Devils Activate Johnathan Kovacevic Off IR
The Devils are now fully healthy on the back end, at least among their NHL defenders. The team announced that Johnathan Kovacevic has been activated off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, Anton Silayev has been returned to AHL Utica after being a paper recall for LTIR optimization purposes on Friday.
The 29-year-old started the season on injured reserve after undergoing a minor procedure in his right knee this offseason. He was expected to be a limited participant in training camp but evidently, the recovery took a little longer.
Kovacevic is entering his third season with New Jersey after being acquired from Montreal back in 2024. The first of those years, 2024-25, went quite well. He played in a career-high 81 games while logging just shy of 20 minutes per game of ice time, earning himself a five-year, $20MM extension for his efforts.
Last season didn’t go so great, however. Kovacevic missed 44 games due to a knee injury and was also scratched for a handful of other contests as head coach Sheldon Keefe juggled having seven healthy quality defenders, a situation he will now be navigating again. With the reduced role, Kovacevic managed just eight assists in 34 games while averaging nearly two minutes less per game of playing time.
Team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that Kovacevic wasn’t quite ready to suit up this afternoon against Vancouver. However, Keefe expects to have the veteran back in his lineup in the near future.
Canadiens Notes: Injured Reserve Placements, Daigneault, Deakos
While not announced by the team, the Canadiens have placed goaltender Sam Montembeault and center Oliver Kapanen on injured reserve, according to the NHL’s Media Site. Montembeault sustained a lower-body injury in practice on Wednesday, preventing him from getting his first start of the season the next night. It was noted on Friday that the injury isn’t believed to be too serious but will sideline him for the next 10 to 14 days.
As for Kapanen, he has yet to play this season while dealing with a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old had a strong rookie season, potting 22 goals and 15 assists in 82 games last season while averaging over 14 minutes per night, though he was used more sparingly in the playoffs. Assuming they backdated the placement to the start of the season, Kapanen will be eligible to be activated at any time.
At the moment, the Canadiens are operating with two open roster spots as a result of the move. While they’re getting Kaiden Guhle back tonight, they’re also missing winger Florian Xhekaj due to an undisclosed injury, meaning they don’t have any spare healthy skaters. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see at least one player recalled in the coming days.
More from Montreal:
- Prospect Jean-Samuel Daigneault is on the move in the OHL as the league announced that the blueliner was moved from Brantford to North Bay for a pair of draft picks. The Canadiens drafted Daigneault in the seventh round back in June, picking him 221st overall. Daigneault spent last season with USHL Muskegon in a limited role, then saw limited action with the Bulldogs to start this season as he dressed in just four of eight games. The move should give him a chance to play more of a full-time role the rest of the season.
- Another 2026 selection has made his college commitment. Tyler Deakos, the final selection of the draft in June, announced on his Instagram page that he will play for the University of Massachusetts. While the starting year wasn’t specified, it’s likely to be next season. Deakos had 17 points in 19 games with USHL Waterloo in an injury-shortened campaign and is off to a good start this year with WHL Penticton, notching two goals and four assists in eight games.
Sharks Activate Adam Gaudette Off IR
The Sharks are welcoming back one of their depth scorers. The team announced (Twitter link) that forward Adam Gaudette has been activated off injured reserve. A roster spot was created when Brett Leason cleared waivers and was assigned to AHL San Jose on Friday.
Two years ago with Ottawa, Gaudette had a breakout year of sorts. Despite still primarily playing on the fourth line, he potted 19 goals and seven assists in a contract year. That helped earn him a two-year, $4MM pact with San Jose in 2025.
Given that he had basically been a depth piece for several years before then, it was unclear how Gaudette would fare in a new role on a new team and if the breakout was repeatable. It turns out it was. In 66 games with the Sharks last season, the 30-year-old potted 17 goals and eight helpers in just 11:25 of ice time per night. Had he been available for all 82 games, he plausibly could have had a shot at a 20-goal year despite limited minutes.
It will be interesting to see if Gaudette has the same opportunities he did a year ago. San Jose has added Mason Marchment and Ivar Stenberg to the mix, while Igor Chernyshov is presumably up for the full year now instead of spot minutes at times last season. That could make even seeing the limited power play minutes Gaudette had last year more difficult to come by.
