Injury Notes: Blackhawks, Red Wings, Engvall
The Chicago Blackhawks saw a string of players progress in their injury recovery, with Nick Foligno (fractured finger) and Ryan Donato (illness) fully returning to the team’s practice on Sunday, while Connor Bedard (jaw), Samuel Savoie (leg), and Tyler Johnson (undisclosed) were all on the ice for varying times before the team skate started. Connor Murphy was not able to take part in the team’s skate, though, continuing to miss time with a lower-body injury.
Donato has missed the Hawks’ last two games with an illness, while Foligno has sat out of seven games thanks to a placement on injured reserve earlier in the month. Both players are trending towards a return, finally bringing some form of relief to a Chicago lineup that’s currently experiencing injuries to 10 different players. Foligno went down on the same night that star rookie Bedard was injured. Both players falling out of the lineup effectively fractured Chicago’s top six, with the team going 3-4-0 – including one overtime and one shootout win – and scoring just 13 goals since the pair got hurt. That averages out to 1.85 goals-per-game – a mark that’s significantly held up by the two four-goal outings Chicago has had since Bedard’s injury.
Other notes from around the league:
- Ville Husso (lower-body) is continuing to progress in the Detroit Red Wings practices, while the team continues to be without Patrick Kane (lower-body) and Ben Chiarot (upper-body). Husso was placed on injured reserve in mid-December, missing Detroit’s last 14 games. James Reimer has slotted into the lineup as a result, backing up de facto starter Alex Lyon. Lyon has managed a .922 save percentage across 16 games, while Reimer has recorded an .893 save percentage in 13 appearances.
- Pierre Engvall has returned to the New York Islanders practice in a non-contact jersey after missing the team’s last two games with an upper-body injury. Engvall has managed 14 points in the 41 games he has appeared in, though he’s only scored one point since December 9th. Engvall is in his first full season with the Islanders, joining the team through trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.
Calgary Flames Make Several Roster Moves
With less than an hour to go before the Battle of Alberta, the Calgary Flames made a few transactions earlier today that will shape their roster for this evening’s matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. Today, the team announced that forward Martin Pospisil would be placed on injured reserve, and defenseman Dennis Gilbert would be activated off of injured reserve. Furthermore, in the same announcement, the team has recalled defenseman Oliver Kylington from his LTI conditioning loan in the AHL, meaning he could be activated off of LTIR very shortly.
Pospisil is dealing with an upper-body injury suffered in the team’s most recent game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it will likely keep him out until after the NHL All-Star break in a couple of weeks. Primarily serving as a bottom/middle six player for Calgary this season, Pospisil has scored four goals and 11 points in 33 games up to this point in the year.
Also suffering from an upper-body injury, Gilbert had been out for a couple of weeks, having not played since the team’s January 4th game against the Nashville Predators. Gilbert will draw back into the team’s bottom-pairing on defense, a role that has seen him score one goal and seven points in 28 games this season.
Most importantly, the Flames are nearing the long-awaited return of Kylington, who has not played in an NHL game since May 26th, 2022. Feeling ready to return to hockey, he received a two-game stint with Calgary’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, but was unable to score a point throughout his conditioning loan.
There is by no means that Kylington will come back into the lineup and become a new groundbreaking defenseman for the Flames, but with a plethora of defensemen set for unrestricted free agency this upcoming offseason, a strong start from Kylington may make the team more comfortable to sell off some of their defensive core by the time the trade deadline comes around.
Metro Notes: Jiricek, Islanders, Gustafsson
A few days ago, to create a roster spot upon the return of captain Boone Jenner, the Columbus Blue Jackets decided to send promising young defenseman David Jiricek back to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Even though it has been a relatively mediocre season for Jiricek up to this point, it was still surprising to see Jiricek as the head eventually put on the chopping block.
Nevertheless, in an article today from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, he reports that the plan for Jiricek is to have him play two games this week for the Monsters until the team eventually recalls him in a week. The organization may be looking to give Jiricek an extra boost of confidence before the Blue Jackets’ upcoming five-game road trip before the All-Star game.
