The Buffalo Sabres are currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Due to this, it would not be surprising in the slightest if they made changes to their roster if they do not improve quickly.

One Sabres defenseman who could be worth keeping an eye on as a potential trade candidate this season is blueliner Mattias Samuelsson.

Samuelsson has been in the rumor mill before, and with the Sabres having so many left-shot defensemen, he could be worth parting ways if it helps improve their roster elsewhere. There would likely be interest in Samuelsson, as he is a big defenseman who has shown that he can play top-four minutes. 

Samuelsson could be a solid trade chip for the Sabres to use to land an impactful forward or even a top-four, right-shot defenseman. This is especially so when noting that the 6-foot-4 defenseman has had a strong year, as he has recorded five goals, 12 points, 38 hits, 59 blocks, and a plus-6 rating in 28 games. 

The one thing that may complicate a potential Samuelsson trade is his contract, however. This is because he would be far more than a rental for any potential suitors, as he has a $4,285,714 cap hit until the end of the 2029-30 season.

The Bell Center is one of the noisiest buildings in the NHL. Opponents love to play there because it gets absolutely electric. So far this season, however, it seems the Montreal Canadiens do not like to play there. When you compare the team’s record on the road and at home, you realize that Martin St-Louis’ men are much better when they are the visiting side.

The Habs are 7-8-1 at home, while they are 8-3-2 on the road. In other words, they’ve won 62% of their games when playing away from the Bell Centre and just 44% of their tilts in Montreal. Worst still, on the road they’ve allowed 40 goals and scored 42, giving them a plus-2 differential, but at home they have allowed 63 goals (the most in the league) and scored only 49, for a minus-14 differential.

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Those numbers are troubling. Playing at home is meant to give you an advantage, not just because of how electric the building is, but also because you control the matchups with the last change. Is St-Louis struggling to find the right matchups? Or are the players struggling with the man-to-man defensive system? It seems to be a bit of both, but if it’s the defensive system, how can they apply it on the road but not at home?

There is no better proof of the team’s inability to play the system than Nikita Kutcherov’s goal in Tuesday evening’s game. Ivan Demidov, Joe Veleno, Jared Davidson, and Mike Matheson are all standing in a perfect line in front of Jakub Dobes. At the same time, Maxwell Crozier feeds the puck to the Lightning sniper, who is all alone on the wing, as if Tampa was on the man-advantage, but they weren’t. He unleashed a cannon of a shot and, of course, found the back of the net.

Nikita Kucherov gives Tampa a 3-0 lead in the 1st period. pic.twitter.com/HDvA8kRQI4

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 10, 2025

St-Louis said last night that what worries him the most is his team’s tendency to give up goals early in periods, and he’s right to be concerned about that, but the man-to-man defensive system should also be right up there on his list of concerns.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Dakota Mermis is going on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 8, the day he took a knee from Tampa Bay Lightning forward Gage Goncalves.

The Maple Leafs have placed D Dakota Mermis (lower body) on injured reserve retroactive to December 8.

D Henry Thrun has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).

— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) December 10, 2025

The play happened three minutes into the third period of Toronto's 2-0 win over the Lightning. Goncalves went to throw a hit on Mermis in the corner and clipped the defenseman's knee instead of the body.

A scrum ensued at center ice, with Dakota Joshua fighting Max Crozier and Bobby McMann high-sticking Oliver Bjorkstrand, which resulted in a one-game suspension. While this was going on, Mermis was getting assistance to the Maple Leafs' dressing room.

The 31-year-old defender, who has played 11 games with Toronto this season, will be out for one week after being placed on IR. The earliest he can return is Dec. 15, and the Maple Leafs host the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 16.

In a corresponding move, the Maple Leafs have recalled Henry Thrun from the Toronto Marlies. Thrun has three goals and nine points through 19 AHL games this season.

The Maple Leafs acquired Thrun from the San Jose Sharks in the summer for veteran forward Ryan Reaves. A fourth-round (101st overall) pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Thrun has appeared in 119 games, scoring five goals and 20 assists.

