Avalanche Recall Taylor Makar
A pair of brothers could soon be getting a chance to play together in the NHL for the first time. The Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Taylor Makar from AHL Colorado. They had two open spots on their active roster, meaning no corresponding move needed to be made to bring him up.
It’s the first recall of Makar’s career. The 24-year-old, the younger brother of star defenseman Cale Makar, was selected by the Avs in the seventh round back in 2021, taking him 220th overall. Makar went on to spend four years in college, three with UMass before transferring to the University of Maine for his senior year, one that saw him record 18 goals and 12 assists. For context, he had a total of 22 points over his first three college campaigns.
That improvement was enough for Colorado to sign Makar to a one-year, entry-level deal for this season. He’s off to a decent start with the Eagles, picking up one goal and three assists in nine games so far this season.
Makar’s recall is likely tied to the fact that winger Gavin Brindley left today’s game against Vegas after taking a hit from Ivan Barbashev and didn’t return. With the Avs only carrying 12 forwards on their active roster before this move, it would appear that Makar would be in line to make his NHL debut if Brindley can’t suit up on Saturday against San Jose.
Devils Sign Jacob Markstrom To Two-Year Extension
After New Jersey re-signed Luke Hughes at the beginning of the month, their focus shifted toward keeping one of their pending UFAs in the fold in goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Those efforts have paid off as the Devils announced that they’ve signed goaltender Jacob Markstrom to a two-year, $12MM contract extension.
The 35-year-old is in his second season with New Jersey after being acquired from Calgary a little before the 2024 draft in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick (used on Cole Reschny) and defenseman Kevin Bahl. The hope was that acquiring him, coupled with the addition of Jake Allen a few months earlier, would help stabilize a goaltending position that had been in some flux for a while.
Mission accomplished on that front. After allowing 281 goals in 2023-24, the Devils cut that amount by 61 last season, allowing the fifth-fewest goals in the league in the process. Markstrom played a big role in that success, posting a 2.50 GAA and a .900 SV% in 49 regular season starts while also putting up a 2.78 GAA and a .911 SV% in their first-round playoff exit at the hands of Carolina. He’s not off to a great start this season, however, with a 5.13 GAA and a .830 SV% in four appearances but he’s also just coming back from a lower-body injury.
Over his 16-year career between Vancouver, Florida, Calgary, and New Jersey, Markstrom has a 243-214-63 record with a 2.72 GAA, a .908 SV%, and 24 shutouts. He has typically been one of the more consistent goalies in recent years, providing a strong return on his current six-year contract, one that expires next summer and also carries a cap hit of $6MM per season. However, the Devils will be responsible for that full amount, unlike now, where the Flames are picking up $1.875MM of Markstrom’s price tag as part of the swap.
A few months ago, New Jersey signed Allen to a five-year deal, a surprising term for someone just a few months younger than Markstrom. But the benefit in doing so was that the cap hit came in at $1.8MM, well below his market value when many expected he’d get more than twice that much per season. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Markstrom’s camp appeared to be looking for something similar, a fixed sum of money but they were open to spreading it out over a longer term like Allen. However, the Devils were firm on a shorter-term agreement, even though it means a higher AAV.
With this deal done, New Jersey now has their goalie tandem intact for the next couple of seasons at a combined $7.8MM price tag, just 7.5% of the projected $104MM Upper Limit for next season. That’s a solid price tag for a capable and experienced tandem, giving GM Tom Fitzgerald a bit of flexibility to work with. With this deal now done, the Devils have a little over $10MM in spending room for next season, per PuckPedia, with pending RFAs Simon Nemec, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Paul Cotter highlighting the list of players in need of new deals over the next ten or so months.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan was the first to report the signing.
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images.
