The Vegas Golden Knights keep moving defenseman Ville Heinola between the NHL and AHL, and the latest stop is back on the big-league roster.
Vegas announced today that Heinola has been recalled from the Henderson Silver Knights once again. It’s the third time in just over a week that he’s been brought up, after first getting the call on Oct. 11, then being sent back to the AHL on Oct. 14, recalled the next day, and reassigned again on Oct. 17.
Even with all that traffic, Heinola still hasn’t made his Golden Knights debut. The former Winnipeg Jets top prospect signed a one-year, one-way league-minimum deal with Vegas over the summer after becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent.
A left-shot puck-moving defenseman, he looks set to remain one of the club’s primary blue-line call-up options this season. He’s also off to a strong start in Henderson, posting five points in five games, and he’ll likely be hoping this latest stint finally leads to his first NHL appearance with Vegas.
Elsewhere in the West, Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund will miss tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild because of an upper-body injury, according to Pat Steinberg of TSN. It’s Backlund’s first absence of the 2026-27 season.
On a young, rebuilding Flames team, the 37-year-old has been one of head coach Ryan Huska’s most trusted pieces. He has only two points in eight games, but he’s logging 17:43 per night, which is second among Calgary forwards.
He also leads Flames forwards in short-handed ice time, so players like Joel Farabee, Yegor Sharangovich, and Martin Pospisil should see their penalty-killing roles grow tonight.
In Chicago, Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram is making progress in his recovery from an upper-body injury. Head coach Jeff Blashill told the media today, via Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio, that Byram is “trending in the right direction.”
Blashill added that the 25-year-old remains day-to-day. Byram, acquired by GM Kyle Davidson in a blockbuster summer trade, has been Chicago’s busiest blueliner early in 2026-27.
Through six games with the Blackhawks, he’s averaging 24:42 of ice time, including 3:15 on the power play and 0:41 on the penalty kill.
Nashville also got an encouraging update on an injured newcomer. Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said today, including to team reporter Brooks Bratten, that Mavrik Bourque is nearing a return from the upper-body injury that has kept him out for the last four games.
Bourque was one of the major pieces of Nashville’s hectic offseason, with the Predators sending two draft picks to land him and veteran defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin before later signing Bourque to a $5.5MM AAV extension. The 24-year-old has one point in his first four games in Tennessee, and he’ll have a chance to improve on that if he can work his way into a spot with one of Nashville’s veteran scorers.
In Other News...
One Blackhawks Legend Proved Even A Bitter Return Can Change
Brady Tkachuks return to Ottawa in a Panthers sweater was the kind of reunion that instantly turned sour, with boos and chants greeting him from the stands. For Blackhawks fans, the scene probably carried a familiar edge. Chicago once had its own bitter homecoming involving Chris Chelios, who came back to the United Center as a Red Wings player in 1999 and found out quickly how unforgiving a crowd can be when a former favorite is wearing the wrong sweater.
Chelios story is a reminder that a hostile return does not always define the whole relationship. What starts as a raw, emotional moment can soften over time, even after a player has crossed to a rival and taken the reception head-on. For the Blackhawks, his path from villain to honored alum is part of why these returns matter so much, and why a single night can say less about the end of a bond than the beginning of a new chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Fans Are Seeing A Different Artyom Levshunov Early
Artyom Levshunovs first full glimpse in a Blackhawks sweater came with plenty of expectation, and not a small amount of patience. The No. 2 pick in 2024 arrived in Chicago after signing his entry-level deal and spending time in the AHL, then ran into a rough stretch last season when the NHL learning curve, along with a wrist injury, made his progress harder to see. Early this year, though, the difference has been easier to spot. His skating looks sharper, his puck handling looks cleaner and the overall game has started to look more like the one the Blackhawks envisioned when they drafted him.
For Chicago, the encouraging part is not just the results, but the way Levshunov is carrying himself through them. He has said he is enjoying hockey again, and that matters for a young defenseman trying to turn raw talent into reliable NHL impact. The Blackhawks are still waiting to learn how quickly that growth can translate over a full season, but the early signs suggest a player who is settling in rather than searching for his footing. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks May Finally Have A Chance To Build Real Momentum
Connor Bedards return has given the Blackhawks a little more structure, and the results have started to follow. Chicago has won two of its last three games, with the offense showing a more balanced look than it did earlier in the season. Instead of leaning on a single source, the Blackhawks have gotten contributions from a young group down the middle, a encouraging sign for a team still trying to find a steady identity.
The bigger opportunity may be ahead, where the schedule opens a door for Chicago to string together some results and settle into a rhythm. The upcoming stretch comes against a run of opponents that have had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net, which gives the Blackhawks a chance to turn this small uptick into something more lasting. For a young team, that kind of run can matter as much for confidence as it does for the standings. [Read more 🡒]