Thrun was on the ice for practice on Wednesday morning as the Maple Leafs prepared for a matchup against the Sharks on Thursday. Not on the ice for the skate was Morgan Rielly, who the Maple Leafs said would miss practice due to illness.

#Leafs lines at practice Dec. 10/25

Knies-Matthews-Domi
Cowan-Tavares-Robertson
Joshua-Roy-Nylander
Lorentz-Laughton-Jarnkrok
Extra: McMann (suspended), Maccelli

Myers*-OEL
McCabe-Stecher
Benoit-Thrun
Extra, Tanev(🛑), Rifai(🛑)
*Myers placeholding for Rielly(illness)

Hildeby… pic.twitter.com/CF2GXS3q1X

— David Alter (@dalter) December 10, 2025

It appears that Thrun, who's on the third pairing with Simon Benoit in practice, could make his Maple Leafs debut vs. his former club on Thursday night.

Joseph Woll was on the ice before practice, six days after leaving last Thursday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes with a lower-body injury. It's the first time we've seen the goaltender on the ice since then. He's not eligible to return to game action until Dec. 11.

More to come...

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ST. PAUL, Minn - This happened last year when Edmonton Oilers star forward Connor McDavid chicken winged Marcus Johansson in the head and didn't receive even a penalty for it. Johansson was out for weeks with a concussion after that.

With no discipline from the league on McDavid.

On Monday in Seattle, Kraken defenseman hit Mats Zuccarello up high. Zuccarello was pulled from the game and did not return. He is now out.

Dunn received a fighting minor on the play after Danila Yurov came in to the defense of Zuccarello. The rest of the game, Wild players tried to get Dunn to drop the gloves but he didn't give in.

On Tuesday the NHL said nothing about the hit and Dunn did not receive and discipline from it other than the roughing minor on Yurov.

Dunn hit on Zuccarello pic.twitter.com/5jPq7soJdy

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) December 9, 2025

This did happen earlier this year. Wild forward Tyler Pitlick hit Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield in the head. Chatfield missed some time and Pitlick did not get any discipline from the league.

The only difference was Pitlick was ejected from that game for the hit. Dunn didn't even get a penalty for the hit on Zuccarello who is likely going to be out for some time. The Wild still don't know yet how long.

We should get an update from Wild head coach John Hynes after morning skate on Thursday about Zuccarello's status. But it is safe to say he probably won't play against the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

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ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues announced on Wednesday that forward Dillon Dube will join Springfield of the American Hockey League on a professional tryout. 

Dube will report to Springfield upon receiving his work visa.

Dube was one of five former members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior hockey team that was charged with sexual assault stemming from an alleged incident that occurred in 2018 in London, Ont. along with Carter Hart, who has recently joined the Vegas Golden Knights, Alex Formenton, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote. They were acquitted of the charges in July.

The Blues released the following statement regarding the signing:

#stlblues statement regarding signing Dillon Dube to an AHL PTO ... pic.twitter.com/do2IaWySGg

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) December 10, 2025

The Blues have been hit with a rash of injuries to their forward corps, including Jordan Kyrou (lower-body), Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist), Alexey Toropchenko (leg burns), Nathan Walker (upper body) and Nick Bjugstad (upper body) left the second period of a 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday and have called up Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Matt Luff and Hugh McGing in the past week-plus and are lacking bodies/depth in both organizations at the position.

The 27-year-old Dube most recently played for Minsk Dynamo in the KHL and recorded 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 42 regular-season games during the 2024-25 season. 

The Golden, British Columbia native was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the second round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and spent his entire six-year career with the Flames and had 127 points (57 goals, 70 assists) in 325 regular-season games, including back to back 18-goal seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

For 59 minutes and 58 seconds on Tuesday, it looked like a Pittsburgh Penguins' resounding victory over the Anaheim Ducks was a given. 

But, hockey is a weird game. And these Penguins are a confounding team. 

