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Health Notes: Morin, Drouin, Ylonen

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The news out of Philadelphia surrounding Samuel Morin does not sound good. Anthony SanFillipo, co-host of Flyers podcast “Snow The Goalie”, reports that multiple sources have shared that the defenseman-turned-forward has suffered another “significant” knee injury. Morin, 26, has previously suffered two torn ACL’s in his career, both occurring within a 20-month period in 2018 and 2019. As a result, Morin played just six NHL games and five AHL games over those two affected seasons. To date, the 2013 No. 11 overall pick has played in only 29 NHL games and has just one point. While this has had a serious impact on Morin’s development as a pro, he appeared to be back on track this past season with 27 games played between the Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms and was adjusting nicely to his new position. However, yet another knee serious knee injury could very well mean another lost season for Morin, if not the end of his playing career. It’s a devastating result for a player who showed so much promise coming out of the QMJHL. SanFillipo says to expect a formal announcement from Philadelphia this week.

  • Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin has finally spoken up about his leave of absence this past season. Drouin told Chantal Machabee of RDS in a one-on-one interview that he dealt with mental health issues last year. While Drouin notes that he has dealt with anxiety for years, it turned more serious late in the 2020-21 campaign when that anxiety led to insomnia. Drouin tried to push through, but it became too difficult to handle and he decided he needed to take a break. “It was really a step back, to have a lifestyle that was easier for me,” Drouin said. “There are times when I could go three evenings without sleeping and go and play two games in two nights. This is not something that is normal for any human and I had to change that a bit.” The Canadiens placed Drouin on LTIR and he missed the team’s miraculous run to the Stanley Cup. However, he is ready to get back to work this season. Drouin said he’s “doing very well” and that “the passion never left” and that he is excited to return to the game. Habs fans hope that the talented forward is ready to get back to his scoring ways as well.
  • Montreal will have no shortage of health issues to monitor this season. Young forward Jesse Ylonen, who is expected to challenge for an NHL roster spot, will not be vaccinated against COVID-19 this season, reports TVA. This is apparently a “personal decision” that will leave Ylonen as one of only 15 or so players expected to be unvaccinated. It has already forced Ylonen into a quarantine upon his arrival to Montreal which caused him to miss a rookie game on Saturday. That could be just the beginning though, as Ylonen will be subject to unpaid suspension if he is unable to travel due to local health policies or worse if he contracts COVID.

Bruins Notes: Coyle, Lysell, Injuries

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To say it’s been an eventful offseason for the Boston Bruins would be an understatement. With the extensions for Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly and the acquisitions of Linus Ullmark and Nick Foligno came some serious departures. Longtime Bruin David Krejci left the team to continue his career at home in the Czech Republic, while netminder Tuukka Rask remains unsigned amid injury uncertainty. While Krejci’s replacement as the second-line center isn’t entirely clear, the frontrunner in the eyes of most is Charlie Coyle. However, as The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa notes, Coyle’s participation could be limited at the start of training camp. While not ordinarily a huge cause for concern, the news comes after it was revealed Coyle suffered through injury for much of last season and underwent knee surgery in July. It was an inordinately rough season for Coyle last year, who scored just six goals and 16 points in 51 games. An elevated role playing with Hall will likely boost those point totals. The team will be relying on Coyle much more next season to produce, meaning his health as the start of the season approaches could be a real storyline in Boston.

More from the Bruins’ sphere today:

  • General manager Don Sweeney, speaking after the Bruins’ development camp games concluded today, says that 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell will likely be playing in North American this season. Lysell signed his entry-level contract this summer after spending last season with Luleå HF in Sweden, but the signing offered little clarity over where he could take the ice in 2021-22. A loan back to Sweden was still possible, but it now appears he’ll be playing junior hockey this season with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. It’s important to note that due to his European status and lack of a junior contract, Lysell was indeed eligible to suit up with the Providence Bruins in the AHL this year.
  • Shinzawa also notes that a trio of Bruins prospects — Victor Berglund, Josiah Didier, and J.D. Greenway — are all injured and unavailable for the beginning of training camp. The most exciting of these names to follow is undoubtedly Berglund’s. A seventh-round pick of the squad in 2017, he’s developed extremely well in his native Sweden. Loaned out to Luleå this year, sharing a team with Lysell, the 22-year-old impressed in his first season of SHL action with 21 points in 50 games. Likely a candidate to play serious minutes with Providence this year, Bruins fans may have to wait a little while to see him on the ice again.

Snapshots: 2022 Draft, Price, Ylonen

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Though the hockey calendar is starting to get back to normal, it looks like the 2022 NHL Draft may actually still be delayed from its normal late-June timeline. Corey Pronman of The Athletic tweets that the draft is likely to take place in the second week of July next year. Remember, now that the league has agreed to go to the Olympics the season schedule is a little longer than usual, which has seemingly pushed offseason dates back should Pronman’s expectation prove true.

