Injury Notes: Makar, Roy, Ekman-Larsson, Gudas, Gauthier, Mintyukov
The Avalanche have received largely good news so far on the status of injured star Cale Makar and trade deadline pickup Nicolas Roy. Head coach Jared Bednar made it clear on Wednesday that Makar will be back before the playoffs. He said the same about Roy earlier in the week after he shed his no-contact designation at practice. However, neither will be re-entering the lineup during their back-to-back this weekend, Bednar told Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. They will not travel to Dallas for tomorrow’s tilt against the Stars but could accompany the team as they head out to face the Blues on the road next Tuesday. They were tossed around by the Canucks 8-6 in their lone outing without Makar so far as he deals with an upper-body injury, while they’ve managed a 3-2-0 record in five games without Roy since he went down with an upper-body issue on March 22.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson could miss a game because of an injury designation for the first time all season. Toronto was eliminated from playoff contention with last night’s loss to the Sharks, and they also lost Ekman-Larsson midway through the game with a lower-body injury. He hasn’t been ruled out entirely for tomorrow’s game against the Kings but is highly doubtful to play, Luke Fox of Sportsnet relays. The 34-year-old has been good for eight goals and 38 points through 73 games, leading Toronto defenders in scoring while producing his best point-per-game total since 2020-21, his final season with the Coyotes.
- While Ducks captain Radko Gudas hopped back into the lineup against Toronto earlier in the week after ending Leafs captain Auston Matthews‘ season with a knee-on-knee hit, he wasn’t fully recovered from a lower-body injury of his own that he sustained back on March 26 against the Flames. After racking up 17 penalty minutes against the Leafs, he bowed back out of the lineup for Wednesday’s loss to the Sharks. He won’t be able to go tonight against the Blues, either, head coach Joel Quenneville said (via Derek Lee of The Hockey News). Neither will fellow rearguard Pavel Mintyukov nor leading scorer Cutter Gauthier, for that matter, a blow for their hopes to gain some separation from the streaking Oilers for the Pacific Division title. Mintyukov has also missed two of the last three with a lower-body issue, while Gauthier will miss his second straight game with the upper-body injury he sustained against Toronto in an early collision with teammate Leo Carlsson.
Flames Recall Aydar Suniev
The Flames recalled wing prospect Aydar Suniev from AHL Calgary on Friday, per a team announcement. It appears he’ll be getting a look in the lineup this weekend against the Ducks as Calgary continues to flex its youngsters into limited trial roles down the stretch. In doing so, they’ve now used up four of the five regular recalls they’re allotted after the trade deadline.
If he gets into a game, it’ll be Suniev’s first since making his NHL debut in Game 82 of last season. The 21-year-old was a third-round pick in 2023 out of the Penticton Vees, then of British Columbia’s junior ‘A’ league, before spending the next two seasons at UMass. He starred as a sophomore for the Minutemen, posting 20 goals and 38 points in 35 games, before opting to turn pro.
Suniev hasn’t had the adjustment the Flames were hoping for. He hasn’t done much to push for a recall throughout the season. His work-in-progress skating has severely hampered his two-way utility, so while he’s tied for fourth on the AHL squad with 15 goals in 55 games, he’s added just eight assists and has a team-worst -26 rating.
As Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff opined last offseason, Suniev is the Flames’ #10 prospect and can easily rise up that list if the club’s development coaches are able to continue working on his skating. He’ll get a brief check-in at the NHL level here with seven games left in the Flames’ season to see how he looks against tougher competition. If there isn’t some meaningful progress there, though, the 6’2″, 198-lb winger will likely need to start leveraging his frame more to try and carve out a role as a bottom-six grinder.
Mammoth Recall Kevin Rooney
The Mammoth recalled center Kevin Rooney from AHL Tucson on Friday, per a team announcement.
His addition to the roster comes after fellow middleman Jack McBain left Thursday night’s 6-2 win over the Kraken in the second period with a lower-body injury. It wasn’t clear what caused the departure, and the team hasn’t issued an update on his status yet. They likely won’t until they hold their morning skate before tomorrow’s clash with the Canucks.
In any event, Utah is guaranteed at least 13 healthy forwards this weekend if McBain has to miss time. Adding Rooney to the mix allows them to insert a natural center into the lineup in his place, rather than shifting anyone from the wing. Enforcer Liam O’Brien was their lone healthy scratch up front last night, and Alexander Kerfoot is their only regular winger with tangible experience down the middle who could shift over.
Utah has recalled Rooney several times this season; this is now his sixth distinct recall. He’s cleared waivers twice during that time but has rarely been needed in the lineup, only dressing once back on Nov. 28 against the Stars, scoring a goal in his Mammoth debut. That may change now with their specific need for centermen – Barrett Hayton has also been sidelined for the last three games with an upper-body injury and is week-to-week.
