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Injury Notes: McDavid, Hischier, McCabe

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As both the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames take the ice at Commonwealth Stadium in Alberta today for practice in preparation for the 2023 Heritage Classic tomorrow evening, several reports are coming out of the Oilers practice that captain Connor McDavid has joined his teammates on the ice (X Link). There is growing excitement throughout Edmonton that McDavid will be in the Heritage Classic tomorrow, after missing the last two games.

The injury status of McDavid appears to be a bit complicated, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet had mentioned he was extremely pessimistic that McDavid would be available for the Heritage Classic, given the nature of his injury and the atypical playing conditions on an outdoor rink. Given the importance of McDavid to the Oilers and the NHL in general, it is more than unlikely that Edmonton is trying to rush McDavid back, but he may have healed quicker than previously thought.

The team could certainly use him back on the ice regardless of whether it is the Heritage Classic or not, as the Oilers have still only managed one win in their first seven games to start the regular season. If the team is set to take a step in the right direction on the season, there is no better team to do it against than their in-province rival.

Other injury notes:

  •  In last night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils captain, Nico Hischier, was not in attendance on the bench to start the second period, after receiving a hit to the head from Sabres’ defenseman, Connor Clifton, earning him a match penalty for the rest of the game. Hischier would eventually come back to the game for New Jersey, but would not play a lot of minutes from then on out. Today, team reporter for the team, Amanda Stein, is reporting that Hischier will not be in the lineup tomorrow night, suffering an upper-body injury as a result of the penalty.
  • Although Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman, Jake McCabe, will not be on the ice with the team in their next upcoming matchup against the Nashville Predators due to a groin injury, Toronto apparently gathered very positive results from McCabe’s MRI report. David Alter of The Hockey News reports that McCabe won’t be out of the lineup ’too long’, and the MRI results were a best-case scenario for both the player and the team.

Sabres Recall Devin Cooley; Eric Comrie Out Week-To-Week

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The Sabres have been carrying three goalies on their roster all season long but injuries have struck, resulting in them needing to bring up another one as the team announced that they’ve recalled Devin Cooley from AHL Rochester.

The recall was needed with Eric Comrie exiting yesterday’s game against New Jersey in the second period with a lower-body injury. GM Kevyn Adams told reporters including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link) that Comrie will be out on a week-to-week basis.

Meanwhile, opening night starter Devon Levi has only skated once in the last nine days as he’s dealing with a lower-body issue of his own; Adams indicated that they’re hopeful that he can return to practice on Tuesday.  Buffalo also has veteran third-stringer Dustin Tokarski under contract but he suffered an upper-body injury during training camp that he hasn’t recovered from so Cooley is the next player up.

The 26-year-old is in his first season with the Sabres organization after spending the last three seasons in Nashville’s system.  He has played in four games with the Americans this year, posting a 3.46 GAA with a .903 SV%.  Cooley is set to serve as the backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for Buffalo’s next game on Sunday against Colorado.

Evening Snapshots: Athanasiou, Bruins, Comrie

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One of the most notable missing pieces in the team’s win tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights was Chicago Blackhawks’ forward, Andreas Athanasiou, who was a healthy scratch. Signed to a two-year, $8.5 MM extension after last year’s season, Athanasiou has not gotten off to a strong start this year with Chicago (Tweet Link).

Last season, as the team’s regular season schedule came to a close, Athanasiou was tied for the team lead in goal-scoring with Taylor Raddysh, earning him an extension over the offseason. In seven games so far this year, Athanasiou only has three assists, which is still good for sixth on the team in point production but has not incorporated the goal-scoring production the team is accustomed to.

There is no doubt that the relatively high salary the Blackhawks gave him over the summer had to do with the team reaching the salary cap floor for the season, but the team should still be seeking more production out of his play. In any case, even on a rebuilding team in Chicago, Athanasiou will need to raise his level of play to earn a full-time spot in the Blackhawks lineup.

Other snapshots:

  • To comply with the salary cap, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reported that all the transactions made today by the Boston Bruins were ’paper’ transactions. For those that don’t know, ’paper’ transactions are simply callups and reassignments that qualify for salary cap compliance, but the players included likely will not see any minutes with their respective teams.
  • In tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils, the Buffalo Sabres announced that goaltender, Eric Comrie, will not return to the game after suffering a lower-body injury. It is unfortunate news for the Sabres after Comrie has had to start three of the last four games due to an injury from regular starting netminder, Devon Levi. If Comrie is expected to miss a significant amount of time, Buffalo’s third-string goaltender, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will likely see the majority of starts for the foreseeable future.

