Flyers’ Sean Couturier, Denver Barkey, Luke Glendening Out
The Philadelphia Flyers will be without a forward for Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. Sean Couturier has been announced as out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, head coach Rick Tocchet told Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. Tocchet did not have an official timeline for Couturier’s injury, though said he doesn’t believe it will be long-term. Philadelphia was also without winger Denver Barkey due to an upper-body injury, and Luke Glendening to a lower-body injury. Both share Couturier’s day-to-day designation.
Couturier was on the ice for the Flyers’ opening goal in their 3-2 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. He appeared in just over 15 minutes of ice time in that matchup, sticking to the bottom-six role that he has spent much of the year’s second half in. Couturier has seven goals and 29 points in 66 games this season, his lowest scoring pace since the 2012-13 season – his second year in the NHL. He is also averaging his lowest ice time, 17 minutes a game, since that season.
Couturier’s slide into a smaller lineup role has coincided with handful of injuries over the last five seasons. He missed much of the second half of 2021-22, and all of the 2022-23 season, due to a string of injuries including back surgery. He has missed 12 games since returning to a full-time role in 2023-24 season.
Glendening has split a center role with Couturier since joining the team via waivers just after the NHL Trade Deadline. He has two points in five games and a 57.9 faceoff percentage on 38 faceoffs so far. That reliability has helped form an all-three-zones bottom line next to Couturier and Garnet Hathaway.
Rookie winger Barkey has also spent the majority of his time in Philadelphia’s bottom-six. He has three goals and 11 points in 32 NHL games this season, to go with 16 points in 26 AHL games.
The Flyers will have to look towards their extra forwards to fill Couturier’s lineup role. They currently carry two extra forwards: Carl Grundstrom and Garrett Wilson. Grundstrom has been the de facto option this season, stepping into 37 games and scoring 12 points on the year. The hard-nosed winger could again slot into a fourth-line role, while the top of Philadelphia’s lineup remains unchanged.
Wilson played in 84 NHL games between 2013 and 2019, recording eight points and 42 penalty minutes. He has spent the last seven seasons in a full-time, AHL role where his grinder presence stands tall. Wilson leads the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with 101 penalty minutes in 54 games this season. He racked up 134 PIMs in 63 games last season and a career-high 216 PIMs in 59 games in the year prior. The grinder made his Flyers debut filling in for the trio of injuries on Thursday.
Predators Recall Matt Murray, Juuse Saros Out
The Nashville Predators had to change plans just before puck drop in Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken. The team recalled depth goaltender Matt Murray to backup Justus Annunen after it was revealed that Juuse Saros would miss the game with an upper-body injury. The injury was sustained at morning practice per Alex Daughterty of The Tennessean.
Murray is having to travel away from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, who are on their own road trip through Canada, to fill his recall to the NHL. He is traveling from Winnipeg to Nashville and is expected to arrive in the second half of the game per NHL.com’s Brooks Bratten. That news will likely necessitate an emergency backup goalie be in the stands for the first half of the game, though Nashville did not officially sign any temporary try-outs.
Saros is officially listed as out day-to-day. His absence will leave big shoes to fill after the veteran goaltender posted wins in four of his last five games, including back-to-back shootout wins. He has faced an average of 31 shots against since March 1st and posted a .910 save percentage in that stretch. That stretch has far outperformed Saros’ season-long performance, marked by 24 wins and a .894 save percentage in 51 games.
The Predators haven’t found much more relief in turning to backup Annunen, who has six wins and a .888 save percentage in 21 games this season. He has matched the save percentage he posted in 23 games with the Predators last season, after joining the team in a December 2024 trade that sent Scott Wedgewood to the Colorado Avalanche. Annunen will stand as the de facto starter if Saros is forced to miss additional time, as Murray hasn’t played in the NHL since the Dallas Stars’ 2023-24 season. He recorded a shutout in his last NHL contest.
Murray has spent this season in command of the Admirals’ starting crease. He has recorded 17 wins and a .908 save percentage in 37 games: team-highs in all three stats. His stat line was much stronger in his debut with the Admirals last season, when Murray posted 28 wins and a .932 save percentage in 43 games. He will offer extra hands if Nashville runs into another goalie injury – though the team should go back to their usual pairing of Saros and Annunen as soon as the former is back to health.
Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov Out Day-To-Day
The Minnesota Wild won’t have their superstar winger on Thursday night. Kirill Kaprizov is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained in the team’s last game against the Chicago Blackhawks per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Specifically, Kaprizov’s injury was sustained on a check from Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato, per Russo, and his absence from the lineup is a precaution after Kaprizov skated in full at Thursday morning’s practice. In-season trade acquisition Quinn Hughes will serve as an alternative captain in Kaprizov’s spot.
Minnesota will struggle to make up for Kaprizov’s absence. He brings a nightly impact, including recording one assist and a team-high six shots on goal in Tuesday’s overtime win over the Blackhawks despite getting injured. He leads the Wild with 38 goals and 80 points in 69 games this season. Kaprizov was also one of only four Wild skaters – alongside Brock Faber, Yakov Trenin, and Jared Spurgeon – to appear in every game this season. That streak will come to an end on Thursday, forcing Minnesota to find a replacement for their star winger on top of replacing injured center Joel Eriksson Ek.
Centerman Hunter Haight will step into the lineup for Kaprizov. This will be the rookie’s first NHL game since a three-game stint in the lineup in mid-January. He has no points and a minus-four in five NHL games, and 23 points in 43 AHL games, this season. Haight should assume a bottom-line role, while speedy winger Bobby Brink joins Matt Boldy and Danila Yurov on Minnesota’s top line. Brink scored one goal in three games with the Wild after being acquired at the Trade Deadline, and before going down with an injury that’s held him out of the last nine days. He’ll return to the lineup in a big way, with Minnesota seeking additional scoring in lieu of Kaprizov. Brink could be fighting to stick in the top-nine after Kaprizov returns with this spot start next to one of Minnesota’s top scorers.
Auston Matthews Undergoes MCL Surgery, Out For Season
March 19: Matthews underwent successful surgery to repair his MCL tear today in New York City, the team announced. The procedure carries a 12-week recovery timeline, meaning he shouldn’t have any issue hitting the ground running for training camp in the fall.
March 13: After sustaining a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim’s Radko Gudas on Thursday night, the Maple Leafs won’t have their captain down the stretch. The team announced (Twitter link) that center Auston Matthews will miss the remainder of the season due to a Grade Three MCL tear. He will be reevaluated in two weeks and a further update will be provided at that time.
The injury brings a premature end to what has been a tough season for the 28-year-old. After lingering injuries slowed Matthews down off and on at times last season, the hope was that he’d come into this year fully healthy and get back to the level that saw him win three Rocket Richard trophies for the most goals in four years. With Mitch Marner now in Vegas, they were counting on him to be able to shoulder more of the load offensively.
However, that hasn’t happened. In between dealing with a pair of short-term lower-body injuries, Matthews saw his production drop even further this season. After putting up 78 points in 63 games in 2024-25, he was limited to just 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 outings this season. His goal earlier in Friday’s game snapped a 12-game goalless drought, allowing him to avoid tying his career-long stretch in that regard, set back in his rookie season back in 2016-17. Instead of leading the way offensively, Matthews finds himself fourth in team scoring and will likely stay there with Oliver Ekman-Larsson (who’s fifth) being 18 points behind.
Matthews has two years remaining on his current contract, one that carries a $13.25MM AAV that was briefly the richest in NHL history. It’s fair to say that Toronto hasn’t received fair value on that agreement so far given his reduction in production over the past two years. They’ll have to hope that the extended time off before next season will help spur his offense forward in the second half of the agreement.
His absence could also have an impact in the draft lottery. Toronto will retain its first-round pick if they land in the top five of the draft after the lottery. (If they pick outside that range, the selection goes to Boston.) The Maple Leafs are tied for eighth-last in the league right now, five points ahead of St. Louis, which is currently 28th. However, without their number one center in the lineup down the stretch, they could be primed to fall a little further in the standings.
Meanwhile, Gudas had a phone hearing with the Department of Player Safety earlier today as part of the supplemental discipline process. That will cap a potential suspension at no more than five games. With Anaheim in action both Saturday and Sunday, a decision on that front should come before too long.
Panthers Place Brad Marchand On LTIR, Expected To Activate Seth Jones
The second half of the season is becoming clearer for the Florida Panthers, who saw multiple players progress and regress from extended injuries. Defenseman Seth Jones and center Jonah Gadjovich, both on long-term injured reserve, have each taken a step forward but both still aren’t ready to return yet, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson.
