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Hart not made available as he returns to face Flyers in backup role

Hart not made available as he returns to face Flyers in backup role originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Almost 23 months after playing his last game with the Flyers, Carter Hart returned to Philadelphia as a visiting player.

Hart, now with the Golden Knights after being found not guilty in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, won’t face his former team Thursday. As the Flyers host Vegas (7 p.m. ET/ESPN), the 27-year-old will be the Golden Knights’ backup goaltender.

Akira Schmid will start for Vegas. He last played six days ago when he blanked the Devils, 3-0, on the road.

Hart was in net for the Golden Knights’ last two games, both on the road. He lost to the Islanders, 5-4, in a shootout Tuesday, two days after beating the Rangers, 3-2, in overtime.

“We discussed it, obviously, with him, but that was more us making the decision, that Akira had to get back in pretty soon coming off a shutout,” Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s how we landed on it.”

The Golden Knights did not make Hart available to the media after their morning skate at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

“Carter wants to play every game,” Cassidy said. “That’s one thing, he’s a very competitive guy. … Coming out of the Ranger game, he wanted to get right back in the net. That led to the decision on Long Island.”

Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were found not guilty in July almost a year and a half after being charged with sexual assault, stemming from a June 2018 incident in London, Ontario.

Danny Briere said in September that Hart’s agent contacted the Flyers and pretty much ruled out the possibility of a reunion between the club and goaltender. It’s uncertain if the Flyers had interest in bringing Hart back.

“In light of everything that happened in the last year and a half with Carter, they felt and Carter felt that it was better for them to look for a fresh start,” the Flyers’ general manager said then. “That’s where it’s at and it’s the only comment I’m going to make on it.”

The Flyers cut ties with Hart in June 2024 when they didn’t issue him a qualifying offer, turning his restricted free-agent status into unrestricted. He had been away from the team since January 2024 after being granted an indefinite leave of absence.

Hart started in five straight season openers for the Flyers from 2019-20 to 2023-24 and played parts of six seasons for the club.

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Sharks defenseman, Toronto native Sam Dickinson to play first game in hometown

Sharks defenseman, Toronto native Sam Dickinson to play first game in hometown originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

TORONTO — The Sharks can thank Max Mahoney for Sam Dickinson.

The 19-year-old Toronto native will play his first NHL game in his hometown on Thursday when the Sharks visit the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But if not for Dickinson’s childhood friend, the big defenseman might not even be playing hockey.

“You hear these stories, especially up here, ‘I was on the ice at two.’ Sam as a young kid — five, six — hockey didn’t stick with him. He didn’t like it,” Steve Dickinson, Sam’s father, told San Jose Hockey Now.

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Canadiens: Another Goaltender Debut In Pittsburgh?

After losing their last two games and suffering sizeable defeats over the previous two weeks, the Montreal Canadiens called up Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, and Jacob Fowler. After yesterday’s practice, Martin St-Louis downplayed the importance of the young goaltender’s being recalled, but given recent events, he wasn’t very successful.

The organization also announced that Jake Evans will leave the team for personal reasons and will rejoin before the team faces the New York Rangers on Saturday night. According to RDS’s Luc Gelinas, Evans has been playing with an injured foot since November 20 and must meet a doctor in Philadelphia. Interestingly, the team chose to evoke personal reasons rather than mention the injury.

Canadiens Control The Narrative
Canadiens Prospect Has Big Opportunity With Call-Up
Canadiens: Home Sweet Home?

The center’s absence has forced St-Louis to shuffle his lines. In Brossard on Monday morning, Zachary Bolduc was back with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield; Juraj Slafkovsky skated with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen; and newcomer Beck was centring a new line featuring Alexandre Texier and Josh Anderson. Meanwhile, Joe Veleno, Jared Davidson and Brendan Gallagher were reunited.

On the blueline, Engstrom alternated with Jayden Struble on the second pairing alongside Lane Hutson. Struble didn’t have a great game against the Lightning, finishing his night with a minus-two rating and being easily beaten by Brayden Point, who was on his way to score the game’s opening goal. It wouldn’t be shocking if Engstrom were called upon, given the circumstances.