Andrei Svechnikov Set To Return From Injury

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The Carolina Hurricanes have announced the return of top scorer Andrei Svechnikov, who received surgery on his ACL in March. Svechnikov shed the no-contact jersey at the team’s Monday practice and is now in line to return to the lineup, with Carolina slated to play the San Jose Sharks on Friday.

The return of Svechnikov has been highly anticipated and should have very interesting on-ice effects. The Hurricanes currently rank second in the league in goals-for, and now add a former 30-goal-scorer back into the fold. His 30-goal season came in 2021-22, when Svechnikov recorded 69 points in 78 games, and was one of four seasons where the 23-year-old Svechnikov has scored 20 or more goals. But more interestingly, Svechnikov tallied the third-worst xGA/60 (expected goals-against per-60) of any Canes forward, per Natural Stat Trick. This will be an area of improvement for Svechnikov, who is rejoining a Carolina team that’s allowed more goals than any other team in the league through their first eight games.

Michael Bunting has been performing well in Svechnikov’s role, scoring two goals and six points operating alongside Martin Necas and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Canes have also stuck with the trio of Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho, and Seth Jarvis as their top line. The seemingly locked-in top-six could spell for a bit of a logjam with Svechnikov returning, who has spent nearly all of the last two seasons alongside one of Necas, Aho, or Jarvis. Having high-scoring wingers sprinkled throughout the lineup is certainly a good issue to have, but how Carolina decides to utilize Svechnikov will be worth watching closely.

Jake McCabe Leaves Game With Lower-Body Injury

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe left the team’s Thursday night matchup against the Dallas Stars after only one shift, reportedly “pulling” something in his lower body. McCabe only recorded 10 seconds of ice time in the game. His availability for the Leafs’ Saturday match against the Nashville Predators is uncertain.

McCabe has become a prominent member of the Toronto blue line, after joining the team via trade in February of last season. In return for the defender and Sam Lafferty, who now plays for the Vancouver Canucks, the Leafs sent the Chicago Blackhawks a protected 2025 First Round pick, 2026 Second Round pick, Joey Andreson, and Pavel Gogolev.

McCabe has quickly earned a top-four role in Toronto, consistently averaging 19-and-a-half minutes of playing time between his 21 games with the club last season and his six through the early going this year – excluding Thursday night’s early exit. In 27 career games with the club, McCabe has recorded five points, a +12, and a 50.98 CF% (Corsi-For Percentage); the lattermost mark ranking fifth among Leafs defenders with 10 or more games since last season.

It’s unclear how the Leafs, who are already down Conor Timmins, will respond to another blue-line injury. The club is currently only carrying one healthy scratch: rookie forward Fraser Minten, meaning any fill-in for McCabe will likely come on an emergency recall basis. There are certainly plenty of names to choose from with the Toronto Marlies, including Mikko Kokkonen, Topi Niemela, and Simon Benoit. The obvious hope is that McCabe’s lower-body injury doesn’t hold him out long-term. But if he is set to miss time, who the Leafs choose to replace him will be something to monitor.

Injury Notes: Golden Knights, Boldy, Nedeljkovic

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Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy issued updates on two players today, as relayed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Ben Gotz. According to Cassidy, Alex Pietrangelo will likely be in the Golden Knights’ lineup tomorrow when the team takes on Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Pietrangelo is one of the Golden Knights’ two most important defensemen, but he has not played since October 12th.

Cassidy also said that center Nicolas Roy is “going to miss a little time.” He’s out for this weekend’s games and is considered day-to-day. Roy has centered the Golden Knights’ fourth line this season in between Keegan Kolesar and William Carrier. He scored 30 points in 65 games last season and has four points through seven games in 2023-24.

