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Snapshots: Heiskanen, Duchene, Andersen, Siegenthaler

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Already without defensemen Nils Lundkvist and Jani Hakanpaa due to injury, the Dallas Stars are also absent defenseman Miro Heiskanen today, as he will miss the action due to the birth of his child (X Link). Calling up defensemen Alex Petrovic and Derrick Pouliot this morning, Dallas’ depth on the blue line will be tested even further.

To add insult to injury, the team also announced that forward Matt Duchene would miss today’s game against the Boston Bruins due to a lower-body injury. In a hotly contested Central Division playoff race, the Stars have lost five regular players in a matter of days.

Playing well over their last 10 games with a 7-1-2 record, Dallas will look to keep that successful stretch going as they look to retain their throne at the top of the Central Division. With a three-point cushion, the Stars are currently on a four-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents before finally returning to Central Division action on February 27th.

Other snapshots:

  • Working his way back from a blood clot scare that has kept him out of the lineup since early November, Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen was able to see shots today in practice. According to Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes, Andersen is not quite ready to return, but it was undoubtedly positive that he was able to participate in practice. With the team now less desperate for goaltending help with a strong stretch from Pyotr Kochetkov, it will nevertheless be a positive to see Andersen make his return to the ice.
  • The New Jersey Devils may be getting some reinforcements on their blue line soon, as team reporter Amanda Stein mentioned today that Jonas Siegenthaler has fully recovered from a broken foot that has kept him out of the lineup since January 2nd. Now only two points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, a clean bill of health moving forward puts the Devils in an advantageous position to build some momentum towards the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Martin Fehervary Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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In a report coming from Sammi Silber of The Hockey News, Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The injury took place during the Capitals’ most recent game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

In the opening minutes of Saturday night’s contest between the two teams, Fehervary appeared to lose an edge as he was skating behind the Capitals’ net. After falling to the ice, Fehervary was unable to put much weight on his left leg and did not return to the game.

Spending much of the year next to John Carlson, the two have been one of the bright spots on Washington’s blue line this season. Seeing the most ice time of any defensive unit on the roster, the two have combined for a solid 2.39 Expected Goals per 60 minutes, and 2.31 Goals Against per 60 minutes, according to MoneyPuck.

For Fehervary specifically, he has continued to be a physical defenseman for Washington, leading all defensemen on the roster with 114 hits, which is 60 more than the next closest defenseman. Aside from the topical statistics, Fehervary has seen a slight dip in his On-Ice Save Percentage compared to career averages, but has carried a slight uptick in his CorsiFor%.

In the meantime, the team will more than likely opt to place Rasmus Sandin next to Carlson over the next couple of weeks. The two have played a number of minutes together already this season, but have not played as defensively sound as the combination of Fehervary and Carlson.

Sabres Notes: Power, Clague, Tokarski, Comrie

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The Sabres moved defenseman Owen Power to IR on Monday, per the NHL’s media site. Power, 21, has already missed three games with a hand injury and remains listed as week-to-week

Assuming the IR placement is retroactive to Feb. 13, when the Sabres confirmed he sustained the injury in practice, he would be eligible to return Wednesday against the Canadiens. He’s likely to miss a little more time than that, though, and this roster move is for the purpose of opening up a roster spot more than anything else.

The 2021 first-overall pick hasn’t shown massive development from last year’s solid rookie campaign, but he’s not having a sophomore slump, either. He remains on track to be a long-term fixture in the Sabres’ top four and has been one of their best two-way defenders this season, recording 18 points and a +3 rating in 51 games while averaging 22:27 per game. He’s taken a significant step forward defensively, being on the ice for 0.74 expected goals against per game at even strength compared to last year’s 1.04 mark, per Hockey Reference, although it’s come at the expense of some offense.

The 6-foot-6 Mississauga native is signed to a seven-year, $58.45MM extension that begins next season. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2031.

