Injury Notes: Kadri, Strome, Laine

Nazem Kadri has returned to Denver for further evaluation according to Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, who spoke with reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic today. The injured forward has already been ruled out for the rest of this series and is reportedly dealing with a broken thumb that could require surgery.

That means the pending free agent forward could potentially have already played his last game for Colorado, but teammate Jack Johnson knows that he’ll do “everything he can to get back” as soon as possible. The Avalanche have a chance to sweep the Edmonton Oilers tonight, something that could give them more than a week off, given reports today that the Stanley Cup Final is set to begin on June 15 or 18.

• Ryan Strome will be back in the New York Rangers lineup tomorrow night according to head coach Gerard Gallant, who told reporters including Dan Rosen of NHL.com that “he should be fine to go.” Strome left yesterday’s game partway through the second period and finished with just over seven minutes of ice time in the loss. The Rangers are looking to take a stranglehold in the series before they head back home for game five and Strome has been a big part of their success so far. The pending free agent center is averaging nearly 19 minutes a night and has eight points through 17 games.
• Patrik Laine is fully recovered from his back injury, according to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch, though there are no further updates on a potential contract. Laine played just 56 games this season for the Blue Jackets, but was exceptional, recording 26 goals (including seven game-winners) and 56 points. The 24-year-old will be a restricted free agent this summer coming off his one-year, $7.5MM contract for 2021-22.