Even though it won’t happen until next July, it’s never too early to start getting excited for the next wave of prospects. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic released his preseason top-32 ranking today, which has Shane Wright in the top spot as expected. Despite the OHL not playing last season, Wright remains the best prospect available in 2022 and is considered a lock by Wheeler at this point to be first off the board. The rest of the list has plenty of interesting scouting information on the top prospects available a year from now.

  • On July 23, the Montreal Canadiens announced that Carey Price underwent knee surgery and would face a recovery timeline of 10-12 weeks. The release included an expectation that he would be ready for the start of the regular season, and though Price has not yet begun skating, he is confident in the rehab he has been doing. The goaltender spoke with Dave Stubbs of NHL.com to discuss the injury and recovery, confirming that it had been a torn meniscus that he was dealing with for a while before the surgery. If all goes well, he’ll be back on the ice soon; his original timeline had him almost exactly synced up with the Canadiens’ season opener on October 13.
  • Speaking of Canadiens games, the organization expects young winger Jesse Ylonen to play in NHL games this season after spending last year with the Laval Rocket. That’s what director of player development Rob Ramage told Eric Engels of Sportsnet, though Ylonen will obviously still have to prove he’s ready to make the jump from Laval to Montreal. The 21-year-old was the 35th overall pick in 2018, had 17 points in 29 games with the Rocket, and actually made his NHL debut by playing 11:23 in the final game of the regular season.

Injury Notes: Matthews, Holloway, Kesler

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Only fours weeks in to a “minimum” six-week recovery period following impromptu wrist surgery, Auston Matthews is hopeful that he will be at full strength to begin the regular season. The Toronto Maple Leafs star tells NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger that his rehab is “coming along well”, though there are still several major steps to go. Matthews remains in a splint and remains at least a couple of weeks from moving beyond that stage of his recovery to actually testing his wrist and building his strength back up. Matthews claims that the injury, which plagued him for much of last season, is not serious, but he is happy that he decided to address it this summer after the pain had returned during his early off-season workouts. Hopefully an elective surgery for a “not serious” injury doesn’t impact the start of Matthews’ season, but as of right now he does not believe that will be the case. Matthews tells Zeisberger that he plans to resume skating this week and then take his wrist rehab “day by day” as the season approaches. The Leafs open up training camp and begin preseason play within Matthews’ minimum recovery window, so that is surely to impact his preparation for the season, but if the reigning Rocket Richard winner is at least healthy by Toronto’s October 13 opener with no more lingering wrist discomfort, then the surprise surgery will have been the right choice on all accounts.

  • The Edmonton Oilers are not expecting to see much from top prospect Dylan Holloway in their upcoming rookie camp as the talented forward is still working his way back from a broken thumb. Holloway suffered the injury at the end of the collegiate regular season, but continued on with the University of Wisconsin having qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers only lasted two games, but it still delayed Holloway’s surgery into April. This was expected to still be enough time for him to be fully healed by now, but instead Holloway is still being bothered, reports The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson. Holloway had x-rays done last week and is awaiting and evaluation from the Oilers’ medical staff. He is listed on the camp roster, but unlikely to partake in much if any action. Instead, he will hope to be healed up in time for NHL camp in two weeks. Holloway’s thumb injury cost him a chance to finish out last season with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors and gain some pro experience, so the skilled forward may be looking at a slow start to the season in the minors anyhow before getting a look in Edmonton.
  • Though it may seem obvious by now given that he has not played in two years and now is working as a volunteer coach, Ryan Kesler is officially acknowledging that he does not expect to play in the NHL again. The veteran forward spoke with NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman and stated that he does not see his body getting back into playing condition again. “And to be honest, I’m still a far way away to even coming close,” Kesler said. Suffering through injuries to both hips, Kesler was slowed even before being sidelined. He tells Kimelman that he lost his drive and love for the game for some time as he dealt with constant pain and lacking results and he tried to keep playing. Now, with one year remaining on his contract with the Anaheim Ducks, Kesler continues to rehab and work toward getting back into a place that he is happy with, but acknowledges that he cannot be an NHL player again, nevertheless live up to his own reputation. Hopefully Kesler can get to a point that he is at least comfortable skating and can continue to be on the ice as a coach.

