Sharks Activate Timothy Liljegren From Injured Reserve
The Sharks announced that defenseman Timothy Liljegren was activated from injured reserve. He’ll re-enter the lineup tonight against the Rangers in place of rookie Sam Dickinson, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now relayed. The club had an open roster spot after reassigning Luca Cagnoni to the AHL on Tuesday.
Liljegren’s absence ends after nine days and three games, just above the IR minimums. He was dealing with an upper-body injury that he sustained on Oct. 14 against the Hurricanes. He landed on IR last week as some other injuries forced San Jose to do some roster shuffling, but they’re back to having a full 23-player contingent with only Shakir Mukhamadullin on IR – at least, among players who aren’t effectively retired.
A first-round pick in the 2017 draft by the Maple Leafs, Liljegren was a two-time 20-point getter for Toronto but slipped down their depth chart to the point where he was a frequent healthy scratch to begin last season. He was traded to San Jose in late October and popped up as a top-four piece in the Bay Area, posting a 6-11–17 scoring line with a -25 rating in 67 appearances while averaging 19:16 of ice time per game. Those raw numbers overshadow what were generally positive under-the-hood numbers for Liljegren, whose 47.2 CF% at 5-on-5 was 2.4 points better than what the team managed to control without him on the ice.
In a three-game sample to begin 2025-26, Liljegren didn’t record a point and logged a minus-two rating but reached new ice-time heights at 20:14 per game. He’s not factoring in on San Jose’s power play like he was last year, but he saw hugely increased shorthanded deployment at three minutes per game. After starting the year alongside Mario Ferraro at even strength, he’ll have a new face to his left tonight in Dmitry Orlov, reports Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest.
Predators Recall Matthew Wood
The Predators announced that winger Matthew Wood has been recalled from AHL Milwaukee. With two open roster spots, no corresponding transaction is required.
Wood, 20, lands an early-season call-up after an injury cost him his chance at making the opening night roster. Nashville’s fifth-ranked prospect and 2023 No. 15 overall pick dealt with a lower-body injury late in camp and was activated from season-opening injured reserve and reassigned to Milwaukee just under two weeks ago. The 6’4″ winger snagged one goal and a minus-one rating in the first two AHL appearances of his career in the meantime.
The Alberta native signed his entry-level deal at the tail end of last season after spending three years in the NCAA, transferring from UConn to Minnesota between his sophomore and junior seasons. He was a star on the Golden Gophers last year, tied for second on the team in scoring with a 17-22–39 line in 39 appearances, pairing well with a +19 rating. He helped guide the school to a Big 10 regular-season title and was part of the honorable mention conference All-Star Team.
After inking his ELC in late March, Wood reported to Nashville and debuted down the stretch. In six games for the Preds, he registered an assist and had eight shots on goal while averaging 11:35 of ice time per game. He’ll now get his second taste of NHL hockey as the Preds cycle their youth early in the year. Gone are other recent first-rounders, Joakim Kemell and Brady Martin, who started the season on the opening night roster. Kemell was sent down to Milwaukee last week while Martin, the reigning fifth overall pick, was returned to juniors yesterday.
The Preds are now back to rostering 13 forwards after spending most of the last 24 hours without carrying an extra one. Wood will draw into the lineup for tonight’s game against the Canucks, head coach Andrew Brunette said (via Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean). Jonathan Marchessault remains on the active roster but will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury, according to the club’s Brooks Bratten.
Maple Leafs Place Chris Tanev On Injured Reserve
The Maple Leafs announced they’ve placed right-shot defender Chris Tanev on injured reserve, retroactive to the club’s 5-2 loss to the Devils on Tuesday. Tanev is dealing with an upper-body injury and will be ineligible for the next three games at a minimum. Lefty Dakota Mermis was called up from the AHL to take Tanev’s spot on the active roster.