This is the final season of Gaudette’s contract and he’ll once again be an unrestricted free agent in July. If he can find a way to stay even as similarly productive as the last two seasons in the bottom six once again, it seems likely that he’ll have a considerably stronger market next summer compared to 2025. That said, he was a healthy scratch this afternoon against Edmonton so he’s going to have some work to do to get back in the lineup first.
Dillon Dube Out At Least Eight Weeks
The Blues will be down one of their depth forwards for the foreseeable future. The team announced today that Dillon Dube will miss at least eight weeks due to a neck injury sustained on Thursday night. Notably, the press release indicated that Dube will be re-evaluated at that time, suggesting the absence could be longer.
The 28-year-old is in his first season with St. Louis. After he was cleared to play following the Hockey Canada trial, Dube inked an AHL contract with their affiliate in Springfield and was rather productive for them, tallying 20 goals and 17 assists in just 46 games. That performance was good enough to earn him a one-year, one-way deal worth the league minimum salary of $850K.
Dube played in three of the first four games for the Blues this season in a limited role. He picked up one goal in those contests, a shorthanded tally, while also notching three hits in 11:32 per game of ice time. For his career, Dube has 58 goals and 70 assists in 328 games across parts of seven seasons.
Given the extended absence, it’s likely that Dube will be placed on injured reserve in the near future. St. Louis already has one open roster spot and adding Dube to IR will give them a second one. They’re now down to just 12 healthy forwards so it’s quite likely that a forward will be recalled from the Thunderbirds soon.
The injury bug has not been kind to St. Louis in the early going this season, testing their depth. Dube joins winger Alexey Toropchenko along with defensemen Logan Mailloux and Tyler Tucker as players who will be out for several more weeks at a minimum.
Flyers Announce Several Injury Updates
In advance of this afternoon’s game against Boston, the Flyers announced several injury updates. Winger Travis Konecny (lower body) and defenseman Cam York (upper body) are both out today and are listed as day-to-day. Meanwhile, defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body) has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to October 3rd. His roster spot is going to blueliner Helge Grans (lower body) who has been activated from injured/non-roster status. Lastly, winger Nikita Grebenkin (back) has undergone successful surgery and will be out for at least four months.
Konecny is off to a quiet start to his season but still leads the team in scoring with three points – all assists – through three games. The 29-year-old has led the Flyers in points in every season since 2020-21 so his loss, even a short-term one, will be felt, especially with Philadelphia really struggling out of the gate. He had 27 goals and 41 assists in 77 games last season and 76 points in 82 games the year before.
York had a bounce-back showing last season, logging 22:32 per game while chipping in with 26 points in 74 games, numbers that were close to his best performance in 2023-24. Things haven’t gone as well offensively out of the gate, however, as he has been held off the scoresheet in the first five games of the year. York (and Konecny, for that matter) was able to finish Thursday’s game in Ottawa but both players are doubtful for Sunday’s contest.
The same can be said for Ristolainen. While the backdating of his IR placement means that he can be activated at any time, it won’t be this weekend. The veteran has had more than his fair share of injury challenges in recent years; he has only reached the 70-game mark once since 2021-22. Despite that, he has been a popular speculative trade candidate in recent years and now that he’s in the final year of his deal, that speculation will only intensify once he’s able to return and show that he’s fully healthy.
As for Grans, he goes from being a likely waiver candidate when cleared to the lineup. The 24-year-old played exclusively with AHL Lehigh Valley last season, notching 14 points in 61 games. Grans has six games of NHL experience under his belt, those coming back in 2024-25 with the Flyers where he had one assist in 14:28 per game of ice time. He’s slated to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent next summer.
Grebenkin was dealing with an upper-body injury late last season and it wouldn’t be surprising if this procedure ultimately fixes that after rest and rehab wasn’t enough to get him back to health. He signed a two-year, $2.2MM deal back in August but won’t be playing much in the first year of that agreement now. The 23-year-old had 14 points and 86 hits in 55 games last season.
Avalanche Place Trent Miner On Waivers
Avalanche depth goaltender Trent Miner has now fully recovered from the undisclosed preseason injury that landed him on season-opening IR to start the season. Since he’s ready to play, he’s now on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).