Rooney, a veteran of 331 NHL games over parts of 10 seasons, landed a two-way deal with Utah at the beginning of the regular season after being released from his professional tryout with the Devils. The 32-year-old has been a shrewd pickup for Tucson, posting 12 goals and 23 points through 43 games. A grinder, he was never that much of an offensive centerpiece in his previous minor-league stints.
Blues Sign Colin Ralph To Entry-Level Deal
The Blues signed Michigan State defenseman Colin Ralph to an entry-level contract on Friday, per a team press release. It is a three-year pact that will begin next season. Per PuckPedia, the deal carries a $1.075MM cap hit and will warrant a $1.114MM qualifying offer upon expiry in 2029. The full breakdown is as follows:
| Year | NHL salary | Signing bonus | Potential performance bonuses | Minors salary |
| 2026-27 | $922.5K | $102.5K | $250K – Schedule ‘A’ | $85K |
| 2027-28 | $967.5K | $107.5K | $500K – Schedule ‘A’ | $85K |
| 2028-29 | $1.013MM | $112.5K | $750K – Schedule ‘A’ | $85K |
Ralph, a physical two-way lefty, was the first of St. Louis’ two second-round picks in 2024, going 48th overall out of premier Minnesota prep school Shattuck St. Mary’s. Standing at 6’4″ and 229 lbs, that size – plus his 66 points in 57 games against under-18 competition to lead Shattuck defenders in scoring in his draft year – made him an attractive candidate for a Blues club that continually prioritizes size on its blue line, although most scouts had him pegged as a third-round talent at best.
The Minnesota native stayed in his home state in 2024-25, suiting up for St. Cloud State as a freshman. He had some growing pains, though, finishing the year with eight points and a -4 rating in 35 games. He quickly entered the transfer portal and landed with Michigan State. He now turns pro after just one year with the Spartans, but his sophomore effort was a strong one. He pushed for a bit more playing time and ended up with a 1-10–11 scoring line and a +20 rating in 37 outings.
Ralph’s frame and lack of offensive utility thus far at higher levels indicate he’ll be more of a shutdown piece at the pro level. He did win gold at last year’s World Junior Championship as a depth rearguard for the United States, posting an assist in seven games. Ralph is the #8-ranked Blues prospect according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic and Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff, sitting fourth in the pool among defenders.
He’ll now have an initial three-year track, most of which will likely be spent with AHL Springfield, before the Blues have to make their first decision on whether or not to retain him. He likely won’t be very high on the list for a recall next year, but should push for initial NHL playing time in 2027-28 or 2028-29.
Oilers Sign Owen Michaels To Entry-Level Deal
April 3: Michaels’ deal is for this season, PuckPedia confirms. As such, it carries a prorated cap hit of $1.484MM. That includes a signing bonus of $40K with an NHL salary of $935K and a minors salary of $85K. He will immediately become a 10.2(c) player in July, meaning he’ll essentially be a restricted free agent who can’t sign an offer sheet.
April 2: The Oilers announced Thursday that they’ve signed Western Michigan University captain Owen Michaels to a one-year, entry-level deal. There’s conflicting information on when the contract takes effect; the team press release stated the deal will run for the last few weeks of this season, while the team tweet announcing the signing indicated the deal was for 2026-27.
In any event, the 23-year-old Michaels turns pro after a highly successful three-year run with the Broncos. The 6’0″ right-shot forward broke out as a top-of-the-lineup threat as a sophomore after being buried in the lineup as a freshman, erupting for 18 goals and 36 points in 42 games in 2024-25 en route to Western Michigan’s first-ever national championship. While the Broncos were knocked off by Denver in a regional final upset in the national tournament last week, Michaels was still relatively productive this year with a 13-13–26 line in 39 games.
At his age, the usual curve for an undrafted talent suggests he’ll top out as a high-end AHL contributor with some call-up potential, particularly since he never sniffed the point-per-game threshold in college. As Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff relays, it’s his skating that will likely hold him back from becoming an everyday NHL piece. Still, he should be a good play-driver in AHL Bakersfield as a strong support piece for the Oilers’ higher-ceiling forward talent.
If Michaels’ contract is for next year (or if it takes effect immediately and he re-ups as a restricted free agent this offseason), Edmonton will have 33 deals on the books. If Michaels signed for 2025-26, he will be eligible to make his NHL debut in the regular season but won’t be eligible to play in any playoff games for the Oilers, much like they did with Quinn Hutson last year.
