Oilers Notes: Kane, Nurse, Perry
Oilers winger Evander Kane has been a rare participant at practices throughout the playoffs. He revealed at the start of the playoffs that he’d been diagnosed with a sports hernia but is foregoing treatment/surgery until the offseason.
His routine changed slightly today, though, as he began practice on the ice with an extended chat with head coach Kris Knoblauch before a light skate (via NHL Network’s Tom Gazzola). He only stayed on the ice for a few minutes, leaving the session early. Speaking with reporters after practice, Knoblauch then declined to confirm Kane’s availability for tomorrow’s Game 3 (per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen). If unable to play, it would be his first scratch of the postseason. He’s contributed four goals and eight points in 20 games for Edmonton thus far but has a -7 rating. His 37 PIMs lead the playoffs.
Elsewhere from Oil Country as the Cup Final shifts to Edmonton:
- Defenseman Darnell Nurse will likely play in Game 3 after missing much of Game 2 with an injury, Knoblauch said (via Oilers play-by-play voice Jack Michaels). He missed practice this morning, though, suggesting he definitely won’t be 100 percent. The 29-year-old has seen his average ice time dip below 20 minutes per game in the postseason, and he has just three assists and a -15 rating in 20 contests.
- Veteran winger Corey Perry is also probable to return to the lineup after being held out of Game 2 entirely with an injury, per Knoblauch. Perry is on his 16th trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs but has been in and out of the lineup throughout, posting a lone assist in 14 appearances while averaging 11:04 per game. He’s suiting up in his fourth Stanley Cup Final in the past five years, all with different teams.
Cup Final Notes: Suspensions, Barkov, Nurse, Ekblad, Luostarinen
Don’t expect supplemental discipline to be announced today for a pair of Oilers forwards that laid controversial hits in last night’s Game 2 loss. Leon Draisaitl‘s check to the head of Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov that knocked him out of the game will go unpunished past the two-minute minor assessed on the play, TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports. Warren Foegele also won’t receive a suspension for his knee-on-knee hit on Eetu Luostarinen that got him tossed from the game in the first period, per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.
That’s good news for an Edmonton squad that needs to battle back from a 2-0 series deficit as the series shifts to their ice later this week. The Oilers became the first team since the Penguins in 2008 to score one goal or less in the first two games of a Stanley Cup Final. While they were dominant but stymied by Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky in their Game 1 loss, Game 2 saw Florida’s defense limit the Oilers to 19 shots on goal and no high-danger chances at even strength. Draisaitl, in particular, would be a huge loss – he’s second on the club in playoff goals (10) and points (28) in 20 games.
Other updates from the Cup Final:
- While Draisaitl will be available for Game 3, Barkov is a question mark. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said today that his first-line center isn’t feeling any worse this morning after taking the German forward’s elbow to his jaw area but will undergo further evaluation tomorrow (via Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards). The team hasn’t confirmed the nature of Barkov’s injury, but speculation indicates he’s likely in concussion protocol. Barkov, 28, is tied for the team lead in postseason scoring with 19 points in 19 games and has averaged 21:31 per game, second to Sam Reinhart among Florida forwards.
- Speaking to reporters via Zoom this morning, Oilers bench boss Kris Knoblauch had no update on the status of defenseman Darnell Nurse (per NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika). The much-maligned blue liner missed significant chunks of last night’s loss after taking an awkward hit from Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues late in the first period (video link). Nurse has just three assists and a -15 rating in 20 postseason contests thus far, and his potential absence for Game 3 would make way for Cody Ceci to re-enter the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the first time as an Oiler in Game 2.
- Luostarinen and defenseman Aaron Ekblad both missed chunks of Game 2 with respective lower-body injuries, but they’ll be good to go moving forward, Maurice confirmed this morning (via the team’s Jameson Olive). Luostarinen wasn’t able to put any weight on his left leg while being helped off the ice after his collision with Foegele but managed to return before the end of the period. Ekblad, meanwhile, twisted his ankle awkwardly after getting tangled up with Oilers star Connor McDavid but still logged nearly 23 minutes of action in last night’s win.
