New Jersey Devils’ forward Ondrej Palat was back at practice today after suffering an undisclosed injury in the final week of the regular season that required him to miss Wednesday night’s game against the Red Wings, per team reporter Amanda Stein. Palat left a game against Boston after blocking a shot, but his x-rays came back negative, and he appears ready to go for the playoffs.
On the year, Palat scored 15 goals and 28 points while averaging 13:45 of ice time per night. The veteran also brings a wealth of playoff experience to the table, having played in 150 career playoff contests. The two-time Stanley Cup champ has shown an ability to take his game to another level in the playoffs, scoring 101 points in those contests, including seven points in 12 games for the Devils last season.
While Palat looks good to go, head coach Sheldon Keefe said today that “it would be a surprise” if defender Jonas Siegenthaler is ready for their first-round matchup against Carolina. Siegenthaler, 27, posted nine points in 55 games on the season, while adding 92 blocked shots and 75 hits. Siegenthaler has been out of the lineup for a little more than a month due to a lower-body injury and was moved to LTIR in recent days before Jack Hughes’ season-ending shoulder surgery. His defensive-minded play would support the Devils if he were able to return.
Elsewhere in the Metro:
- Brad Shaw, who served as the Flyers interim head coach after the team fired John Tortorella, said today he would be happy to remain with Philly’s coaching staff even if the club does select an outside hire for the lead role, per Jordan Hall of NBCS Philly. Shaw noted that he would be interested in the head coaching position, and he’ll meet with GM Daniel Briere next week to see where things stand. This is the second interim head coaching position for Shaw, who experienced a similar situation with the New York Islanders during the 2005-06 season when head coach Steve Stirling was fired. Shaw guided the Isles to an 18-18-4 record and was not retained. He has since bounced around the league in various assistant coaching roles.
- Columbus Blue Jackets’ defender Dante Fabbro said he was “shocked” when the Predators placed him on waivers, but that being claimed by Columbus was a blessing in disguise, per team reporter Jeff Svoboda. Fabbro, now a free agent, added that he would love to continue his career with the Blue Jackets. The 26-year-old put up career high numbers this season with Columbus, scoring nine goals, 17 assists, and 26 points in 62 games for the club. He added a plus-23 rating, 136 blocked shots, and 66 hits. Based on his success with the team, it would be surprising if the Blue Jackets didn’t feel similar about a reunion.
Seems like I saw at least one other pretty notable story involving a player and team in the Metro.
Does the NDA extend that far?
Amazing how players find their game after being jettisoned by the Preds. Maybe a coaching issue?