Central Notes: Foligno, Jones, Manson, Lehkonen, Scheifele

Blackhawks winger Nick Foligno is already on injured reserve with a fractured finger sustained last week against the Devils but has remained without a recovery timeline. Today, he told reporters (including the Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope) that doctors have informed him he’ll be on a week-to-week timeline.

The Blackhawks’ most veteran player, at 36 years old and 1,100-plus games played, is fresh off signing a two-year, $9MM extension. He’s seen heavy deployment with rookie Connor Bedard this season, although both are now sidelined due to separate injuries both sustained against the Devils. He’s been elevated back to first-line minutes for the first time since 2021, his last season as captain of the Blue Jackets, partly due to additional injuries to other Blackhawks forwards like Taylor Hall. With eight goals and 17 points through 39 games, he’s fourth on the team in points behind Bedard, Philipp Kurashev and Jason Dickinson.

More from the Central Division:

• Sticking with Chicago, number-one blueliner Seth Jones is officially back in the lineup tonight against the Stars after missing 15 games with a lower-body injury, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. Coming out to make room is veteran Jarred Tinordi, who had two points in his last three games. Jones, who has averaged over 25 minutes per game this year, returns to a top-pairing role with youngster Alex Vlasic to his left. Despite his injury, Jones and Vlasic have still seen the most ice time together of any Blackhawks defense pairing this season at 254 minutes in 25 games, per MoneyPuck. In 27 appearances on the year, Jones has 11 assists and a -5 rating.
• Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson has returned to the lineup tonight against the Maple Leafs, as initially reported by The Denver Post’s Corey Masisak. The 32-year-old, who’s no stranger to injuries, missed the last two contests for undisclosed reasons. He’s taken a major step forward defensively in his second full season with Colorado, posting a 53.4% Corsi share at even strength through 37 games this year. He’s supplemented that with five goals and 12 points, playing his best hockey since coming to Denver via trade from the Ducks at the 2022 trade deadline.
• Injured Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen is nearing a return from his neck injury that’s kept him out since the beginning of November, head coach Jared Bednar said earlier this week (via Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now). Bednar said Lehkonen could return during the Avs’ lengthy road trip, which has four games remaining after tonight and wraps up on January 20 in Philadelphia. The 28-year-old would be a huge boost to Colorado’s top six and had eight points in his first 12 contests. Now in the second season of a five-year, $22.5MM deal, he would presumably help anchor a second line that, at least tonight, currently features no players with over half a point per game this season with Valeri Nichushkin out with illness.
• Jets top-line center Mark Scheifele isn’t playing tonight against the Flyers with a lower-body injury sustained Thursday against Chicago, per the team. Captain Adam Lowry moves up to the first line in his absence to center Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabriel Vilardi. Scheifele’s 27 assists and 41 points through 41 games both lead the team, so it’s a sizable loss for a squad looking to extend their eight-game win streak. He’s in the final season of an eight-year, $49MM carrying a $6.125MM cap hit but is locked into a seven-year extension with an $8.5MM cap hit beginning next season.