, and could even find his way into the middle-six if the Flames trade from their forward core leading up to the trade deadline. Throughout the past two years, Pospisil has scored 12 goals and 49 points in 144 games, averaging 13:20 of ice time per night.
Outside of being a playmaker, Pospisil is one of the most physical forwards in Calgary’s arsenal. He’s led the team in hits over his past two years, averaging 3.74 hits per game. Additionally, he’s been a solid analytical player for the Flames, averaging a 54.4% CorsiFor% and 92.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength.
Meanwhile, another team stands to benefit from Pospisil’s expected return. Pospisil was named to Team Slovakia for the 2026 Winter Olympics, being one of their best international players over the past few years. In the summer of 2024, Pospisil scored three goals and seven points in seven games with a +5 rating during the IIHF World Championships. Additionally, he helped the team reach the Olympic Games this year, registering three assists in three games during last year’s Olympic Games qualifiers.
Blues Activate Nick Bjugstad, Place Mathieu Joseph On IR
According to Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Blues have activated center Nick Bjugstad from the injured reserve. Additionally, the Blues have placed winger Mathieu Joseph on the injured reserve in a corresponding roster move.
Bjugstad’s upper-body injury kept him out for more than a month. He last skated on December 9th, and he’s missed the Blues’ last 15 games. Initially, he was only expected to miss five days.
Still, although it’s never positive when a player is injured, Bjugstad was highly in need of a reset. The 33-year-old forward signed a two-year, $3.5MM contract with St. Louis last summer, and the deal hasn’t proven fruitful for either side.
Throughout his first 25 games with the team, Bjugstad has scored only four goals and one assist, averaging 11:27 of ice time per night. His faceoff percentage has been a benefit to the team, particularly because most of his shifts begin in the defensive zone. Still, the Blues were likely hoping for more offense when they signed him.
There was reason for optimism, too. Two years ago, while playing for the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, Bjugstad had the best season of his career, scoring 22 goals and 45 points in 76 games, along with a +11 rating. Last season, he experienced a significant drop in performance, finishing with eight goals and 19 points in 66 games with the Utah Hockey Club. However, much of this decline was attributed to injuries.
Meanwhile, Joseph lands on the injured reserve due to an infection in his elbow. He was originally given a day-to-day recovery timeline, though he has already missed the Blues’ last three contests.
Unlike Bjugstad, Joseph is on pace to usurp last year’s totals, his first season in St. Louis. He finished the 2024-25 campaign with four goals and 14 points in 60 games, and has already scored two goals and 10 points in 35 contests this season.
Assuming he remains on a day-to-day timeline, Joseph should return relatively soon. Once he returns, the Blues will have to shed another forward from the roster, given that they’re at a full 23-man roster.
Kraken Activate Chandler Stephenson, Reassign Oscar Fisker Molgaard
The Seattle Kraken have returned to a fully healthy forward core. The Kraken announced that they’ve activated Chandler Stephenson from the non-roster list and have reassigned Oscar Fisker Molgaard in a corresponding roster move.
Stephenson was placed on the non-roster list only three days ago, as he and his wife were expecting the birth of their child. He missed two games for Seattle, and the team earned a split decision, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes before beating the New York Rangers.
He’s expected to reprise his role as the team’s second-line center, where he’s played relatively well this season. He’s third on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 27 points in 42 games, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game. Additionally, he’s been the best faceoff taker on the team, winning 52.4% of his draws.
Still, there is reason to believe that his production may dip relatively soon. Stephenson is averaging a 38.6% CorsiFor% at even strength, far and away the worst output of his career. However, it’s not an issue unique to Stephenson, as the Kraken themselves are 31st in the league in terms of possession quality, ahead of only the San Jose Sharks.
Meanwhile, Fisker Molgaard returns to AHL Coachella Valley after failing to appear in a game with Seattle throughout the duration of his recall. He’s skated in two games for the team this season, registering an assist while averaging 6:00 of ice time per game. He’s understandably been far more productive with the Firebirds, scoring six goals and 18 points in 30 games with a -5 rating.
