Category: Sports News

As the worst offensive team in the NHL on a goals-per-game basis, the Philadelphia Flyers desperately need to find ways to add offense to the struggling group, and they have yet to really do that.

After signing Michael Bunting to a one-year contract, the Flyers sent prospect Alex Bump back to the AHL after he went without a point in his first three games of the season.

Bump, however, scored in his first game back with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, then added a goal and an assist in his second game back.

Despite that, the 22-year-old will remain in the AHL for the time being, as the Flyers instead decided to call up veteran Jack Studnicka, with Carl Grundstrom being re-assigned to the Phantoms.

Studnicka, 27, gives the 0-5-2 Flyers an additional right-handed center option to complement Noel Acciari, but he was held off the scoresheet entirely in 19 games with the Florida Panthers last year.

He does have a goal and two assists in three games with the Phantoms, but if the Flyers were really looking for offense, they would have turned to Bump, who made the team out of training camp and has consistently drawn rave reviews for his shot and willingness to make individual plays by leveraging his skills with the puck.

Flyers Reportedly Not Considering Coaching Change, Rick Tocchet Not 'In Trouble'According to a report, Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet is not on the hot seat amid the team's seven-game losing streak to open the season.

Instead, the Flyers have gone with the older, more experienced Studnicka, who played 52 games for Rick Tocchet's Vancouver Canucks between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

And, despite the familiarity with Tocchet, Studnicka didn't even survive Tocchet's first full season in Vancouver, having been traded to San Jose for Nick Cicek and a sixth-round pick on Dec. 15, 2023.

Whether it's positional versatility, familiarity, or veteran leadership, the Flyers find themselves still looking for the wrong things, even from their in-house AHL call-ups.

Even Oliver Bonk, who can chip in some offense from time to time, got pressed into top-pair action next to Travis Sanheim against Carolina on Sunday night, and it went about as poorly as could be.

If the Flyers were looking for some defensive stability with Rasmus Ristolainen out, Bonk, at his age, was never going to provide it.

If the Flyers are looking for more offense with Travis Konecny out, Studnicka is never going to provide it, while Bump continues to wait in the wings for his next opportunity.

ST. PAUL, Minn. —  You could hear a pin drop in Grand Casino Arena during the first period of Monday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights after another Minnesota Wild player was struck in the head by a hockey puck.

The first time it happened was in the Wild's final preseason game against the Dallas Stars when Brock Faber was hit in the head by Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen's shot.

On Monday, in the first period, Nico Sturm was struck in the head by Jared Spurgeon's point shot.

The veteran forward instantly went down holding his head while head athletic trainer John Worley rushed on the ice.

After being on the ice for a minute, Sturm was helped up by Michael McCarron and Worley and escorted off the ice into the locker room.

Nico Sturm had to leave the game after taking a puck to the head.

The Wild have already lost Brock Faber for an extended period after he took a puck to the head and fractured his skull. pic.twitter.com/epPbsEzJlK

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 13, 2026

Sturm, 31, was playing in his third game of the season for the Wild. The 6-foot-3 center has played in 383 career NHL games.

Obviously, a scary scene for Wild fans and the Wild, considering the status of Faber after he was hit in almost the same spot, just on the other side of the head.

*** This story will be updated when more news comes.

Update: Sturm ruled out for rest of the game with an upper-body injury.

Update 2: According to a source, Sturm was stable and on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance in Grand Casino Arena.

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Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas is well-known for targeting players who haven't been given a chance to blossom elsewhere and who could benefit from a change-of-scenery.

And he executed a trade Monday that fits that mold. 

The Penguins acquired left defenseman Ryan Johnson from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defensemen Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch. Jones, 29, had appeared in four games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins of the AHL this season, totaling three assists, while Laatsch, 24, was previously assigned to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, whose home opener is set for Oct. 17. 

The departure of both opened up two NHL contract slots for the Penguins, one of which is now occupied by Johnson, who is signed for two more years at $875,000.

Johnson, 25, was selected 31st overall by the Sabres in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound blueliner has not yet seen a large NHL sample, appearing in just six NHL games in the past two seasons and 47 games total in his career, with seven assists that all came during his rookie season in 2023-24. 