All eyes will be on the Canadiens’ net tonight. Jakub Dobes has started the last three games, Samuel Montembeault has been dealing with an illness and wasn’t exactly sharp in relief of Dobes against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the coach has mentioned that he doesn’t even know if he’ll give a game to Fowler on the road trip.

If I were a betting woman, I’d put money on Fowler starting the first game of his career against the Pittsburgh Penguins nonetheless. Montembeault has a 2-3-1 record against the Pennsylvania outfit with a 3.72 GAA and a .880 save percentage, while Dobes has never taken on Sidney Crosby and co. Either way, since the three duels against them last season came before he was called up after the Christmas break.

As for the Penguins, goaltender Tristan Jarry has an 8-1-1 record against the Habs with a 2.50 GAA and a .911 SV. Meanwhile, Arturs Silovs has never taken on the Canadiens. The Latvian native has split the workload with Jarry this season and has a 4-4-5 record with a 2.98 GAA and a .900 SV.

Up front, the Canadiens will of course need to keep Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby in check; the living legend has 69 points against the Habs in just 52 duels, including 25 goals. The Pittsburgh captain already has 18 goals this season and is on pace for 52 lamplighters, which would be a career high. He scored 51 goals in 2009-10. Unsurprisingly, Evgeni Malkin is not far behind him with 64 points in 52 games, and he’s also having a solid season; he’s got 29 points in 26 games, on pace for 74 points, but he’s currently on the injured reserve list. Defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang both enjoy taking on the Habs; the former Ottawa Senators captain has 42 points in 52 duels with the Habs, while the lifelong Penguins have 39 points in 47 games.

Meanwhile, Gallagher is the Canadiens’ top scorer against the Pens with 15 points in 31 games, followed by Suzuki with 11 points in 15 games, and Mike Matheson has 10 points in 19 games against his former team. Anderson is the only other Hab to reach double digits against the Pens; he has 10 points in 26 games. Meanwhile, Caufield, who just saw his 11-game point streak come to an end against Tampa, only has five points in 11 tilts.

Thursday night’s duel will be the first of three between the two teams this season, with the other two scheduled for December 20 and 21, just over a week from now. The Penguins have won seven of the last 10 duels, including the three from last season when they outscored the Habs 18-6.

The game is scheduled for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on SN-PIT, TSN2, and RDS. The Canadiens don’t have a practice this morning, but there will be media availabilities at 11:45 AM at the team’s hotel. Will St-Louis show his hand, goaltending-wise, then? It remains to be seen.

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Three With Islanders Ties Inducted Into 2025 U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame

On Wednesday night, former New York Islanders forward Zach Parise, former Islanders assistant coach Scott Gomez, and Long Island native Bruce Bennett, the greatest hockey photographer of all time, were part of the 2025 Induction class into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Joe Pavelski and Tara Mounsey were the other two inductees. 

Parise, who played 19 NHL seasons, two with the Islanders, sits ninth all-time in goals by an American, with 434.


He scored the tying goal in the 2010 Gold Medal game against Team Canada, before Sidney Crosby's infamous golden goal:

Gomez, who served as the Islanders' assistant coach from 2017-19, became the first Alaskan inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.  He played 1,079 NHL games and was a two-time Stanley Cup Champion (2000, 2003) with the New Jersey Devils. 

Bennett, the Levittown native who, as an 18-year-old, began taking pictures during the New York Rangers' 1973-74 season, has photographed 45 Stanley Cup clinching moments and became the first-ever photographer to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Congratulations to all the inductees on their tremendous careers. 

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Columbus Blue Jackets (32 pts) vs. Ottawa Senators (30 pts) Game Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets are home to take on the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7 PM. 

Ottawa Senators - 13-12-4 - 30 Points - 4-6-0 in the last 10 - Lost 3 straight - 7th in the Atlantic

Columbus Blue Jackets - 13-11-6 - 32 Points - 3-3-4 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro

Blue Jackets Stats

  • Power Play - 18.9% - 16th in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 72.3% - 29th in the NHL
  • Goals For - 87 - 19th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 102 - 26th in the NHL

Senators Stats

  • Power Play - 24.7% - 5th in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 70.7% - 31st in the NHL
  • Goals For - 87 - 17th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 96 - 22nd in the NHL

Series History vs. The Senators

  • Columbus is 19-20-2-3 all-time, and 12-7-1-2 at home vs. Ottawa
  • The Jackets are 8-1-2 against Ottawa in the last 11 home games.
  • The CBJ went 1-2 vs. the Sens last season.