Tanev is no stranger to injuries, although he’s had a healthy run in the past few years, playing 70-plus games in three of the last four seasons. Today’s news doesn’t necessarily put that mark in jeopardy. Head coach Craig Berube only called Tanev questionable for Friday’s game against the Sabres when he spoke yesterday and said he was feeling better. While he obviously won’t be playing now, it indicates he’s not expected to miss much time past the seven-day minimum.
Tanev, 36 in December, only logged 5:57 of ice time against New Jersey before leaving the contest. Early in the second period, he was on the receiving end of incidental head-to-head contact with Devils forward Dawson Mercer during a net-front scrum and immediately headed to the locker room (video via TSN). Removing that outlier from the figure, Tanev is averaging around 19:40 of ice time per game – right at the mark he saw last year, his first in Toronto. The 16-year vet landed with the Leafs in free agency in 2024 on a six-year, $27MM pact and has been a top-four fixture ever since. He’s spent most of that time on a pairing with Jake McCabe. The duo is controlling 45.9% of expected goals through seven games, per MoneyPuck, yet they’re still outscoring opponents 3-2 at 5-on-5. That’s down sharply from their 55.1% mark last year, which ranked 14th among 41 pairings to log at least 600 minutes together in 2024-25.
On the scoresheet, the Toronto native had one assist, a plus-three rating, and two hits through seven outings. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has been playing on his off side in third-pairing duties with Simon Benoit, will be the leading candidate to replace Tanev in top-four duties alongside McCabe for the next few games.
It’s unclear if Mermis will get a shot in the lineup. Toronto has been carrying righty Philippe Myers as a healthy extra since the start of the season, but he hasn’t played. Losing a righty to injury would seemingly give the edge to Myers to make his season debut in Buffalo tomorrow.
Mermis, 31, comes up after clearing waivers late in training camp. He re-upped with the Leafs this summer on a two-year, league minimum contract after initially signing a one-year deal with Toronto in 2024. He spent a brief chunk of last season in Utah after they claimed him off waivers, but Toronto grabbed him back when he was exposed on the wire again. He got into four NHL showings, three of which were with the Leafs, with one assist and a minus-two rating. He has 78 career games since debuting with the Coyotes back in 2017-18, carrying a 4-9–13 scoring line with a plus-three rating while averaging 14:30 per game.
Mermis can remain on Toronto’s active roster for up to 30 nonconsecutive days or play 10 games until he needs to clear waivers again to return to the AHL. He’s without a point in two minor-league games to begin the season but has a plus-two rating.
Senators Recall Leevi Merilainen, Reassign Mads Søgaard
The Ottawa Senators are reversing course on a move made just four days ago. According to a team announcement, the Senators have recalled netminder Leevi Merilainen and have assigned Mads Søgaard to the AHL’s Belleville Senators in a corresponding transaction.
It was apparent that Merilainen’s recent demotion was to reinstate some confidence in the young netminder. After winning the backup job out of training camp, Merilainen’s first game this season couldn’t have gone much worse.
He allowed seven goals on 26 shots against the Buffalo Sabres in 58:06 of ice time, translating to a .731 SV% and 7.23 GAA. Furthermore, his Goals Saved Above Average is already -4.4, while his Adjusted Goals Against Average is 8.26.
His first start in the AHL against the Syracuse Crunch was better, but not by much. Merilainen stopped 35 of 40 shots against, earning a .875 SV% and 5.00 GAA. Fortunately, his most recent start was his best of the year, stopping 26 of 28 shots against the Laval Rocket. Ottawa is hopeful that Merilainen’s play against Laval will give him the needed confidence to add more stability in the crease.
Meanwhile, Søgaard didn’t feature in any games for the Senators over the brief recall. He’s appeared in two games for AHL Belleville this year, managing a 0-1-1 record with a .864 SV% and 2.94 GAA.
The performance of Ottawa’s potential backup netminders wouldn’t be as important a storyline if not for the disappointing play of Linus Ullmark to begin the 2025-26 season. Acquired before last season to give the Senators a legitimate starting option, Ullmark earned a 25-14-3 record in 44 games with a .909 SV% and 2.27 GAA, helping Ottawa reach the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Ottawa hasn’t even gotten average production from him this season. Ullmark has gotten off to a 2-3-1 record through his first six starts with an .854 SV% and 3.80 GAA, and a disastrous -7.3 GSAA. Hopefully, Ullmark can turn his season around relatively soon, so Ottawa can take more pressure off Merilainen.
