With the trade deadline now behind us, activity around the NHL was much quieter as expected. However, there was still some news of note which is recapped in our key stories.
Third Time’s A Charm? There has been plenty of speculation about NHL expansion or potential relocation with a handful of markets emerging as potential places. One of those is a market that has had an NHL team twice before as former NHL player Anson Carter is leading a group that wants to bring a franchise back to Atlanta. That market was home to the Flames from 1972 through 1980 while they also had the Thrashers, an expansion franchise, from 1999 through 2011 before the team relocated to Winnipeg to become the second iteration of the Jets. The group has apparently been in talks with the league about this since 2019 but with no expansion on the immediate horizon (yet, at least), they’ll likely be waiting a while longer before trying to garner serious consideration.
Third Time’s A Charm? (Part Two): Senators center Josh Norris has had a hard time staying healthy with lingering shoulder issues. He missed the beginning of the season while still recovering from the second surgery on his left shoulder and that same shoulder will cause him to miss the rest of the season as a third surgery is required. Norris is an important part of Ottawa’s young core and is signed through the 2029-30 campaign at $7.95MM per year. However, between this season and last, he only was able to play in 58 of 164 games. There was no immediate word on how long the recovery will be from this procedure and if it will roll over into training camp in the fall.
Vilardi Out Indefinitely: When healthy, Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi has been quite an impactful player. However, staying healthy has been a challenge. Now, already on the shelf due to an upper-body injury, the team learned that the 24-year-old has an enlarged spleen. Accordingly, his status has now been changed to out indefinitely. Vilardi was arguably the centerpiece of the offseason trade that saw Pierre-Luc Dubois go to Los Angeles and he has made an impact when he’s in the lineup, collecting 30 points in just 38 games. But now, Winnipeg will be without a key performer for the foreseeable future as they continue their tough three-way battle with Colorado and Dallas for the top spot in the Central Division.
St. Louis Takes A Leave: Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has taken a leave of absence from the team for family reasons. He’s in his third season behind Montreal’s bench with the team playing to a 70-94-21 record in his 185 games at the helm. There is no word on when he’ll be able to return. In the meantime, assistant coach Trevor Letowski is serving as Montreal’s acting bench boss. This is Letowski’s first experience running a team at the professional level although he has several seasons in that role from his days in the OHL.
Johansen’s Demotion Reversed: Earlier in the week, the NHL quietly reversed Philadelphia’s assignment of center Ryan Johansen to AHL Lehigh Valley. The veteran was acquired for salary-matching purposes in a trade with Colorado earlier this month but was immediately waived and demoted when he cleared. However, Johansen is dealing with a hip issue and since injured players can’t be waived, the 31-year-old won’t be permitted to rehab with the Phantoms. There is no timetable for his recovery which is particularly noteworthy as injured players can’t be bought out. With one year and $4MM left on his contract (more specifically, Philadelphia’s portion of his $8MM deal), if the injury lingers, they won’t be able to clear at least part of his contract off their books.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
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Giroux should have stayed with the Panthers.
Johansen being hurt when traded should give the Flyers another asset from the Avs for peddling damaged goods!