Jared Spurgeon Still Dealing With Effects From Last Season’s Surgeries
Wild captain Jared Spurgeon is still experiencing “soreness and stiffness” following back and hip surgeries that ended his 2023-24 season in January, which general manager Bill Guerin told reporters yesterday is why he’s missed their last two games (per Michael Russo of The Athletic). Guerin said he’ll miss their next three games at least but could join the team midway through their road trip and suit up by their Oct. 26 game against the Flyers. As such, defenseman Daemon Hunt has been brought back up from AHL Iowa ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Blue Jackets, Russo reports.
It’s not an entirely unexpected absence, and Guerin says it’s “part of the healing process.” Team doctors confirmed this week that while Spurgeon isn’t 100%, he hasn’t experienced a proper setback and isn’t in danger of missing an extended period, Russo relays. He’s expected to start skating again next week after staying off the ice for a few more days to “let things calm down.”
Spurgeon’s unavailability to start the year has given Wild head coach John Hynes a lack of right-shot defensemen to work with. Zach Bogosian and Brock Faber are the only two righties on the blue line on the roster with Spurgeon out, and Hunt, their only legitimate NHL recall option from Iowa, is a left-shot. His absence isn’t sustained enough to persuade Guerin and Hynes to pursue an acquisition. However, that will change if Spurgeon still needs load management in the back half of the season.
The 34-year-old is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so he’s likely dealing with more ill effects from the hip procedure than the back one. Regardless, it’s been a brutal stretch for Spurgeon, who finished top-15 in Norris Trophy voting in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The 2008 sixth-round pick of the Islanders has emerged as one of the league’s premier two-way defenders over the past decade. Over that recent dominant two-year stretch, he posted 21 goals and 74 points in 144 games, averaging 21:31 per night with a sparkling +64 rating. That last mark trailed only Devon Toews (+91) and Matt Grzelcyk (+68) for best in the league during that time.
For the 22-year-old Hunt, it’s already his third recall of the season. He’s only played in one out of Minnesota’s four games, though, and there’s no guarantee he’ll draw into the lineup against Columbus tomorrow with six other defenders available. The 2020 third-round pick had two shots on goal and two blocks while playing 8:01 against the Blues earlier this week.
Atlantic Notes: Barkov, Fischer, Dach, Ullmark
The return of the Florida Panthers’ captain is imminent. Colby Guy of The Associated Press reported earlier that Aleksander Barkov resumed skating this morning although he did not participate in the full practice.
Barkov is dealing with a lower-body injury suffered in Florida’s game against the Ottawa Senators on October 10th. Imaging at the time confirmed that Barkov did not have a fractured ankle putting his recovery timeline around two weeks. Given that it’s already been a week since the initial injury diagnosis, Barkov is still on pace to return later next week.
The Panthers haven’t struggled much in Barkov’s absence with a 3-2-0 record in five contests. They line up against the struggling Vancouver Canucks with a chance to take an early lead in a competitive Atlantic Division.
Other Atlantic notes:
- According to a team announcement, forward Christian Fischer will return to the ice tonight for the Detroit Red Wings as they take on the New York Rangers. Fischer has skated in two of a possible three games posting no points while averaging 9:02 minutes of ice time per game. He left the organization’s game against the Nashville Predators late in the first period but the upper-body injury proved mild.
- There are no long-term concerns for Montreal Canadiens’ forward Kirby Dach after missing the team’s practice yesterday. The organization announced Dach was a full participant at practice this morning and he will play down the middle on the team’s second line tonight alongside Alex Newhook and Joel Armia. Dach has tallied one assist in four games entering tonight’s action.
- Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark is poised on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning even though he did not start tonight against the New Jersey Devils. TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reported earlier that Ullmark participated in the team’s practice this morning and appears mostly recovered from a mild sprain that has prohibited him from playing in the last two games.
Defensemen Notes: Gudbranson, Durzi, Stanley
The early prognosis for the upper-body injury keeping Columbus Blue Jackets’ defenseman Erik Gudbranson on the injured reserve isn’t positive. Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff reports that Gudbranson is potentially set to miss months due to the injury but the team will have an exact timeline tomorrow after tests are performed.
It’s unfortunate news for an organization that can’t seem to catch a break. Columbus entered the season with injuries to captain Boone Jenner and Dmitri Voronkov up front and will now have to contend with a weakened blue line for the foreseeable future.