Oilers Sign Quinn Hutson To Two-Year Extension
The Edmonton Oilers signed forward Quinn Hutson to a two-year, $1.775MM contract extension. The deal will carry an annual average value of $875K. Hutson was signed to a two-year, $1.75MM entry-level contract in April 2025, following the end of his career at Boston University. That deal was set to expire this summer after the Oilers burned the first year of it to allow Hutson to make his NHL debut last season.
An early end to his entry-level contract will come at no expense to the Oilers. Hutson’s next deal will carry the same cap hit and he has only proven his might at the pro level in nearly a year since signing his first deal. The eldest Hutson brother – related to defensemen Lane and Cole Hutson – went undrafted through two years in the USHL even despite posting 73 points and 83 penalty minutes in 59 games of the 2021-22 season. That scoring was enough to earn a three-year tenure at Boston University, where Hutson’s knack for keeping play alive in the offensive zone showed up big during the Terriers’ run to the 2025 National Championship. BU would ultimately lose that game but Hutson did enough to catch the eye of NHL scouts.
Hutson signed with the Oilers immediately after the National Championship and finished the 2024-25 seaosn in the NHL. He didn’t rack up any scoring, and added one penalty, but his presence in the depth chart nonetheless drew attention. He’s earned it so far this year, leading the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors in scoring with 23 goals and 38 points in 30 games and adding his first NHL goal in four more appearances with the Oilers.
Partway through the year, Hutson appears to be an ace up the Oilers’ sleeve. He has earned call-ups as an injury replacement and fared well in his NHL minutes, even despite the low-scoring. It appears only a matter of time before he receives an extended run in Edmonton’s bottom-six, which could be enough to spark his offense at the top level. That will be the upside Edmonton hopes for as they lock in Hutson for two more seasons, at a relatively cheap price.
Penguins Sign Blake Lizotte To Three-Year Extension
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed depth centerman Blake Lizotte to a three-year, $6.75MM contract extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2.25MM. Lizotte was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, after spending the last two years on a deal that paid $1.85MM annually.
Lizotte has locked in his spot at the bottom of Pittsburgh’s lineup over the last two seasons. He has racked up 10 points in 35 games this season, to go with 19 shot blocks, 32 hits, and 36 shots on goal. He’s proven to be a chippy, defense-first center often tasked with pushing the Penguins out of their own zone. Lizotte ranks second on the team in defensive-zone shift starts, beginning 82.5 percent of all shifts in his own end. Despite that, Lizotte has posted a plus-six on the year – the third-highest plus-minus on the Penguins behind Ryan Shea and Anthony Mantha. Lizotte also has a 51.4 faceoff percentage, third-best among the team’s centers behind Sidney Crosby and Noel Acciari.
His knack on defense has pushed Lizotte into a prime penalty killing role. He leads the Penguins in shorthanded ice-time per-game. He has been on the ice for six power-play goals against, half as many as top penalty-killing defenseman Parker Wotherspoon. Tenacious defense has proven the marker of Lizotte’s eight-year career in the NHL. He has managed a positive plus-minus in half of those seasons, despite a routine presence on his team’s shorthanded units.
Lizotte was signed by the Los Angeles Kings asa a college free agent in 2019. He broke into the NHL right away and earned 23 points, 20 penalty minutes, and a minus-five in his first 65 career games. That was enough to keep Lizotte at the top level through the shortened 2020-21 season, where he added 10 points and a plus-two in 41 games. He continued to improve with the Kings – netting 24 points in 2021-22 and a career-high 34 points in 2022-23. Those numbers began to falter as Lizotte faced injury and healthy scratches in the 2022-23 season. He only scored 15 points in 62 games of the contract year, prompting L.A. to leave Lizotte unqualified for the 2024 summer. The Penguins signed the depth center out of the open market and have kept his NHL streak alive ever since. Through eight years in the pros, the undrafted Lizotte has only appeared in one AHL game.
It seems that streak will continue on as Pittsburgh dedicates more money to Lizotte’s role. Having his chippy, depth presence has helped the Penguins allow the 10th-fewest goals in the NHL this season, after they ranked in the bottom-three last year. He will continue on in a hard-nosed, aggressive role behind Pittsburgh’s young stars as they adjust into the NHL.