Penguins’ Caleb Jones Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Done For Season
Penguins defenseman Caleb Jones hasn’t played an NHL game since Oct. 23. He won’t be getting back into the lineup again this season, as the Pens announced Friday he underwent shoulder surgery back on March 18. There’s a four-to-six-month recovery timeline attached, which may stretch a bit into next season’s training camp on the long end but shouldn’t take him out of any regular-season action in 2026-27.
Barring a trade or contract termination, Jones will be back in Pittsburgh next season. He joined the Pens on a two-year, $1.8MM deal last summer that will pay him $1MM in actual salary in 2026-27.
The 28-year-old will compete for a roster spot next year, having played just 13 NHL games over the last two seasons. He spent 2024-25 on a two-way deal with the Kings that saw him play mostly in the AHL, only getting six games in L.A. across a few call-ups throughout the year. He saw seven games with the Pens to open this year as a #6/7 option but sustained a lower-body injury that ended up costing him nearly three months of game time. He was assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning stint and suited up once for them on Jan. 14, sustaining what would eventually be his season-ending shoulder injury that night.
Jones was then suspended for 20 games in early February for violating the NHL’s rules regarding performance-enhancing substances. He wasn’t healthy enough to play anyway, so it didn’t matter much. Jones finished serving that suspension earlier this week but still won’t be an option as Pittsburgh heads toward its first playoff berth since 2022.
Jones didn’t look out of place at all in his small sample at the beginning of the season. He had one assist and a +1 rating while averaging 17:10 of ice time per game, blocking a career-high 2.14 shots per game. His under-the-hood numbers weren’t great – Pittsburgh only controlled 41.4% of shot attempts with Jones on the ice at 5-on-5 – but he was starting his shifts in the defensive zone two-thirds of the time. He skated primarily on the third pairing with since-demoted rookie Harrison Brunicke, with that unit controlling a promising 54.3% of expected goals, according to MoneyPuck.
Still, it’s hard to see Jones playing a significant NHL role next year. The team’s midseason pickup of Samuel Girard pushed him further down the left-side depth chart. If the Pens can manage to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent Ryan Shea, Jones will likely enter camp as the #5 lefty on the depth chart at best behind Girard, Shea, Parker Wotherspoon, and Ryan Graves. That’s not even considering the competition that group could face from 2022 first-rounder Owen Pickering.
Jets Reassign Danny Zhilkin
The Jets loaned forward Danil Zhilkin to AHL Manitoba on Friday, per a team announcement. Since his recall last week came under emergency conditions, Zhilkin needed to be returned to the minors as soon as he was no longer needed for Winnipeg to ice 12 forwards. That happened last night as he was scratched for their 3-0 loss to the Stars.
Zhilkin, 22, was a third-round pick by Winnipeg in 2022. The Russo-Canadian centerman has logged the first six appearances of his NHL career this season, including back-to-back performances against the Avalanche and Blackhawks on Saturday and Tuesday. His first career point came in the latter outing, notching the primary assist on an Isak Rosen goal in an eventual 4-3 overtime win.
The skill forward had solid offensive output in junior hockey, scoring 0.88 points per game over his final two OHL seasons. His December birthdate meant he was eligible to turn pro out of the CHL in his second season post-draft, one year earlier than most. The adjustment to the pros wasn’t kind to Zhilkin, although Manitoba has been a horrid offensive environment for the Jets to develop their prospects over the past few years.
The Moose are having another tough year in the goal-scoring column, only managing 2.49 per game, but Zhilkin has been able to take something of a step forward in his third year in the pros. The 6’1″ middleman has 11 goals and 22 points in 54 games, along with a career-best -9 rating. That’s more than double the goal output and more than the cumulative point output he’d come up with over his first two AHL seasons.
Zhilkin ranked #13 in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s overview of the Jets’ pool last month. He still has another year left on his entry-level contract. Another step forward in Manitoba in 2026-27 will likely be necessary for him to warrant a qualifying offer from Winnipeg.
Blue Jackets’ Damon Severson Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Out For Season
April 3: After additional evaluation, Severson won’t be an option this season again at all. He underwent shoulder surgery yesterday and will not be an option to play again in 2025-26, per a team release Friday. It’s unclear if his return timeline could drag into training camp in the fall.
March 27: Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson is out week-to-week with the upper-body injury he sustained in last night’s loss to the Canadiens, head coach Rick Bowness said Friday.
Severson scored Columbus’ only goal in the 2-1 regulation loss before taking a hard hit from Zachary Bolduc, who scored the eventual game-winner, with 8:04 remaining in the third period. He skated off and immediately went to the room, favoring his left shoulder.
The Blue Jackets obviously lost a bit of ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race with the loss, but their strong underlying numbers still leave them with a 77.9% chance of making the playoffs, per MoneyPuck, despite having the league’s third-most difficult remaining strength of schedule. At 87 points, they’re tied with the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division but have a game in hand, winning the tiebreaker and pushing the Isles to the second wild-card slot.
