Category: Ice Hockey

The Dallas Stars suffered a blow to their forward lines last week when Tyler Seguin suffered an ACL injury against the New York Rangers. On Saturday, they placed the 33-year-old forward on long-term injury reserve.

According to Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News, that move provides the cap-strapped Stars with some salary-cap relief, but not the full $9.85 million of his average annual value. Due to recent changes in LTIR rules, the benefit is limited to last season's average annual salary of $3.8 million.

That's because the Stars don't know yet how long Seguin will be sidelined. If he can return later in the regular season or during the playoffs, then they only get the $3.8 million in LTIR relief.

However, if it's determined that Seguin's recovery period will stretch beyond the post-season, they can move him to season-ending LTIR (SELTIR) status, which would then enable them to receive cap relief up to his $9.85 million cap hit.

If Seguin goes on SELTIR, TSN's Chris Johnston believes they will aggressively search the trade market for a replacement. He indicated that the Stars were among the clubs linked to Vancouver Canucks winger Kiefer Sherwood.

The feisty 30-year-old Sherwood plays a different style than Seguin, but his physical game is suited for the grind of post-season hockey. He also carries an affordable $1.5-million cap hit for this season.

RG.org's James Murphy stated the Stars were among the clubs interested in Calgary Flames winger Blake Coleman. The 34-year-old is signed through next season with an average annual value of $4.9 million and a 10-team no-trade list.

Turning to the Los Angeles Kings, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported Saturday that Phillip Danault has been the subject of growing trade chatter.

Danault, 32, is signed through 2026-27 with an average annual value of $5.5 million. He also has a 10-team no-trade list.

Seravalli said the thin market for centers this season has multiple teams inquiring into Danault's availability. He's seen third-line duty this season with the Kings.

Danault has a well-deserved reputation as a solid two-way center, especially when he helped the Montreal Canadiens reach the 2021 Stanley Cup final. He had a career-high 54 points with the Kings in 2022-23, but his production has declined, with just five points in 29 games this season.

The Kings have struggled recently, which could explain the interest in Danault. However, they're still jockeying for a playoff spot and aren't likely to become sellers unless they tumble out of contention by the March trade deadline.

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The Chicago Blackhawks on Monday announced that they sent Sam Rinzel and Landon Slaggert to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League.

Landon Slaggert has been a healthy scratch a lot in recent games, so sending him down, where he will play big minutes every game, is great for him and his confidence. 

Blackhawks Assign First-Rounder & Forward To AHLThe Blackhawks have sent two players down to the AHL.

As for Rinzel, this is a move that the Blackhawks desperately didn’t want to do. They made him a healthy scratch for a game in mid-November, but he didn’t respond the way that they were hoping. 

With the Blackhawks, Slaggert has 1 goal in 10 games played, while Rinzel has 1 goal and 7 assists for 8 points in 28 games played. Now, they can take their talents to the AHL,  where they can work on things that will make them successful when they return to the NHL. 

On Tuesday, the Blackhawks announced that Dominic Toninato would be called up to the NHL. 31-year-old Toninato has 5 goals and 12 assists for 17 points in 24 games played for the IceHogs this year. His two game-winning goals led the team. 

hi Dominic👋

📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/duXmTFFicBpic.twitter.com/biVepaBjUQ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 9, 2025

Toninato’s first chance to get in the lineup will come on Wednesday when the Blackhawks take on the New York Rangers. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will play their next five games at home, starting with the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.

The Ducks are off to a great start this season with an 18-10-1 start, good for first in the Pacific Division. They've won two in a row and six of their last 10 games, including Sunday's 7-1 thrashing of the Chicago Blackhawks. 

This is a team that has gotten great production from their young players and their veterans. Leo Carlsson, the Ducks' first-line center, has been outstanding this season, compiling 16 goals and 38 points in 29 games. 

Cutter Gauthier is second on the team in points (33) and is tied for first on the team in goals (16). Troy Terry only has seven goals in 29 games, but thanks to his playmaking ability, he's a point-per-game player.

Beckett Sennecke is also someone to watch. He was the third overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and is off to a heck of a start this season with nine goals and 24 points. His speed has been noticeable in each game he plays. 

Penguins fans know a whole lot about Chris Kreider, dating back to his days with the New York Rangers. He's a Penguins killer, scoring two goals against them, including the game-winner, when these two teams met in Anaheim back in October. He also has nine goals and 13 points in his last 10 games against the Penguins.