With 0.1 seconds left in regulation and the Penguins on the power play, the Ducks tied the game at 3-3 and went on to defeat the Penguins in a shootout, 4-3. Penguins' goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 25 of 28 Anaheim shots, and he - once again - failed to make a save in the shootout. 

This one was a dominant effort from the Penguins, which made what happened even more baffling. 

The Penguins opened the scoring midway through the first period when Noel Acciari shot a puck toward the net and behind Ville Husso right off the faceoff from the left circle. The score remained 1-0 heading into the second period.

And, in the middle frame, the chances were a bit more split. Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe scored a little more than five minutes int the middle frame, as he walked down the left side and put one top-shelf above Silovs and into the back of the net. Troy Terry did a similar thing on the right side with a little more than five minutes remaining in the period, beating Silovs short-side high. 

Then, in the waning seconds of the period, Tommy Novak - who came into this one with two goals and six points in his last five games - got his own rebound around the net, went below the goal line, and banked a puck off the back of Husso to tie the game at 2-2 with 19 seconds left in the second period. 

And the score remained that way until late in regulation. The Penguins were pressuring in the offensive zone, and Sidney Crosby found Anthony Mantha on the doorstep with a cross-ice pass to put Pittsburgh up 3-2 on the power play with 3:55 remaining in regulation. And, to make matters even better, they got another power play at the end of the game when Chris Kreider took a tripping penalty with 18 seconds left, pretty much guaranteeing a win, right?

Final. pic.twitter.com/zRadZ8g1Tr

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 10, 2025

Well, not so fast. 

In the last seconds of regulation, Anaheim's Beckett Sennecke gained the offensive zone shorthanded, walking around Penguins' forward Bryan Rust and defenseman Kris Letang. The puck ended up in the goal crease, and so did Erik Karlsson, who fell and slid in toward Silovs and the puck. The puck hit Karlsson's hand, and somehow, it crossed the goal line with 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock. 

It was a good goal. All tied up, 3-3. Overtime didn't prove to be enough, and the Penguins went on to lose their fifth shootout in as many attempts this season. 

Shock was prevalent in the locker room following the game. The Penguins outplayed the Ducks for the vast majority of regulation, and shots ended up 47-28 in favor of Pittsburgh. 

But the Penguins blew their seventh lead in 14 games, and those precious points lost are starting to become a problem - as is their ability to hold leads, something that has haunted them the past couple of non-playoff seasons. 

“It’s obviously a very frustrating feeling right now,” Karlsson said. “That was a game that we all thought we had in the bag. Scoring a late power-play goal, putting all the pressure on them. They still created a fair amount of chances. [Silovs] played great for us and bailed us out when we needed to.

“Being up a goal like we were with 18 seconds left, that’s a game that we should win 99.9% of the time. This was a game that shouldn’t have happened the way that it did.”

Penguins Provide Injury Update On Key PlayerInjured reserve has been an all-too-popular place for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> this season.&nbsp;

Here are some notes and takeaways from this one:

- Let's just get the elephant in the room over with right off the bat. 

The Penguins have blown too many leads lately. They've been sloppy and/or outplayed in most of those efforts.

But to lose this way? Absolutely unacceptable. No two ways about it. 

That play just can't happen. Not only were the Penguins 18 seconds away from a win, they were on the power play, and they were, once again, the better team. Rust blew coverage. Letang blew coverage. Karlsson needs to be more careful there. Crosby can't pinch on that play. 

Those are four of your best, most veteran players. Oftentimes, it is the veterans making these kinds of mistakes. 

If the Penguins are going to make the playoffs, that has to stop. They are outplaying legitimately good hockey teams and are a legitimately good hockey team themselves. So they need to find a way to close out games like they were in October.

Penguins Call Up 2 Forwards As Injury Bug BitesThe Penguins have called up two forwards from the AHL.

- That aside, this game was a very sloppy one in a general sense for both sides. There were a lot of mishandled pucks, misfired passes, misfired shots, big rebounds, neutral zone play, and puck/stick battles.

