With the regular season now in full swing, injuries are starting to take their toll around the league. Several significant injuries around the NHL are highlighted in our key stories.
Tkachuk Has Surgery: The Senators won’t have their captain available to them for a while as Brady Tkachuk underwent wrist surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for six to seven weeks. The 26-year-old went for a second opinion in the hopes that surgery could be avoided which could have cut down the recovery timeline by a few weeks but that’s not the case. One of the premier power forwards in the NHL, Tkachuk was off to a decent start before the injury with three assists in his first three games but Ottawa will now be looking to find someone to fill his spot on the top line until around December.
Rangers Fielding Calls On Othmann: When the Rangers drafted forward Brennan Othmann with the 16th pick in 2021, they were hoping to get a power forward who would be part of their core for the long term. However, he has spent the bulk of his professional career in the minors and was an early cut in training camp, resulting in New York receiving some calls about his potential availability. The 22-year-old has just two assists in 25 NHL games while notching 49 hits in a little under 10 minutes a night of playing time. He’s been productive with AHL Hartford though, picking up 70 points in 97 games. If the Rangers do decide to move him, it could be a trade that winds up being a swap of similar prospects in need of a change of scenery.
Canadiens Signings: While Lane Hutson didn’t get a contract extension in place before the season started, he didn’t have to wait too long to get one as he signed an eight-year, $70.8MM pact that begins next season. The 21-year-old had a great rookie season, picking up 66 points in 82 regular season games, earning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. He and Noah Dobson will now be Montreal’s top two defenders for the foreseeable future. Notably, two elements of this deal will soon be illegal when the new CBA begins next September. First, the eight-year term will be outlawed while Hutson received $55MM in signing bonus money, or 77.6% of the contract. Signing bonus money will be capped at 60% of the contract next year.
Meanwhile, the other person who signed the contract also received a new deal as well as Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton inked five-year extensions. Hughes, a former agent before being hired, has been GM in Montreal since January 2022 and has overseen a rebuilding process that saw Montreal turn over a significant chunk of its roster while becoming the youngest team in the league this season. Meanwhile, Gorton, who was promoted to President of Hockey Operations as well with this signing, has been in place since November 2021. While he didn’t get a chance to see his rebuilding efforts conclude with the Rangers, it looks like he’ll get that opportunity now.
More Injuries: There were more injuries of note across the NHL. The Mammoth will be without blueliner Sean Durzi for the next four weeks due to an upper-body injury. The 26-year-old had a breakout year two years ago in Arizona but he missed 52 games due to injuries last season and now this year is off to a tough start. Meanwhile, the Panthers won’t have Dmitry Kulikov anytime soon as he’ll miss five months due to a torn labrum. He’s a capable veteran depth piece for Florida as their infirmary continues to grow. His $1.15MM AAV will become LTIR-eligible when needed. Lastly, the Kings, who have struggled considerably out of the gate, will now be without one of their top players for a while as Anze Kopitar is listed as week-to-week with a foot injury. The captain, who is in his final NHL season, is a key two-way center and was averaging a point per game in the early going before being injured.
Hart To Vegas: The Golden Knights will be adding some goaltending depth as unrestricted free agent Carter Hart has joined the Golden Knights on a PTO deal. It’s expected he’ll spend some time with AHL Henderson and he could sign a two-year contract when he becomes eligible to play in December. Hart was Philadelphia’s number one goalie for several years before being charged with sexual assault, a charge he was acquitted of this summer. If he can get back to form, he could be an intriguing addition for the Golden Knights who currently have a relatively inexperienced backup goaltender in Akira Schmid playing behind Adin Hill.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
it only takes 7 years and couple of broken careers to get exposed as a fraud and experience no consequences. This thing is called jUsTiCe and its a good thing
Anyone following LA knows they regressed this year. The organization just does not have enough impact players to compete for SC.