The Penguins were getting closer to being fully healthy before Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte got hurt. They got Justin Brazeau and Noel Acciari back for Sunday's game against the Dallas Stars, but will now be without Malkin and Lizotte on a week-to-week basis. 

Before Tuesday's morning skate, the Penguins called up Danton Heinen and Sam Poulin from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Poulin didn't participate in line rushes, but is still an option to play while both centers are sidelined. 

Here are what the full lines looked like during the skate: 

Forwards

Novak-Crosby-Rust

Mantha-Hayes-Brazeau

McGroarty-Kindel-Koivunen

Dewar-Heinen-Acciari

Defense

Wotherspoon-Karlsson

Shea-Letang

Graves-Clifton

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Arturs Silovs will start in goal for the Penguins, giving Tristan Jarry a night off. Silovs will look to bounce back from his last start, which came on Nov. 29 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He gave up four goals before he was pulled. 

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

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TORONTO - Dennis Hildeby earned the first shutout of his NHL career in a 2-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.

The 24-year-old rookie is the interim starter with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz out with injury, and he has come up huge for Toronto in the meantime.

With Hildeby's recent performances, recording a .936 save percentage and a 2.15 goals-against average in nine appearances and five starts, he's giving the Leafs a luxury.

"What I see in that is he's trusting his ability and his size and, you know, staying pretty calm and cool in net," coach Craig Berube said afterward. "His puck play has been good, but overall, his mindset is really good."

With 'The Beast' playing the way he is now, along with Woll and Stolarz waiting to come off the injured reserve, the Maple Leafs could have the beginnings of a three-headed monster in the crease.

While Toronto's tandem hasn't been the most reliable in terms of health, they have tremendous depth at a bargain price. Hildeby earns $841,667 per year for the next three seasons, not to mention that Woll and Stolarz together earn less than a combined $7-million cap hit this season and less than $7.5 million next year.

With the Leafs owning three valuable goaltenders, should GM Brad Treliving consider trading one of them?

It's still relatively early in Hildeby's NHL career, but the Swedish netminder has been there when the Leafs needed him most in a limited sample size.

Plenty of teams around the NHL would love to have additional help between the pipes. Woll and Stolarz are exceptional goaltenders in their own right, even with their injuries.

A team like the Edmonton Oilers, which has been searching for a goalie at a low price, could be attracted to one of Toronto's netminders and would be willing to give up assets for help in net.

What that return for the Maple Leafs could be is uncertain, but depending on Woll and Stolarz's individual play, some clubs would be willing to throw a first-round pick for their services on their current contracts.

Stolarz, 31, has a 16-team no-trade clause on his contract for this year and the next, making $2.5 million against the cap this season, which jumps up to $3.75 million for the following three.

As for Woll, he earns about $3.67 million per season, and that deal lasts through the 2027-28 campaign. In addition, the 27-year-old has an eight-team no-trade list in the final year of his contract.

Sure, a first-round pick or prospects aren't helpful for a team looking to win now, but those future assets attract teams near the bottom of the standings who are looking to sell.

Toronto doesn't have a first-round pick until 2028 and is pretty thin in its prospect pool, too. So moving out a goaltender is a risk, but it provides an opportunity for Treliving to look for a way to bolster his roster toward the NHL trade deadline.

If teams are desperate enough for a goaltender, and the Leafs have three solid ones, it's not a terrible idea to see what could be received in return. Making a deal to move out a goaltender isn't about clearing cap space; it's about nabbing other resources that could be used to make some notable additions.

At the moment, Toronto has over $4 million in salary cap space. Moving off of either Woll or Stolarz could bring that up around the $7-million mark, leaving plenty of room for Treliving to work his magic.

In the meantime, Hildeby will look to build on a solid start to his NHL career. Every strong outing by Hildeby from this point onward will be a huge help to the Leafs – and also a pleasant problem if he's proven he's too good to head back to the minors.

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Martin St-Louis has said it many times since he was hired as the Montreal Canadiens coach: the toughest thing for young players to achieve is consistency. Which is why a team must know what they are getting when they use their tried-and-tested veterans: those players know what the league is about and how to play their best hockey.

This season, the Habs aren’t exactly getting that from some of their more experienced players. In fact, according to Moneypuck.com, Montreal has three of the bottom five players when it comes to on-ice goal differential.

