Penguins Place Rutger McGroarty On IR, Assign Harrison Brunicke To Juniors
The Penguins have placed forward Rutger McGroarty on injured reserve, per a team announcement. McGroarty sustained a concussion after colliding with teammate Connor Clifton during Tuesday’s practice. As such, there is no timeline for his return, the team noted. Additionally, the Pens announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Harrison Brunicke to the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers after he suited up for Team Canada at this year’s World Juniors.
McGroarty entered the season as Pittsburgh’s top prospect but has had a rocky few months. After churning out 39 points in 60 AHL games as a rookie last season and making his NHL debut, he was expected to break camp with the Pens – potentially even in a top-six role – but sustained an upper-body injury that knocked him out of training camp. He was activated in November and spent his first couple of weeks in the minors on what was essentially a conditioning stint before getting added back to Pittsburgh’s roster on Dec. 1.
He’s been a staple in the lineup since returning, at least until his healthy scratch on Sunday against the Blue Jackets, but those designs of a top-six role have gone unfulfilled. McGroarty has instead spent most of his time on an all-rookie third line with Ville Koivunen and Benjamin Kindel, but the production hasn’t popped.
In 16 games, the 21-year-old has been limited to two goals and one assist with a -5 rating. Including last year’s late-season call-up, he’s only produced six points in 24 career outings. That line with Koivunen and Kindel has had great possession impacts, recording a team-high 59.8 xGF% at 5-on-5, but that hasn’t yet translated into results.
Any chance of those advanced numbers spiking a turnaround in McGroarty’s scoring will have to be put on hold. Recent trade pickup Yegor Chinakhov has slotted into McGroarty’s spot and, considering he’s got a goal and an assist in three games since his acquisition from Columbus, appears set to remain in a top-nine role for the foreseeable future.
Brunicke returning to juniors isn’t a surprise, especially with the more experienced Jack St. Ivany locking down a job as Pittsburgh’s third-pairing righty behind Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang since recovering from an early-season injury. Many still view the 19-year-old as the organization’s top defense prospect, but his initial NHL showing wasn’t much to write home about.
The 6’3″, 201-lb righty was in and out of the lineup for weeks before being loaned to the Canadian national junior team last month, only making nine appearances with one assist and a -4 rating. He averaged 15:43 of ice time per game and posted a -6 rating in his final three outings.
Since Brunicke didn’t hit the 10-game mark before being returned to Kamloops, his entry-level contract will not go into effect this season. He will still receive the $87.5K signing bonus he’s owed, though, further reducing his cap hit from its original $875K down to $816.7K when he is no longer slide eligible next year.
CHL Transaction Roundup: Cootes, Alcos, Battaglia, Radkov
The trade deadlines in the three CHL leagues are fast approaching and there has been a significant uptick in transactions in recent days. Here’s a rundown of some recent moves around the various leagues involving NHL-drafted players.
- Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes is on the move as WHL Prince Albert announced that they’ve acquired him from Seattle in a 12-piece swap. Cootes, the 15th overall pick last June, got into three games with Vancouver to start the season before being sent back to the Thunderbirds where he was quite productive with 23 points in 17 games. Most recently, Cootes played for Canada at the World Juniors, collecting two goals in seven contests.
- Another Canucks youngster was dealt as WHL Kelowna picked up defenseman Parker Alcos from Edmonton, per a team release. The blueliner was a sixth-round pick in 2024 and has 14 points in 31 games so far this season. Vancouver has until June 1st to sign him or they’ll lose his rights, meaning this stretch run will be particularly important for Alcos.
- Flames 2024 second-rounder Jacob Battaglia has been acquired by OHL Flint, per a team release. The Firebirds are sending eight draft picks to Kingston in return for the forward. The 19-year-old has 14 goals and 13 assists in 36 games this season. Battaglia will be eligible to play full-time in the AHL next season, making him a particularly expensive rental player.
- QMJHL Saint John announced that they’ve acquired Canadiens prospect Arseni Radkov from Blainville-Boisbriand. The goaltender was a third-round pick last June, going 82nd overall and is in his first and only season at the junior level. He has a 3.01 GAA and a .894 SV% in 23 games so far this season. Radkov is committed to play at UMass next season.
Maple Leafs Activate Brandon Carlo From Injured Reserve
5:00 p.m.: Toronto officially announced Carlo’s activation, assigning Marshall Rifai to AHL Toronto instead as the corresponding move. McCabe remains on the active roster.
