Blue Jackets forward Liam Foudy has been a key player for Columbus so far this postseason. After starting in a lower role, he has spent time on the top line recently and there’s little reason to think he’ll be coming out of the lineup. Accordingly, the team will be burning the first year of his entry-level contract once he suits up for his next game which should be later today for the third game of their series against Tampa Bay. While this will only be Foudy’s eighth appearance since the NHL returned, he also got into a pair of games close to the trade deadline while on emergency recall which means that this will be his tenth game of the year. Considering his impact so far, it’s a decision they’ll certainly be comfortable making even if it means his second contract will come a year earlier.
More from the Metropolitan:
- The Capitals are hoping to have center Nicklas Backstrom back for Game Three of their series against the Islanders on Sunday, notes Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. He missed Friday’s contest as he is currently in concussion protocol. With Washington down 2-0 in the series already, they could certainly use the 32-year-old who was third on the team in scoring during the regular season with 12 goals and 42 assists in 61 games.
- Flyers winger Michael Raffl appears to be nearing a return as he took part in Friday’s pregame skate, relays Adam Kimelman of NHL.com (Twitter link). The veteran was injured during the round robin in a collision with Boston blueliner Jeremy Lauzon. At the time, Alain Vigneault indicated that Raffl wasn’t going to be available for a little bit. The 31-year-old had 20 points in 58 games during the regular season and would be a boost to their bottom six group whenever he gets the green light to suit up.