Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Injury

Avalanche Injury Notes: Makar, Rodrigues, Johnson

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Colorado Avalanche will get a big boost to their lineup tonight, welcoming back defenseman Cale Makar as they take on the Arizona Coyotes, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh.

Makar has been sidelined for the past two games with a lower-body injury and missed a combined nine games due to concussion protocols not too long before that. The 24-year-old Conn Smythe winner has once again been an all-world player for the Avalanche this year, recording 61 points in 55 games. With Makar back on the ice, Samuel Girard slides back down to a second-pairing role alongside Bowen Byram, giving Colorado its full complement of top-four defensemen.

There were more positive updates from Colorado practice today:

  • Forward Evan Rodrigues was practicing in a normal jersey on Friday, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, suggesting he could be close to returning to the lineup. Rodrigues missed the team’s last game while in concussion protocol and remains day-to-day. The 29-year-old has recorded 33 points in 58 games this season, his first with Colorado. While he’s not currently projected to play tonight against the Coyotes, he could return when Colorado heads to Arizona on Sunday.
  • Also according to Baugh, defenseman Erik Johnson is set to return tonight against the Coyotes after missing 18 games with a broken ankle. This is close to the healthiest Colorado’s defense has been all season, with now only Josh Manson missing from the fold. The 35-year-old will skate in a bottom-pairing role alongside Jack Johnson in his return to the lineup.

Vegas Golden Knights Issue Injury Updates

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Vegas Golden Knights will be without a trio of key players in a pivotal divisional matchup tomorrow against the Edmonton Oilers. The team announced that forward Reilly Smith and goalie Logan Thompson have left their road trip and returned to Vegas to be evaluated for injuries, while defenseman Alec Martinez has returned to Vegas for personal reasons.

Both Smith and Thompson left last night’s win against the Calgary Flames with injuries. Smith did not return to the game after taking a hit along the boards from Flames forward Walker Duehr, while Thompson left late in the third period with a lower-body injury, potentially reaggravating the ailment that had kept him out for almost 20 games. It’s not a good sign for either that they needed to depart the road trip early to receive evaluations.

They’ll also be without Martinez for an unknown length of time, which is no small absence. Martinez has been critical this season, recording 13 points in 67 games and leading the team with a +21 rating on the top pairing alongside Alex Pietrangelo. Smith has again been one of Vegas’ most consistent scorers, tallying 51 points in 71 games.

Vegas has a tough schedule ahead of them, with four of their next five games against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild. They’ll need netminders Jonathan Quick and Laurent Brossoit, who’ve both been good for Vegas in limited samples this year, to carry their weight to keep Vegas’ cushion atop the Pacific Division.

Wild Injury Notes: Nyquist, Klingberg, Kaprizov

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Forward Gustav Nyquist took part in his first practice with the Minnesota Wild on Friday as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports.

Nyquist, 33, was acquired by the Wild from the Columbus Blue Jackets on February 28 but has yet to play a game for his new team. He’s been sidelined since the end of January with a shoulder injury, coming after he missed the entire 2020-21 season due to shoulder surgery. There was a chance that Nyquist was done for the remainder of this season as well. Now, with his recovery beginning to progress, the Wild can begin to hope he’ll be ready for playoff action or potentially a few games at the tail end of the regular season.

Some more Wild injury updates as reported by Russo today:

  • Defenseman John Klingberg will miss his second consecutive game with an upper-body injury. Klingberg will see team doctors today, per Russo, as the Wild prepare for a home game against Chicago tomorrow. The 30-year-old has a goal and three assists in nine games since joining the Wild at the trade deadline.
  • There was additional negative news from Russo, as he reports Kirill Kaprizov is still not skating and is not expected to join the team on their upcoming road trip. Kaprizov has missed seven games with a lower-body injury expected to keep him out for four weeks, which would put him on track to return the week of April 3. With less than two weeks to go until that projected to return, it’s seeming the superstar winger may miss more time than originally expected.

Josh Anderson Out For Season With Ankle Sprain

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Montreal Canadiens announced late Thursday night that forward Josh Anderson will miss the remainder of the season due to a high ankle sprain.

Canadiens VP of Hockey Communications, Chantal Machabee, adds that Anderson will not receive surgery. Anderson suffered the injury late in the team’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday after Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev hit Anderson into an empty net, resulting in his right foot colliding with the post. He did not play in yesterday’s game against the Boston Bruins with what was deemed a lower-body injury, with the official announcement on his status coming postgame.