Who To Watch For The Senators

  • Drake Batherson & Tim Stützle both have 12 goals and 26 points to lead the team.
  • Jake Sanderson leads the team with 18 assists.
  • Goalie Linus Ullmark is 10-8-4 with a SV% of .877. His last start was on December 9th.
  • Leevi Meriläinen is 3-4-0 with a SV% of .876. His last start was on December 4th.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Senators

  • Zach Werenski has 19 points in 19 career games against Ottawa.
  • Kirill Marchenko has 5 points in 9 games.
  • Sean Monahan has 19 points in 31 games vs. the Sens.

Injuries 

  • Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 22 Games - IR - No timeline for a return
  • Boone Jenner - Upper Body - Missed 14 Games - IR - Could return this week
  • Mathieu Olivier - Upper Body - Missed 7 Games - IR- No timeline for a return

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 59

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. Bob Wischusen will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 THE FAN, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play. 

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Canadiens Control The Narrative

After the Montreal Canadiens lost Tuesday night’s game 6-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the organization decided to call up three players from the Laval Rocket: Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, and Jacob Fowler. It’s the goaltender’s presence amongst the recalls that raised more than a few eyebrows.

Media and pundits alike had previously operated under the assumption that Fowler, who is primarily seen as the Canadiens’ goaltender of the future, would be spending the entire season honing his skills and getting used to the pro level in the AHL. That assumption led them all to conclude that the move was a desperate move stemming from Samuel Montembeault’s and Jakub Dobes’ performances this season.

Canadiens Forward Out vs. Penguins For Personal Reasons
Canadiens: Home Sweet Home?
Canadiens: A Cry For Help To Fowler

But after Tuesday morning’s practice, coach Martin St-Louis was a man on a PR mission. He said several times that the plan had always been to see what Fowler could do at the NHL level this year, and that now was as good a time as any, given the schedule, adding that he would have been surprised if the youngster didn’t get a game in the NHL this season.

When told that the move was primarily seen as a panic move because of the Habs’ current goalie predicament, St-Louis dismissed the idea. He argued that the situation the Canadiens find themselves in was caused by poor collective play, by the way the team played in front of the goaltenders, rather than by their own performances.

While he has a point about the team not consistently playing well in front of the masked men, taking the responsibility away from the goaltenders serves one specific purpose: to make it clear that Fowler is not coming in as the saviour of the team. This is a smart move, especially considering that the Montreal market is a pressure cooker for any player, but even more so for the netminders.

The coach added that he didn’t know if Fowler would play in the upcoming road trip, but that if he didn’t, he would still gain valuable experience just being around the team. Still, I believe the rookie will get a game sooner rather than later and hopefully, the rest of the team will play well in front of him, giving him a real chance to show what he can do.

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Red Wings Hold Off Flames With 4-3 Victory in Calgary

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Things got dicey for the Detroit Red Wings in the third period of Wednesday evening's game against the Calgary Flames, but they would ultimately walk away with the two points.

With their 4-3 win, the Red Wings moved back into the top spot in the Atlantic Division with a 17-11-3 record through the first 31 games of their centennial campaign. 

They've also now gone 3-0-1 in the first four games of their season-high six-game road swing. 

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The Red Wings built up a comfortable 4-0 lead by the end of the second period, and appeared in good position to keep their opponent off the scoresheet for the second consecutive game. However, the Flames refused to quit and made the Red Wings sweat for the entire final 20 minutes, which included the loss of defenseman Simon Edvinsson to a lower-body injury.

It was Alex DeBrincat who scored the game's first tally just 62 seconds after the opening puck drop, while rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka increased the lead to 2-0 just three and a half minutes later.

Image

Detroit then struck twice in short order in the game's middle frame thanks to the second of the game from DeBrincat followed by the team-leading 17th tally of the season from Dylan Larkin. 

