Reaves was signed to a three-year, $4.05 million contract ($1,350,000 AAV) in the offseason and will be a healthy scratch Friday vs. Detroit in Sweden for the Global Series. It has been a disappoint 14 inaugural games with Toronto for the bruising winger, who has yet to pick up a point, has only six SOG, 12 PIMs and a -11 plus/minus.
Samsonov will start in the first of two games for the Maple Leafs in Sweden as part of the NHL Global Series. Samsonov has struggled on a whole this season, registering a 3.79 GAA and .870 SV% through eight appearances (3-1-2) but is coming off one of his stronger performances of the season, saving 31 of 33 shots in a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. The Maple Leafs are -174 favourites as the road team in Sweden against a Detroit Red Wings team coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators last night.
Harley left the Stars game on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild, playing only 11:19, when he was boarded by Brandon Duhaime. Duhaime received a major penalty and was ejected from the game. Joel Hanley replaced Harley in the Stars lineup on Tuesday and is expected to do so again on Saturday. In his first season as a full-time NHLer, Harley has five points (3G / 2A) in 14 games.
Luneau was originally assigned to San Diego (AHL) for a conditioning loan but has been recalled to Anaheim Friday. The 19-year-old defensemen was Anaheim's 2022 second-round pick (53rd overall) and returns to the NHL where he appeared in two games earlier in the season and failed to pick up a point while averaging 15:28 TOI.
Hall has missed the Blackhawks' previous two games due to a lower-body injury and will take warmups and be a game-time decision Saturday vs. Nashville. The 32-year-old is in his first season in Chicago after an offseason trade from Boston, and has two goals, two assists, 15 SOG, four PIMs and a -2 plus/minus through eight injury riddled games so far in 2023-24.
The Blackhawks' goalie carousel will continue Saturday vs. Nashville as Arvid Soderblom takes the crease after a shaky previous performance where he stopped 27 of 31 shots (.871 SV%) in a loss. The 24-year-old has struggled mightily in 2023-24, with his 1-5-0 record, 3.99 GAA, and .881 SV%. He draws the struggling Nashville Predators on the road Saturday, who have lost four straight games and are 21st in the NHL in goals per game (2.93).
In a move relating to Linus Karlsson being sent down, Hirose was recalled from the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL on Friday. Hirose played the first two games of the season with Vancouver, tallying zero points, three hits, and four blocked shots.
Karlsson was impressive in his season debut, going without a point, but tallying three shots, one hit, and a +1 plus/minus in only 11:54 time-on-ice. Despite his strong performance, Karlsson has been reassigned to Abbotsford of the AHL, a sign that the team is hopeful Andrei Kuzmenko will be able to return to the lineup on Saturday.
Kuzmenko exited the game in the third period in obvious discomfort on Wednesday after taking a puck to the face against the New York Islanders and did not play Thursday vs. Calgary. The second-year NHLer has picked up where he left off the 2022-23 campaign, being consistent all season, potting 14 points (3G / 11A) in 16 games.
Comrie has not played since October 27 after suffering a lower-body injury but will be available to play on Friday. Before his injury, Comrie played well, posting a 2.45 GAA and .914 SV% in three games (1-1-0). The Sabres have leaned heavily on the tandem of Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in his absence but the Sabres will give Comrie the opportunity to immediately rediscover some of his early season pedigree as the starting goalie against the Winnipeg Jets.
Staal last played on October 19th when he exited the game, playing only 7:24, with an upper-body injury. The veteran defenceman is expected to skate on the Flyers' third defensive pair with Louis Belpedio.
Merela played 14 of 17 games for the Lightning this season, averaging 10:35 time-on-ice ice, registering 16 shots on goal, and failing to record a point. The Finnish forward played predominantly on the fourth line with Luke Glendenning and Austin Watson.
Rousek will be a healthy scratch on Friday, allowing Zach Benson (lower-body) to return to the lineup for the first time since October 29th. Rousek made his season debut after Benson was initially injured and will likely not be a regular in the lineup now that Benson is healthy. He recorded zero points, one shot on goal, and a -2 plus/minus in five games.
Rookie Zach Benson has not played since October 29th but will be a welcome addition to a Sabres lineup that will be without Tage Thompson (upper-body) for the foreseeable future. Through six games this season, Benson has two points (0G / 2A), averaging 13:17 time-on-ice, and will likely see increased offensive deployment as the Sabres search for additional scoring depth.
Stastney is expected to play his ninth career NHL game, his first of the season, on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Predators' fifth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has four points (1G / 3A) in 10 games with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) this season.
The Coyotes have recalled Jan Jenik from Tuscon (AHL) as a forward replacement for Hayton, who will miss 4-6 weeks. Hayton scored a goal for the Coyotes despite exiting the game with an upper-body injury after playing only 7:57 time-on-ice. The Coyotes finished the game down two forwards as Matias Maccelli also exited the game but was more fortunate than Hayton with his post-game prognosis, as he is not expected to miss much (if any) time. Hayton had four points (2G / 2A) in his last five games after being held without a single point in his first 11.
Jenik was called up from the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL on Friday morning after news broke that Barret Hayton would miss four to six weeks with an upper-body injury. Jenik was the 65th overall pick of the Coyotes in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and has scored 28 points (9G / 19A) in 39 games over the last two seasons with the Roadrunners.
Maccelli exited Thursday's game with an upper-body injury after playing only 6:04 time-on-ice but seems to have avoided a serious injury. The talented Finnish winger has been having a solid season with the Coyotes, totalling 11 points (2G / 9A) in 16 games while primarily playing Nick Bjugstad and Lawson Crouse on the Coyotes' second line.
In Brown's four games before his injury, he was averaging 2.25 shots per game, a vast improvement over the 0.80 he was averaging in the five games prior, and perhaps a sign that he is re-finding his game. Brown, who has yet to record a point through nine games this season, skated at practice alongside Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at practice on Friday.