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Canadiens Prospect Invited To World Junior Championship
Canadiens: Big Divisional Clash

Amongst players with at least 50 minutes of ice time, Canadiens center Jake Evans is 722nd, dead last at minus-28, defenseman Alexandre Carrier is 720th with a minus-25, and Evans’ linemate Josh Anderson is 718th with minus-23.

When playing his contract year last season, Evans was on fire offensively and proved that he could be very reliable defensively, so much so that the Canadiens’ GM signed him to a four-year contract extension worth $2.85 million, which at the time sounded like a great deal. This year, however, Evans is on pace for just 23 points after scoring a career-high 36 points last season.

Clearly, the coach is starting to lose patience with the vet. In the Canadiens’ December 2 game against the Ottawa Senators, Evans saw just 9:22 of action spread across 14 shifts. In that game, he had a 25% success rate at the faceoff dot, winning just two of the eight draws he took. He bounced back in the following game, skating for 16:22 and winning 73% of his faceoffs, but then, on Sunday against the Blues, he won just 3 of his 12 faceoffs, meaning another 25% success rate that night and just 12:37 of ice time.

There’s no two ways about it, Evans needs to be better if the Canadiens are to make the playoffs this season. Granted, his life has changed this past year with the arrival of twins, but that’s a new reality he needs to adapt to, and the sooner, the better. With the hectic December calendar the Canadiens face, St-Louis has to be able to count on Evans to shoulder some of the ice time; Nick Suzuki cannot spend more time on the ice than he already does.

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled forward Hugh McGing from the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds.

The 27-year-old has played 18 AHL games this season, notching four goals and six points. McGing has played in 298 games in the AHL, scoring 60 goals and 156 points.

McGing has been called up by the Blues previously, skating in six NHL games, but is still searching for his first goal and point. 

McGing's call-up comes following the injury news of Jordan Kyrou. The 27-year-old was involved in a collision during the Blues game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday and has been given a day-to-day status. Unfortunately, his return date is unknown, and no update has been given about his status for tonight's game against the Boston Bruins.

Matt Luff was recalled last week and made his season debut on Sunday, replacing Kyrou in the lineup against the Montreal Canadiens. He finished the game with one hit and two blocks in 8:33 of ice time. 

Clarification on who will be in the lineup tonight, between McGing, Kyrou, and Luff, will likely be provided during this morning's skate or during warm-ups tonight. 

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CST at the Enterprise Center.

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday that Toronto Maple Leafs winger Bobby McMann will have a hearing following a high-stick on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand.

McMann’s stick came down on the Lightning forward, and he was immediately issued a match penalty.

“That's a tough one. It really is. I mean, I got to look at it more closely, which I didn't,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said following the Leafs’ 2-0 win against Tampa. “From our view on the bench, I couldn't really see it too well. So I'll take a look at it; I had a tough time with that, to be honest with you.”

It is rare for a hearing not to result in a suspension of some kind.

The infraction occurred during a larger scrum that saw Gage Goncalves receive a five-minute major and a game misconduct for kneeing Maple Leafs defenseman Dakota Mermis. Mermis left the game and did not return; the Leafs stated he would need further evaluation to determine the extent of the injury.

Here’s the only angle I’ve seen of the Bobby McMann match penalty for high sticking @sdpnsportspic.twitter.com/L2eXdKmlwl

— Jesse Blake (@JesseBlake) December 9, 2025

McMann has recorded eight goals and six assists in 29 games this season. He has never been suspended in the NHL, a factor that may influence the length of any potential ban. However, he did receive a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov on Jan. 3, 2024. The league reviewed that hit but decided against issuing a suspension or fine.

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We’re less than a month away from the 2026 NHL Winter Classic.

This year, the Florida Panthers will host the New York Rangers at loanDepot park in what will be the southernmost Winter Classic ever played.

The game is set for Friday, Jan. 2 with an 8 p.m. ET puck drop.

For fans who are getting excited about the big game, they’ll have more opportunities to wet their appetites in the weeks leading up to the affair.

That’s because on Wednesday, the NHL is debuting a new season of Road to the NHL Winter Classic, the annual series that provides exclusive behind-the-scenes access to both the Panthers and Rangers as they gear up for the game.

The four-part series will premiere Wednesday at 6:30 ET on TNT and will be simulcast on truTV and HBO Max.