Goaltender John Gibson was in the zone again, looking just as comfortable in net as he did during Monday evening's 39-save performance in a 4-0 shutout win over the Vancouver Canucks.

But Calgary began chipping away at Detroit's lead in the third period beginning with a penalty shot goal from Joel Farabee, followed by a goal from Matt Coronato just 1:05 later. 

With 5:20 left in regulation, the Flames drew back to within a goal after defenseman MacKenzie Weegar's shot through traffic found its way past Gibson. 

Despite a late furious attempt to knot the score by the Flames with goaltender Devin Cooley on the bench for an extra attacker, their efforts would fall short. 

Gibson won his third straight contest for Detroit, stopping 34 shots, while Cooley countered with 23 saves. 

The Red Wings will be back at it on Thursday evening with a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers from Rogers Place. 

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Tommy Novak’s Game Is Coming Together In A Big Way For The Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins heartbreakingly lost their second straight game on Tuesday to the Anaheim Ducks.

They were gifted a power play with 17 seconds left in regulation, and instead of keeping the puck away from the Ducks, they allowed rookie Beckett Sennecke to get it and skate around Bryan Rust and Kris Letang for the game-tying goal with .1 seconds left on the clock. Sennecke sent a centering pass into the goal crease, and Erik Karlsson's glove deflected it in. 

The Penguins went on to lose in a shootout, and this loss comes on the heels of Sunday's shootout loss to the Dallas Stars. The Penguins dominated play in that game as well, only to allow the tying goal with less than two minutes left in regulation. 

While they were annoying losses, there were a couple of big, bright spots in them, including Tommy Novak's play. He deflected a Kris Letang shot into the goal for a 2-1 Penguins lead in the second period of Sunday's game before tying the game late in the second period against the Ducks on Tuesday. Novak banked the puck off Ducks goaltender Ville Husso and into the net during Tuesday's game. 

I bring these two instances up because Novak has been outstanding over the last couple of weeks. At the end of November, I wrote about how the Penguins needed more out of him because he had been a bit inconsistent to start the season. He was fighting it a bit and was second-guessing himself.

At the time, he had been pointless in his last four games and five out of six. However, since then, he has put together some excellent performances, scoring three goals and adding seven points in his last seven games. He's on a four-game point streak and will try to extend it to five on Thursday when the Penguins welcome the Montreal Canadiens to PPG Paints Arena.

Novak was especially great against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 28, a big reason the Penguins came back to win in overtime. He banked a pass off the boards to Sidney Crosby, leading to the tying goal before setting up Kris Letang for the overtime winner. They were both nifty feeds. 

He scored against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 1 before adding two assists against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 4, including the game-winning one on Evgeni Malkin's second goal that made it 4-3. He found Malkin at the side of the net for an easy one-timer. 

Beyond the raw production, Novak's versatility has been on full display. He has looked excellent next to Malkin, and even when Malkin got hurt following the game against the Lightning, he went up to Crosby's wing and hasn't looked out of place. Per Natural Stat Trick, Novak and Crosby have played 39:36 at 5v5 together this season and have been on the ice for 59% of the shot attempts, 74.8% of the expected goals, 71.4% of the scoring chances, and 88.2% of the high-danger chances. It's a small sample, but they're making life extremely difficult for the opposition when they're in the offensive zone. 

Penguins' Top Goaltending Prospect Posts Impressive Shutout, Continues AHL DominancePenguins' Top Goaltending Prospect Posts Impressive Shutout, Continues AHL DominanceThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' goaltending situation has certainly been an interesting one to follow as a whole this season.

Novak has also played with first-round pick Ben Kindel on the third line, and they have looked solid together at times. It's been more mixed compared to Novak's play with Malkin and Crosby, but he's still an option to go down to the third line once Malkin and Rakell are back from their respective injuries. Malkin is currently week-to-week, while Rakell is getting closer to a return.

I said it over the offseason, and I'll repeat it here: Novak is a jack-of-all-trades player who can play up and down the lineup and in almost any situation. He doesn't kill penalties, but he's been featured on both power play units outside of his usual 5v5 minutes. 