As one of the more hyped-up Columbus prospects heading into the season, many expectations placed upon Jiricek before the season were largely unfair, as he has not gotten off to a hot start with the team. In 36 games for the Blue Jackets already this season, Jiricek has scored one goal and nine points, managing just under 15 minutes of ice time per night, without receiving much time on either the powerplay or penalty kill.
Other Metro notes:
- After a surprise announcement today naming Patrick Roy the new head coach of the New York Islanders, many began to wonder if the organization would eventually look to go in a different direction with any assistant coaches. The General Manager of the Islanders, Lou Lamoriello, was asked precisely this question and assured that no other changes would be coming to New York’s bench any time soon (X Link).
- Earlier today, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reported that New York Rangers defenseman Erik Gustafsson is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and would not be in the team’s lineup tonight. Playing on an extremely valuable one-year, $825K contract this year, Gustafsson has scored four goals and 21 points in 44 games, sitting second on the team in scoring amongst defensemen.
Alex Killorn To Undergo Knee Surgery
Alex Killorn‘s first season with the Ducks has been somewhat of a struggle due to injury and the veteran will be out for a while once again. The team announced that the winger will undergo arthroscopic left knee surgery next week and he is expected to miss the next four to six weeks.
The 34-year-old signed with Anaheim in free agency, inking a four-year, $25MM contract, good for the highest AAV ($6.25MM) among any forward to sign on the open market this summer. However, his start to the year was delayed due to a fractured finger sustained in the preseason, one that caused him to miss nearly a month.
Since returning in early November, Killorn has played as expected. While no one should have been anticipating another career year offensively, he was brought in to be a stabilizing presence in Anaheim’s top six and play alongside some of their younger talents. He has done just that while still contributing at a reasonable clip, notching six goals and 13 assists in 34 games while taking a regular turn on both special teams units.
With the injury just being announced, the Ducks have not yet placed Killorn on injured reserve. However, with the team carrying a full-sized roster right now, he’ll likely land on IR in the near future, freeing up a roster spot to bring someone up from AHL San Diego.
Wild Place Connor Dewar On IR, Recall Jake Lucchini
The Wild picked up a big win last night in Florida but it came at a cost with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (upper body) and center Connor Dewar (lower body) leaving with injury. The latter’s injury will keep him out for at least the next week as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Dewar has been placed on injured reserve. Taking his place on the roster will be winger Jake Lucchini who has been recalled from AHL Iowa.
Dewar only has nine points for Minnesota this season but seven of those have been goals, marking a new career-high for the 24-year-old. He has spent the majority of the season on the fourth line while averaging just shy of 11 minutes a night so far. A good chunk of that has come on the penalty kill where he’s the third-most-used forward on the Wild in that situation. Joe Smith of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Dewar is expected to miss a couple of weeks and might not return until after the All-Star break and Minnesota’s bye week.
As for Lucchini, this is his third recall in the last month as he has played his way into being a top option for promotion when injuries strike. That’s thanks to a strong season in the minors where he has 11 goals and 11 assists in 28 games with Iowa. The 28-year-old has played in four games so far for Minnesota and is looking for his first point of the year. Lucchini has 15 career appearances at the top level under his belt where he has a single goal to his name.
While the Wild have been cap-strapped for most of the season, that changed with the season-ending injury to Jared Spurgeon. With the blueliner landing on LTIR, Minnesota has ample cap space to carry a full roster, even including injury recalls.
Morning Notes: Lindholm, Varlamov, Anderson
Mans Karlsson of Hockey Sverige is reporting that Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm spoke regarding his pending unrestricted free-agent status. Lindholm is less than six months away from hitting the open market and is currently sitting at number one on most hockey pundits’ trade target boards.
Lindholm conceded that he has had a hard time shutting out the noise around his contract status and the trade talk and it may have impacted his performance on the ice. The 29-year-old has just eight goals this season after posting 64 goals combined over the last two years. His assist numbers are in line with his average over the last two seasons (he has 22 helpers so far this season in 45 games) but he has been plagued by a shooting percentage of just 6.6%, which is far off from his career average of 12.1%.