11:44 a.m.: The Maple Leafs will reinstate defenseman Brandon Carlo from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Panthers, head coach Craig Berube told reporters (including David Alter of The Hockey News). Toronto will need to make a corresponding move, although with fellow rearguard Jake McCabe injured and likely to miss a week with a lower-body injury, he’ll likely take Carlo’s IR spot.
The Leafs have been without Carlo for the majority of the season. Back on Nov. 13 against the Kings, he blocked a shot with his foot that knocked him out of the lineup. He was initially listed as day-to-day but sustained a setback in early December that resulted in surgery. He was expected back sometime in mid-January, so today’s activation comes ahead of schedule.
Yesterday, Berube clarified that Carlo’s setback was an infection in his ankle that had impacted initial recovery (per Anna Dua of Sportsnet). That stemmed from a left ankle fracture he had with the Bruins in 2018, so his recent procedure also addressed that clean-up.
While he’s been gone, the club has gained some ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but not much. They’re 11-7-5 in 23 games without him after starting 8-8-2. They’re only four points out of a spot, but their 19-15-7 record on the whole is still third-worst in the conference amid a tightly-packed picture.
With other injuries continuing to mount on Toronto’s blue line, the importance of Carlo’s return can’t be overstated. The big shutdown D wasn’t off to the best start, only controlling 42.8% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 with two assists through 18 games, but he’s a big part of the Leafs’ penalty kill and averages 20 minutes per game. With the Leafs’ top shutdown pair of McCabe and Chris Tanev out of the lineup, Carlo returning to be a stabilizing factor alongside Morgan Rielly will help them avoid overtaxing overutilized depth options like Simon Benoit and Philippe Myers.
Oilers Activate Kasperi Kapanen, Move Tristan Jarry To LTIR
The Oilers announced they’ve activated right winger Kasperi Kapanen from long-term injured reserve, allowing him to return to the lineup for tonight’s game against Nashville. To remain cap-compliant, the club shifted goaltender Tristan Jarry from standard IR to LTIR. Edmonton had an open roster spot after reassigning Quinn Hutson to AHL Bakersfield yesterday, so no corresponding move was required.
Kapanen sustained a lower-body injury when he missed a check in a game against the Red Wings on Oct. 19 and crashed into the boards. He was initially expected to miss about a month, but essentially reset his return timeline when he re-aggravated the injury in practice in November. He played in six straight to open the season, mainly in bottom-six duties. He’ll be getting a bump to the second line in his return, though, as he skated alongside Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin in this morning’s practice (via Tony Brar of Oilers TV).
While the Oilers have struggled to get offense out of their left wingers and centers lower in the lineup, their right wing depth has been a strong suit. Kapanen’s return will at least momentarily bump Jack Roslovic to a third-line job with Isaac Howard and Adam Henrique. They’re hoping Roslovic, who has 20 points in 29 games and is among Edmonton’s best finishers this year at 18.5%, can help spread the wealth and give them a third line that’s a legitimate threat to score.
Kapanen, 29, appeared in 57 games last season after being claimed off waivers from the Blues. He scored five goals and 13 points but ended up with a team-worst -16 rating despite his possession numbers not painting him as a severe defensive liability. It was the speedster’s playoff performance, scoring three goals and six points in 12 games on the Oilers’ march to the Stanley Cup Final, that earned him a one-year extension worth $1.3MM.
The Finn had two assists in six games to start this season. He’ll be looking to build on that total starting tonight and has a great opportunity alongside Draisaitl, although the German superstar has gone cold with no goals in his last four and just one assist in his last three.
As for Jarry, Edmonton’s new starter has already missed seven games with a lower-body injury. The shift to LTIR rules him out for at least another three. He’ll be eligible for activation prior to their Jan. 12 game against the Blackhawks.
Blue Jackets Sign Egor Zamula
It didn’t take long for defenseman Egor Zamula to find a new home after having his contract terminated by the Penguins today. He’ll be sticking in the Metropolitan Division with the Blue Jackets, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Per PuckPedia, it’s a one-year deal worth a prorated $1MM salary. The team quickly made his deal official.
Zamula, 25, will step back into an NHL role with Columbus, ending a weeks-long saga about his future. After lengthy runs in the press box with the Flyers to begin the season, he landed on waivers in December and cleared. He initially reported to AHL Lehigh Valley, but the Flyers were working to either terminate his contract – something they could only do if he refused to report – or find a trade partner.