Some other injury updates from across the NHL:

  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported today that Minnesota Wild scorer Matthew Boldy will travel with his team on their East Coast road trip, though he is unlikely to play tonight’s contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. Boldy, 22, is one of the Wild’s most important scorers but hasn’t seen game action since October 14th. Getting him back into the fold would give a major boost to the Wild, who are currently playing Patrick Maroon in Boldy’s vacated second-line right winger role.
  • Yesterday, the Penguins placed netminder Alex Nedeljkovic on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Penguins team reporter Michelle Crechiolo relayed word from head coach Mike Sullivan today, who confirmed Nedeljkovic’s placement on IR and clarified that the player’s status is currently considered “week-to-week.” Nedeljkovic had seized the Penguins’ backup goalie job behind Tristan Jarry and begun the season with a .914 save percentage through two starts. Now, in his absence, the Penguins will turn to Magnus Hellberg as their backup.

Alexander Barabanov Placed On Injured Reserve, San Jose Sharks Recall Ryan Carpenter

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10/26/23: The Sharks have announced that Barabanov has been placed on injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the team has recalled veteran forward Ryan Carpenter to fill Barabanov’s spot on their roster.

Carpenter, 32, is a versatile and experienced depth forward who brings over 300 games of regular-season NHL experience and some playoff experience to boot.

10/25/23: It has been a rough start to the season for the Sharks as they are winless through the first six games.  They’ve also had a rough start on the injury front with Mikael Granlund injured in the season opener and Logan Couture yet to suit up.  Now, they’re down another key forward as head coach David Quinn told San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng that Alexander Barabanov will be out for a while; Peng reports that the winger sustained a broken finger.

The injury occurred near the end of Tuesday’s loss to Florida after a sequence that saw him block a high shot before taking two hits in quick succession.

Barabanov is off to a tough start himself as he has been held off the scoresheet for the first six games of the season, an unexpected outcome considering that he was coming off a career year that saw him record 47 points in 68 games.  The timing of the slow start plus the injury is hardly ideal as the 29-year-old is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

San Jose was carrying 13 forwards on their active roster prior to this news so they don’t necessarily have to make a move; Quinn noted to Peng that they won’t make a recall right away.  For now, Givani Smith figures to slot into the lineup or they could go with seven defenders.  But with Granlund recently suffering a setback in his recovery according to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, it stands to reason that the Sharks may want to bring up another forward at some point in the coming days.

Coyotes’ Jason Zucker Out Week-To-Week

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Wednesday: The Coyotes announced that Jeník was returned to Tucson while CapFriendly reports that Sanford has also been sent back down.

Monday: Coyotes winger Jason Zucker is expected to be out for at least a few games with a lower-body injury, as the team says he’s been listed as week-to-week. In a pair of corresponding transactions, the Coyotes recalled forwards Jan Jeník and Zach Sanford from AHL Tucson, while CapFriendly reports Zucker was moved to injured reserve to accommodate two recalls. Zucker sustained the injury in Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Ducks.

With two goals in five games thus far as a Coyote, Zucker has been decent after inking a one-year, $5.3MM contract in free agency last summer. He’s averaging 2.8 shots on goal per game and is currently shooting at 14.3%, nearly two points higher than his career average. He’s been paired mostly with Logan Cooley and either Matias Maccelli or Alexander Kerfoot on the opposite wing so far, a line that’s driven a lot of scoring chances when Maccelli is the third member. However, Zucker’s usage has not been advantageous – just 36.4% of his zone starts at even strength have come in the offensive zone, far below his 52.4% career average.

Hopefully, for the Coyotes, this is not a sign of things to come for the remainder of Zucker’s tenure. The 32-year-old has become rather injury-prone, most recently missing half of the 2021-22 campaign with lower-body and core muscle injuries. He also missed a significant chunk of the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season with a lower-body injury. Dating back to 2020, Zucker has played in 157 of 220 possible games, or about 71%.

With Zucker now on IR, the 23-year-old Jeník could get the chance he’s been hoping for. Arizona’s 65th overall pick in 2018 has been on the rise since his draft year, posting a pair of strong offensive campaigns with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs before turning pro in 2020. He’s posted solid numbers with Tucson since, including a career-high 47 points in 51 contests in 2021-22. A contract dispute this summer stretched until mid-September when Jeník finally agreed to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL with a $125K salary guarantee. Jeník was reportedly seeking trade options over the summer in search of a clearer path to an NHL role. He’s off to a strong start in the minors, posting three points in three games.