Maurice spoke more in depth about winger Brad Marchand who will see doctors on Tuesday to determine if he needs surgery for a nagging, undisclosed injury. Marchand has dealt with the injury for most of the season, pushing Maurice to try and control his rest. That task has become tougher as a condensed back-half of the season rolls around. Marchand hasn’t been able to stand up to his top-six role since March rolled around, averaging just 13:30 in ice time over his last four games – over four minutes under his season-long average. The team expects to have an answer on his status for the rest of the season before the week ends.
After a week to weigh his decision, Marchand will indeed land on long-term injured reserve for the Panthers. This move will give the Panthers enough cap room to activate Jones off of LTIR per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. Marchand will be eligible to return as soon as April 6th, when the Panthers have five games remaining in the regular season. If he will be healthy enough to play those games – or, if they’re worth the risk at all – will be the next question facing the Panthers winger.
Marchand has been a cornerstone of Florida’s offense, even while playing through injuries. He has scored 54 points – split evenly – in 52 games, making him one of only two Panthers scoring above a point-per-game alongside Matthew Tkachuk. Marchand’s ability to produce consistently from the first or second line has supported Tkachuk as he’s eased back from a season-opening injury and heavy role at the Winter Olympics.
The Panthers will turn towards trade acquisition Vinnie Hinostroza to fill in the lineup chart with Marchand on the shelf. He scored three goals and 10 points in 48 games with the Minnesota Wild before moving to Florida at the Trade Deadline for future considerations. He will step into a fourth-line role with the Panthers, while Eetu Luostarinen earns a bump into unrivaled, top-six minutes. Luostarinen has 24 points in 55 games this season and is in the midst of a seven-game scoring drought. He and Carter Verhaeghe should be the biggest beneficiary of Marchand’s available minutes.
Florida is missing another major piece in Jones, who ranks second on the defense in scoring with 24 points in 40 games. He led the team in ice time per-game before going down with injury, averaging 23:29 – a good stride above Gustav Forsling‘s 22:44 ranked second. Jones has stood up to a top role in Florida’s offense after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks for a steep price in 2025. Jones’ return will fortify Florida’s blue-line alongside Aaron Ekblad.
Meanwhile, Gadjovich’s return will round out Florida’s depth alongside waiver acquisition Cole Reinhardt. Gadjovich recorded three assists in 10 games before going down with injury on October 25th. He has missed 53 games, and the Winter Olympics, since.
The Panthers will move forward with a dented lineup as they try to climb back from an 11-point deficit in the standings. It seems they are much more likely to miss the postseason on the heels of back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, an outcome that – at the least – would allow more time for stars Tkachuk, Marchand, and Jones to work to full health by next season.
Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek Out Day-To-Day
The Minnesota Wild will once again need to shore up their center depth due to injury. This time it is Joel Eriksson Ek headed to the mend with a day-to-day, lower-body injury per NHL.com’s Joe Smith. Minnesota will move Robby Fabbri into the lineup while Danila Yurov and Ryan Hartman platoon the top-center role.
Eriksson Ek is expected to miss at least three games with this injury, general manager Bill Guerin told Michael Russo of The Athletic. That means Minnesota will be without their top center for a home-and-home slate against the Chicago Blackhawks, then an important bout with the Dallas Stars. Should this timeline hold true, Eriksson Ek would be next available when Minnesota begins a three-game road trip to the East coast next Tuesday.
Eriksson Ek has had a tough go as of late, netting two points and a minus-one over his last nine games. That cold streak came after Eriksson Ek caught fire before the Olympics, netting eight points in Minnesota’s six games before the break, then adding two more points in the Wild’s return. The Wild haven’t found much more scoring from their other centers as of late, with both Yurov and Hartman boasting three points in their last nine games.
Those small totals could put weight on trade acquisition Michael McCarron to begin carving out his spot in Minnesota’s lineup. He has long been an effective defensive-center, routinely posting a faceoff percentage north of 50 percent and at least 100 hits a season. This year, McCarron has racked up 179 hits, 67 shot blocks, and a 53.1 faceoff percentage in 65 games split between Minnesota and the Nashville Predators.
McCarron will bring a tidy bit of two-way responsibility, while the Wild look towards their star scorers to spur the offense. Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes have each scored nine points in their last nine games while Kirill Kaprizov, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Mats Zuccarello each have seven points. Even with their spark, Minnesota has fallen to a 3-4-2 record – including two shootout losses – since February 27th. They will need to find another X-factor to tilt even matchups until Eriksson Ek is back to full health.