I suspect the ice wasn't great, but this could also just be the result of two tired teams playing against each other. The Penguins travelled back from Dallas Sunday and cancelled practice Monday, and it showed that they just looked a little off, even if they outplayed the Ducks. 

- It would be malpractice not to mention Novak, who has been on a tear lately and has three goals and seven points in his last six games. 

His goal at the end of the second was huge. He's crashing the net more and using the middle of the ice more. He's getting pucks to the net and led the Penguins - along with Rust - in shots on goal Tuesday with six. He's a good complementary player to Crosby's line or the second line. 

He has been legitimately good lately, and his lineup versatility makes him even more valuable. 

"Tommy's playing well," head coach Dan Muse said. "You can see he's attacking the game with the puck. He's making plays. I think he's playing well at both ends of the ice. I think he's a guy that, if you go out throughout the course of the year, he's gotten a lot of chances. He's been pretty consistent in terms of getting those areas. I think he's getting to the inside even more. He's getting a lot more looks from right around the net. And so, we're happy with this play.

If he keeps this up, it should make for some interesting decisions as far as lineups when Rakell and Malkin return. 

- The "kid line" of Rutger McGroarty, Ben Kindel, and Ville Koivunen were - once again - good from the jump in this game. They were the Penguins' best line in the first period, and they continued to generate scoring chances throughout the game.

Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse Needs To Play The "Kid" Line MoreThe third line of McGroarty-Kindel-Koivunen has been great, but they need more minutes.

The one issue with this line - if you even want to call it that up to this point - has been that none of the three have really taken charge as a "trigger man." All three players have a playmaking-first mentality, and they could benefit from getting more pucks to the net.

Well, McGroarty changed that Tuesday. He had five shots on goal - including four in the first period - and was getting the puck to the net anytime he could. 

Once again, this could be a dangerous third line for the Penguins. They're already responsible in their own zone, so once they start producing with regularity - it's bound to happen - look out.

- The Penguins' power play didn't look bad Tuesday by any stretch. They held zone time for the most part and didn't give up any chances against. 

But there just doesn't seem to be as much movement and quick passing as there was before. The Penguins are best as a power play unit when they're moving with expediency and getting penalty kills out of structure. And they are able to get more pucks to the net that way, too.

The power play has been a huge threat all season long. It needs to stay that way. 

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- This was a really good effort from the Penguins against a young, fast team. They were getting their way as far as possession, scoring chances, and shots, including outshooting the Ducks 16-8 in the first period. 

Once again, there is a lot to be said about the way the Penguins have been playing so far in the month of December, especially against some of the league's best teams. They deserved two points in Dallas even though they came away with the shootout loss. They beat the Tampa Bay Lightning by the skin of their teeth, but they got it done. They dominated the Phildelphia Flyers in a 5-1 win on Dec. 1. And they outmatched a Ducks team that they should have beat in regulation.

They're playing well-structured, opportunistic, and sound hockey against good opponents. That's what good teams in this league normally do. 

But they also lapse at the worst times and in the most critical moments of the game. They shouldn't have lost Tuesday. They know it. The fans know it. Muse knows it. Everyone knows it.

To say the game Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens is a must-win feels like an understatement. The Penguins need a response - and a good one.

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

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!   

Ville Husso’s inclusion on the Ducks’ opening night roster was a short one. He was placed on waivers just one day after the Ducks’ opening night roster announcement.

After clearing waivers, Husso was reassigned to the San Diego Gulls in the AHL. The Finnish netminder picked right back up where he left off from last season, when he was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings last February.

 A late-season injury to John Gibson last year provided an opportunity for Husso to return to the NHL. He had been playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL prior to his acquisition by Anaheim after struggling to perform at the NHL level for the Red Wings.

Husso’s tenure with the Red Wings was a forgettable one, but his strong play with the Gulls upon arriving in the Ducks’ organization (7-2-0 record and .907 SV%) carried over to his NHL spot starts at the end of 2024-25. In four appearances (three starts), he had a .925 SV% and 2.99 goals against average.