He's been a solid playmaker with an underrated release throughout his career, and you're seeing both of those qualities shine as of late. He makes the Penguins a much scarier team when he's on top of his game. Let's see if he keeps it up.

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Penguins' Top Goaltending Prospect Posts Impressive Shutout, Continues AHL Dominance

The Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltending situation has certainly been an interesting one to follow as a whole this season.

Tristan Jarry is having his best season in recent memory and is now involved in some trade speculation. Arturs Silovs started off the year well and was involved in some Rookie of the Year conversations until a recent slide in play. 

But it's hard to ignore what top goaltending prospect Sergei Murashov is doing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), too. And his most recent performance was, perhaps, his most impressive and dominant of his AHL career so far. 

On Wednesday, Murashov posted a 34-save shutout - which included 20 saves in the first period - en route to a 3-0 WBS victory against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

And his latest performance is only the latest example of the spectacular AHL season that he's putting together.

In 11 appearances this season for WBS, the 21-year-old Murashov is 8-2 with two shutouts, a 1.56 goals-against average, and a .943 save percentage. Both his goals-against average and save percentage are the top marks in the AHL by a decent margin, as Sebastian Cossa of the Grand Rapids Griffins is second in both categories at 1.76 and .935, respectively.

Simply put, Murashov is dominating the AHL this season. He put together a pretty good run of games at the NHL level earlier this season, too, as he was 1-1-1 with a shutout, a 1.90 goals-against average, and a .913 save percentage. 

It will be interesting to see how the Penguins' goaltending situation at the NHL level shakes out the rest of the season. Regardless, they could just have a long-term answer waiting in the wings at WBS.

NHL Rumors: 2 Potential Trade Fits For Penguins' Tristan JarryNHL Rumors: 2 Potential Trade Fits For Penguins' Tristan JarryThese two teams should be watched when it comes to Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry.

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Blackhawks Return Home And End Slump With Original Six Win Vs Rangers

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks had a tough road trip out west. They went 1-2-1 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings twice.

In the final two games of the trip, the Saturday and Sunday games in Southern California, the Blackhawks were blown out of the building. 

4 Takeaways From Blackhawks Latest Road Trip Out West4 Takeaways From Blackhawks Latest Road Trip Out WestThe Chicago Blackhawks are coming off a road trip out west. There is a lot to unpack when evaluating that time away from home.

Now, back at the United Center, it was Chicago's next chance to end its slump to get back to its winning ways. They may not be a playoff-caliber team just yet, but they are better than the team that went out west last week. 

The first period didn't have any scoring, but the Blackhawks controlled play. Thanks to some miraculous saves by Igor Shesterkin, the game went to the second intermission in a scoreless tie. 

In the second period, the Blackhawks started to see some reward for their effort. It started at 7:08 of the middle frame, when Louis Crevier scored a shorthanded goal. He found himself with a mini breakaway and beat Shesterkin to make it 1-0, Blackhawks. 

Shortly after, Ryan Donato put the puck in the net to make it 2-0, but the Rangers challenged it for a missed stoppage of play. After review, it was determined that before the goal was scored, Colton Dach used his hands to make a pass, waiving it off. 

The Blackhawks didn't stop grinding away after that, however, as they still found a way to make it 2-0 before the period ended. At 14:27, Connor Bedard roofed one top shelf to extend the lead to two. A great play by Andre Burakovsky using speed and skill set up the goal for Bedard. 

In the final period of regulation time, the Blackhawks did not stop. Tyler Bertuzzi took advantage of a nifty play made by Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene to make it 3-0. There was some high-end effort and stick-to-itiveness on the part of all three players. 

Spencer Knight earned his second shutout of the season as the 3-0 score held as the final. Knight made 21 saves in the effort. After the way the team was giving up goals in Southern California over the weekend, it was important for them to come out this week and be solid defensively. Getting goaltending like that from Knight made it even easier to have a bounce-back in that regard. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

Next up for the Chicago Blackhawks is a one-game stop in Missouri to play the St. Louis Blues. This will be a Friday night ESPN+/Hulu exclusive. 