Penguins’ Blake Lizotte Out A Month, Justin Brazeau And Evgeni Malkin Back
Another lineup change is inbound for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team will add star Evgeni Malkin back into the fold in Monday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche after the conclusion of a five-game suspension for slashing. Pittsburgh will also have scoring winger Justin Brazeau back from an injury that held him out of the last four games per Josh Getzoff of Sportsnet Pittsburgh. One of the decisions for who to remove from the lineup will be made for Pittsburgh, as centerman Blake Lizotte is out with an upper-body injury.
After missing Monday night’s game, the Penguins announced that Lizotte would not be re-evaluated for at least four weeks. He will stay on the shelf and could land on injured reserve, while Pittsburgh will be faced with how to make up for an impactful, bottom-six center.
Malkin and Brazeau are expected to resume their roles filling out Pittsburgh’s right-wing depth chart. The former has continued to serve as a cornerstone of the Penguins lineup even in his age-39 season. Malkin has scored 13 goals and 47 points in 46 games this season. That is the second-highest points-per-game on the team behind only Sidney Crosby, who has 59 points in 56 games. The pair of future Hall-of-Famers continue to drive Pittsburgh’s offense, though the Penguins will only be able to lean on Malkin in the short-term, as Crosby continues to recover from an injury of his own.
While Malkin fortifies the top of the lineup, Brazeau will bring a goal-scoring presence back to the middle-six. He has racked up 16 goals and 30 points in 48 games this season, while averaging 13 minutes of ice time each game. It has been a breakout year for Brazeau, who split the 2024-25 season between the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild, ultimately totaling 22 points in 76 games. A hot start to the year with Boston encouraged a Spring trade, but after netting just two points in 19 games with Minnesota, Brazeau was left on the open market this summer. Pittsburgh swooped in to land a 27 year old capable of filling a veteran presence among their young forward group.
Even with two strong scorers back in the lineup, Pittsburgh will feel the brunt of losing Lizotte to injury. He has served as a hard-working center all season long, often filling defensive and utility roles to help clear space for Pittsburgh’s stars. Lizotte ranks third on the Penguins, behind Crosby and Noel Acciari, with a 50.0 faceoff percentage on 476 draws this season. He also ranks sixth on the offense in hits (49) and shot blocks (35).
Lizotte’s absence will leave a hole that will require some shifting to fill. Rookie Benjamin Kindel is likely to move to the center position, while Bryan Rust is able to move back to his natural wing with Pittsburgh’s pair of returns. These changes will leave one of Avery Hayes or Elmer Soderblom outside of the lineup on Monday. Hayes has gone without a point in his last 10 games after scoring two goals in his NHL debut. Soderblom, who seems more likely to stick in the lineup, has yet to record a point in four games with the Penguins. He was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings prior to the Trade Deadline.
Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl Expected To Miss Remaining Regular Season
The Edmonton Oilers will be missing major firepower for Tuesday night’s divisional matchup against the San Jose Sharks. Superstar Leon Draisaitl has been declared out for the matchup due to a lower-body injury sustained in Sunday’s win over the Nashville Predators. Draisaitl left that game in the first period after taking a hard bump from Predators winger Ozzy Wiesblatt. No update was provided after the game.
After announcing that he would miss Tuesday night’s game, the Oilers released an additional statement sharing that Draisaitl will have to miss the remaining regular season. He will not need surgery for the injury and should be available for the start of playoffs, general manager Stan Bowman told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
This news will be a major blow to the Oilers offense as they look to seal their spot in the top-three of the Pacific Division. Draisaitl has stayed red-hot since Edmonton returned from the Olympic break. He has six goals and 17 points in his last 10 games, bringing his year-long totals up to 35 goals and 97 points in just 65 games. The 30 year old ranks second on the Oilers in scoring behind Connor McDavid, who has already reached 114 points in 68 games. The two are one of the best duos in the league whether they’re playing alongside each other or not – making Edmonton’s task of replacing Draisaitl that much more challenging.