The Blue Jackets will reintroduce veteran Jack Johnson into the lineup tonight against the Buffalo Sabres in Gudbranson’s stead rather than former sixth-overall pick, David Jiříček. The young defenseman was the obvious choice originally to replace Gudbranson as he hasn’t factored into any games yet this season. Despite being the second defenseman taken off the board in the 2022 NHL Draft Jiříček sits fourth amongst defensemen in his draft class in games played.
Other happenings from the blue line:
- Earlier this afternoon, the Utah Hockey Club gave a vague injury update regarding defenseman Sean Durzi. The organization announced Durzi “would be out for the foreseeable future” with an upper-body injury without any additional context. Durzi’s prognosis could be similar to that of Gudbranson’s where the organization won’t have a firm recovery timeline until more tests are performed.
- The Winnipeg Jets should get some welcome news regarding their back end shortly. Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun reported earlier that defenseman Logan Stanley was a full participant at practice this morning. Stanley has been rehabbing a knee injury that’s kept him sidelined for much of training camp and the regular season. Once he is fully healthy, he should have a home in the Jets’ bottom-pairing next to Colin Miller.
Colorado Avalanche Dealing With Multiple Injuries
The Colorado Avalanche currently have the worst record in the league in the young 2024-25 NHL season and it appears the bad news will continue to pour in. Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette reports forward Jonathan Drouin will not play tomorrow night due to injury, joining defenseman Devon Toews. Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports followed up on Rawal’s report sharing that Drouin would “miss some time”.
Factoring in Valeri Nichushkin‘s current suspension and the injuries to Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen — the Avalanche have nearly $28MM (31.1%) sidelined due to injury. Few teams have the necessary depth up front to cover that kind of blow and Colorado’s record is proof positive. Much of the blame can be placed at the feet of the organization’s goaltending who have allowed the highest goals-against-per-game average out of the gates and have combined for a -10.7 goals saved above average according to HockeyReference.
The offense has been fairly average early on this season averaging 3.25 GF/G but the Avalanche’s ability to outscore opponents is quickly faltering. The team has the benefit of deploying Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen who can carry their lines but the substantial issues are growing in the team’s bottom-six.
Colorado’s bottom six has combined for a -3.6 E +/- while MacKinnon alone has managed a league-leading +3.7 E +/-. The conglomeration of miscellaneous parts in the bottom six has failed to generate much offense in the first few games of the season nor are they steering the opposition to do the same.
A slightly below-average bottom-six wouldn’t typically be that concerning to a contending team early on in the regular season. The Avalanche’s goaltending duo of Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen have had the worst start compared to all other teams. Rawal reported that Kaapo Kähkönen‘s visa issues are headed toward a resolution meaning Colorado could have a stable netminder join the team soon.
Blackhawks Place Alec Martinez On IR, Recall Isaak Phillips
Scott Powers of The Athletic reported early today that Alec Martinez would not be in the lineup tonight for the Chicago Blackhawks while dealing with a lower-body injury. The organization confirmed Martinez would be out of the lineup for today and then some by placing him on injured reserve and recalling Isaak Phillips from their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
Chicago specified Martinez’s injury in the announcement saying it’s located in his right groin. His absence from the Blackhawks weakens an already scant left side of the Chicago defense. The organization signed Martinez to a one-year, $4MM contract this past offseason hoping to add some veteran leadership and Stanley Cup pedigree to their blue line. The Rochester Hills, MI native has tallied one assist in four games for Chicago up to this point in the season while averaging just over 21 minutes a night.
Phillips already gets his second look with the Blackhawks after being demoted to the AHL exactly one week ago. The former fifth-round pick of the 2020 NHL Draft may see some time next to Connor Murphy on the team’s bottom-pairing although Powers confirmed this morning that Nolan Allan would be making his second NHL appearance.
Phillips split time between Chicago and Rockford last season scoring four goals and 14 points in 29 games for the latter. Depending on the number of injuries to the Blackhawks’ blue line this season, Phillips should be a frequent recipient of similar roster moves. Chicago added enough depth up and down their lineup this past offseason allowing prospects such as Phillips to gain more confidence in the minors.
Samuel Honzek Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury
Flames rookie Samuel Honzek will miss significant time after being listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, the team announced. He likely sustained it on his last shift of Tuesday’s 3-1 win over the Blackhawks, during which he took a heavy hit from Chicago defenseman Connor Murphy with less than three minutes left on the clock.
The Flames haven’t yet placed Honzek on injured reserve, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they do so in the coming days. They’re down to 12 healthy forwards without him and don’t have a roster spot open for a recall.