Islanders Place Alexander Romanov On IR
According to a team announcement, the New York Islanders have placed defenseman Alexander Romanov on injured reserve with an upper-body injury (retroactive to October 16th). Romanov has missed the Islanders’ past two contests and is eligible for activation tomorrow.
Moving Romanov to the IR gives New York an open roster spot to recall another defenseman. Further, once Marc Gatcomb clears waivers and is reassigned to AHL Bridgeport, or is claimed by another team, they’ll have the cap space to make a pair of recalls. According to PuckPedia, the Islanders currently have approximately $706K in cap space and would have around $1.6MM if Gatcomb clears.
Before suffering the upper-body injury, Romanov had been largely unnoticeable for New York this year. He went scoreless in the team’s first four games with a -3 rating, averaging 18:12 of ice time per game. He had a relatively solid 50.7% CorsiFor% at even strength, though his 85.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength left much to be desired.
Although Romanov is expected to return relatively soon, there has been much speculation on whom the Islanders will eventually recall to replace him. Blueliner Marshall Warren, who’s never debuted in the NHL, is one of the most popular choices, given that he’s scored two goals and five points in four games with AHL Bridgeport.
Meanwhile, Isaiah George‘s familiar face has been floated as another potential recall, though he hasn’t gotten off to a particularly positive start in the AHL this season. Further, Cole McWard, who won a Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks last season, has tallied two goals in four games and is another recall candidate.
Minor Transactions: 10/22/2025
It’s a lighter night on the NHL calendar, with just three games to be played. Recent waiver claim Colten Ellis will receive his first NHL start tonight as the Buffalo Sabres take on the 5-1-0 Detroit Red Wings, in a game that will be nationally broadcast in the United States. In Newark, the Devils will host the Wild, while the Canadiens face the Calgary Flames in a rematch of the 1986 and 1989 Stanley Cup Finals.
While teams around the hockey world play out the early portion of their season, there is still quite a bit of activity in terms of player movement. Here is a rundown of the notable player transactions from around the world of professional hockey:
- Former NHL forward Jean-Sebastien Dea has signed a contract with Eisbären Berlin of the DEL, the top pro hockey league in Germany. It was announced yesterday that Dea’s contract with his former club Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk had been terminated amidst the forward’s poor start to the season. Dea had just three points through 16 games in Russia this season, after scoring 16 goals and 31 points last season, good for fourth on Nizhnekamsk in scoring. A former QMJHL star, Dea went undrafted and worked his way up from the ECHL to the NHL, eventually playing in 37 total games in the world’s top league. He left for the KHL in 2023-24 after scoring 50 points in the AHL the year prior, and after playing just over two years in the KHL, he’s now set to begin his tenure in Germany.
- Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, the Vegas Golden Knights’ top draft choice at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, was loaned by his SHL side Luleå HF to IF Björklöven, a side in HockeyAllsvenskan, the Swedish second division. The 55th overall pick of last year’s draft, Ihs-Wozniak scored 57 points in just 40 games at the J20 Nationell level last season, but only managed two points in 13 games whilst playing for Luleå’s senior team. Ihs-Wozniak was once again struggling to get consistent opportunities in the SHL with Luleå, so they’ve elected to loan him to a lower division, likely so he can develop with more consistent ice time. Ihs-Wozniak made his debut for Björklöven earlier today and scored a goal in the team’s 5-2 win over Almtuna IS.
