Atlantic Notes: Mermis, Toronto Injuries, Lundell
Depth defenseman Dakota Mermis‘ first few weeks with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization is not going as planned. The team announced Mermis had jaw surgery yesterday and would miss the next couple of weeks effectively ending his training camp and preseason.
Mermis was hoping to make Toronto’s opening night roster albeit as a depth defenseman after signing with the organization this summer on a one-year, $775K contract. The surgery will squash any hopes of Mermis making the Maple Leafs and he will instead likely start the season with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
He will now join defenseman Philippe Myers as the two ‘next-men-up’ in AHL Toronto should there be injuries at the NHL level. The Alton, IL native is coming off a season with the Minnesota Wild in which he scored three goals and eight points in 47 contests.
Other Atlantic notes:
- The injuries don’t stop at Mermis for the Maple Leafs as the organization announced John Tavares, Calle Jarnkrok, and Alex Steeves are all considered day-to-day with lower-body injuries. None of the trio practiced with the team earlier this morning but there has been no indication whether they will suit up in tomorrow night’s preseason action against the Montreal Canadiens. Toronto will prioritize each player starting the regular season on time so they will continue to be careful with all three.
- According to Colby Guy of The Associated Press, Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell was back at practice today after missing yesterday’s due to a lower-body injury. Lundell was originally listed as day-to-day but there was no harm no foul as head coach Paul Maurice shared he wasn’t planning on Lundell playing against the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow regardless.
Logan Stanley Out Four Weeks After Knee Surgery
The Winnipeg Jets’ worst fears regarding their defensive core are coming to fruition. There was some speculation yesterday that Logan Stanley may be out longer than day-to-day which is now confirmed to be accurate. Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports Stanley will be out for the next four weeks due to knee surgery.
Stanley becomes the second Winnipeg defenseman to get surgery within the last week joining Ville Heinola who underwent surgery to remove an infection from his ankle. McIntyre gave a follow-up report indicating Stanley tweaked his meniscus during an off-ice warm-up routine.
The former-18th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft was hoping for a larger role with the Jets this year after being sparingly used over the last few seasons. He was often used as the team’s seventh defenseman since 2022 despite scoring one goal and 14 points in 58 games during the 2021-22 NHL season. Stanley has scored two goals and five points in 44 games from 2022 to 2024 while averaging 13:45 of ice time per night.
Standing at 6’7″ Stanley should be an effective shutdown defenseman carrying an uncommon reach with his stick. He’s managed a solid on-ice save percentage in all situations throughout his career at 91.7% but most of that can be attributed to his linemates and the goaltending behind him. He’s mustered a +17 rating over 139 regular season contests but Hockey Reference shows an E +/- of -5.7 indicating Stanley is not living up to his shutdown role when he is on the ice.
The injury news almost assures defensemen Dylan Coghlan and Haydn Fleury will make the Jets opening night roster out of training camp unless the team seeks help from outside the organization. Stanley should still be destined for a more regular role in Winnipeg this season upon his return as their defensive depth continues to be tested.
Snapshots: Nylander, Dell, Sourdif, Primeau
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander left tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens about mid-way through the first period and will not return according to a team announcement. The team said that the move was precautionary so there does not appear to be any long-term doubt about Nylander’s status for the rest of the preseason.
The incident in question happened just before eight minutes into the first period. The Maple Leafs were transitioning into the Canadiens’ zone and teammate Nicholas Robertson appeared to push Nylander down with his stick forcing Nylander into a Montreal defenseman’s leg head-first.
Nylander is entering the first year of an eight-year, $92MM extension signed with Toronto earlier this year. He’s expecting again to be an integral part of the Maple Leafs offense after scoring 40 goals and 98 points in 80 games during the 2023-24 NHL season. There haven’t been any further updates this evening but the organization should announce his long-term availability in the upcoming days.
Other snapshots:
- Goaltender Aaron Dell is headed back to the San Jose Sharks organization only a few days after being released from his professional tryout agreement. The AHL affiliate of the Sharks, the San Jose Barracuda, announced they signed Dell to an AHL contract for the upcoming season. It will be the second time in three years that Dell has suited up for the Barracuda producing a 15-17-4 record in 38 games played for the team in the 2022-23 AHL season with a .898 save percentage.
- According to Alex Baumgartner of Five Reasons Sports, Florida Panthers prospect Justin Sourdif will be out for the next couple of weeks with an upper-body injury. Despite making his NHL debut last year, Sourdif had an outside chance of cracking the opening night roster for the defending Stanley Cup champions. The team will hope for a bit more production at the NHL level before he becomes a full-time player with Sourdif scoring 12 goals and 38 points in 58 games last season for the Charlotte Checkers.
- Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey reports the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are signing forward Mason Primeau on a one-year AHL contract. Primeau has spent the last four years split between the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights and the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates producing tepid results. He already has a strong connection to the Flyers organization with his uncle, Keith Primeau, who played in Philadelphia from 1999 to 2006.
Pacific Notes: Vegas Injuries, Bahl, Gazizov
The Vegas Golden Knights were without forward William Karlsson and defenseman Nicolas Hague at practice today (X Link). The former hasn’t been with the team since this past Sunday while Hague seemingly injured himself in last night’s preseason contests against the Los Angeles Kings.
One would reasonably assume Karlsson is dealing with an undisclosed injury given that Vegas held him out of Tuesday’s practice and the game yesterday evening. He did practice toward the start of training camp but may enter the 2024-25 regular season without factoring into a preseason game. Karlsson is coming off another solid season for the Golden Knights last year scoring 30 goals and 60 points in 70 games and will look to build on that total this year.
Hague shouldn’t be out too long with Jesse Granger of The Athletic reporting he was out for a maintenance day. This was thought to be the likely reason for his absence from practice today as Hague returned to play the rest of last night’s action after missing briefly at the start of the second period. Granger shared that head coach Bruce Cassidy expects Hague to return to practice tomorrow with the team.
Other Pacific notes:
- Head coach of the Calgary Flames, Ryan Huska, indicates defenseman Kevin Bahl could be making his preseason debut with the organization as reported by Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg. The 6’6″ defenseman is preparing to begin his first year with the Flames after being the only player acquired by the team in the trade that sent goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils. Steinberg shares that Bahl has been nursing a lower-body injury which has precluded him from skating with the team so far but gave no indication when the injury was suffered.
- The AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, the San Diego Gulls, are bringing in a bit of forward depth announcing a one-year standard contract for Ruslan Gazizov. It will mark Gazizov’s first year in professional hockey after an impressive three-year run with the OHL’s London Knights. The young Russian forward finished third on the Knights in scoring last season with 36 goals and 81 points in 63 games including another seven goals and 14 points in 15 playoff contests.
Winnipeg Dealing With More Injuries On The Blue Line
It’s been nearly a week since Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Ville Heinola‘s season was put in question due to an infection in his surgically repaired ankle. It doesn’t appear there’s any room for optimism in Manitoba after today’s meeting between head coach Scott Arniel and the press.
Arniel indicated that Heinola underwent surgery to remove the infection from his ankle and the team would have a clearer picture of his recovery timeline shortly. The team’s bench boss also shared that defenseman Logan Stanley “tweaked” something in yesterday’s preseason contest against the Edmonton Oilers and he will need testing over the next few days. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press reports there is worry within the Jets organization that Stanley will be out longer than day-to-day.
It would be a major three-month swing for Winnipeg’s blue line if Stanley can’t start the season on time. The team hoped Heinola and Stanley could fill valuable spots on the back end after losing Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon this offseason through a buyout and free agency, respectively. Now, it appears depth defensemen Dylan Coghlan and Haydn Fleury will carry more responsibility than expected to start the year.
This could create major challenges for a Jets organization that has largely relied on their defense to win games over the last two years. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Winnipeg’s offense has finished 21st and 15th in goals per game, respectively, and 21st and 17th in shots compared to the rest of the league. They’ve had much better results on the flip side by finishing 10th and 1st in goals against per game over that same span and finishing 10th and 11th in shots against.
If the Jets are put into a situation early in the year where Coghlan and Fleury are expected to maintain even bottom-pairing minutes these results shouldn’t be expected to last. Winnipeg does have the benefit of deploying Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes but a weak defense has impacted even his performance in the past.
The Jets may need to pivot relatively soon to one of the existing free-agent options to hold their blue line steady or pick up one of the inevitable blue liners to hit the waiver wire over the next few days. The team will have a clearer picture of what they’re dealing with over the next couple of days and it could impact their decision-making leading into the start of the regular season.
East Notes: Luchanko, Panarin, Guhle
Some thought the Flyers took too big a swing at this year’s draft when selecting center Jett Luchanko with the No. 13 overall pick. They’ve been impressed by the 18-year-old pivot so far in camp, though. Assistant coach Rocky Thompson told Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports on Thursday that Luchanko has “opened our eyes” as one of the biggest risers thus far.