On New Year’s Eve, he was shipped to the Penguins for winger Philip Tomasino. With Pittsburgh then opting to keep him in the minors instead of recalling him, he immediately refused to report to their AHL affiliate and was suspended without pay. He became an unrestricted free agent today after clearing unconditional waivers, walking away from the rest of the two-year, $3.4MM deal he signed in 2024.
His agent, Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein, said today that “all parties we spoke to were fully informed of the player’s position, including Pittsburgh.”
After recording one assist and a +4 rating in 13 games for Philadelphia earlier this season, the 6’3″ lefty will immediately get increased opportunity on a Columbus blue line that’s missing depth options Erik Gudbranson and Brendan Smith. Even when those names are back in the mix, with youngster Denton Mateychuk now shifting to his off-side full-time, Zamula is a natural candidate to supplant the struggling Jake Christiansen as the lefty option on the Jackets’ third pairing.
The Russian rearguard will have some support from countrymen Ivan Provorov, Kirill Marchenko, and Dmitri Voronkov in Columbus. He kicks off his Blue Jackets tenure with eight goals and 41 points in 168 career games.
Penguins, Egor Zamula Terminate Contract
Jan. 6, 1:04 p.m.: Zamula has cleared waivers and is now an unrestricted free agent, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’s expected to sign another NHL deal this week with at least six teams expressing interest, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
Jan. 5, 1:10 p.m.: Zamula has officially hit unconditional waivers, per Frank Seravalli of Victory+.
Jan. 5, 11:28 a.m.: The Penguins are set to place defenseman Egor Zamula on unconditional waivers on Monday, PuckPedia reports. He will have his contract terminated if he clears tomorrow, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Zamula was suspended without pay on Saturday for refusing to report to Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Russian rearguard had been acquired just days before from the Flyers in exchange for winger Philip Tomasino.
It’s not surprising to see Zamula opt for a contract termination, although few expected it to happen after a trade. Zamula cleared standard waivers while with Philadelphia and initially reported to their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, where he remained assigned at the time of the swap. The 25-year-old then quickly changed his agents and was reportedly considering triggering a contract termination by failing to report, with the Flyers being open to taking a forward contract back in a separate trade for future considerations.
That was, of course, assuming Zamula signed with said team after clearing unconditional waivers with the Flyers. Since he was traded before hitting the wire, Pittsburgh will now have parted ways with Tomasino without getting anything out of Zamula in his brief time under contract with the organization.
Zamula will be walking away from about half of the $1.4MM base salary he was owed this season. There is still interest in his services from other NHL teams, and he’s expected to quickly sign a new deal – likely for the prorated league minimum – quickly after becoming a free agent tomorrow, per PuckPedia.
The 6’3″, 200-lb lefty will bring an 8-33–41 career scoring line in 168 NHL games to the open market. That includes one assist and a +4 rating in 13 appearances with the Flyers earlier this year.
Ducks Recall Ville Husso On Emergency Basis
The Ducks announced they’ve recalled goaltender Ville Husso from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls on an emergency basis. They have an open roster spot with Frank Vatrano on injured reserve, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.
Husso will dress in place of Petr Mrázek tonight against the Flyers. Mrázek sustained an undisclosed injury during yesterday’s 7-4 loss to the Capitals and was relieved by Lukáš Dostál at the second intermission after he allowed five goals on 24 shots.
The 30-year-old has received plenty of NHL action already as Anaheim’s third-stringer. He was relied upon heavily for a stretch in December while both Dostál and Mrázek were on injured reserve, posting a 5-3-1 record with a 3.25 GAA and .884 SV% in eight starts and one relief appearance. He allowed 3.3 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck, but that’s a better cumulative figure than what Dostál and Mrázek have put up. The former’s play has taken a nosedive since returning from his upper-body injury, posting a 2-5-1 record and a garish .842 SV% in his last nine.
Husso is the highest-priced No. 3 in the league after signing a two-year extension with a $2.2MM cap hit last summer. He was previously acquired from the Red Wings midway through 2024-25. He’s also one of the most experienced ones, however. He’s taken the ice 154 times since debuting with the Blues in 2020 and has a 76-49-20 career record with seven shutouts, a 3.06 GAA, and a .901 SV%.