The 25-year-old has seen brief NHL action over the last two seasons. Miner got into four games with the Avs in 2025-26, doing quite well along the way. He posted a 2.03 GAA along with a .933 SV% in four outings, though only one of those was a victory. However, that win was his first career shutout at the top level.
Miner also played in 32 games with AHL Colorado, posting a 17-8-6 record with a 2.62 GAA and a .904 SV%. He fared considerably better the year before, however, playing to a 22-10-6 record with a 2.12 GAA and a .918 SV%.
Miner is in the final season of a two-year, two-way contract. The deal pays the minimum salary of $850K at the NHL level and $350K in the minors. Unless he plays in 22 NHL games this season (with a minimum of 30 minutes per appearance), he will be eligible to reach Group Six unrestricted free agency this summer.
Teams have until 1 PM CT on Sunday to place a claim on Miner. Once that time passes (either by another team claiming him or by AHL assignment), Colorado will clear a $168,229 dead cap charge off their books, proportionate to the amount of time Miner spent on the NHL roster last season. While that may not sound like much, that will more than double their current cap space.
Ilya Solovyov Clears Waivers
Saturday: Friedman reports that Solovyov went unclaimed on waivers, paving the way for him to be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Friday: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Ilya Solovyov on waivers. If he clears, Pittsburgh is expected to reassign him to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Solovyov is already familiar with the waiver wire. A year ago, the former seventh-round pick was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche from the Calgary Flames after failing to make Calgary’s opening-night roster. Colorado traded him to the Penguins a few months later for Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Despite making the Penguins’ opening-night roster for the 2026-27 campaign, he hasn’t played a game yet. After Pittsburgh acquired Spencer Stastney a few days ago, removing Solovyov from the roster became an expectation. In line rushes this morning, Stastney and Solovyov skated as extra defensemen, suggesting the Penguins will likely move forward with Stastney serving as the team’s seventh defenseman.
After the Penguins acquired him from the Avalanche last January, Solovyov arguably played the best hockey of his NHL career. It was a small sample size and relatively low production compared to the rest of the league’s defensemen, but Solovyov registered five assists in 14 games with Pittsburgh down the stretch.
The silver lining for Solovyov is that if the Penguins don’t consider him a part of the solution moving forward, he will have some flexibility next summer. Unless he plays in 35 games for Pittsburgh this year, Solovyov will become a Group VI unrestricted free agent next offseason, giving him the option to find a better opportunity toward NHL playing time.
Kings Sign Jared Wright To Two-Year Extension
It has been a good 24 hours for Kings winger Jared Wright. After receiving his first recall of the season on Friday, he received a two-year contract extension today, per a team announcement. The deal, which begins next season, will carry an AAV of $925K, meaning he will receive the minimum salary in each of those years.
The 23-year-old was a sixth-round pick by the Kings back in 2022, going 169th overall. He spent three seasons at Denver University before turning pro late in the 2024-25 campaign, getting into a handful of games with AHL Ontario after potting 17 points in 44 games with the Pioneers.
Last season, Wright split the year between the Reign and the Kings. In 54 games in the minors, he potted 17 goals and 13 assists in 54 games. That performance earned him a fair bit of time with the big club as he got into 23 games with Los Angeles, collecting four assists, 18 blocks, and 27 hits in 11:26 per game of playing time in a bottom-six role. He also played in each of their four playoff games but was held off the scoresheet.
It’s expected that Wright will hold a similar spot in the lineup while he’s up to cover for Mats Zuccarello’s injury after putting up three points in two games with the Reign to start the season.
Wright is 33 games away from being waiver-eligible although he’s technically exempt through next season if he fails to get to 60 total NHL appearances (regular season and playoffs combined) by then. If the Kings want to keep him as injury insurance, they’ll have to keep that number in mind as the season progresses.
Igor Shesterkin Out For The Season; Rangers Announce Additional Injury Updates
Igor Shesterkin’s injury on Friday night didn’t look promising at first glance and the testing has revealed a worst-case scenario. The team relayed to reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter links) that the star netminder’s 2026-27 season has come to an end. Additionally, they noted that backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo will miss another four weeks with his lower-body injury while center Joe Veleno will miss three to three-and-a-half months with his lower-body injury.