Snapshots: Leafs Camp, Bruins Camp, Blues

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Still somewhat in the dead of the offseason, development camps are starting up for the majority of teams across the league. The pace of news is sure to increase in the coming days as these camps get underway, especially with training camps just around the corner as well. For now, the focus turns to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had a variety of absences today from their camp. Defenders Joseph Duszak and Riley McCourt were both absent with injuries, The Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby reports. Duszak, who’s on an NHL contract and has impressed in back-to-back seasons with the Toronto Marlies, was absent with a foot injury. This development camp and ensuing training camp will be important for him, giving Duszak a chance to show that he can be a legitimate call-up option for the team in case of injury. McCourt is on an AHL contract and is entering his second season of professional hockey after tallying one assist in eight games with the Marlies last year. Hornby also mentions the omission of Colby Saganiuk from camp, as he was held out as a precaution due to illness. Saganiuk is attending the camp on an invite basis, as the 18-year-old will be returning to the OHL’s Erie Otters next year.

Elsewhere across the NHL:

  • The Boston Bruins’ development camp roster was released, and via The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter, it includes 2021 first-round draft choice Fabian Lysell. After signing his entry-level contract earlier this offseason, Lysell will get his first North American action with the Bruins’ development camp. While it’s an extreme longshot for him to make the team after just three points in 26 SHL games last season, he’ll get experience playing with other potential future Bruins roster players such as Oskar Steen, Jack Ahcan, and others.
  • Just days after the home Minnesota Wild released theirs, the St. Louis Blues dropped their Winter Classic uniforms on Friday night. Featuring a vintage, off-white look reminiscent of the team’s inaugural jersey set, the team opted for a much more simplistic look than their opponent. The jerseys will obviously be worn on New Year’s Day at Minneapolis’ Target Field, but could be worn throughout the season as alternates as other teams have opted to in the past.

Sidney Crosby Undergoes Wrist Surgery

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without captain Sidney Crosby when training camp opens in a few weeks, as he underwent wrist surgery today. Crosby is expected to miss six weeks, likely meaning he will not be ready for the start of the season. Penguins GM Ron Hextall released a statement explaining why the surgery was done now:

This is not a new injury for Sid. It is something that he has played through for years. After exhausting all minimally-invasive options and much discussion, it was decided that surgery was in his best interest.

Crosby, 34, is no stranger to injury, having played in all 82 games just once in his storied career. Despite that, and whatever discomfort this wrist problem was causing him, the Penguins star has maintained a streak of at least a point-per-game rate in each of his 16 seasons. In 2020-21, he registered 62 points in 55 games, finishing tenth in league scoring and first on the Penguins. That earned him a fourth-place finish in the Hart Trophy voting, with 11 voters actually putting him second behind the unanimous selection of Connor McDavid.

While obviously getting this surgery earlier in the summer would have been better for the Penguins regular season hopes, Crosby still shouldn’t miss much time. Should he return six weeks from today, he would be absent for just four games to start the year, certainly not something that would put a season in jeopardy.

Of course for the Penguins, every game matters as they try to battle for standing in the Metropolitan Division. With Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang now all in their mid-thirties, the challenge of competing for a Stanley Cup seems even greater. With the captain out, it seems likely that Jeff Carter, a trade deadline acquisition last season, and Teddy Blueger, will slide into the top-six center positions for the first few games given Malkin’s own injury concerns. The 35-year-old Malkin underwent knee surgery in June and was not given a definitive timeline other than he will not be available for training camp.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Jonsson, Seguin, Schedule

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Patrik Jonsson, an amateur scout for the Vancouver Canucks, has passed away from cancer according to Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic. Jonsson was the biggest reason why Nils Hoglander, a longtime family friend, found his way to the Canucks in the second round of the 2019 draft. As Dhaliwal and Thomas Drance wrote earlier this year, Jonsson was thrilled to stay up late in Sweden to watch Hoglander score his first NHL goal, even while battling prostate cancer and going through chemotherapy.

The PHR writing staff offer our condolences to Jonsson’s family and all who knew him.

  • According to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, Tyler Seguin is almost back to full strength after a bout with COVID-19 this summer that kept him off the ice for two weeks. When he returned to training, his nose and lungs were “on fire” and he was dealing with constant cramping. Those issues have subsided, and though there are still a few noticeable limitations on certain exercises, the star forward feels “pretty much back to normal.” Seguin of course missed almost the entire 2020-21 season, playing just three games for the Stars. The 29-year-old is a key part of a team that hopes to get back to the postseason and once again push for a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. In 2018-19, the last time Seguin played a full uninterrupted season, he recorded 33 goals and 80 points in 82 games.
  • The NHL has announced some minor schedule changes for 2021-22, mostly regarding games in mid-April. Now that the league has made the commitment to the 2022 Winter Olympics, there will be a break for most of February when players will be traveling to Beijing for the Games. That means it’s a condensed schedule once again, and teams will have to make sure their depth chart is in order at all times. Backup goaltending, extra skaters and injury call-ups will all be extremely important once again.