Sabres Recall Isak Rosen, Place Zach Benson On IR
6:34 p.m.: The corresponding move is an injured reserve placement for Zach Benson, who left last night’s loss to the Bruins late in the third period with an undisclosed injury, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News. The IR placement rules him out for the Sabres’ next three games, making him available for activation on Nov. 8. A previous injury has limited the 20-year-old to eight appearances this season, but he’s clicking at a point per game with eight assists.
6:12 p.m.: The Sabres have recalled winger Isak Rosen from AHL Rochester, the team announced. With no open roster spots, there’s a corresponding transaction still to come.
Regardless of whether he’s coming up for an injury concern or another reason, the recall is more than earned. The first month of 2025-26 has marked a breakthrough for Rosen, who’s otherwise failed to establish a clear path to an NHL job since being drafted No. 14 overall in 2021. The 6’0″ winger is currently the AHL’s scoring leader with five goals, seven assists, and 12 points through eight games for Rochester.
That’s not to say Rosen never made any progress in his development. His scoring numbers have steadily increased since arriving in North America in 2022. After posting a 14-23–37 scoring line in 66 appearances in his first season in Rochester, he upped his output to a 20-30–50 line in 67 games in 2023-24 and again to a 28-27–55 line in 61 games last year. It’s been a bit of a slow burn for the talented scorer, but he’s now pushing for a job in a way Buffalo can’t ignore without giving him at least one more chance at making an NHL impact.
But during Rosen’s recalls over the last two years, the Sabres haven’t given him much of a leash. He’s averaged only 9:09 of ice time per game and has only one assist in 15 career appearances as a result. When or if he slots into the lineup this time around, it’ll be telling to see whether head coach Lindy Ruff still buries him in fourth-line minutes or gives him a legitimate look at top-nine duties that he’s better suited for.
Capitals Sign Ivan Miroshnichenko To Two-Year Extension
The Capitals have signed winger Ivan Miroshnichenko to a two-year contract extension, per his representation at Gold Star Hockey. It’s a one-way deal worth $1.85MM for a cap hit of $925,000, per PuckPedia. He is in the final season of his entry-level contract and was set to be a restricted free agent next summer without arbitration rights.
A two-year deal keeps Miroshnichenko signed through the 2027-28 season. He’ll still be a restricted free agent then, too, with three years of team control remaining. This is year three in North America for Miroshnichenko, whom Washington selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 draft. The 6’1″ winger nearly had his hands on an opening-night roster spot this year but was one of their final cuts. Now in his final year of waiver-exempt status, he went without a point in two games with AHL Hershey earlier this month before sustaining an injury that’s kept him out since.
When he gets back on the ice, Miroshnichenko will be looking to continue the momentum from a breakout 2024-25 campaign in Hershey. The physical scoring winger totaled 23 tallies and 42 points in 53 AHL games, leading the club in goals. It was a major breakthrough after he was limited to nine goals and 25 points in 47 appearances for the Bears the year prior.
His transition to the NHL, though, is still coming along. He’s gotten callups of significant length in each of the last two years, totaling 36 appearances. His ice time has been limited, though, averaging 10:51 per game while scoring three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He’s been among Washington’s more physical forwards when on NHL ice, though, averaging two hits per game.
Miroshnichenko’s shooting accuracy against NHL goaltenders is the biggest area where he needs to grow. For someone who will rely on his shot to break into a top-nine role for the Caps in the long term, he’s only finished at a 6.8% clip so far. Getting the puck toward the net hasn’t been a huge issue – he’s averaged 2.7 shot attempts per game in his call-ups – but converting on his chances and creating more high-danger ones is the next step in his development.
It’s hard not to see Miroshnichenko getting a call-up later this season when he’s healthy again. His loss of waiver-exempt status in 2026-27 means he should be penciled into next season’s opening night roster. Washington likely doesn’t want to have him go too long without NHL action if that’s the case.
Canadiens Reassign David Reinbacher, William Trudeau
Oct. 31: Trudeau has cleared waivers and was assigned to Laval, the team announced.