Evening Notes: Tanev, Necas, Heinen
Dallas Stars defenseman Chris Tanev has revealed the injury that forced him out of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, documented by NHL.com’s Taylor Baird (Twitter link). Per Tanev, he felt a pop in his ankle in his first shift after blocking an Evander Kane shot. The resulting injury was to his peroneal tendons and won’t require surgery to fix.
Tanev is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, having played the final year of a four-year, $18MM deal signed with the Calgary Flames the last time he hit the market. Tanev has solidified his status as one of the staunchest defenders in the league on the contract – averaging over 20 minutes of ice time across 278 games since 2020 despite totaling just 72 points. Tanev’s played with just three teams over 14 years in the NHL and could continue that loyalty with the Stars, with the team interested in re-signing the veteran before he hits the market on July 1st.
Other notes from around the league:
- Both the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas are still “preferring” to part ways, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the Donie and Dhali Show (Twitter link). Friedman adds that the Hurricanes would likely be targeting top prospects for Necas – adding that he doesn’t envision a swap of Necas and Filip Hronek when speaking to Donnie and Dhali’s Canucks theme. Necas has scored 124 points across 159 games in the last two seasons, emerging as a legitimate scoring threat in a Hurricanes lineup full of offensive talent. Carolina will now look to open up cap space, and reinforce their depth charts, after trading three top prospects and two draft picks for Jake Guentzel at the Trade Deadline.
- The Boston Bruins are expected to begin talks with Danton Heinen about contract extension soon, shares The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta (Twitter link). Heinen rejoined the Bruins for this season after a three-year tenure split between the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored 17 goals and 36 points in 74 appearances in the reunion, offering flexible offense from the bottom of the depth charts. He’ll be set for his eighth NHL season, and his sixth with the Bruins, with a new deal this summer.
Rangers Notes: Fox, Trouba, Vesey, Wheeler, Wennberg
With any team’s end-of-season media availability, especially after a long run in the Stanley Cup playoffs, a slew of injuries are typically revealed to the public. During the media availability for the New York Rangers, injuries were reported for defensemen Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba, while the injury keeping Jimmy Vesey out of the Eastern Conference Finals was brought to light.
In the team’s Round One series against the Washington Capitals, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today reports Fox reaggravated his knee injury during a knee-on-knee collision with Capitals’ defenseman Nick Jensen. After only one month into the 2023-24 NHL season, Fox was placed on the Rangers’ long-term injured reserve due to a knee injury, keeping him out of the lineup from November 2nd to November 29th. The change in play was noticeable, as Fox only tallied six assists in 12 games following the series against Washington, a stark dropoff compared to his previous postseason play.
Staying on the blue line, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reported that defenseman and captain Jacob Trouba dealt with a broken ankle. However, later reports suggested that the fractured ankle fully healed by the end of March, and Trouba was largely healthy for New York’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Still, Trouba set a career-high in postseason points with seven in 16 games but still led the team with 22 PIMs during the playoffs.
Lastly, Dan Rosen of the NHL mentions that Vesey was dealing with a separated shoulder during the penultimate series which would keep him out of the lineup. Thankfully, the report suggests that Vesey will not require surgery to repair his shoulder, and should return after a few weeks of rehab.
Other Rangers notes:
- Playing on a team not named the Winnipeg Jets for the first time in 12 years, the 2023-24 NHL season may have been the last for forward Blake Wheeler. Mercogliano of USA Today relayed that a decision regarding his future has not been made, but he will talk it through with his family this summer. It would not be surprising to see Wheeler hang up his skates, as the soon-to-be 38-year-old veteran suffered a gruesome leg injury on February 15th against the Montreal Canadiens — an injury that would keep him off the ice for nearly four months.
- Peter Baugh of The Athletic reported that Alexander Wennberg would like to return to the team this offseason after being acquired by the Rangers at this year’s trade deadline. Wennberg was originally acquired from the Seattle Kraken for New York’s second-round pick in 2024 and Dallas’ fourth-round pick in 2025. Brought in to fill the void in the team’s third-line center position, Wennberg put up two points in 16 postseason games for the Rangers while averaging nearly 16 and a half minutes of ice time.
