Metropolitan Notes: Severson, Roslovic, Daws, Hinostroza
Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson will likely make his return from an oblique injury before Christmas, Columbus team reporter Jeff Svoboda relayed Wednesday. Severson, who remains on injured reserve, has missed just over a month since sustaining the injury in a November 19 contest against the Flyers, putting him well ahead of his predicted six-week return timeframe.
The 29-year-old blueliner is in his first season in Columbus after the Blue Jackets acquired his signing rights from the Devils just days before free agency opened last summer, promptly signing him to an eight-year, $50MM deal. Through his first 19 games, he’d given Columbus the level of play we’ve been accustomed to seeing from him over the past few seasons, notching eight points and a +1 rating while logging nearly 21 minutes per game. He remains in first place among Blue Jackets defenders with a 52% Corsi share at even strength, nearly four percentage points higher than second-place Zach Werenski‘s 48.1% mark. While playoffs again are out of the question for a Blue Jackets squad that’s six games below the .500 mark, Severson has been off to a strong start and looks to be an important piece of the team’s defense for the next few seasons.
Svoboda also reported that center Jack Roslovic, who is sidelined with a leg injury, won’t return until after Christmas. Roslovic, 26, is also on injured reserve and has missed 18 games with an ankle fracture.
While the Blue Jackets are at a full 23-player active roster, Severson could be activated during the current roster freeze without a corresponding transaction since it would not affect their cap hit. The Blue Jackets could wait to send down a player to be roster-compliant until December 28, when the freeze lifts.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division today:
- The Devils assigned goalie Nico Daws to the AHL’s Utica Comets Wednesday morning, a team release states. The team promoted Daws from the minors on Sunday with Vítek Vaněček out with an undisclosed injury, but he did not see any playing time, and Vaněček returned to action last night. Daws, 22, missed the first two months of the season after undergoing offseason hip surgery and has been stellar in his return to play with the Comets, posting a .937 SV% and 2.04 GAA in two contests.
- After clearing waivers a few days back, the Penguins waited to assign winger Vinnie Hinostroza to the minors until yesterday. It was a short-lived move, as Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports Hinostroza is back on the NHL roster today. The 29-year-old has a goal and two assists in 13 games with the Penguins this season, his first in Pittsburgh.
Damon Severson Returns To Practice
- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that defenseman Damon Severson has returned to practice this morning. Severson has been out exactly a month today with an oblique injury, having not played since the team’s November 19th game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Still on schedule with a six-week recovery timeline, Severson has been quite a boon for Columbus’ blue line this season, scoring three goals and eight points in 19 games averaging just under 21 minutes a night.
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Blue Jackets Place Patrik Laine On Injured Reserve, Recall Brendan Gaunce
The Blue Jackets have placed forward Patrik Laine on injured reserve retroactive to December 14, per a team release. In a corresponding transaction, the team recalled forward Brendan Gaunce from AHL Cleveland under emergency conditions.
The team already announced Laine was expected to miss six weeks of action after sustaining a clavicle fracture in Thursday’s game against the Maple Leafs. The move does not change his timeline for a return and is purely for roster management purposes.
2023-24 is quickly becoming a season to forget for Laine. This is now the third time he’ll be held out of the lineup for an extended period of time this year, missing nine games near the beginning of the season with an upper-body injury and missing three games earlier this month due to illness. He was also made a healthy scratch for a game against the Flyers on November 19, bringing his absence total to 14 out of Columbus’ 32 games this season.
When in the lineup, Laine has been a shell of the near-point-per-game player he’s been over the last two seasons in Columbus. He’s scored just six goals and nine points in 18 games on the season, and his ice time has dipped to a career-low 15:13 per game under first-year head coach Pascal Vincent.
Gaunce comes up to the NHL on his first recall of the season. The 29-year-old minor-league veteran was in the later rounds of the Blue Jackets’ cuts from training camp and cleared waivers in early October.
The 2012 first-round pick does have over 150 games of NHL experience dating back to his debut with the Canucks in the 2015-16 campaign. He made a quick stop in Boston and spent one season overseas with the Swedish Hockey League’s Växjö Lakers before arriving in Columbus in 2021. Since then, he’s primarily served as a top-six option for Cleveland, racking up 61 points in 80 AHL games over the past three seasons. So far this season, he ranks third on the team in scoring, with six goals and 15 points in 24 games. Slated for unrestricted free agency next summer, Gaunce will serve as the team’s 13th forward for the time being and is unlikely to draw into the lineup tomorrow against the Sabres.
Patrik Laine Sidelined For Six Weeks
The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that forward Patrik Laine suffered a clavicle fracture in last night’s 6-5 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The fracture happened in the second period when Laine fell to the ice and crashed into the boards to the left of the Maple Leafs net. He skated off the ice holding his left shoulder and exited the game.
This year has been one to forget for the 25-year-old as he has just six goals and three assists in 18 games thus far this season and is a -10. Laine hasn’t been as dynamic in Columbus as he was during his time with the Winnipeg Jets, but he has been close to a point-a-game player the last two seasons.
Despite putting up good numbers before this year, this is not the first time Laine has missed significant time. Laine was out of the lineup for nine games earlier this season after he suffered an upper-body injury. He also missed an additional three games this month due to an illness. Last season, Laine missed 24 games due to a variety of injuries as well as an additional two games when he had COVID-19.
Moreover, Laine was a healthy scratch about a month ago in what he called, “the most embarrassing thing to happen to me.”