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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Blues sign Dillon Dube, who was acquitted in Hockey Canada sexual assault case, to AHL tryout

NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs at Calgary Flames

Jan 18, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Dillon Dube (29) against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

ST. LOUIS — Dillon Dube, the only remaining unsigned player among the five members of Canada's 2018 world junior team who were acquitted of sexual assault in the high-profile case, has agreed to an American Hockey League professional tryout with the St. Louis Blues.

General manager Doug Armstrong announced the deal with the 27-year-old on Wednesday. Dube, fellow forwards Michael McLeod and Alex Formenton, defenseman Cal Foote and goaltender Carter Hart were found not guilty by a judge in London, Ontario, after being charged in connection to an incident there in 2018.

Hart with the Vegas Golden Knights is the only one who has played in the NHL since the trial ended last summer and all five were reinstated. Foote signed with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last week, while Formenton is playing in Switzerland and McLeod in the Russia-based KHL.

The Blues said Dube would report to the Springfield Thunderbirds after receiving his work visa. Dube played 42 games with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL last season. He was with the Calgary Flames from 2018-24.

Also Wednesday, St. Louis brought back Robby Fabbri on a deal that pays him the prorated league minimum of $775,000 when he's in the NHL and $300,000 in the AHL. Fabbri played parts of his first four seasons with the club before getting traded to Detroit and playing last year with Anaheim.

Fabbri's signing came as the Blues put forward Jordan Kyrou on injured reserve. Kyrou was listed as week to week with a lower-body injury.

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Ex-Oilers Forward Comes Out Retirement & Signs Overseas

Former Edmonton Oilers forward Derick Brassard is officially coming out of retirement. 

According to Nicolas St-Pierre, Geneve-Servette of Switzerland's National League has signed Brassard for the rest of the 2025-26 season. 

Seeing Brassard sign overseas is certainly surprising, as the 38-year-old forward has not played professionally since the 2022-23 season when he was a member of the Ottawa Senators. However, he is now resuming his career overseas, which is undoubtedly cool to see. 

Brassard will now provide Geneve-Servette with a player with a ton of NHL experience. The 2006 sixth-overall pick played 16 seasons in the NHL, where he recorded 215 goals, 330 assists, and 545 points in 1,013 games.

Brassard spent a small amount of his NHL career as a member of the Oilers. In 15 games for the Oilers during the 2021-22 season, the longtime NHL forward posted two goals, one assist, 21 hits, and a minus-2 rating. 

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Rangers Vs. Blackhawks Preview, Projected Lineup, Notable Storylines

&nbsp;Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are set to play the Chicago Blackhawks tonight at 7:30 PM EST at United Center.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of this matchup: 

Projected Lineup:

Forwards:

Artemi Panarin - Mika Zibanejad -  Alexis Lafrenière

Conor Sheary - Vincent Trocheck - J.T. Miller

Will Cuylle - Noah Laba - Brett Berard

Jonny Brodzinski - Sam Carrick - Jaroslav Chmelař

Defensemen:

Vladislav Gavrikov - Braden Schneider

Carson Soucy - Will Borgen

Matthew Roberston - Scott Morrow 

Goaltenders: 

Igor Shesterkin 

Jonathan Quick

Notable Storylines: 

  • Igor Shesterkin is set to start for the Rangers. 
  • The Rangers are coming off of a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. 
  • Adam Edström was placed on long-term injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. 
  • The Rangers currently hold a 15-12-4 record. 
  • The Blackhawks are coming off of a 7-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. 
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Sabres Sign Gritty Forward To NHL Contract

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have signed forward Trevor Kuntar to a one-year, two-way NHL contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Kuntar signed an AHL deal with the Sabres' AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, back in July. Clearly, he has impressed the Sabres with his play in Rochester, as he has now earned this new NHL contract.

Kuntar has certainly been making an impact with Rochester so far this season. In 24 games on the year with the AHL squad, he has recorded nine goals, four assists, 13 points, and 43 penalty minutes. This is after he posted three goals and 12 points in 54 games this past season with the Providence Bruins. 

Kuntar was selected by the Boston Bruins with the 89th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He has yet to make his NHL debut, but he has a good amount of AHL experience. In 148 career AHL games over three seasons split between Providence and Rochester, he has posted 22 goals, 23 assists, 45 points, and 232 penalty minutes.