Aside from those three games last season, Johnson spent the season with the Rochester Americans of the AHL, recording five goals and 19 points to go along with a minus-12 in 56 games. In four games with Rochester this season, he had no points. 

Top Prospects Shine in Two Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Blowout Wins This WeekendWilkes-Barre/Scranton notched two big wins this weekend, both thanks to strong performances from top prospects.

The trade helped to not only clear contract space - the Penguins now have 47 of 50 slots full, according to Puckpedia - it also helped clear a little bit of the left defensive logjam at the minor league level. The WBS Penguins had the recently waived Ilya Solovyov, Jake Livanavage, Owen Pickering, Maleek McGowan, and Jones on the roster, and Laatsch was blocked from the AHL roster as a result. 

As of now, Johnson is not part of Pittsburgh's NHL active roster, and it's unclear where he will be assigned. Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk was placed on injured reserve Monday, and he is not making the Penguins' four-game road trip that starts Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The team has not ruled out van Riemsdyk joining the team for the back part of the road trip.

They have also not ruled out calling on another defenseman to take van Riemsdyk's place, as his IR designation leaves the NHL club with just six active defensemen. Pittsburgh only has 21 players on its active roster, with one of those slots expected to be occupied by forward Andrei Kuzmenko, who currently has non-roster status but was a full participant in practice Monday. 

Penguins Notebook: Andrei Kuzmenko Nears Return To LineupThe Pittsburgh Penguins returned to practice on Monday and have a new-look third line again.

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One prospect that has been making some noise in the AHL this year is Ty Mueller. Through four games, the 23-year-old has four goals along with an assist. Mueller not only leads the team in points but also plays a role in all situations for the Abbotsford Canucks. 

The big question when it comes to prospects like Mueller revolves around their full-time arrival in the NHL. He has played eight games for the Vancouver Canucks so far in his career, but has yet to receive an extended look with the team. With Vancouver currently in a rebuild and Mueller's early production, now could be the perfect time to see what Mueller can do at the NHL level. 

 There are a few things working in Mueller's favour. One is his familiarity with both Ryan Johnson and Manny Malhotra. It was clear, based on deployment over the last two years, that Malhotra trusts Mueller, which could help the center ease his way into life at the NHL level. 

Another revolves around the way Mueller plays. In his limited time at the NHL level, he hasn't been a defensive liability and has shown a willingness to get pucks on net. Mueller was also decent in the NHL when it came to faceoffs last year, as he won 11 of his 21 draws. 

As for the call-up itself, a few things need to happen first. Either the Canucks need to trade a few players away and ensure that the piece coming back will not take up an NHL roster spot. There is also a chance the team is hit by the injury bug, but that could lead to only a temporary call-up. 

The other issue Mueller may run into is Johnson's plan regarding younger players. Vancouver's GM has made it very clear he does not want younger players bouncing between the NHL and the AHL. This means that if Johnson and his staff aren't fully ready to bring Mueller up full-time, other players could get the call-up first. 

Finally, this is a contract year for Mueller. While he will still be a restricted free agent, the organization needs to decide if he is part of the future at the NHL level. While Mueller's play in the AHL has been impressive, the only way to truly find out where he is in his development is by giving him a run of games in the NHL. 

Ultimately, Mueller deserves a chance to show what he can do in the NHL. He has developed well in the AHL and, with 14 shots in four games this year, is showing the offensive side of his game. With the Canucks currently in a rebuild, now is the opportunity to see if Mueller can have success at the NHL level. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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The Montreal Canadiens are giving one of their prospects another chance on their NHL roster.

The Canadiens have announced that they have recalled forward Owen Beck from the AHL's Laval Rocket. 

Beck has appeared in four games this season with the Rocket, where he has one assist, two penalty minutes, and a plus-1 rating. This is after he had 13 goals, 33 points, and a plus-6 rating in 58 games with the Rocket during the 2025-26 campaign.

Beck also played in 15 games last season for Montreal, posting one goal, six penalty minutes, 24 hits a plus-4 rating. 

Beck will now be aiming to impress after landing this latest opportunity on the Canadiens' roster. While the 22-year-old forward has yet to break out, the potential for him to emerge as a solid defensive forward in the NHL is there.