Gustav Nyquist Fully Recovered From Shoulder Injury

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One of the things that wasn’t discussed enough last season when the Columbus Blue Jackets struggled to keep pace in the Central Division was the absence of Gustav Nyquist. In early November, months before the season even began, Nyquist underwent surgery to repair a labral tear in his left shoulder. It was an issue that the Swedish forward had been dealing with for years and it finally got to a point where a procedure was necessary.

On November 4, the Blue Jackets announced that Nyquist would be out for five to six months. That gave him plenty of time to return for a playoff run should Columbus get back to the postseason, as they had in each of the previous four seasons. By April, when Nyquist was closing in on that recovery timeline, the Blue Jackets were already out of the race, mired in controversy, and a few months away from trading franchise icon Seth Jones after he was the latest to turn down any extension talks with the franchise.

Now, as the Blue Jackets prepare for a season without Jones, Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, David Savard and others, Nyquist is at full health and ready to contribute, according to Jeff Svoboda of NHL.com. The shoulder injury is behind him and the 32-year-old forward will have a chance to show that he still can be a top-level forward in the NHL, even after a year on the shelf.

A consistent offensive performer, Nyquist finished second in scoring with the Blue Jackets in 2019-20. He has registered at least 20 goals in a season four times and has never recorded fewer than 40 points in any of his seven full seasons. He’ll join an attack that actually may be more dangerous than people are giving them credit for, with Patrik Laine, Jakub Voracek, and Oliver Bjorkstrand likely leading the way. Nyquist represents one of just two players on the roster (Voracek) that are in their thirties, and as Svoboda writes, will be asked to take on a leadership role after the departures of so many key players.

If things don’t go well in Columbus this season, Nyquist could well become a trade deadline chip given his age and contract. Signed through 2022-23, he carries an average annual value of $5.5MM but has no trade protection built in. The Blue Jackets have a massive extension for Zach Werenski kicking in for 2022-23 and some extremely important free agent negotiations to work through, meaning they could probably use the extra salary space moving forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Nathan Gerbe Out Four To Six Months After Hip Surgery

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The Blue Jackets will be without one of their depth forwards as they head into training camp later this month as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Nathan Gerbe has undergone successful hip surgery and will miss the next four to six months.

The 34-year-old has spent the last four seasons with Columbus, seeing NHL action in three of those years.  Last season, Gerbe got into 13 games with Cleveland of the AHL, notching four goals and six assists.  He also suited up nine times with the Blue Jackets, picking up a goal and two assists while also spending some time on the taxi squad.  Over an 11-year career that also includes stints with Buffalo and Carolina, Gerbe has 151 career NHL points in 435 contests.

Gerbe was expected to battle for a spot at the end of the roster in training camp or serve as a veteran that could be recalled when injuries strike but that clearly isn’t in the cards now.  Instead, he’ll be focusing on a midseason return and at that point, it’s likely he would be waived and returned to the Monsters.  He will carry a partial salary cap charge while on season-opening injured reserve (a proration of his NHL time last season multiplied by his $750K NHL AAV) but with the Blue Jackets well under the Upper Limit, that won’t be a concern for them at all.

Central Notes: Tarasenko, Klingberg, Predators

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There has been an expectation of a trade involving Vladimir Tarasenko for several months now with both sides admitting that a change of scenery would be beneficial.  However, between his $7.5MM AAV and his injury history, the interest hasn’t been strong and the veteran remains with the Blues.  Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that at this point, St. Louis may be better off just holding onto the 29-year-old in the hopes that a good start to next season would boost his value around the league and remove some of the question marks surrounding his health.  That would be an outcome that is better than moving him with retention and/or taking a minimal return just to grant Tarasenko his wish to play elsewhere even though there could be some awkward moments given how public his trade request is.

More from the Central:

  • With Miro Heiskanen’s deal now done, Dallas has shifted their focus towards an extension for fellow blueliner John Klingberg. Mike Heika of the Stars’ team website notes that the negotiations could be tricky with Klingberg’s offensive production (only eight blueliners have more total points than Klingberg over his seven-year career) potentially allowing him to command a sizable raise on his current $4.25MM AAV.  He’ll be 30 when his next deal kicks in which makes it difficult to command a max-term contract and the team already has nearly $18MM tied up in their other three top-four defenders for next season and beyond; adding another big-ticket contract could put them among the highest-spending teams on the back end.
  • The Predators recently announced an affiliation extension with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. Nashville has been with them since 2019-20 with Tanner Jeannot and Cole Smith being the players who suited up for the Everblades that have since seen NHL action.  The duration of the extension was not announced.

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