An unrestricted free agent this past offseason, Husso had the chance to pursue a job elsewhere. Ultimately, he chose to re-sign with Anaheim, penning a two-year deal with a $2.2 million AAV.

“I really enjoyed my time last year, couple months here,” Husso said. “There is good people around the team, both (in Anaheim) and in San Diego. I saw it as a good spot for myself to just get better and get my game in a good spot.”

Due to injuries for both Lukáš Dostál and Petr Mrázek, Husso has been thrust into the starting role. Dostál’s injury came during the final week of November and after Husso was recalled and got his first start of season on Black Friday, Mrázek suffered an injury of his own on the last day of November.

In six appearances (five starts) since being recalled, Husso has a 4-2-0 record. One of those losses came when Husso relieved the injured Mrázek during a tie game with the Chicago Blackhawks. The only logged shot that Husso faced in that game was a partial breakaway against Connor Bedard, who used his magic hands to beat the Finnish goaltender in close. The cruel nature of the game reared its head on that one.

Husso’s only other loss was the Ducks’ shambolic performance against the Utah Mammoth on Dec. 3, when they lost 7-0. Aside from that, he has held down the fort. The latest masterpiece was a 45-save performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. A late holding the stick penalty and subsequent power play goal against could have been the mark on an otherwise stellar night, but the Ducks tied the game with 0.1 seconds remaining in the third. The result was decided in the shootout, where Husso stopped all three Penguins shooters.

“Team effort. Probably not our best, but good teams get those two points even when it’s an okay game,” Husso said to media after the game. “It’s been so much fun to be around these guys. Every day, it’s like learning something new. Fun group to be a part of and shows that we never give up.”

Vyacheslav Buteyets has been the backup goaltender with both Dostál and Mrázek on the shelf. The 2022 sixth-round pick made his debut during the 7-0 defeat to Utah, relieving Husso after the first two periods. Dostál traveled with the team for their five-game road trip and participated in Tuesday’s morning skate. He is on track with the initial two to three-week timeline that was given by head coach Joel Quenneville.

When Dostál returns, Buteyets will be reassigned to the AHL and Husso will serve as the backup. A set of understandable moves. But Mrázek’s return, whenever that may be, could create a conundrum.

Husso has demonstrated thus far that he can be an NHL-quality goaltender again. Mrázek had some early inconsistencies to start the season, but rebounded with a strong performance against the Vegas Golden Knights before suffering a trio of hard-luck losses in his next three starts.

It wouldn’t be out of the question for the Ducks to carry three goaltenders when everyone is healthy, but a currently full 23-man roster means that a move (like waiving Nikita Nesterenko or Jansen Harkins or sending Ian Moore down) will have to be made. Would the Ducks be able to sneak Husso through waivers because of his comparatively high salary and the extra year on his deal? They’ve already done it once, but that was before teams like the Winnipeg Jets lost their bonafide No. 1 goaltender to injury.

A scenario like this is something that Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek likely won’t have to think about for at least another couple of weeks, until Mrázek begins skating again. For now, it’s Husso’s net.

“Just got to keep working, keep grinding and be ready whenever,” Husso said.

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The former Minnesota Wild defenseman just achieved a rare milestone in a game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

Brent Burns recorded an assist on Brock Nelson's goal in the first period of the game that the Preds ended up winning in a shootout.

Burns, 40, picked up his 11th assist of the year and his 15th point in his 30th game of the season.

He became the second 40-year-old defenseman in NHL history with at least 15 points through his first 30 games of a season (age based at start of season).

Nicklas Lidstrom had 26 points in 2010-11 and 21 points in 2011-12. No other defenseman has reached this feat.

Burns was the 20th overall pick by the Wild in the 2003 NHL Draft. He spent seven seasons with the Wild before he was traded to the San Jose Sharks.

In his seven seasons with Minnesota, Burns recorded 55 goals, 128 assists and 183 points in 453 games.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Recent Minnesota Wild Stories

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