In 28 career NHL games over three seasons, Beck has recorded one goal, one assist, 47 hits, and a plus-1 rating. It will be intriguing to see what he can do after being called up to Montreal's roster again. 

An ol’ 2-for-1 trade. The Penguins have sent a pair of minor league defensemen to Buffalo for a former first round pick.

The Penguins have acquired defenseman Ryan Johnson from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 12, 2026

Johnson, 25, was taken with the 31st pick back in the 2019 draft. He’s got 47 career NHL games under his belt, though the majority of that was in 2023-24 and he’s been mostly in the AHL ever since, playing only three NHL games in both 2024-25 and 2025-26. So far this season, it’s been all AHL time for Johnson. The 6’1”, 195 left shot defender spent four seasons at the University of Minnesota prior to that. Johnson has a contract through the 2027-28 season.

In exchange, Pittsburgh does a little house cleaning to drop two players and get down to 48 contracts of the 50 they are allotted per year. The Pens traded Caleb Jones, who cleared waivers weeks ago. Jones has played four games with AHL Wilkes-Barre, recording all three of his assists on the season in the same game. The 29-year old played seven NHL games with the Pens last season before a pair of long-term injuries and the rare suspension for  violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program ended his season last year.

Laatsch was a seventh round draft pick in 2021, the lanky defender spent four seasons in Wisconsin then spent most of his rookie season in 2025-26 with ECHL Wheeling, with 10 games played in the AHL. He’s yet to play this season and was only going to be a swing ECHL/AHL type of depth option in the organization.

Overall, this deal helps right size the numbers for the Pens at the minor league level. The team had all of Ilya Solovyov, Jones, Owen Pickering, Jake Livanavage, Laatsch and AHL contracted Maleek McGowan as left shots fighting for time in Wilkes-Barre. Paring down the numbers should help ease the block in the future for that spot.

Beyond that, time will tell if this deal has any NHL impact. Johnson might draw some intrigue as a former first round pick and member of the US National Development team but his career track has been spinning its wheels for a while. Even if he’s nothing more than deep depth, that’s the only place what Pittsburgh gave up would be this season anyways. Mostly a minor deal, helps restock the numbers a bit but does give the Pens a chance to take a look at a former first round pick to see what might come of playing in a new organization.

The Pittsburgh Penguins returned to practice on Monday after notching a 2-1 shootout win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak that began last Monday against the Winnipeg Jets and lasted for almost a week. The Penguins needed it in the worst way since they weren't defending well and looked lethargic. 

They played excellent defense, got great goaltending from Arturs Silovs, and the shooters (Ben Kindel, Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell) finally did well in a shootout. 

Monday's practice saw Muse tinker with the third line some more. Ben Kindel has had a rotating cast of wingers to start the season, and that likely won't change when the Penguins head to the "Windy City" to play the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

Kindel was skating on a line with Ville Koivunen and Andrei Kuzmenko during practice. Koivunen was a healthy scratch on Saturday, while Kuzmenko sat out the last two games since he's obviously going through a lot. 

Here were the full practice lines and pairs:

Forwards

Rakell-Crosby-Rust

Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin

Kuzmenko-Kindel-Koivunen

Dewar-Lizotte-Robertson

Defensive pairs

Carlile-Karlsson

Girard-Korczak

Stastney-Letang

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Based on these combinations, it appears Hendrix Lapierre and Elmer Soderblom will be the odd ones out at the start of this four-game road trip.

Lapierre's scratch makes sense because, aside from that first game against the Philadelphia Flyers, he's been a bit of a non-factor. It wouldn't hurt to sit him for a game or two so he can work on a few things. 

As for Soderblom, this one's a bit more surprising, especially since he played super well against the Stars on Saturday. He was great along the walls and was one of the Penguins' best forecheckers behind the net. He deserves to get more runway on that line, but the staff doesn't see it that way right now. 

Spencer Stastney will be in the lineup for a little bit since Trevor van Riemsdyk is not going on the trip. Stastney was solid in his Penguins debut on Saturday and showcased some good speed and defensive ability in his own end. 

He was a good fit with Kris Letang, so it'll be interesting to see if that can continue this week. 

Puck drop for Tuesday's Penguins-Blackhawks game will be at 8 p.m. ET. 

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