More from the Sabres to open the week:

  • Power’s roster spot is going to defenseman Kale Clague, who the Sabres have recalled from AHL Rochester on an emergency basis, per a team announcement Monday. Buffalo recalled Clague under emergency conditions before Saturday’s overtime win over the Wild, but he was returned to Rochester after serving as a healthy scratch. Clague will likely be a scratch again against the Ducks on Monday but is an option to play if there’s an unexpected scratch. The 25-year-old has 23 points and a -8 rating in 42 games with Rochester.
  • Also coming up to the active roster is netminder Dustin Tokarski, who will back up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen against Anaheim on Monday, head coach Don Granato says (via Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550). Eric Comrie is unavailable with an illness and will be scratched. Tokarksi was summoned last Thursday to back up Comrie against the Panthers while Luukkonen was sidelined with a lower-body injury, but was returned to Rochester after Luukkonen was cleared to play over the weekend. The 34-year-old Tokarski has struggled in the minors this year, posting a .887 SV% in 17 games.

Avalanche Recall Chris Wagner With Logan O’Connor Questionable

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The Colorado Avalanche have recalled forward Chris Wagner. This recall marks a notable step forward in Wagner’s recovery from an Achille’s Tear before this season. The injury has limited him to just 11 AHL games this season, where he’s scored seven points. Wagner will now join the NHL roster to relieve Logan O’Connor, who is questionable to play in the team’s Sunday game against the Arizona Coyotes, per team head coach Jared Bednar. O’Connor is facing a lower-body injury that is expected to hold him out for the short term, though Bednar added that he doesn’t want to rush O’Connor back and risk turning a one-week injury into a longer-term one.

Wagner, 32, has served as a quaint, bottom-six centerman for much of his career, never scoring more than 20 points in a season but still managing 360 career NHL games. Wagner’s career year came in the 2018-19 season when he scored 12 goals and 19 points in 76 games with the Boston Bruins. Wagner would go on to spend the next four seasons in Boston, before signing a one-year, $775K contract with Colorado this summer.

Wagner’s minor league performances this season bring his career totals up to 92 goals and 171 points across 374 AHL games. It’s been a fruitful career for the former fifth-round pick, selected 122nd overall in the 2010 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. Wagner has become one of seven players to play in at least 300 NHL games after being selected in 2010’s fifth, sixth, or seventh round, joining the likes of Brendan Gallagher, Frederik Andersen, and John Klingberg.

East Notes: York, van Riemsdyk, Fehérváry, Harris

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Flyers defenseman Cam York is in the lineup for tonight’s Stadium Series game against the Devils, head coach John Tortorella confirms (via PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor). The 23-year-old sustained an upper-body injury Thursday against the Maple Leafs and told The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz yesterday that he was “not sure yet” about his status for tonight.

The 2019 14th-overall pick is handling the most responsibility of his young career, averaging a career-high 21:47 per game while posting six goals, 12 assists and 18 points in 55 appearances. He’s on pace for a career-high 27 points and has not missed a game this season.

More advanced metrics are less kind to his performance this year, however. His pairing with Travis Sanheim is the Flyers’ most used, logging 645 minutes together but controlling a mediocre 48.9% of expected goals in the process, per MoneyPuck. York’s 47.6 Corsi-for percentage at even strength is also the worst among Philadelphia’s full-time defensemen, but some growing pains are to be expected for an under-25 defenseman shouldering over 20 minutes per game for the first time.

Other updates from the Eastern Conference:

  • Capitals veteran blue-liner Trevor van Riemsdyk draws in tonight against the Canadiens, The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson reports. The Middletown, New Jersey, native had missed the last four games with an illness and has only played in four of Washington’s last 11 games due to a handful of healthy scratches. He’s fallen down the depth chart after the team picked up Ethan Bear in free agency, a concerning development given he has two years remaining on a deal carrying a $3MM cap hit. He has eight assists and a -11 rating while averaging 18:30 in 40 games.
  • As one returns for Washington, another defenseman departs as Martin Fehérváry sustained a lower-body injury early in tonight’s game against Montreal and will not return, the team says. The 24-year-old Slovak suffered a non-contact injury after falling awkwardly behind the Capitals net, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. He’s remained in a top-pairing role alongside John Carlson for most of the season, recording 12 points and a -6 rating in 46 games while logging 19:08 per game, down from an even 20 last season. The 2018 second-round pick also missed five games with a lower-body injury in November.
  • Also absent on the blue line for tonight’s Habs/Caps tilt is Montreal’s Jordan Harris, who remained in a non-contact jersey at practice this morning, The Athletic’s Arpon Basu reports. Harris, 23, remains listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury that’s now cost him three games. It’s been a trying season for the 2018 third-round pick, who played just 1:34 against the Blues last Sunday after being a healthy scratch in four of the previous five games. Injuries have also taken a fair chunk out of his games played total this year, including a 15-game absence due to a lower-body injury in November and December. He has one goal and six points in 31 games while averaging 17:02 with a -5 rating and is locked into a $1.4MM cap hit through 2025.

Injury Notes: O’Connor, MacKinnon, Ekblad, Tavares

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without the services of forward Logan O’Connor tomorrow night, as Meghan Angley of DNVR Avalanche reports the team will hold him out of the lineup so that he can play more continuously when fully healthy. O’Connor has missed the last two games for Colorado as he suffered a lower-body injury in the team’s recent contest against the Florida Panthers.

Amid a career year offensively, the typical bottom-six player for the Avalanche has already reached a career-high total in goals with 13 and is only one point behind his career-high in points with 25. Shaping up to be an integral part of their postseason aspirations, O’Connor still has one year and $1.05MM remaining on his contract after this season.

Either in practice or in the team’s most recent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports that Nathan MacKinnon had broken his nose after taking a puck to the face. MacKinnon is not expected to miss any time with the injury but could be seen wearing a bubble on his helmet tomorrow night.

Other injury notes:

  • Before their game tonight against their in-state rivals, the Panthers announced that defenseman Aaron Ekblad would miss the game due to a lower-body injury. Ekblad had previously missed the majority of the start to the 2023-24 campaign due to offseason shoulder surgery. Upon his return in mid-November, Ekblad has regained most of his previous form, scoring three goals and 14 points in 37 games while averaging over 21 minutes a night for the Panthers.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without their captain tonight, as John Tavares is reportedly considered day-to-day with a minor injury (X Link). Taking a bit of a step back from his previous scoring pace in Toronto, Tavares still sits fifth on the team in scoring with 15 goals and 40 points in 51 games.

Ducks Activate Alex Killorn, Place Brock McGinn On IR

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The Ducks have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight versus Toronto.  The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Alex Killorn has been activated off IR.  To make room on the roster, winger Brock McGinn has been placed on IR retroactive to February 10th with an upper-body injury.

Killorn is in his first season with Anaheim after signing a four-year, $25MM contract with them back in July.  However, it’s been a campaign riddled with injuries.  The 34-year-old fractured his finger in the preseason, causing him to miss the first month of the season.  Then last month, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.  Fortunately for him and the Ducks, Killorn recovered quicker than anticipated as he was supposed to miss four to six weeks and came back a little before the four-week mark.

In between recovering from those injuries, Killorn got off to a decent start offensively with his new club, collecting 19 points in 34 games.  While those numbers are down from a year ago, it would have been unrealistic for Anaheim to expect Killorn to beat his career-best numbers from a much deeper Tampa Bay team in his first year with a rebuilding club that was expected to be near the bottom of the league in the goal department.

As for McGinn, he last played back on January 25th, making the placement back to February 10th a bit of an odd choice.  However, since the placement has been dated back by a week, he’s eligible to be activated at any time.  The 30-year-old has had a very limited role this season, suiting up in just 24 games where he has three points in 37 hits while averaging just over 11 minutes per game.