Honzek, 19, already has a lengthy recent injury history. An abdominal injury he sustained during the preseason with Calgary in 2023 delayed his season debut with WHL Vancouver until December, while another one suffered while playing at the 2023 World Juniors cut short his draft year. That didn’t stop Calgary from selecting the 6’4″ Slovak forward with the No. 16 pick, though.
Given that injury history, it’s fair to assume the Flames will be extremely cautious with his return. He’s in his first full season of pro hockey after spending the last two seasons in major junior play and was a somewhat surprising inclusion on the opening night roster after a strong exhibition performance. The left-winger has yet to make much of an impact for the undefeated Flames, though, going without a point and averaging 12:47 through his first four NHL contests.
Honzek was logging time at even strength on Calgary’s top line alongside Nazem Kadri and Andrei Kuzmenko, so they’ll have to find a replacement in the interim. Their whole stable of current right-wingers – Kuzmenko, Blake Coleman, Anthony Mantha, and Matthew Coronato – all have experience playing the left side and could flip over. 6’8″ right-winger Adam Klapka, who played in Calgary’s first two games but was scratched for the last two, will likely re-enter the lineup against the Kraken on Saturday if the Flames don’t make a corresponding transaction.
Ottawa Senators Injury Updates
The Ottawa Senators are looking to pick up their third win of the young regular season tomorrow night but will have to do so without an important defenseman. TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reported defenseman Artem Zub will miss at least a week with a concussion while goaltender Linus Ullmark and defenseman Thomas Chabot appear ready to go.
The injury to Zub will strain the Senators’ defense for a short time, with the team already being thin on the right side of the blue line. According to line rushes today, veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic will move into the first pairing next to Jake Sanderson, with Jacob Bernard-Docker making his season debut on the bottom pairing.
Ottawa will find it difficult to match up against a speedy New Jersey Devils offense tomorrow night but it appears they are taking a more balanced approach to their defense while Zub recovers. Hamonic is no longer the quality shutdown defenseman he was with the New York Islanders organization in the early-to-mid 2010s, but he has started the 2024-25 season well, averaging 15:02 through the first three games.
Zub’s injury also gives some context to Garrioch’s report a few days ago that the Senators were already perusing the trade market to add a depth defenseman. The group looks markedly weaker even after sustaining one injury and Ottawa likely doesn’t want this to become a theme throughout the season with their eyes on the playoffs.
The back half of Garrioch’s injury report from today is positive as Ullmark returned to practice while recovering from a strain. TSN’s Claire Hanna shared a note from head coach Travis Green saying, “Linus Ullmark skated today, looked good, progressing well”. He did not confirm whether Ullmark would be the starter for tomorrow night but it appears they are headed in that direction. The team felt his absence in their most recent game against the Los Angeles Kings with Mads Sogaard and Anton Forsberg allowing seven goals on 26 shots in an overtime win.
Chabot left practice early today after colliding with Bernard-Docker during a drill in the neutral zone. He did not return to practice but multiple sources indicate he is doing fine and there is no concern for his availability in tomorrow night’s game against the Devils.
Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Peterka, Struble
The Maple Leafs may not be without William Nylander for any game action. After missing practice Tuesday with an illness, the star winger is feeling better and will be a game-time decision tonight against the Kings, head coach Craig Berube told reporters, including David Alter of The Hockey News. He’s the second top-six forward affected by something going around the Toronto room. It caused center John Tavares to miss their 4-2 win over the Penguins last weekend, in which Nylander had his first two points of the season – both goals. The 28-year-old is in the first season of the eight-year, $92MM extension he inked midway through last season.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- The Sabres will have John-Jason Peterka available for tonight’s game against the Penguins after he missed their last two games with a concussion, head coach Lindy Ruff said. He sustained the concussion on a hit from Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon in the second game of their Global Series set at the beginning of the month. The 22-year-old had an assist and a -2 rating in the season opener and projects to re-enter the lineup in a first-line role alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch.
- Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble has been cleared to return from his upper-body injury, per head coach Martin St. Louis (via TVA’s Renaud Lavoie). The 23-year-old has yet to play this year after sustaining the injury late in preseason. He’ll look to lock down a more consistent bottom-pairing role this season after making his NHL debut last year and posting 10 points and a -3 rating in 56 games while averaging just north of 16 minutes per night. It’s unclear whether he’ll play tomorrow against the Kings or sit as a healthy scratch, though.