Oct. 30: The Canadiens have made a pair of activations from season-opening injured reserve. Top defense prospect David Reinbacher has been cleared to play and will report to AHL Laval, the club announced. In a separate transaction, they placed defender William Trudeau on waivers for the purposes of assignment to Laval.
Reinbacher, still waiver-exempt, has been out since the early parts of the preseason after he fractured a metacarpal bone in his hand. He was initially expected to miss four weeks, and today’s news comes a few days after that initial timeline.
An opening-night job wasn’t entirely out of the question for Reinbacher, but it was a long shot after the Habs’ big summer splash brought Noah Dobson to Montreal via a sign-and-trade. The injury put the nail in the coffin for his chances. It was the second year in a row that the 2023 No. 5 overall pick sustained a significant injury in training camp. Last year brought surgery on his left knee that delayed his season debut with Laval until February. He managed two goals, three assists, and five points with a +5 rating in 10 games after his return.
He’ll be looking to keep that production up and then some as he eyes his longest stint of hockey in North America yet. Reinbacher spent most of his post-draft year on loan to EHC Kloten of Switzerland’s National League before spending the final few weeks of the campaign with Laval. Accordingly, he only has 21 games of professional experience on this side of the Atlantic. He still has plenty of runway left at age 21, but staying healthy for the rest of the season will be crucial for his chances to make the jump to the NHL as hoped and expected for 2026-27.
As for Trudeau, the 23-year-old is entering his fourth professional season and has now lost his waiver-exempt status. He was held out of training camp with a pectoral muscle injury after re-signing with the Habs on a two-way deal over the summer. Drafted in the fourth round in 2021, the 6’1″ lefty has a 20-50–70 scoring line in 198 career games for Laval with a +16 rating. He’s not more than a depth call-up option at this stage and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.
Wild Activate, Reassign Cameron Butler
The Wild announced yesterday that they’ve activated forward Cameron Butler from season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Iowa Wild. They did that in conjunction with demoting Michael Milne after he cleared waivers. Only defense prospect Stevie Leskovar remains on the non-roster list that Minnesota submitted at the beginning of the month.
Butler will now begin his first season in the Wild organization. They acquired the 6’4″, 209-lb winger from the Blue Jackets in June in exchange for depth forward Brendan Gaunce. The checking-oriented Butler signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and is in the final season of his entry-level contract, so he may be one-and-done in Minnesota and Iowa if they opt not to issue him a qualifying offer at the end of the season.
Things haven’t gone well for Butler on the offensive side of the puck since turning pro. The 23-year-old has just four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 91 career AHL games, all of which came with the Blue Jackets’ affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. He wasn’t a regular in their lineup last season, limited to 37 appearances. He’s racked up plenty of hits and penalty minutes, but his lack of offensive acumen and contribution has led to a -18 rating for his career. In fact, Butler has never been a plus player in a single season on record in his junior or minor league career.
He was still a semi-capable scorer in juniors, though, and Minnesota hopes he can regain some of that confidence in a new environment this season. Butler does have one NHL game to his name, coming in March 2024 with Columbus. He skated just one shift in a shootout win over the Penguins before being returned to the AHL the next day.
It’s not clear what injury was keeping Butler out of the lineup, but he’s now been cleared to return. Whatever it was, it kept him out of entering a preseason game for the Wild as well.
Islanders Recall Calum Ritchie, Assign Marshall Warren
The New York Islanders have swapped promising prospects on the NHL roster. Top center prospect Calum Ritchie has been officially recalled, while defenseman Marshall Warren has been loaned back to the AHL. Ritchie was expected to make his Islanders debut in place of healthy scratch Mathew Barzal on Thursday, but had his travel impeded by weather conditions.