Panthers fans should buckle up for more in-depth looks at how their Stanley Cup championship team prepares for games, as well as the injury recovery process for players like Matthew Tkachuk.

For the full series schedule, click here.

You can check out the trailer for Road to the NHL Winter Classic below:

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It is no secret that Nikolaj Ehlers' offseason decision to move on from the Winnipeg Jets and sign with the Carolina Hurricanes as an unrestricted free agent hurt general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, head coach Scott Arniel and president Mark Chipman.

At the time, the parties involved all said the 'right things', indicating it was a good time for the player and team to go their separate ways. 

For an organization so keen on drafting and developing its players to stick around through the completion of their NHL playing careers, the sting of Ehlers' departure met many with sadness, some with skepticism and others with a sense of good riddance. 

He did not have the swiftest of starts to his tenure in Raleigh. It took until game No. 12 to record his first goal with the 'Canes and 16 to hit 10 points on the season. 

But as of late, the Dashing Dane's feet are moving at their expected rate and he continues to deliver for a team already known for its speed and strong transitional play. 

On the season, 'Fly' has six goals and 19 points in 28 games. 

In looking at it from a different perspective, the four players brought in to replace Ehlers, Jonathan Toews, Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson and Cole Koepke, have a combined 25 points in 93 games played between the four of them. 

It's no secret that the 2025 Presidents' Trophy winners are struggling offensively, which has greatly contributed to their dismal, near-.500 record on the season. Currently sitting at 14-13-1, Winnipeg is 26th place in the league and two points back of San Jose for the final Wild Card playoff spot in the Western Conference. 

The most recent attempt to alter the course of the 'one-line team' is separate Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi, who are contributing nearly 75 percent of all the team's offence since Connor Hellebuyck went down with a knee injury.

Should that work, the Jets will no longer have a bona fide No. 1 line, but will hope to have goal scorers on each of their four lines - something Arniel is striving for. 

Since Hellebuyck's injury, the Jets have gone 3-6-1 and have fallen completely out of the postseason picture. Backup goaltender Eric Comrie has fared alright in Hellebuyck's absence, but the presence of the reigning Hart Trophy winner and back-to-back Vezina and Jennings Trophy victor is most certainly felt throughout the organization. 

AHL call-up Thomas Milic also performed well in his NHL debut and subsequent relief appearances. But he has since been relegated back to Manitoba, where Domenic DiVincentiis has now popped up onto the Jets' active roster in replacement as Hellebuyck continues to work his way back from injury. 

With the Jets having performed so poorly on their two lengthy road trips thus far (2-4-0 and 1-3-1) Winnipeg needs to capitalize on its current four-game homestand to begin stacking wins together in a venue it knows how to do just that. Its last game at Canada Life Centre was a strong 4-1 performance over the Buffalo Sabres.

The Jets will look to replicate that effort in games against four teams all sitting comfortably in the playoffs (Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators) as the homestand continues over the next seven days. 

Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM central time on Tuesday for Winnipeg's test against their Central Division opponent, Dallas. 

When they lost their last game to the St. Louis Blues, the Montreal Canadiens missed a golden opportunity to leapfrog their divisional rival to take the lead in the Atlantic Division. Still, on Tuesday night, they’ll at least have a chance to overtake the Tampa Bay Lightning in the standings. This game will be the first of four duels between the two sides this season.

Jon Cooper’s men will be playing the second half of a back-to-back tonight after suffering a 2-0 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. That was their fourth loss in a row and a second shutout in a row. Nikita Kucherov made his return to the lineup after missing a couple of games, but goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Erick Cernak are all still sidelined.

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There’s no word yet on who will be in net for the Habs tonight, but given the fact that Jakub Dobes has played the last two games and that Kaapo Kahkonen was returned to the Laval Rocket after the previous match, Samuel Montembeault should be back in net. The Becancour native has a 3-3-1 record against the Bolts with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. As for Dobes, he has faced the Lightning only once and was pulled after allowing three goals on eight shots after 21 minutes of play. That means he has an 8.54 GAA and a .625 SV.

As for Tampa Bay, Jonas Johansson was in the net on Monday night and made 22 saves on 23 shots, and Brandon Halverson is expected to start tonight. The 29-year-old has only played two NHL games since the 2017-18 season, bouncing between the AHL, the ECHL and spending a season in Germany’s second division league. He has never faced the Canadiens. As for Johansson, he’s 2-2-0 with a 4.52 GAA and a .852 SV.