East Notes: Tavares, Nylander, Farabee, Aston-Reese
The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed centerman John Tavares back to practice this morning after he missed the team’s last game due to illness, shares David Alter of The Hockey News. However, the flu-bug isn’t out of Toronto just yet, with Tavares’ linemate William Nylander missing the practice because of illness. Tavares stepped into a role on the second-line and top power-play unit with Nylander out.
Toronto loses a star and gains a star with these updates. Nylander leads the team in scoring with two goals through three games – the only Leaf to score multiple goals so far – though Tavares also scored in the team’s season opener. The duo were the focus of plenty of debate this summer, with many wondering if Nylander could fill the second-line center role that Tavares has served in since 2018-19. The former certainly showed signs of that capacity in Tavares’ absence, winning four of his six faceoffs on Sunday, though new head coach Craig Berube hasn’t fully entrusted him with that role. With the two now tagging out, Tavares will get a chance to prove that he can still be a productive member of the top-six, for a Maple Leafs team in need of the boost.
Other notes from out East:
- Top Philadelphia Flyers winger Joel Farabee shared that he’ll be good to go for the team’s Tuesday night game against Edmonton, per Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. Farabee missed the team’s Monday practice as the result of a “maintenance day”, as described by head coach John Tortorella. He’s recorded one goal and one assist through two games this season, one of just three Flyers with multiple points. Farabee will look to continue offering depth scoring on Tuesday.
- Centerman Zach Aston-Reese has been cleared to return to the lineup after leaving the team’s Saturday game early, shares NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Aston-Reese suffered an upper-body injury on his first shift of the game, though he was able to skate at practice on both Monday and Tuesday. Now back to full health, he’ll return to a gritty role on the team’s fourth-line, searching for his first NHL point since the 2022-23 campaign.
Central Notes: Wild, Avalanche, Korchinski
The Minnesota Wild have shared that Jared Spurgeon (lower-body) and Joel Eriksson Ek (broken nose) will both miss the team’s Tuesday night matchup against St. Louis. Forward Marcus Johansson is also questionable with an undisclosed injury, shares Michael Russo of The Athletic. Johansson was absent from the team’s Tuesday morning practice, while both Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek also missed the team’s Sunday game.
Injury news hasn’t favored Minnesota through the early going. The absentees – Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek – stand as two of the most-utilized Wild skaters, each playing over 19 minutes of ice time in the team’s season debut. Eriksson Ek recorded an assist and three shots in the outing, while Spurgeon’s only recorded stat was a pair of shots. The duo are both pillars of Minnesota’s lineup, and they left big shoes to fill when they went down with injuries. The Wild responded by moving Zach Bogosian and Marco Rossi into bigger roles on Sunday, though that outing resulted in an overtime loss to Winnipeg.
Minnesota now not only has to find fill-ins for a pair of top-liners, but could also need a replacement for Johansson’s spot on line-three. Johansson has recorded two points in three games through the early going – one of just five Wild with multiple points so far. It’ll be extra forward Travis Boyd who steps in, should Johansson be downgraded to out.
Other notes from the Midwest:
- The Colorado Avalanche also have a pair of injury updates, announcing that defender Devon Toews (lower-body) is hopeful for the team’s Wednesday game, while forward Jonathan Drouin (upper-body) has been ruled out, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. Drouin seemed to suffer an injury in Colorado’s season opener last Wednesday, and has missed both games Colorado has played since. No specifics of his injury have been revealed. Toews also missed Colorado’s most recent game. The specifics of his injury are also unclear, especially with no clear indication of when the injury occurred. Oliver Kylington filled Toews’ role on the top-pair in his’ absence, and stands to continue garnering more minutes should the star sit out once again.
- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski scored a flashy, coast-to-coast goal in the AHL Rockford IceHogs’ season debut, leading to conversations about when Korchinski may be ready to return to the NHL. He played in 76 games on a deprived Blackhawks blue-line last season, but posted a less-than-inspiring 15 points and -39. That prompted Chicago to assign him to the minors to start this season, with Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson telling Scott Powers of The Athletic that the team hopes it’ll boost Korchinski’s confidence. Davidson acknowledged that the team may have asked too much of the rookie last season, and that building up his confidence will be top priority in the AHL. He told Powers, “You just want him to get that confidence back that he had in junior, and that’s going to take time, especially at the pro level.” IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen agreed with Davidson, adding that he’s encouraging Korchinski to drive the puck downhill and challenge opposing forwards more. The 20-year-old defender certainly showed that ability with his inaugural AHL goal, and could be on a quick route back to the NHL roster once he gains the confidence to do that routinely.