In on-and-off action with San Diego this year, Husso has a .903 SV%, 2.55 GAA, 8-6-3 record, and three shutouts in 17 outings.
Lightning Recall Simon Lundmark
The Lightning recalled defenseman Simon Lundmark from AHL Syracuse, per a team press release. He takes the roster spot of Maxim Groshev, who was sent down to Syracuse on Monday.
Lundmark, 25, had been a frequent presence in the Jets’ farm system before being non-tendered last summer and signing a two-year, two-way contract with Tampa Bay. From 2021-25, he made 254 appearances for AHL Manitoba with 16 goals, 46 assists, 62 points (0.24 per game), 82 penalty minutes, and a -38 rating. Drafted as a relatively strong two-way prospect, he was a second-rounder in 2019 but didn’t show enough in a poor development environment in Winnipeg to ever get an NHL chance.
The move to the Bolts organization hasn’t changed his fortunes yet. He’s suited up 27 times for Syracuse with only five assists and a -1 rating. He was recalled once in November as an emergency injury replacement option, but didn’t get into a game.
The 6’2″ righty now gets another shot to serve as a press-box option for Tampa as they rotate their minor-league depth in and out of healthy extra duty. With Victor Hedman, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, and Ryan McDonagh all still out for several games, that practice will continue for a while.
Senators Recall Mads Sogaard
The Senators have recalled goaltender Mads Søgaard from AHL Belleville, per a team announcement. He replaces Hunter Shepard, who was reassigned to Belleville in the corresponding move, as Ottawa’s interim No. 2 option while Linus Ullmark is away from the club.
Søgaard, 25, has seen at least one start for the Sens in each of the last four seasons but has failed to make a meaningful leap on Ottawa’s depth chart. The Sens selected him 37th overall in 2019 as the third goalie off the board, following Spencer Knight and Pyotr Kochetkov, but he appears to have topped out as a No. 3/4 option.
The big Dane checks in at 6’7″ and 231 lbs, a frame that has likely kept him under NHL consideration longer than his numbers would have dictated otherwise. After appearing to break out with a .916 SV% in 32 games with Belleville in 2023-24, he spent most of last year on the injured list and only had a .858 mark while going winless in eight appearances. This season, he’s been limited to a .887 SV%, 3.49 GAA, one shutout, and a 2-8-3 record in 15 games.
With a .879 SV% in 29 career NHL appearances, he doesn’t offer a ton of intrigue as a short-term backup option, either. While Ottawa has had goaltending problems all year with Ullmark churning out a .881 SV% and a league-worst -18.3 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck, the options behind him aren’t any better. Leevi Merilainen, their top name for the time being, has a .867 mark and -11.8 GSAx in just 14 games. Shepard, 30, allowed two goals on 12 shots in relief of Merilainen in Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Red Wings.
Red Wings Reassign Nate Danielson
The Red Wings announced they’ve reassigned center Nate Danielson to AHL Grand Rapids. They’re left with an open roster spot.
Danielson, the ninth overall pick in 2023, is in his second pro season. He didn’t make the opening night roster, in part due to an undisclosed injury that kept him out until late October. When he got his season underway, he racked up a goal and four assists in four games with Grand Rapids before getting his first NHL recall on Nov. 9.
The 21-year-old had remained on the Wings’ roster ever since, but his usage and production have begun to slip. He was a healthy scratch in Monday’s 5-3 win over the Senators for the first time after making 28 straight appearances to start his call-up. He ends his first stint on Detroit’s roster on an 11-game pointless streak, totaling two goals, five assists, seven points, and a -7 rating while averaging 11:03 of ice time per game. The Wings only scored 1.37 goals per 60 with Danielson on the ice at 5-on-5, the second-worst figure among Detroit forwards (min. 100 minutes).
Drafted as a playmaking, two-way center, he needs more time to bake in the AHL before he’s ready to capture the offensive ceiling expected of a top-10 pick. Few were expecting him to spend this much time in the NHL this season anyway after he posted a relatively modest 12-27–39 scoring line in 71 games with Grand Rapids last year.
Veteran farmhand John Leonard‘s emergence and subsequent push up Detroit’s depth chart also played a role in Danielson losing his grip on top-nine minutes. Even if Detroit prefers to carry a full roster when everyone is healthy, keeping Danielson around as a healthy extra instead of letting him push to improve his production in the AHL in the second half does very little for his development.