The Coyotes are off to a decent 3-2-0 start, largely in part due to spectacular netminding from both Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka, who’ve posted a combined .943 SV% and 1.80 GAA. Secondary scoring outside of Cooley, Maccelli, Clayton Keller, and Nick Schmaltz has been a major issue, one that will be tough to fix with Zucker out of commission for the foreseeable future.

Penguins Make Multiple Roster Moves, Place Alex Nedeljkovic On LTIR

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5:14 p.m.: The Penguins have confirmed the moves and officially recalled Hellberg from the AHL.

4:16 p.m.: Per CapFriendly, the Penguins have immediately transferred Nedeljkovic to LTIR after swapping Zohorna for Andonovski on the NHL roster.

4:15 p.m.: The Pittsburgh Penguins made a trio of roster moves Wednesday, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was placed on injured reserve after sustaining an undisclosed injury in last night’s loss to Dallas, while forward Corey Andonovski was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Forward Radim Zohorna was also sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

As CapFriendly notes, the Andonovski/Zohorna swap is likely a precursor to placing Nedeljkovic on long-term injured reserve. Andonovski’s cap hit is slightly higher than Zohorna’s, which gets the Penguins closer to the $83.5MM Upper Limit before placing Nedeljkovic on LTIR and increases their accruable cap space limit. The cap space freed up by Nedeljkovic’s LTIR placement will then be used to recall a goalie from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, likely veteran farmhand Magnus Hellberg. Andonovski is unlikely to remain on the NHL roster, nor is Zohorna’s demotion expected to be permanent.

It’s unclear when exactly Nedeljkovic sustained the injury, which did not warrant him exiting the game. Last night was the goalie’s second appearance of the season and second appearance as a Penguin after joining the team in free agency last summer. He’ll go on the shelf after posting a 1-1-0 record, .914 SV% and 3.01 GAA in the two appearances.

The Penguins have three goalies under NHL contract stashed in the minors, so their recall options are plentiful. Hellberg, 32, carries the most NHL experience with 23 games, 18 of which came last season with the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators. He did struggle, however, posting a 5-8-1 record and a poor .888 SV% overall, conceding more than seven goals above average. He’s made two appearances thus far with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, splitting them with a 1-1-0 record and a .917 SV%. Their top goalie prospect, 21-year-old Joel Blomqvist, is also a potential recall option with a .929 SV% through two games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, but the Penguins would likely prefer to give Blomqvist the starter’s net in the minors and more playing time and have Hellberg sit behind starter Tristan Jarry on the NHL roster.

Wild Move Jared Spurgeon To LTIR, Recall Jujhar Khaira

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The Minnesota Wild have moved captain Jared Spurgeon to long-term injured reserve retroactive to the beginning of the season, per a team release. In a corresponding transaction, Minnesota recalled forward Jujhar Khaira from AHL Iowa. The Wild also announced that forward Frédérick Gaudreau is out with an upper-body injury and did not travel with the team on their upcoming road trip.

Spurgeon, 33, has missed all of Minnesota’s six games this season with an upper-body injury sustained late in training camp. Listed as week-to-week, the LTIR placement automatically rules Spurgeon out of the Wild’s next four games. The earliest possible date the defenseman can make his season debut is November 4 against the Rangers.

He’s been a cornerstone of the Wild blueline for more than a decade now, racking up 110 goals, 269 assists, 379 points and a +112 rating in 851 games in the State of Hockey, holding the franchise record for defenseman in all of those categories except assists. Spurgeon has largely avoided major injuries, too, never playing less than 60 games in a full campaign during which he was a full-time NHLer.

For Gaudreau, this is another bump in the road in what’s been a rocky start to 2023-24. Fresh off signing a five-year, $10.5MM extension last April, the 30-year-old forward is pointless through six games and has a -2 rating while averaging 14:53 per game. With Gaudreau out of the lineup, it’s likely that Brandon Duhaime will slide into the top nine for the Wild’s three-game road swing through Philadelphia, Washington and New Jersey. The 26-year-old has become a staple on the Wild’s fourth line in recent years and has two goals through his first six games this season.

That gives Khaira the chance to make his Wild debut tomorrow, presumptively on a fourth-line centered by Connor Dewar and Vinni Lettieri on his opposite flank. Khaira, 29, joined the Wild on a two-way deal late in the summer and has started the season with four assists in four games in the minors after clearing waivers. He has 336 games and eight seasons of NHL experience to his name, putting up six goals and 14 points in 51 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season.

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