The Canadiens will want to keep an eye on the usual suspects tonight. Victor Hedman has 51 points in 51 career games against the Habs, Kucherov has 44 points in 38 meetings, and Brayden Point wraps up the top three with 24 points in 29 games. Jake Guentzel isn’t far behind with 22 points in just 18 games.

Meanwhile, Montreal only has four players who have reached double digits against Tampa Bay, and that includes the injured Patrik Laine. Brendan Gallagher is the team’s most productive player against the Bolts with 19 points in 37 games, but he is struggling mightily this season with only 10 points in 28 games, and he has been held off the scoresheet in the last six games. Nick Suzuki has 12 points in 18 tilts, while Josh Anderson has 10 points in 21 duels. As for Cole Caufield, who is on an 11-game point streak, he has only 6 points in 12 games.

The Bolts aren’t the Canadiens’ favourite team; the Florida outfit has won seven of the last 10 games between the two sides, including the previous meeting. They are currently in second place in the Atlantic Division, just one point ahead of the Canadiens, who are fourth in the division and outside the playoff picture, one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers, who are in the wildcard spots. It’s worth noting that the Rangers have already played 31 games, while Montreal has played only 28 so far. Interestingly, the Habs will be taking on those two teams later this week, visiting Pittsburgh on Thursday night and New York on Saturday.

Tonight’s game is scheduled at 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on RDS, TSN2 and The Spot.

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Dennis Hildeby struck the right balance of confidence and humility after picking up his first career shutout. The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender made 29 saves to help his club defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.

“Could have felt better, honestly, but I mean, it worked out,” Hildeby said. “I think I competed in there and got lucky, and some great effort by our guys out there too, carrying some rebounds and all that. I got away with it.”

Early on, the Lightning peppered Hildeby with shots. One particular chance flipped over the goaltender and appeared to be on its way into an open net, only to have defenseman Troy Stecher snatch it away at the goal line.

“It's a great play. One of those times where I felt a little off,” Hildeby admitted. “Maybe I wasn't doing what I was supposed to, but, I mean, yeah, he got it done there. So I'm very thankful for that.”

Thrust into the spotlight after goaltenders Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll went down with injuries, the Leafs find themselves riding their fourth-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft. He is expected to hold the fort for the next week or more. That is when Woll is expected to return, although past experience with the goaltender could mean it could take longer.

But with the pressure placed squarely on the goaltender known as the ‘Beast’, he has put forth solid back-to-back performances: first a 2-1 shootout loss on Saturday, and now a shutout against the Atlantic Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.

“I'm just trying to enjoy it. I mean, it's easier said than done, but at the end of the day, it's like what I've been dreaming of since I started playing hockey,” Hildeby said. “So you just got to remind yourself of that and have a lot of fun in the meanwhile and just compete.”

The confidence in his play since taking over the No. 1 spot hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“That's one big thing I find with goaltending is when they get more comfortable, you can see with their puck play too, and just had another layer of confidence for him,” Jake McCabe said of Hildeby. “He's been rock solid. He put in some work the other night, comes into the third period and shuts the door as well. So, yeah, it's good stuff.”

How do I make this my holiday card 💙 pic.twitter.com/aFG2AkHMqs

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 9, 2025

McCabe was referring to Hildeby coming on in relief of Woll for the third period of the club’s win against the Carolina Hurricanes. It became evident then that it was Hildeby’s net for the time being.

Hildeby was given the game puck at the end for the shutout and said he will give it to his father, who collects them. The one thing that is evident is the Leafs seem to be playing better in front of him, too.

“I think what I see in that is he's trusting his ability and his size and, you know, staying pretty calm and cool in net,” Head Coach Craig Berube said. “That's what I see. You know, his puck play has been good, but overall his mindset is really good.”

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Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry has been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time. It has carried over to this season, and it makes sense with the Penguins having two promising young goalies in Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov. 

Jarry is also in the middle of a strong bounce-back season, as he has a 9-2-1 record, a 2.54 goals-against average, and a .913 save percentage in 13 games so far this campaign. Due to this, the Penguins could be in a position to sell high on the 10-year veteran.

With this, let's look at two teams that could make sense as landing spots for Jarry if the Penguins decide to move him. 

Edmonton Oilers 

The Oilers have been heavily linked to Jarry this season, and it was recently confirmed by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that Edmonton is interested in the Penguins goalie. It makes sense, as the Oilers need serious help between the pipes, and Jarry would give them that. 