That playoff likelihood drops a bit without Severson, who is having a resurgent campaign in Columbus. The 31-year-old righty had a pair of underwhelming seasons after signing an eight-year, $50MM deal in 2023 as part of a sign-and-trade with the Devils, even sitting as a healthy scratch for a few games last season, but has re-emerged as a does-it-all top-four piece with the best possession numbers of his career.
Through 71 games, Severson has an 8-24–32 scoring line while averaging 21:04 of ice time per game. Coupled with a career-best +18 rating, it’s his best offensive showing as a Blue Jacket and the third-best of his 12-year career on a per-game basis.
It’s what Severson has done to drive play at even strength, though, that has made him especially valuable. The Blue Jackets are controlling 54.4% of shot attempts at even strength with him on the ice – a number that even eclipses Zach Werenski – and can step in as a second-unit power play quarterback when needed.
Columbus doesn’t have an extra righty sitting around on the active roster. Youngster Denton Mateychuk, who’s gotten comfortable playing his offside on a pairing next to Ivan Provorov at points over the last couple of years, will shift back there for the time being. Egor Zamula, a healthy scratch in nine of the Jackets’ last 10 games, will presumably step back into the lineup in a bottom-pairing role.
Lightning Place Victor Hedman On LTIR
April 2nd: According to PuckPedia, the Lightning have placed Hedman on long-term injured reserve. Per the requirements for activation, Hedman must miss 10 games and 24 days before he’s eligible to return. That means that Hedman won’t be able to play until their penultimate regular-season matchup against the Detroit Red Wings on April 13th.
March 25th: The Lightning announced Wednesday that captain Victor Hedman will be out for at least one additional game as he takes a temporary leave of absence for personal reasons.
Hedman has already missed Tampa Bay’s last three contests. He left their game against the Canucks last Thursday after less than five minutes of ice time and didn’t return due to what the team labeled an illness.
That, plus a whole host of other injuries, has limited the usually durable Hedman to under half of the Bolts’ games this season. He has only managed 33 appearances, currently tracking for a career low, including lockout and COVID-shortened seasons.
Hedman, who finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting just last year, hasn’t had nearly the same effect when dressed, either. At 18:52 of ice time per game, he’s averaging under 20 minutes for the first time in his 17-year career, and his 0.52 points per game is his worst output since his early 20s.
The Bolts have maintained a 27-7-3 record without Hedman dressed this season, including a 2-0-1 stretch in their last three without him. They certainly miss his presence, even lower in the lineup, with depth options Declan Carlile and Maxwell Crozier sidelined, but they’ve been able to keep their system rolling and intact this season amid a bevy of other injuries on defense.
At this point in the season, the Lightning have essentially locked up home ice in the first round with a 89.5% chance of finishing in the top two in the Atlantic Division, per MoneyPuck. A playoff spot is all but clinched, but the race with the Sabres for the division title is still wide open.
Lightning Recall Mitchell Chaffee
The Lightning have recalled right winger Mitchell Chaffee from AHL Syracuse, per a team announcement Thursday.
Chaffee, who has been in Syracuse since clearing waivers in late October, will make his first NHL appearance in over five months tonight against the Penguins. He and Oliver Bjorkstrand are entering the lineup in place of Scott Sabourin and Brandon Hagel, who both sustained undisclosed injuries in Tuesday’s loss to the Canadiens but aren’t expected to miss more than a couple of games at most.
It wasn’t too long ago that Chaffee had made himself a bottom-six regular in Tampa. The 28-year-old made a career-high 66 appearances last season, notching 12 goals and six assists along the way. He was a welcome physical presence, ranking third on the team with 133 hits, and the 6’1″ righty was one of their most efficient scorers with a 17.6% shooting percentage.
Chaffee slipped down the Bolts’ depth chart after they acquired Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde from the Kraken at last year’s trade deadline and signed Pontus Holmberg in free agency last summer, though. Through seven games in October, he went without a point and was averaging only 9:29 of ice time per game. The Bolts opted to waive him, in part due to wanting to give Dominic James an extended look.
Since returning to a high-leverage AHL role in Syracuse, Chaffee has been spectacular. He ranks fourth on the Crunch in scoring with 24 goals and 31 assists for 55 points in 52 games.
He now projects to get another look in a fourth-line role with Nick Paul and Corey Perry while Sabourin, Hagel, and the IR-bound James all remain unavailable. He should stick around until the day-to-day Hagel and Sabourin can get back into the rotation.
These could be Chaffee’s final games for the Lightning. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent wrapping up a two-year, $1.6MM extension he signed in 2024.