Central Notes: Rantanen, Capuano, Hakanpaa, O’Connor
Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen will be eligible for a contract extension on July 1st, giving the team more to worry about than just their nine pending free agents. A new deal won’t come cheap either, shares Corey Masisak of The Denver Post, who compared Rantanen’s extension talks to David Pastrnak, who signed an eight-year, $90MM contract with the Boston Bruins in March of 2023. Pastrnak’s deal carries $9MM in signing bonuses and $26MM in total salary in the first two seasons alone – a price that’d be hard to stomach for an Avalanche team set to pay Nathan MacKinnon $16MM and $12.15MM in salary over the next two seasons. They’ll be helped along by Cale Makar’s team-friendly – relative to his talent – cap hit of $9MM, but he’ll offer another headache when he’s eligible for a new deal in 2027.
Rantanen recorded the second 100-point season of his career this year, though he fell one point shy of the career-high 105 points he posted last year. He’s proven to be one of the best wingers in the league and an integral piece of the Avalanche lineup, with Masisak noting Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland’s desire to build around a core of MacKinnon, Rantanen, Makar, and Devon Toews. The Avalanche have three of those pieces locked up through the 2026-27 campaign – though they’ll need to be ready to shell out a pretty penny to do it.
Other notes from around the league:
- Free agent coach Jack Capuano could be a candidate for the Minnesota Wild’s open assistant coaching position, shares Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Ottawa Senators chose not to re-sign Capuano to his associate coach contract this summer, bringing an end to his five-year career with the team. Russo spoke to Capuano’s long history with new Wild head coach John Hynes. That could be a useful connection as he looks to join the fourth team of his NHL coaching career.
- Dallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa won’t be joining the team on their trip to Edmonton for Game 6, shares Owen Newkirk of the Dallas Stars Radio (Twitter link). Hakanpaa is set to miss his 32nd-straight game with a lower-body injury suffered in March. The Stars will be eager for Hakanpaa’s return, should it come this postseason, as they sort through questionable defense depth from Nils Lundkvist, Derrick Pouliot, and Lian Bichsel. Dallas is also facing a potential injury to top defender Chris Tanev, who exited Game 4 after blocking a shot from Evander Kane, but returned for Game 5. Whether he’s playing with good health or playoff resiliency, the Stars now won’t be able to bolster the depth behind Tanev until at least Game 7.
- Colorado Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor is recovering well after undergoing hip surgery and should be ready for the 2024-25 training camp, shares Misisak (Twitter link). O’Connor missed the final 19 games of the regular season with his lower-body injury – though he’ll reflect on the season as a strong one, having scored at the highest rate of his career with 25 points in 57 games, while averaging a career-high 14:57 in ice time.
Stars’ Chris Tanev Remains Uncertain For Game 5
The Stars may be without their top shutdown option on defense as they attempt to take a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference Final over the Oilers. Chris Tanev will officially be a game-time decision for Game 5 after blocking a shot in the second period of Game 4, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters this morning.
DeBoer said he was “optimistic” about Tanev’s ability. The veteran blue liner was seen in a walking boot while traveling back to Dallas yesterday.
If Tanev is unable to go, he may not be the only injury-related absence for the Stars tonight. DeBoer also told reporters that multiple forwards are dealing with ailments, and he likely won’t know who’s able to play until after warmup (via the team’s Bruce LeVine).
The Stars acquired Tanev, 34, from the Flames in late February for a package that included a second-round pick and defense prospect Artyom Grushnikov. While he’s only logged one assist in 17 games of postseason play, he’s been an incredibly valuable defensive presence and has averaged over 22 minutes per game.
Tanev’s +6 rating is third on the team behind Thomas Harley and Tyler Seguin (+8). He’s logged 170 minutes with Esa Lindell as his defense partner in the postseason, controlling 50.3% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.
His absence would likely result in Nils Lundkvist entering the lineup for the first time this series. Veteran defensive specialist Jani Hakanpää remains unavailable with the lower-body injury that’s kept him out since mid-March, DeBoer said (via team radio host Owen Newkirk).