Max Jones will step into the lineup to fill Draisaitl’s hole. Jones has appeared in nine NHL games, and scored one point, this season. He has also racked up 10 goals, 18 points, and 61 penalty minutes in 39 AHL games. He is a veteran of 293 NHL games with 66 points, split evenly, to show for it. Jones should assume a bottom-line role, while Vasily Podkolzin and Matthew Savoie move up the lineup to bridge the top-six. Podkolzin has three points in his last six games and 30 points on the year, while Savoie has two points in his last two games and 27 points in total. The two should keep play moving just enough to earn Edmonton’s other star talent – McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman – scoring chances. Meanwhile the Oilers brass will hold their breath until a clearer timeline for Draisaitl’s return becomes available. The team expects to have updates before the weekend.
If that will be enough to sustain Edmonton’s offense across their remaining 14 games will be a larger question. The Oilers have scored the second-most goals in the NHL (238) behind only the Colorado Avalanche (249). Much of that scoring came from the one-two punch that is McDavid and Draisaitl. Without one of those hooks, the Oilers will need to look towards Hyman to make up for short-term scoring. This could also be a major opportunity for Savoie or Isaac Howard to step up as scoring pieces, after quieter starts to their pro careers than many expected.
Stars Notes: Rantanen, Coleman, Hintz, Faksa
The Dallas Stars will be without their highest-paid player for a little while longer. According to radio analyst Bruce LeVine, winger Mikko Rantanen is 10 to 14 days away from returning, if not more.
Owen Newkirk of DLLS Sports offered additional context, providing a quote from head coach Glen Gulutzan, saying, “We are hoping somewhere in the 2-2.5 week range we could have him back.” At the longer end of that timeline, that means that Rantanen may not return to the Stars’ lineup until the first week of April.
Rantanen suffered his current lower-body injury during the Olympics, missing the Bronze medal game for Team Finland. Regardless, Dallas has performed remarkably well in his absence, managing an 8-0-1 record since returning from the Olympics, outscoring opponents by a margin of 21.
Additional Stars notes:
- Despite acquiring Michael Bunting from the Nashville Predators a day before the deadline, the Stars weren’t necessarily satisfied with their forward corps. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Dallas circled back with the Calgary Flames regarding Blake Coleman. Unfortunately, any potential Coleman acquisition would have necessitated the Stars moving out another contract, which they were unable to accomplish before the deadline.
- In the previous report from LeVine, he added that Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa are further away from returning than Rantanen. Hintz (lower-body) has been out for the last week and a half, but he was fortunately able to avoid surgery. Unfortunately, the outlook is more grim on Faksa, who sustained a lower-body injury in his recovery from the upper-body injury he suffered during the Olympics. He is unlikely to return during the regular season.
Metro Notes: Duclair, Hurricanes, Gudbranson, Varlamov
In a post-deadline roundup, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period indicated that the New York Islanders put forward a strong effort to trade Anthony Duclair. Pagnotta didn’t articulate if the Islanders got close, but he did say that Duclair was unwilling to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a trade.
Although nothing came together at the deadline, Pagnotta did report that the Islanders attempted to trade Duclair earlier this year, which he used his no-trade clause to block. If New York is intent on moving on Duclair in the summer months, his trade protection will drop to a 16-team no-trade list, offering increased flexibility.
There’s no questioning why the Islanders want to move on from Duclair. The team is operating fairly close to the upper limit of the salary cap, and dealing away Duclair’s $3.5MM salary would provide some breathing room. Despite an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign, Duclair has made up for his value this year, scoring 12 goals and 27 points in 57 games, averaging 13:19 of ice time per game.
Other updates from the Metropolitan Division:
- There are a few question marks for the Carolina Hurricanes’ lineup tomorrow night. According to team reporter Walt Ruff, forward Andrei Svechnikov wasn’t at practice this morning. Moreover, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reported that defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was also absent from practice. In all fairness, each could have had a maintenance day as the Hurricanes prepare for the playoffs.
- After missing the last three games with an upper-body injury, it appears that veteran blueliner Erik Gudbranson could be close to returning for the Columbus Blue Jackets. According to team reporter Jeff Svoboda, Gudbranson was a full participant at practice this morning. Gudbranson has faced significant injury limitations over the past two seasons, playing only 25% of the potential games.
- Back in Long Island, head coach Patrick Roy provided an update (via regional reporter Brian Compton) on injured netminder Semyon Varlamov earlier today. According to Roy, Varlamov has undergone two knee replacements in the last two years, resulting in nearly two full seasons of lost playing time. Even though he is signed through next season at a $2.75MM salary, it has become more unlikely that Varlamov will continue his professional career.