There was talk earlier in the year that Lindholm was seeking a long-term deal with an average annual value of around $9MM, but that number might be a bit ambitious if the former fifth-overall pick continues to struggle to put the puck in the net.
Lindholm told reporters that he and the Flames have not discussed an extension since last summer, and while extensions can be worked out in a matter of days, it seems probable that the Flames and Lindholm could be headed in separate directions sooner rather than later.
In other morning notes:
- Ethan Sears of The New York Post is reporting that New York Islanders’ injured goaltender Semyon Varlamov is back skating daily as he tries to work his way back into the lineup. Varlamov has been out of action since January 2nd with a lower-body injury and is progressing slowly. Ken Appleby has been replacing Varlamov in his absence but has seen just one period of action so far. Varlamov has been good this season posting a 6-4-2 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
- Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports is reporting that Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson is practicing this morning with the team and could return to the lineup tonight against the Boston Bruins after a four-game absence. Anderson has been out with a lower-body injury and practiced today on a line with Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans. The 29-year-old has struggled this season with just seven goals and five assists in 41 games as his shooting percentage has fallen to just 7.5%, far off his career average of 11.2%. Anderson will reportedly be a game-time decision for the Canadiens today.
Penguins Notes: Karlsson, Ludvig, Smith
The Pittsburgh Penguins tweeted yesterday that star defenseman Erik Karlsson was held out of practice due to an illness. The 33-year-old is questionable for Saturday night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights which means recent call-up Ryan Shea could find his way back into the lineup once again for the Penguins.
Karlsson was acquired this past August in a blockbuster three-way trade involving the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens. He won the Norris Trophy last season after being the first defenseman to top 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch did it in 1991-92. In his first year with the Penguins, Karlsson has had stretches of play where he has looked dominant, however, he has also struggled with the man advantage as the much-maligned Penguins powerplay has yet to find consistency and is a big reason that the team is chasing a playoff spot at the midway point of the season.
In other Penguins notes:
- Pens Inside Scoop is reporting that injured Penguins defenseman John Ludvig skated in a non-contact jersey after the official portion of the team’s practice had ended yesterday. Ludvig was placed on the injured reserve on January 3rd and is progressing towards a return very soon. The 23-year-old is in his first season with the Penguins, and although he has only a single assist in 19 games, he has impressed the team with his defensive responsibility and willingness to throw his body around.
- Pens Inside Scoop also reported that Reilly Smith also skated in a non-contact jersey after Penguins practice as he hopes to return in the coming weeks. Smith will likely not be able to play Saturday when the Penguins take on his former team in the Vegas Golden Knights as he is out longer term with an upper-body injury according to the Penguins. Smith suffered the injury on January 11th and has not played since. While a return to the ice against his former team is unlikely, the 32-year-old is in Vegas with the Penguins and should have a chance to re-connect with the community he spent six years in.
Sharks Notes: Granlund, Emberson, Couture
Mikael Granlund has been ruled out of the San Jose Sharks’ next three games by head coach David Quinn. Team reporter Sheng Peng speculated that Granlund could be moved to injured reserve, along with Ty Emberson, who is designated as week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Granlund has had a bright season despite San Jose’s struggles, boasting 29 points in 38 games, good for second on the team in scoring. He’s served as a top-line player for the Sharks, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time each game. He’s on pace for 63 points this season, a mark that’d be his highest since the 2021-22 season and the fourth time that the forward has netted 60 or more points.
Emberson has played in 21 of San Jose’s 45 games this season, averaging nearly 19 minutes of ice time. The 23-year-old defenseman has managed seven points in his appearances, playing out the first games of his NHL career. He is one of four rookies on the Sharks roster, alongside Nikita Okhotyuk, Henry Thrun, and Danil Gushchin.
The Sharks are also seeing the return of captain Logan Couture, who is making his season debut after missing the team’s first 45 games with a lower-body injury. Couture has played 14 seasons and 927 games with the Sharks, ranked fifth in club history in games played. He’s carried that team captaincy since the 2019-20 season when he took over for Joe Pavelski after his move to the Dallas Stars.