Shesterkin’s injury is a massive blow to a Rangers squad that had gotten off to a solid start to the season. The 30-year-old is consistently viewed as one of the elite netminders in the NHL and is being paid as such; his $11,567,857 cap hit is a league record for goalies. His campaign comes to an end with a 1.79 GAA and a .927 SV% in five games, while also scoring his first career goal. For his career, Shesterkin has a 2.51 GAA and a .917 SV% in 330 games, helping him earn his current deal. Simply put, players of his caliber are hard to replace.
Given that they’re already very tight to the Upper Limit, the Rangers will be moving into LTIR in the near future. Because this is a season-ending injury for Shesterkin, they will have close to his full salary cap charge available to spend. Teams that put players without a season-ending designation are capped at the lower of the players’ cap hit or just over $3.9MM, representing last year’s average salary. That will give GM Chris Drury some spending flexibility to work with. That said, given that Shesterkin’s contract runs through 2032-33 and that Korpisalo has another year on the books as well, it’s fair to surmise that he will only be looking for goalies on expiring contracts to try to stabilize things.
To that end, there are a handful of veterans who have started before that are in the final year of their respective contracts. If Detroit decides to pivot to a short-term rebuild given their situation, John Gibson could be a fit. Jordan Binnington is now the second-string option in St. Louis but has been a capable starter in the past. Darcy Kuemper is off to a rough start in Los Angeles and doesn’t appear likely to be re-signed so he could be a potential target as well. If they want to aim for a cheaper option to acquire in terms of assets, inconsistent veterans like Philipp Grubauer (Seattle) and Sam Montembeault (Montreal) could fit the bill. In terms of veteran free agent options, James Reimer is probably the best one available but he didn’t take part in training camp anywhere, meaning he would need some sort of conditioning stint to get up to speed, at a minimum.
In the short term, Dylan Garand, who cleared waivers in training camp, will be the starter for the Rangers for the next four weeks at a minimum, barring another goalie being brought in. While AHL veteran Spencer Martin was unable to play last night due to a lower-body injury, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that he has been cleared to return, paving the way for him to be recalled. Martin has a handful of NHL games under his belt if he’s called on in a pinch but it’s fair to say that Drury will be calling around about assessing his options soon, if he hasn’t already started.
Meanwhile, Mollie Walker of the New York Post relays (Twitter link) that the Rangers will make a pair of roster moves for LTIR optimization purposes. Cole Beaudoin will be sent to AHL Hartford with Juuso Parssinen coming up in the short term. Beaudoin will play for the Wolf Pack tonight, making him eligible to be brought back to New York on Sunday.
Kaiden Guhle Will Make His Season Debut On Saturday
The Canadiens will get defenseman Kaiden Guhle back for tonight’s home game against the Red Wings, the team reported. Guhle has been sidelined since undergoing minor surgery on his adductor muscle over the summer, and Saturday will mark his first appearance of the 2026-27 season.
Montreal disclosed the procedure on September 16th with a four-to-five-week recovery timeline. Guhle missed all of training camp and was placed on injured reserve September 28th. He returned to a standard practice jersey on October 5, when head coach Martin St. Louis said he was getting close to game action. Tonight’s return comes just ahead of the front end of that original window, after he missed the Canadiens’ first four games.
It is the latest in a series of injury interruptions for the 24-year-old. Guhle was limited to 39 games last season after surgery to repair a partial adductor tear in November. He returned January 10, coincidentally also against Detroit, and finished the year with two goals, nine assists, and an average of 19:28 per night. The former 16th overall pick played in all 19 games throughout the postseason as Montreal reached the Eastern Conference Final. The season before, he underwent surgery in January 2025 to repair a lacerated quadriceps muscle.
In Guhle’s absence, Montreal has used Arber Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom as its third pair, with the recently traded Jayden Struble being the seventh defenseman. For Saturday’s matchup, the Canadiens are planning to go with 11 forwards and seven defeseman, as forward Florian Xhekaj will be out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury, per Marco D’Amico of BPM Sports.
Guhle is in the second season of a six-year, $33.3MM extension that carries a $5.55MM cap hit through 2030-31. In 208 games with the Habs, the Calgary native has 51 assists and 69 points.