Lundkvist, 23, hasn’t played since Game 5 of the second round against the Avalanche and averaged just 4:27 per game in his 12 appearances earlier this postseason. Two other options, 2022 first-round pick Lian Bichsel and minor-league mainstay Derrick Pouliot, are rostered and theoretically available to play, although it would mark Bichsel’s NHL debut and Pouliot’s first playoff game since 2016 with the Penguins. Bichsel has been told to be prepared to play if Tanev is out, though, he told EP Rinkside’s Sean Shapiro.
West Notes: Tanev, Hakanpaa, Oilers, Kylington
The Dallas Stars didn’t have any positive updates today, with head coach Pete DeBoer sharing that Chris Tanev will see doctors and “go from there”, while Jani Hakanpaa likely won’t be available for Game 5, per NHL.com’s Mike Heika (Twitter link). Tanev left Game 4 midway through the second period, after suffering a lower-body injury while blocking a shot from Evander Kane. Tanev has played in all 17 of Dallas’ playoff games and totaled a league-leading 68 blocked shots. He also leads Dallas defensemen in hits, with 26. Meanwhile, Hakanpaa will miss a 31st-straight game should he miss Game 5.
Tanev would be a major absence for the Stars, who currently carry Nils Lundkvist, Derrick Pouliot, or prospect Lian Bichsel as their extra defenders. Lundkvist has appeared in 12 postseason games this Spring, recording one assist and averaging just 4:27 in ice time each game. Pouliot could offer a more stout veteran presence, though he’s only appeared in 22 NHL games over the last three seasons combined. Pouliot spent the majority of this season with the AHL’s Texas Stars, recording nine goals and 46 points across 67 games. Regardless of the fill-in, Tanev’s absence will likely mean more ice time for the team’s top pair of Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen. The pair are already averaging 25 and 28 minutes of ice time respectively. Heiskanen has managed six goals and 16 points in 17 postseason games, while Lindell has posted three goals and five points.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Edmonton Oilers have hired Kalle Larsson as their ‘Senior Director of Player Development’. He will be responsible for overseeing and managing the development of Oilers’ prospects. Larsson moves to the NHL after spending 11 years with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, where he served as both general manager and President of Hockey Operations at various points. Larson built Dubuque into one of the league’s most consistently successful lineups, including supporting them to a championship appearance this season – though Dubuque lost to the nearly flawless Fargo Force, who finished the regular season with just 10 regulation losses. Larsson will now move into the NHL, once again focused on developing young players into playoff-winning talents.
- The Calgary Flames are reportedly preparing an offer for defenseman Oliver Kylington, shares David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Kylington was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy this season, after taking 18 months away from the team for personal reasons. That absence included missing the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign. Kylington totaled 33 games with Calgary this season, posting eight points, 12 penalty minutes, and a -6. He’s likely due for a cheap deal and will look to resolidify his spot on the team’s daily lineup next season.
Oilers’ Troy Stecher Out For Season With Ankle Injury, Requires Surgery
While Oilers defenseman Troy Stecher hasn’t played in the postseason, it was widely assumed he’s been a healthy scratch. That isn’t the case, as Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 reports he’s out with an ankle injury and will require offseason surgery.
Stecher, 30, has sparingly practiced with the team since last dressing in their regular-season finale against the Avalanche over a month ago. The Oilers downgraded from a fourth-round pick to a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft to acquire him from the Coyotes at the trade deadline for added injury insurance on the blue line.
Unfortunately, he won’t get a chance to play in his first playoff contest since 2022 with the Kings. The Vancouver-area native had two assists and a +4 rating in seven games with Edmonton after the trade while averaging 16 minutes per game, proving he would have been a reliable option to insert into the playoff lineup if necessary.
It’s not good timing for offseason surgery for Stecher, who’s a pending unrestricted free agent after completing the $1.1MM deal he signed last summer. If he’s able to land another NHL deal and build on his 494-game career, he likely won’t sign until closer to training camps after rehabbing from his procedure – unless the Oilers opt to bring him back next season and re-sign him before July 1.