Line rushes now still indicate it’s unlikely that Luchanko begins his post-draft season on the Flyers’ NHL roster. However, the well-rounded center prospect has perhaps accelerated his timeline to NHL minutes with a potential nine-game trial (or longer) in store for him in 2025-26. He’ll likely get one or two more games worth of preseason action before being returned to his junior team, the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He had a team-leading 74 points (20 G, 54 A) in 68 games last season with a -13 rating.
More notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Rangers star Artemi Panarin still carries a day-to-day designation with a lower-body injury and won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Bruins, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. But the high-flying winger did skate today and doesn’t project to miss much more time. He was hurt in Tuesday’s 6-4 win over the Islanders, a game that also saw defenseman Ryan Lindgren sustain a longer-term upper-body injury that has his availability for the beginning of the regular season in doubt.
- Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle skated Thursday morning for the first time since having his appendix removed on Sep. 18, the team said. He’s now listed as day-to-day and could see action over the course of Montreal’s four remaining preseason contests. There’s no indication he’ll still be hampered by the time their regular-season opener hits on Oct. 9 against the Maple Leafs.
East Notes: Zub, Ovechkin, Reilly, Hatakka
Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub has suffered a lower-body injury shares Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.
Zub has missed 42 games over the last two seasons, facing a long list of short-term but nagging injuries. That includes routine absences with lower-body injuries dating back to October of last year. He found his way to success last season regardless, recording a career-high 25 points in 69 games and spending time on the top unit of both special teams. He’s set to return to that role this year, though a precedent of injuries could force Ottawa to be cautious about how they transition him back. The Senators have five pre-season games remaining before their regular season kicks off on October 10th.
Other notes from around the Metro:
- Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery shared with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that Alex Ovechkin could play in multiple preseason games after returning from a minor injury. Carbery added that this is the next step in ramping Ovechkin up to speed, as he prepares for his 20th season in the NHL – the most experience of any active player. Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky‘s all-time goal-scoring record, currently sitting just 41 goals back. He’s played in three preseason games every season since 2021, a tradition he seems set to continue.
- New York Islanders defender Mike Reilly has returned to the team’s practices after sitting out with illness, shares Ethan Sears of the New York Post. He’s preparing for his second season in New York after recording 24 points in 59 games with the Islanders last year. Reilly was one of the few consistent pieces on an Islanders blue-line plagued by injury, though he only averaged 17 minutes of ice time. The 2024-25 campaign will mark Reilly’s 10th NHL season. He’s managed 400 career games and 122 points, split across six franchises.
- New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe shared that defender Santeri Hatakka is being evaluated for an injury, per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. Hatakka is in competition for New Jersey’s seventh-defender role, after spending the bulk of last season in the minor leagues. Hatakka scored 20 points in 48 AHL games in that stint. He was also recalled for 12 NHL games, though he only recorded two assists. Keefe did not provide any clarity on what Hatakka’s injury is or how long he’s expected to be out, though his absence could clear more room for Nick DeSimone and Johnathan Kovacevic in their quest for an NHL role.
Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Järnkrok, Dahlin, Ullmark, Eliasson
Maple Leafs forwards Auston Matthews and Calle Järnkrok remain absent from practice Wednesday after they were given injury designations by the club yesterday, per Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.
Matthews’ ailment appears to be the most minor of minor injuries. He’s not listed as day-to-day by the club, which instead said he’s out for maintenance today. Head coach Craig Berube said Tuesday that he’d sustained a minor upper-body injury that caused him to leave practice early, but that there wasn’t much cause for concern.
Järnkrok, meanwhile, is still listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury and is still a little bit away from returning. Both should be considered doubtful for Thursday’s preseason match against the Canadiens at this stage, especially for a game with no standings implications.
More news and notes from around the Atlantic Division:
- Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is with his teammates in Germany today and has shed his non-contact jersey ahead of Friday’s exhibition game against EHC Munich, the team said. He’s been held out of preseason action thus far after sustaining an undisclosed injury one week ago. It appears he’ll be ready to go for the overseas contest later this week, and should be all systems go for their regular season opener against the Devils in Prague in nine days.
- Senators goalie Linus Ullmark is back at practice Wednesday, per Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He was held out of practice for the past couple of days while battling an undisclosed injury. He could be an option to play in Thursday’s home game against the Sabres’ B-squad, Garrioch added.
