Although Erik Karlsson got off to a very strong start to his season, the defenseman told reporters, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, that he actually suffered the forearm injury that has him out of the lineup now back in September. The veteran had 26 points in 33 games for the Sharks before the pain became too much to overcome. Karlsson has since undergone surgery and is believed to be roughly two weeks away from returning to the lineup and will certainly be a welcome addition to a San Jose squad that is trying to climb their way back into the postseason picture.
More from the Western Conference:
- While his time with Chicago has been limited having only been traded there last month, winger Sam Lafferty told reporters, including NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, that he’s hoping to re-sign with the Blackhawks. The pending UFA has averaged nearly 15 minutes a game after being acquired from Pittsburgh and while he has only scored once, he has been praised by interim head coach Derek King for his energy and penalty killing ability. Lafferty is a pending unrestricted free agent with an AAV of $750K and could earn a small boost on that on the open market in July.
- The Kings were without head coach Todd McLellan last night as he was placed into COVID protocol, the team announced (Twitter link). Trent Yawney was the acting head coach for their win in Anaheim and should stay in that role until McLellan is cleared to return which should be in five days from now.