News of Ritchie’s recall will put the Islanders in an interesting position. The rookie had a clear path to an NHL role with Barzal out of the lineup for disciplinary reasons. But New York head coach Patrick Roy is very unlikely to keep his lineup star, and second-highest scorer, out of the lineup for consecutive games. With Barzal back in, the Islanders will need to scratch another forward to make room for Ritchie. Fourth-line centerman Kyle MacLean seems like the most reasonable option to step out, after posting no scoring, 19 penalty minutes, and a minus-five in six games this season. New York could also try to use this as a chance to spur underperforming scorers like Maxim Tsyplakov (one point in eight games) or Anthony Duclair (three points in 10 games).
No matter who they scratch, it’s hard to argue that Ritchie doesn’t deserve a hardy NHL look. He has scored in all three games he’s played with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders this season. That productivity continued even through a day-to-day injury that knocked Ritchie out of the lineup last week. He’s proven to be clearly capable in his first full pro season. Ritchie broke camp with the Colorado Avalanche at the start of the 2024-25 season, and scored one goal in his first seven NHL games before being reassigned to the OHL. His first game with the Islanders will be the two-way centerman’s next chance to prove he can stick in the NHL.
Meanwhile, Warren will head back to the minor-leagues after an exciting start to his pro career. He recorded two assists in his NHL debut last Saturday, and followed it up with a stout, bottom-pair performance on Tuesday. Warren leads Bridgeport in scoring even after a week with the NHL club, with five poitns through four games this season. He’s made confident impacts on both blue-lines this season, using a strong stick and decisive playmaking to take advantage of chances many other depth defenders would miss. Warren scored 17 points in 53 games of his AHL rookie season last year. That makes his jump this year a bit of a surprise, though certainly a welcome one amid an Islanders blue-line that’s struggled to score. A move back to the AHL will give Warren a chance to show he can hold onto his hot scoring beyond a couple of weeks. Should he remain on top of Bridgeport’s scoring, it’d be hard to imagine Warren staying in the minor leagues for long.
Sharks Place Adam Gaudette On IR, Activate Shakir Mukhamadullin
Earlier today, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reported that the San Jose Sharks have placed forward Adam Gaudette on the injured reserve. A few minutes later, Pashelka shared that defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin would be activated from the injured reserve and return to the lineup this evening.
It was a likely outcome for Gaudette considering his expected recovery timeline. After sustaining an upper-body injury against the Minnesota Wild, multiple reports indicated that although he is considered day-to-day, the Sharks expect him to miss at least a week. Assuming that the IR placement will be made retroactive to October 26th, it’s likely that Gaudette will return next Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken.
The 8-year veteran is in the first year of a two-year, $4MM contract signed with the Sharks last summer. He earned himself a notable payday after an impressive 2024-25 campaign, scoring 19 goals in 81 games for the Ottawa Senators. Gaudette quickly became a prime candidate for San Jose to scoop up on the free agent market to add quality goal-scoring potential in their middle-six.
Meanwhile, Mukhamadullin returns after missing the last three weeks with an upper-body injury, only participating in one contest this season. Still, he made a notable difference in that one appearance against the Vegas Golden Knights, tallying two assists while skating in 12:45 of action.
According to line rushes this morning, Mukhamadullin is expected to skate on a defensive pairing with fellow youngster Sam Dickinson. The two are both high-end defensive prospects in San Jose’s system and could offer a glimpse into the team’s future this evening.
Islanders Activate Alexander Romanov, May Recall Calum Ritchie
6:00 p.m.: Ritchie’s debut with the Islanders will have to wait another day. According to ESPN’s John Buccigross, Ritchie’s flight from Bridgeport to Raleigh was cancelled due to inclement weather. Still, there’s a decent chance that Ritchie will be recalled by the Islanders tomorrow night against the Washington Capitals.
3:57 p.m.: The New York Islanders will have a few additions in their matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes this evening. The Islanders announced that they have activated defenseman Alexander Romanov from injured reserve. Additionally, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that forward prospect Calum Ritchie will be recalled and make his Islanders debut.