- Former AHL forward Erik Brown has signed a contract in Germany, landing with Düsseldorfer EG of the second-tier DEL2. Per the team’s release, Brown had been with the team since August, participating in training camp and preseason. Now, the former RIT captain has signed a full-time contract. Brown was an AHL regular from late in the 2018-19 season through 2022-23, ultimately scoring 11 goals and 26 points across 98 total regular-season games. He left the AHL to sign in the Finnish Liiga in 2023-24, scoring seven points in 12 games for Sport. He signed in Germany for 2024-25 and scored eight points in 32 games for the Frankfurt Lions. Düsseldorf have fallen rapidly over the last two years – they made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23, but missed the playoffs in 2023-24 and were relegated from the DEL last season. Now, this signing of Brown adds an experienced pro player to help them make their push for promotion back to Germany’s top division.
- The NCAA’s St. Cloud State University has obtained a commitment from 20-year-old defenseman Nolan Stevenson, who currently captains the Penticton Vees of the WHL. Stevenson is a 6’2 right-shot blueliner who was a 2020 fourth-round pick of the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL Prospects Draft, but elected to take the BCHL route in junior hockey, likely to preserve his NCAA eligibility. At the time, CHL players were ineligible to play in college hockey, but that restriction is no longer in place, which was also a factor in the Vees’ elevation from the BCHL to the WHL. Stevenson has skated in 11 WHL games for the Vees so far, scoring six points. He led the team’s blueliners in scoring last season with 39 points in 51 games.
- A trade was completed in the USHL today, with the Sioux City Musketeers sending forward George Lovell to the Omaha Lancers in exchange for forward Dakotah Bailey. It’s a swap between teams who have each endured (varying degrees of) sub-par starts to their respective USHL campaigns. The Musketeers are 3-5-1 and have acquired Bailey, 17, who has scored three points in eight games so far this season. Bailey is repped by Newport Sports Management and split last season between the USHL and NAHL. The Lancers are 2-9 through 11 games this season and have added Lovell, an ASU commit who had one goal in five games for Sioux City this season.
- On Monday, Italian international Giordano Finoro agreed to a mutual contract termination with IF Troja-Ljungby, the HockeyAllsvenskan club he began the season playing for. Today, the EIHL’s Fife Flyers announced that Finoro signed a contract with the club, confirming where Finoro would continue his 2025-26 campaign. The 27-year-old center was described by Fife as “a two-way centre and energy forward,” and brings to Scotland a solid track record for their league’s level of competition. Finoro was once a point-per-game player for Asiago in the ICEHL, a league made up of mostly top Austrian clubs and other teams in Central Europe. He wasn’t able to make his mark in Sweden, but was also an impact player in the late 2010’s in the QMJHL, and could very well make an impact for the Flyers. The Flyers could certainly use the reinforcement, as they currently sit last in the EIHL standings with an 0-5 record in league play.
New Jersey Devils Announce Multiple Roster Moves
The New Jersey Devils are getting a major scoring boost to their middle-six forward group tonight. According to a team announcement, the team has activated and reassigned defenseman Seamus Casey, placed forward Juho Lammikko on the injured reserve, and activated forward Stefan Noesen from the injured reserve.
Noesen had been recovering from an offseason groin injury, one that required a small procedure. Although he didn’t play in the Devils’ win last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, there was growing optimism that Noesen would return relatively soon since he practiced with the team on Monday.
New Jersey may not trust him for second-line duties out of the gate, though his natural fit is on the right wing next to Nico Hischier. Last year, his first with the Devils since the 2018-19 campaign, Noesen had a career year, scoring 22 goals and 41 points in 78 games. Considering the team suffered multiple injuries last year, Noesen offered valuable secondary scoring for a relatively low cost.
The Devils will likely ease Noesen into the lineup, starting him on the fourth line instead of the recently recalled Brian Halonen. Assuming his transition back to the roster goes well, Noesen will be back on the second line, replacing Dawson Mercer, in no time.
The other two transactions are relatively inconsequential. Casey began the year on the Devils season-opening injured reserve due to a lower-body injury, but had no place on the roster upon his return, given New Jersey already has seven capable defensemen. He’ll start his season with the AHL’s Utica Comets, where he scored three goals and 18 points in 30 games last year.
