It’s been a while since we’ve done an NHL Notebook and looked around at what’s going on around the league. So, let’s not waste any time and let’s get right into it.

On Saturday morning, the New Jersey Devils announced that forward Jack Hughes underwent successful surgery on his finger. He will be reevaluated after six weeks, but the expectation is that the centreman will be sidelined for the next eight weeks.

The injury occured at a team dinner on Thursday night. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada shared that as far as he knew, Hughes slipped and fell and cut himself on some glass.

Although this was a freak accident, injuries have much been the story of Hughes’ career. He has played more than 63 regular season games just once over his seven-year NHL career. The 2019 first-overall pick has dealt with three separate shoulder injuries, with his most recent one last year ending his season.

Hughes has been one of the best players in the league this season, scoring 10 goals and 2o points through 17 games. His 10 goals have him tied for 15th in league scoring. The Devils will be without their leading scorer until early January. However, this injury is not expected to finder his availability for the Team USA at the Olympics.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Matthew and Brady Tkachuk started a podcast called Wingmen.

Their podcast is with the same company that produce Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast New Heights.

Having listened to the first episode, it was clear that they were knew to the podcasting scene. However, the brothers’ ability to bounce off each other produced a solid inaugural episode. The two chatted about experiences from Matthew’s run to back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships, their infamous 4 Nations Face-off fights, and provided an update on their injury statuses.

Matthew was injured at the 4 Nations Face-off, when he tore his adductor muscle. After the Stanley Cup Championship, Matthew revealed he completely tore the muscle off the bone. In August, he underwent surgery to repair the injury, and he isn’t expected to return until December.

Brady suffered his injury in the third game of the season, when Nashville Predators defenceman Roman Josi cross-checked him into the boards. Brady finished the period, but would not join his teammates for the second period. It was revealed to be a hand injury for Brady, and after successful surgery, he was given a six-to-eight week timeline to return. The Senators Captain shared that he’s on schedule and has resumed skating, but without a stick or puck.

On Thursday morning, the Ottawa Senators announced they’ve re-extended forward Shane Pinto to a four-year, $30 million contract, carrying a $7.5 million average annual value.

Pinto was selected by the Senators with the first pick of the second round of the 2019 NHL draft in Vancouver. Pinto made his debut in the 2020-21 season, scoring one goal and seven points in 12 games.

The Franklin Square, New York native was infamously suspended for 41 games for a gambling scandal called proxy betting. Reports suggest he granted access to his legal betting account to a third party, who then placed wagers. However, after the NHL’s thorough investigation, the NHL found no evidence that Pinto was betting on NHL games. Pinto, the NHLPA and the NHL reached an agreement that he would be suspended for half of the season if Pinto did not appeal the suspension, which he obliged.

The 6’3″ centreman played 70 games for the Senators in 2024-25, breaking out with his best offensive output, scoring 21 goals and 37 points. His efforts helped the Senators clinch a playoff berth for the first time since their tradgic double overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016-17 Stanley Cup playoffs.

This season, Pinto has fully broken out. He’s tallied nine goals and 15 points through 19 games this season. Ottawa’s centre corps of Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens and Pinto are now locked up until the 2030 season, all three of which are making between $7.1 million – $8.35 million.