Snapshots: Krejci, Lundqvist, Chabot

When David Krejci announced he was leaving the NHL to play at home in the Czech Republic this season, he left the door open to an NHL return.  However, that return won’t come this season after the Extraliga season comes to an end.  In an interview with iROZHLAS earlier this week, the veteran indicated that he would not return to the NHL to join Boston for the stretch run but wouldn’t rule out playing back in the NHL in 2022-23.  Krejci would have to clear waivers in order to sign that late in the season anyway and it’s unlike that Boston or any other team would have been able to get him through unclaimed.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

• How close was Henrik Lundqvist to attempting to return to Washington last season? In an interview with Goteborgs-Posten (translated by the NHL’s website) the veteran netminder was only three days away from flying out to rejoin the Caps before being diagnosed with pericarditis, ending those comeback hopes in the process.  Lundqvist opted to retire earlier this summer and mentioned that he will need another surgery on his heart at some point in the future.
• After finishing behind only Drew Doughty in average ice time per game, it appears that Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot will have a slightly lighter workload next season. Head coach D.J. Smith told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that his intention is to have the 24-year-old carry a lighter workload; the scribe pegs that target around 23 minutes per game.  That would be a sizable drop from the 26:17 he logged last season; in fact, the only time that he has averaged below 23 minutes a game was his rookie season in 2017-18.