Yet, the big obstacle in a potential Jarry to Edmonton trade is his $5.375 million cap hit until the end of the 2027-28 season. The Penguins and Oilers would need to find a way to make a trade work out financially, but on paper, Edmonton looks like a great fit for Jarry. 

Montreal Canadiens 

The Canadiens could make for an intriguing landing spot for Jarry if they are looking to make an upgrade. Sam Montembeault is in the middle of a nightmare season with the Canadiens, as he has a .861 save percentage and a 3.61 goals-against average in 14 games so far. 

The Canadiens have Jakub Dobes and an exciting prospect in Jacob Fowler, but if they want immediate help between the pipes ahead of the playoffs, Jarry could make for a good addition. 

The Chicago Blackhawks have many pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) this season. Because of this, the Blackhawks could be active as sellers if they find themselves out of a playoff spot as we get closer to the 2025 NHL trade deadline.

Among their most notable pending UFAs is forward Ilya Mikheyev. If the Blackhawks make him available this season, he would likely generate interest, as he is a solid forward who can score and kill penalties. He also just had a 20-goal and 34-point season in 2024-25. 

Due to this, let's look at three teams that could target Mikheyev if the Blackhawks shop him this season. 

Washington Capitals 

The Capitals could be an interesting landing spot for Mikheyev if the Blackhawks shop him. He would offer them another solid option for their third line and could give them a bit more secondary offensive production if brought in. 

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning will likely be on the hunt for forward depth this season, as their bottom six could use a boost. As a result of this, Mikheyev could fit in nicely in their bottom six if acquired. He would also give them another option to work with on their penalty kill, which would not be a bad thing for the Bolts. 

Detroit Red Wings 

The Red Wings could also be a team to watch when it comes to Mikheyev. When looking at their roster, it is clear that they could use some help on the wing, and Mikheyev could provide them with just that if acquired. 

  The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the road to take on the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. 

Carolina Hurricanes - 17-9-2 - 36 Points - 5-4-1 in last 10 - 2nd in the Metro

Columbus Blue Jackets - 13-10-6 - 32 Points - 3-3-4 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 18.3% - 20th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill -72.2% - 29th in the NHL
• Goals For - 86 - 16th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 98 - 28th in the NHL

Hurricanes Stats

• Power Play - 15.3% - 27th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 79.0% - 23rd in the NHL
• Goals For - 93 - 8th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 81 - 12th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheHurricanes

• Columbus is 29-30-0-5 all-time, and 13-16-0-3 on the road vs. Carolina.
• The Jackets are 0-6-0 in their last six games in Lenovo Center.
• The CBJ went 2-2 vs. the Canes last season.

Who To Watch For The Hurricanes

• Seth Jarvis leads the Canes with 16 goals.
• Sebastian Aho leads Carolina with 26 points.
• Goalie Brandon Bussi is 8-1-0 with a SV% of .903. His last start was on December 6th.
• Pyotr Kochetkov is 4-1-0 with a SV% of .915. His last start was on December 7th.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Hurricanes 

• Zach Werenski has 16 points in 31 career games against Carolina.
• Kirill Marchenko has 11 points in 10 games, which includes 9 goals.
• Sean Monahan has 16 points in 19 games vs. the Canes.

Injuries 

• Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 21 Games - IR - No timeline for a return
• Boone Jenner - Upper Body - Missed 13 Games - IR - Could return this week
• Mathieu Olivier - Upper Body - Missed 6 Games - IR- No timeline for a return

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 56

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on ESPN+ & HULU. Bob Wischusen will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 93.3 THE BUS, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play. 

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The NHL has named New York Islanders No. 1 netminder Ilya Sorokin their first star of the week ending Dec. 7.  

In three starts, Sorokin went 3-0-0, with a 1.33 GAA and a .960 SV%, which includes a 32-save shutout against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, a 2-0 win:

#Isles Ilya Sorokin has been named #NHL’s first star of the week:

3-0-0, 1.33 GAA, .960 SV%, 1 SO pic.twitter.com/1RY3HaCkwV

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) December 8, 2025

This is the second time Sorokin has won the award, last doing so the week of Feb. 1, 2025.

Ironically, he posted a 3-0-0 record with a 1.33 GAA. The difference was a .953 SV%. 

Expect Sorokin to be in between the pipes against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.