- Still with Ottawa, they now know where 2024 second-round pick Gabriel Eliasson will play this season. After being cut from their training camp roster earlier this week, the Swedish defenseman’s major junior rights were picked up by the OHL’s Barrie Colts today in a trade with the Niagara IceDogs. The hulking 6’7″, 216-lb 18-year-old is expected to sign a scholarship and development agreement and report to the Colts for his first season in North America after spending the last two seasons in his native Sweden in HV71’s junior system.
Ryan Lindgren Out “At Least” Multiple Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren will miss “at least a few weeks” with an upper-body injury sustained in last night’s win over the Islanders, head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters today (including the New York Post’s Mollie Walker).
Lindgren’s availability for the start of the regular season is now squarely in doubt. He did not return after fighting Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield in the first period. The fight followed a knee-on-knee hit that Mayfield laid on Rangers center Filip Chytil, temporarily knocking him out of the game, but he later returned and isn’t expected to miss any time.
The 26-year-old Lindgren is no stranger to injuries. He powered through to play 76 games last season, but he was rarely healthy – manifesting in the form of the worst possession play he’s displayed in his six-year NHL career. His -3.0 relative CF% and 48.6 xGF% were career-lows despite still seeing routine top-pairing usage at even strength alongside Adam Fox.
When healthy, Lindgren is a minute-munching stay-at-home defender who regularly contributes between 15 to 20 points and hovers around 20 minutes per game without being a possession liability. The Rangers were banking on him returning to that form alongside Fox once again, but they’ll have to wait to get him back in the regular rotation.
In the meantime, it’s a premier opportunity for 23-year-old Zachary Jones. He’s now slated for top-four duties to start the campaign after spending most of last season in the press box as the Blueshirts’ seventh defenseman, limited to 31 appearances. The 2019 third-round pick has 17 points and a -10 rating in 69 career NHL appearances over the last four seasons, averaging 15 minutes per game.
He’ll see a sharp uptick in usage, especially if he’s deployed as a direct replacement for Lindgren alongside Fox. That could very well be the case, allowing the Rangers to keep having K’Andre Miller anchor his own pairing behind Fox.
Lindgren’s season-opening absence also means a left-shot defenseman previously expected to start the season with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack will be on the NHL roster instead to assume third-pairing duties as Jones was expected to. Line rushes today indicate that it could be 28-year-old Connor Mackey, who skated alongside Fox, per Walker. Mackey made a lone appearance for the Rags last year but has 40 total NHL appearances to his name. He posted 11 points, 82 PIMs and a +12 rating in 44 contests for Hartford in 2023-24.
Utah’s Nick Bjugstad Expected To Miss Start Of Season
Utah center Nick Bjugstad is expected to miss the franchise’s first-ever regular season game with an upper-body injury, a source tells ALL Utah Hockey’s Craig Morgan. The 32-year-old pivot has yet to participate in training camp due to the injury and was listed as week-to-week when it opened last week.
It’s a tough break for a solid veteran fixture that’s done well to shed his injury-prone label. Bjugstad has appeared in 70-plus games in each of the past two seasons, his first time doing that on back-to-back occasions since the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns.
The Minneapolis native spent the last two years with the Coyotes, aside from a brief post-trade deadline stint with the Oilers in 2023, returning to Arizona as a free agent the following offseason. He’s entering the second season of a two-year, $4.2MM deal and followed the rest of the former Coyotes roster to Utah this summer.
Last season marked a career resurgence for Bjugstad, a first-round pick of the Panthers back in 2010. His 22 goals, 23 assists, 45 points, and +11 rating in 76 games were all his best totals since posting a career-high 49 points with Florida in the 2017-18 season. He also logged a career-high 17:27 per game for the Yotes last year, finished seventh among qualified Arizona skaters with a 49.4 CF%, and finished fifth on the team with 118 hits.
The 6’6″, 209-lb pivot is projected to be an all-around fixture for Utah in its first season when he returns to health. But for now, his absence is a good indication that 22-year-old Josh Doan, who finished last season with five goals and nine points in 11 games for the Coyotes after a call-up from AHL Tucson, should crack the opening night roster and take the ice on Oct. 8 for their home opener against the Blackhawks.
In better injury news, defenseman John Marino has been upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day with his upper-body injury, Morgan said. Marino, acquired from the Devils in a trade for draft picks on June 29, also has yet to skate in training camp. The 27-year-old posted 25 points (4 G, 21 A) with a -6 rating in 75 games for New Jersey last year, averaging over 20 minutes per game for the fifth straight season to begin his NHL career. He’ll slot into Utah’s top four to begin the season.