Golden Knights Place Michael Amadio On IR, Recall Jonas Røndbjerg
The Vegas Golden Knights have placed forward Michael Amadio on injured reserve, as the 27-year-old is battling with an upper-body injury. Amadio previously missed a handful of games due to personal reasons and illness, but has otherwise played in 42 of Vegas’ 45 games this season. He’s managed six goals and 17 points in those appearances, putting him on pace for 33 points through 82 games – a mark that would represent a career-high, trumping the 27 points that Amadio managed in 67 games last year.
Amadio is in his third season with the Golden Knights, joining them as a waiver claim from the Toronto Maple Leafs partway through the 2021-22 campaign. He’s since served in a bottom-six role, averaging around 12 minutes of ice time in each of his three seasons with the club. The depth he provides was appreciated enough for Vegas to re-sign the forward to a two-year, $1.5MM contract extension only three months after claiming him. He’s serving the last year of that contract in this season.
The Golden Knights have recalled Jonas Røndbjerg to fill the role of the injured Amadio. He will join Byron Froese, Brendan Brisson, and Sheldon Rempal as recent call-ups looking to find their way into a Vegas lineup that currently has four forwards, four defensemen, and their starting goalie on injured reserve. None of Froese, Brisson, or Rempal have scored in their one or two appearances, while Røndbjerg has managed three points in the nine NHL games he’s received this year.
Atlantic Notes: Forbort, Carlo, Poitras, Johnson, Jokiharju
Both Brandon Carlo and Derek Forbort could return to the Bruins lineup in tomorrow’s game against the Canadiens, says Joe Haggerty of the Boston Sports Journal. The Bruins’ bulkiest two defenders have missed five and 20 games with their respective injuries.
Carlo is on IR, while Forbort is on LTIR. With the Bruins carrying 22 players on the active roster, they will need to assign at least one player to AHL Providence today in order to activate both while keeping their roster at 23 players or less.
Carlo has been by far the more impactful of the two this season. His pairing with Hampus Lindholm has seen the most of any Bruins duo on defense at nearly 400 minutes together, and the 27-year-old continues to solidify himself as a bona fide top-four shutdown defenseman. His 2-8–10 stat line through 39 games isn’t awful for a player boasting his role, and he’s managed to keep an even expected plus-minus rating despite receiving a sky-high 76% of his even-strength zone starts in the defensive end.
The 31-year-old Forbort’s role has been a tad more limited, skating 18:22 per game (Carlo plays over 20) and posting four assists in 20 games. His even-strength possession numbers have cratered since the beginning of last season, reaching a poor 43.5% Corsi share in 2023-24. At this stage in his career, the majority of Forbort’s value comes on the penalty kill, where he’s still graded out below average this season. He remains under contract at a $3MM cap hit through the end of this season.
More from the Atlantic Division today:
- Making progress in his return but unlikely to play tomorrow is Bruins rookie Matthew Poitras, who head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters (including Haggerty) today “has a few more boxes to check” before he can play again. The 19-year-old last played on Jan. 9 and has missed four games with a shoulder injury. He’s played in only three of eight games since returning from representing Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden. The 2022 second-round pick has provided great value for the Bruins earlier than expected on his entry-level contract, posting 10-5–15 through his first 30 NHL games.
- The Sabres have listed veteran defenseman Erik Johnson as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per a team announcement. The 35-year-old left yesterday’s 3-0 win over the Blackhawks early in the third period after he was checked from behind by Blackhawks winger Philipp Kurashev. Kurashev was assessed a five-minute major penalty for boarding on the play, but no supplemental discipline is expected. Johnson has been a healthy scratch four times in 45 games this year after signing a one-year, $3.25MM pact with Buffalo in free agency. He’s notched three goals and a +2 rating in 14:11 of average ice time but is still looking for his first assist as a Sabre. Defenseman Henri Jokiharju is also listed as day-to-day with general soreness, putting both their availabilities for tomorrow’s game against the Lightning in doubt. A rotating cast of injuries may force the Sabres to recall an additional defenseman from AHL Rochester tomorrow after bringing up Jacob Bryson yesterday.