Injury Updates: Soucy, Sanderson, Zub, Chinakhov

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Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet provided an update on Carson Soucy, telling reporters (video link) that the blueliner is currently listed as week-to-week.  The 29-year-old has missed close to a month with a hand injury sustained while blocking a shot.  In his first season with the Canucks after signing a three-year, $9.75MM deal with them back in July, Soucy has six points and 39 blocked shots in 21 games while logging a career-high 17:25 per night.  As things stand, the Canucks don’t have enough cap space to call anyone up from the minors so if someone else has to be promoted, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Soucy transferred to LTIR retroactively.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • The Senators will welcome back a pair of defensemen on Saturday as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub will return from their respective lower-body injuries against Chicago. Sanderson has missed nearly three weeks with his injury and he certainly has been missed as he logs nearly 23 minutes a night for them in the final year of his entry-level deal.  As for Zub, he was out for the last two games, resulting in Ottawa having to dress only 17 skaters earlier this week before being eligible for an emergency cap-exempt recall.  The Sens now have 21 players on their active roster and that’s all they’ll be able to afford as they have less than $75K in cap space, per CapFriendly.
  • Blue Jackets winger Yegor Chinakhov will return to the lineup on Saturday versus San Jose, notes Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link). The 23-year-old started the season on IR and then spent a bit of time in the minors.  However, since being recalled, Chinakhov has started to live up to his potential as a former first-round pick, collecting 14 goals and 10 assists in 40 games so far.  He winds up missing just one game due to the upper-body injury he sustained last weekend.

Canucks Recall Arshdeep Bains, Assign Jett Woo To AHL

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The Canucks made a pair of roster moves on Friday, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Arshdeep Bains from AHL Abbotsford.  In a corresponding move, defenseman Jett Woo was re-assigned to the AHL.

It’s the first career recall for Bains, who signed with Vancouver as an undrafted free agent two years ago.  The 23-year-old is the top scorer for Abbotsford, notching nine goals and 30 assists, sitting a dozen points clear of second-place Max Sasson.  Bains is expected to take the place of Dakota Joshua who is listed as week-to-week after injuring his hand in a fight on Tuesday.

As for Woo, his first NHL recall came back on Monday but it winds up being a short-lived one; the 23-year-old didn’t suit up with Vancouver during that time.  Woo is on his second NHL contract having inked a one-year, two-way deal worth the league minimum at the NHL level.  He has 16 points in 42 games so far this season, sitting just five points high of his career high set last season.

While Vancouver could have made an open roster spot available by placing Joshua on injured reserve, they didn’t have enough cap space to afford Bains’ recall on its own, resulting in Woo having to be sent down.

Snapshots: Hoglander, Blue Jackets, Lightning

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Largely expected today, the Department of Player Safety has fined Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Hoglander a total of $2,864.58 for high-sticking Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman last night, per a press release. The fine was the maximum allowable according to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA.

Originally, there was no penalty called on the play as Hoglander swung his stick into the side of Walman’s head as both players battled for position in front of Detroit’s net. Nevertheless, even though the in-game referees did not decide to penalize Hoglander last night, the Department of Player Safety decided the incident warranted a punishment.

This is the second time this season that the Department of Player Safety has decided to fine Hoglander with the first incident coming on November 21st for slew-footing San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Labanc. Aside from a couple of fines, Hoglander has had quite a productive season for Vancouver, scoring 17 goals and 24 points in 53 games.

Other snapshots:

  • Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that defenseman Ivan Provorov and forward Yegor Chinakhov have both returned to practice for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Reportedly suffering from an undisclosed injury in the team’s most recent game against the Ottawa Senators, Provorov will likely not miss any time with the injury. Chinakhov, on the other hand, did miss the game against the Senators completely but should be available tomorrow night against the San Jose Sharks.
  • In a similar fashion to Columbus, Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nick Paul will be a game-time decision tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers. Missing the entire third period in last night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, Paul did miss the team practice today putting his availability up in the air. In the same report, Encina also suggests that Tanner Jeannot will likely be out another week after being activated from the team’s long-term injured reserve on February 13th.

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