Assuming that Friedman’s report is accurate, New York will have to make another corresponding transaction to fit Ritchie into the active roster. Ritchie’s recall, along with Romanov’s activation, would put the Islanders at 22 skaters and two goaltenders, one over the 23-man roster limit.
In all likelihood, New York will likely reassign defenseman Marshall Warren, given that he’s one of only three waiver-exempt players on the team. He’s had a solid debut with the Islanders over the last two games, tallying two assists while averaging 12:08 of ice time.
Meanwhile, Romanov has missed the team’s last five games with an upper-body injury. He was eligible to return last Thursday, although recent reports indicated that Romanov would return to the lineup at some point during the team’s current road trip. In his four games before the injury, Romanov went scoreless while averaging 18:12 of ice time, collecting 12 blocked shots and 15 hits.
The most interesting portion of today’s roster moves is the reasoning behind Ritchie’s recall. According to Ethan Sears of the New York Post, the team is benching Mathew Barzal tonight due to his late arrival to the rink. It’ll be the first game that Barzal has missed this season, and he’s currently second on the team in scoring with two goals and eight points in nine games.
Still, the news is fairly bittersweet given that Ritchie is expected to debut. He’s been dealing with a mild lower-body injury recently, but has scored one goal and three points in three games for the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. During preseason action, Ritchie tallied one goal and one assist in four games, averaging 15:24 of ice time. He was the main piece acquired last year in the trade that sent Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche, and New York is hopeful that he’ll become a high-scoring fixture in their top-six.
Sabres To Activate Jordan Greenway
The Sabres are activating forward Jordan Greenway from injured reserve as he makes his season debut tonight against the Bruins, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed (via Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550). Center Noah Ostlund is being returned to AHL Rochester in the corresponding move.
It’s now been more than a seven-month absence for Greenway. His 2024-25 season ended a few weeks early due to a lower-body injury, and he then had follow-up surgery on a previous core muscle injury over the offseason. He underwent that procedure in mid-July, causing him to miss training camp and now nearly the first month of 2025-26.
The 28-year-old will be making his return to the lineup in an unfamiliar position. He’s expected to center a line between Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn, Ruff said yesterday. While Greenway played a bit of center in his junior/college days, it’s not a position he’s logged any significant time at in the NHL. He’s never taken more than 100 faceoffs in a season and hasn’t played a single game down the middle for Buffalo since the Sabres acquired him from the Wild at the 2023 trade deadline.
Greenway is kicking off his ninth season in the league, but has been hampered by injuries for much of his career. He only ever cracked the 70-game mark during his rookie season despite playing a key checking role as a top-nine forward for both Minnesota and Buffalo, essentially from the jump. Last year was one to forget expeditiously for the 6’6″ forward. Multiple injuries limited him to only 34 appearances and his two-way effectiveness was reduced, only notching eight points with a -4 rating. He still managed 100 hits, his fourth straight year at or above the mark, despite the limited time.
Those injury concerns also didn’t stop the Sabres from giving Greenway some security. He inked a two-year, $8MM deal with trade protection back in March to keep him around through the 2026-27 campaign.
With Greenway and defenseman Michael Kesselring coming off IR in the past few days, the Sabres are the healthiest they’ve been all season. They don’t have any defensemen on injured reserve and their total IR count is down to three with Joshua Norris, Justin Danforth, and Tyson Kozak still on the list.
Meanwhile, Ostlund’s first recall of the season ends after 11 days. The 2022 first-round pick slotted into the lineup four times during his summons, but his usage wasn’t tangibly different from the limited minutes he got in an eight-game recall last season. He’s still looking for his first NHL point, although he did show marked improvement defensively. He managed an even rating and 51.4 xGF% at even strength compared to his -6 rating and 37.1 xGF% last year. He was off to a hot start in Rochester with a goal and four assists through four games and will look to pick that back up in the coming days.