Meanwhile, Lammikko lands on the IR without having played a game with the Devils this season. The Noormarkku, Finland native joined the Devils from the NL’s ZSC Lions this summer after scoring 48 goals and 112 points in 144 games over three years with the Lions.
Kings Place Pheonix Copley On Waivers
A week after acquiring him from the Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations, the Los Angeles Kings are attempting to pass netminder Pheonix Copley through waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
It’s the second time this month that the Kings are trying to send Copley through the waiver wire. Earlier in October, when it was clear that Copley wouldn’t make the team out of training camp, the Kings placed Copley on waivers when the Lightning ultimately claimed him.
Despite the multiple transactions, Copley has yet to play a game this year. Although starting netminder Darcy Kuemper briefly went down with an injury, Los Angeles opted to utilize Anton Forsberg in his stead, negating any reason to use Copley.
If he clears waivers and he’s subsequently reassigned, Copley will return to a familiar environment. He spent much of last season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, recording a 24-17-1 record in 42 games with a .904 SV% and 2.49 GAA.
Fortunately, there aren’t a lot of hypothetical landing spots for Copley on the waiver wire. The Vegas Golden Knights could be a possibility, given that Adin Hill isn’t expected to travel with the team on their current road trip. Furthermore, the Ottawa Senators, who have gotten disastrous play between the pipes in the early games of the 2025-26 season, may be looking for anything to gain some stability in the crease.
Islanders Place Marc Gatcomb On Waivers
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the New York Islanders have placed depth forward Marc Gatcomb on waivers. The team will reassign him to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders tomorrow if he clears waivers.
Today’s waiver placement isn’t as much of a condemnation of Gatcomb’s play as it is a recognition of his spot on the totem pole. The Islanders desperately need to recall a defenseman due to Alexander Romanov‘s recent struggles with injuries. Other than Kyle MacLean, Gatcomb has one of the likeliest chances to pass through waivers unscathed.
Gatcomb had only skated in one game for the Islanders this year, skating in 8:33 of action. Although he didn’t register any points, he made himself known in the October 11th matchup against the Washington Capitals, laying seven hits on the opposition.
Regardless, it’s probably not the last time we’ll see him with New York this season. Gatcomb split the season last year, scoring eight goals and one assist in 39 NHL games, with another nine goals and 17 points in 35 AHL contests. A year before, he scored nine goals and 20 points in 61 games for the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks.
Once Gatcomb is off the active roster tomorrow, either through reassignment or a waiver claim, it’s expected that the Islanders will recall Isaiah George or Marshall Warren to replace Romanov in the active lineup.
Mammoth Place Andrew Agozzino On Waivers
The Mammoth announced Wednesday that they’ve placed forward Andrew Agozzino on waivers. If he clears on Thursday, he’ll head to AHL Tucson.
Utah will have an open roster spot either today or tomorrow, depending on whether they move Agozzino to the non-roster list while he’s on waivers. They have a few players on injured reserve, including forward Alexander Kerfoot, who was listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury at the beginning of training camp. If he’s nearing a return, that could be the impetus for Agozzino’s waiver placement.
Agozzino, 34, made an NHL opening night roster for the first time in his 15-year professional career this fall. He has 53 games of NHL experience, but before this year, he hadn’t touched NHL ice since March 2023 with the Sharks. The 5’10” winger signed a two-year, two-way deal with Utah in 2024 and played out last season with Tucson, recording 20 goals and 43 points in 55 games.
The Ontario native has long been a premier point producer in the minors. In a remarkable 791 career AHL games, second-most among active NHL/AHLers, he has a 265-358–623 scoring line. That’s quite the career for an undrafted player, who first landed a pro contract from the Avalanche’s minor-league affiliate back in 2012. Utah is his sixth NHL organization, following stops in Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Ottawa, and San Jose.
Agozzino appeared in the Mammoth’s first two games of the season but hasn’t played since, sitting as a scratch in five straight. He went 3-for-7 on faceoffs and averaged just 6:08 of ice time per game, staying off the scoresheet aside from a block and four hits. Utah was out-attempted 14-5 at even strength in his limited minutes.