The New Jersey Devils remain in a holding pattern when it comes to a potential return of long-time left winger Patrik Elias, writes NJ Advance Media’s Chris Ryan. Elias has been with the team going back to training camp, working out on his own and participating in some team meetings. He even still has a stall in the dressing room. Head coach John Hynes noted that his rehab is still on target and that they knew early on that a decision likely wouldn’t be made until the second half of the season:
“Patrik knew, we knew as an organization, coming into this year that it probably wasn’t going to be a first half of the season type of situation. He’s really working to see if this is going to be something he feels and we feel that he’s going to be able to play. But we’re not at that point yet.”
The 40 year old Elias is New Jersey’s all-time leading scorer with 1,025 points in 1,240 games and has only played for the Devils in his career.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Oilers aren’t ruling out sending rookie winger Jesse Puljujarvi to the AHL, reports Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. The fourth overall pick back in June has just a single goal and seven assists through 22 games this season and has seen his ice time drop sharply in recent games while also spending time as a healthy scratch. As he was not drafted out of the CHL, he is eligible to play in the minors despite being only 18. With the World Juniors (where he was tournament MVP last year) fast approaching, some wondered if Edmonton might consider making him available for that tournament but speaking with reporters this morning (video link), GM Peter Chiarelli ruled that possibility out of the question.
- Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov, fresh off a 51 save performance on Sunday against Toronto, is dealing with a groin injury, notes Terry Frei of the Denver Post. Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters Varlamov is day-to-day but he will not dress for tomorrow’s game against Philadelphia. Prospect Spencer Martin is expected to be recalled to serve as the backup while Varlamov is out of the lineup.
- Washington left winger Andre Burakovsky will be a healthy scratch tonight against the Islanders, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post reports (Twitter links). The 21 year old has struggled considerably this year, scoring just twice in 27 games; both of those goals came in the season opener. As a result, his ice time has dropped quite a bit in recent weeks to the point where he was receiving fourth line minutes the last couple of games.