Stecher’s absence leaves 22-year-old Philip Broberg as the top option to enter the lineup if Edmonton loses a defenseman to injury or suspension. The 6’3″, 200-lb Swede was the eighth overall pick in 2019 and spent most of the season on assignment to AHL Bakersfield, where he excelled with 38 points and a +11 rating in 49 contests. He’s made 10 postseason appearances for the Oilers across their 2022 and 2023 runs but averaged just 6:31 per game.
Afternoon Notes: Hintz, Goldobin, Sharks Coaching
The Dallas Stars will once again be left with a game-time decision on centerman Roope Hintz, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Hintz has missed Dallas’ last four games with an upper-body injury sustained in Game 4 of the second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche.
Hintz was an integral piece of the Stars lineup through the regular season, posting 30 goals and 65 points – both marks he’s also reached in the last two seasons. He’s maintained that strong presence into the postseason, posting six points through the 11 games he’s been healthy for. Maybe more importantly, Dallas hasn’t yet found their de facto fill-in for Hintz’s injury.
Radek Faksa was previously filling the vacancy, but head coach Pete DeBoer decided to switch to Ty Dellandrea for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final. Dellandrea recorded three shots on goal through 11:39 in ice time but did little to command the lineup spot as his own. Hintz should return to the team’s top six immediately upon his return. But Dallas will be left with a tricky lineup decision should he once again be unavailable.
Other notes from around the league:
- Former San Jose Sharks first-round pick Nikolay Goldobin has signed a two-year extension with Moscow Spartak of the KHL (Twitter link). The 28-year-old forward is coming off a career year, posting a career-high 37 goals and 78 points through 67 games this season and adding nine points in 11 playoff games. His regular season scoring tied him for second in the KHL in scoring behind Reid Boucher, who posted 44 goals and 78 points of his own. It was Goldobin’s third full-time season in the KHL, having posted 39 and 36 points over the last two years, respectively. He’ll look to build off a dazzling season, now re-upped in Russia.
- The San Jose Sharks are advancing their search for their next head coach, providing second interviews to both Jeff Blashill and Ryan Warsofsky, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in the recent 32 Thoughts Podcast. Warsofsky has been an assistant coach in San Jose for the last two seasons, moving to the NHL after leading the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to a Calder Cup win in 2022. Meanwhile, Blashill has been an assistant to Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning for his last two seasons – proceeding his seven-year tenure as the Detroit Red Wings head coach.
Kings Sign Taylor Ward, Joe Hicketts To One-Year Contracts
The Los Angeles Kings have announced the signing of forward Taylor Ward and defenseman Joe Hicketts to matching one-year, two-way, league-minimum contracts. They also confirmed the previously-reported signing of forward Kaleb Lawrence to a three-year, entry-level deal yesterday.
Both Ward and Hicketts have become familiar faces in the AHL over the last three seasons. Ward stepped into pros with a one-year, entry-level contract signed in March of 2022 – a deal he earned with a strong performance on an amateur try-out agreement with the Ontario Reign, following his Senior year at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He’s since appeared in 158 AHL games, recording 23 goals and 68 points. That includes his career-high 11 goals and 32 points posted in 71 games this season. Ward is still awaiting the first NHL call-up of his career – a feat his new contract keeps him eligible for. He added a good deal of physical confidence, especially in front of the net, last season and could be a go-to depth option, should L.A. need extra forwards next season.
Meanwhile, Hicketts will look to fight his way back to the NHL on this new deal. The 28-year-old defender also began his career as an undrafted free agent, signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings after a strong performance as a training camp invitee in 2014. He made his NHL debut a little over three years later, appearing in 22 games with the Red Wings between 2018 and 2020. Hicketts only posted five points, all assists, in those outings, adding four penalty minutes and a collective -9. He’s since spent the last four years in the minor leagues, on tours with the Griffins, the Iowa Wild, and the Reign. The stable role has led to strong results, with Hicketts posted a career-high 42 assists and 48 points in 72 games with in Iowa last season – and 20 points in 30 games with the Regin this year, after missing three months with an early-season injury. It will be that momentum that Hicketts enters the 2024-25 season with, looking to fight for an NHL role among a crowded Kings defense group.