Columbus Blue Jackets Activate Elvis Merzļikins
The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that netminder Elvis Merzļikins has been activated off of injured reserve. Merzļikins has missed the team’s last three games with an illness. The activation positions Merzļikins to be the starter for the Blue Jackets’ game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Merzļikins’ return comes at an important time for the Blue Jackets. Despite significant offseason additions, the Blue Jackets have struggled immensely this season. Their on-ice issues have caused the team’s hockey operations decision-makers to come under significant outside pressure. With the team still mired in last place in the Metropolitan division, the return of Merzļikins can potentially give the franchise a much-needed lift.
The 29-year-old Latvian netminder is entrenched as the team’s starter, in large part due to his contract. He’s set to cost $5.4MM against the cap each season through 2026-27. But while that cap hit might be the most significant factor securing his spot as the Blue Jackets’ unquestioned number-one goalie, his performance this year has also done him favors. In 19 games, Merzļikins currently has a .910 save percentage, which is a massive improvement from the .876 mark he posted last season.
In 2022-23, the argument could be made that Merzļikins was the worst-performing regular netminder in the entire NHL. This season, no such arguments can be made as Merzļikins now boasts an above-average save percentage. Although the playoffs seem to be out of reach for the Blue Jackets, barring a miracle, Merzļikins’ return can help Columbus remain competitive on a more regular basis.
Merzlikins Returned To Practice, Still Out With Illness
- Although he is still on the team’s injured reserve due to an illness, Brian Hedger for the Columbus Dispatch reports that goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Elvis Merzlikins returned to practice with the team today. Largely the most competent goalie on the Blue Jackets this season, Merzlikins holds a 6-8-4 record in 19 starts, carrying a .910 SV% and a 3.10 GAA.
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Erik Gudbranson Receives One-Game Suspension
The NHL has handed down its second suspension within the last hour, announcing (video link) that Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson has received a one-game ban for acting as the aggressor with Panthers winger Nick Cousins on Sunday.
While chasing a loose puck in the third period, Cousins hit Gudbranson from behind, sending Gudbranson face-first into the boards. Cousins was initially given a major penalty for his hit but it was dropped to a minor after review, keeping him in the game. Six minutes later, Gudbranson responded by going after Cousins, throwing him to the ice following a zone entry and then throwing several punches. He received a minor penalty on the play for instigating along with a five-minute fighting major, and a game misconduct.
Gudbranson will miss Thursday’s game against Toronto and will forfeit $20.8K. The money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Blue Jackets Recall Daniil Tarasov, Send Jet Greaves To Minors
The Columbus Blue Jackets have swapped backup goaltenders, recalling Daniil Tarasov and sending Jet Greaves down. Greaves has appeared in two games with the Blue Jackets since being recalled on December 6th. He set a 1-1-0 record and recorded 72 saves on 77 shots, good for a .935 save percentage. The pair of games were Greaves’ second and third games in the NHL, after making his debut last season. Greaves has looked strong in his limited minutes, totaling a .937 save percentage through his three career games.
Greaves, 22, has also appeared in 12 AHL games this season, setting a 9-3-0 record and 0.899 save percentage. He set the same save percentage through 43 AHL games last season, going 19-16-5. The pair of consistent seasons brings Greaves’ career totals in the AHL up to 84 games played, a 40-31-7 record, and a combined .901 save percentage. Greaves was on an emergency recall with the Blue Jackets, who are without typical starter Elvis Merzlikins.
Tarasov is in a similar spot to Greaves, with both players being young goaltenders who have received minimal chances in the NHL and set strong numbers in the minor leagues. The 24-year-old Tarasov has played in four AHL games this season, recording a 2-1-0 record and .915 save percentage. The early season brings his career AHL totals to 32 games played, a 16-11-3 record, and a 0.897 save percentage. Tarasov has also appeared in 21 career NHL games, including 17 last season. He’s set a combined 4-13-1 record and .900 save percentage in the NHL. Tarasov will join Spencer Martin in Columbus’ goalie room. Martin has played in 11 games and set a .892 save percentage this season.
Latest On Blue Jackets Injuries
It’s not a controversial statement to say that the Columbus Blue Jackets have not had the season they were hoping to have. Despite aggressive offseason moves adding key young talents and older veterans, the team is currently among the NHL’s worst, undone by underperformance from crucial stars as well as sudden turnover at leadership positions. With the team looking less and less likely to be a true playoff contender, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline sought out comment from Blue Jackets ownership regarding the direction of the franchise. (subscription link)
Team president of business operations Mike Priest, who Portzline calls a “close confidant” of owner John P. McConnell said the following regarding the state of the team: “nobody wants to be where we are with our record. That’s not what we expected.” He also added: “I can say we’re all very frustrated, we’re disappointed.” Many have speculated as to whether the Blue Jackets would consider moving on from general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen. Although Kekäläinen oversaw the most successful period in franchise history under John Tortorella, one wonders if he’ll get the chance to lead the Blue Jackets into the future given the rapid disintegration of his plans to return to the playoffs in 2023-24.
Laine, Sillinger Close To Return
- Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that in the Columbus Blue Jackets game tomorrow against the Florida Panthers, forwards Cole Sillinger and Patrik Laine may be making their return to the lineup. Sillinger has missed the last five games due to an upper-body injury suffered on November 29th, while Laine has been out through the last three games with an illness.
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