The 28-year-old winger had been one of three Canadiens players to hit 20 goals this season, including the injured Cole Caufield. He finishes his season with 21 goals and 11 assists in 69 games.

Anderson’s injury adds to a well-documented laundry list of absent Canadiens players, with Montreal’s injuries over the past two seasons taking a significant toll on the team. He joins Caufield, Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia, Juraj Slafkovsky, Paul Byron, and Sean Monahan on the list of injured Montreal forwards.

As a silver lining, it does mean more ice time for young players who have done well this season, including Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Jesse Ylonen, and potentially current Harvard standout Sean Farrell, who’s expected to sign his entry-level contract with the team after Harvard’s run in the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament concludes.

Patrik Laine Out 2-4 Weeks With Triceps Strain

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine is expected to miss two to four weeks due to a triceps strain suffered in practice Thursday, according to the team. The 24-year-old Finnish forward has been one of the team’s best players this season when healthy, recording 52 points in 55 games.

Head coach Brad Larsen told reporters Friday that Laine sustained the injury taking a shot during the last drill of yesterday’s practice.

It’s an unfortunate break for Laine, who had four assists in his last two games after an unexpected move to center. The natural winger had looked comfortable in the middle of the ice, also recording a +3 rating, but struggled in the faceoff circle.

The potentially season-ending triceps strain adds to an already injury-littered campaign for Laine. He’s missed a combined 12 games due to a sprained elbow and sprained ankle sustained earlier in the season.

Laine has found his stride in Columbus over the past two seasons, recording 48 goals and 108 points in 111 games since 2021 without much team success. He’s quickly cemented himself in Columbus’ long-term plans and should be an important offensive piece alongside a growing young pool of impressive forwards.

With Laine out of the fold, Emil Bemstrom is likely to draw back into the lineup for tonight’s matchup against the New York Islanders.

West Notes: Thompson, Kurashev, Canucks

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Despite a big win for the Vegas Golden Knights against a divisional rival last night, there was a concerning setback near the end of the game. Goalie Logan Thompson, who was making his first appearance in 18 games after being sidelined with a left leg injury, left the team’s 3-2 win against the Calgary Fames with a lower-body injury.

Thompson left the game with less than 10 minutes remaining after making 37 saves on 39 shots. He was replaced by Jonathan Quick, who stopped all five shots he faced, helping the Golden Knights extend their lead atop the Western Conference. The team has not yet issued an update on Thompson’s status, but it’s something to watch out for in the coming days as the Pacific Division leaders approach the playoffs without the full health of their starter. It’s worth noting that in Thompson’s absence, Quick has been much-improved since joining the Golden Knights, posting a 5-1-0 record and a .908 save percentage.

More updates from the Western Conference on Friday:

Injury Notes: Blackwell, Forsberg, Roy

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Without much to play for down the stretch, injured players with the Chicago Blackhawks may start opting for clean-up surgeries to ensure they are ready for training camp next season. That seems to be the case with Colin Blackwell, who has undergone sports hernia surgery this week after last playing in February.

Blackwell, 29, signed a two-year, $2.4MM contract with the Blackhawks last summer, meaning he’ll carry a $1.2MM cap hit as one of the team’s bottom-six options next season. After two nice offensive seasons, his production dropped this year, resulting in just two goals in 53 games. The surgery comes with a recovery timeline of 12 weeks, meaning his season is over early.

  • The same thing can be said about Anton Forsberg and Parker Kelly of the Ottawa Senators, as Claire Hanna of TSN reports they have been ruled out for the rest of the regular season. The Senators, of course, could still technically make the playoffs, though they’d have to leapfrog three teams to do so. Both players are already signed for next season, so they can work toward full health for 2023-24.
  • Nicolas Roy, meanwhile, has been activated from injured reserve for the Vegas Golden Knights and will be available to them tonight against the Calgary Flames. Roy last played on February 21 and gives the Golden Knights another interesting forward option that can play up and down the lineup.

Injury Updates: Comrie, Guhle, Sharks

at CDT | by 1 Comment

There should soon be a logjam between the pipes in Buffalo for the stretch run.  Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News relays that goaltender Eric Comrie has resumed skating and is expected to return soon from his lower-body injury.  The 27-year-old has had a rough first season with the Sabres, posting a 3.95 GAA with a .877 SV% in 17 starts.  When cleared, he’ll join Craig Anderson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as available options for Buffalo (Luukkonen wasn’t papered down at the deadline and thus is ineligible to play there again this season).  Those three will also soon be joined by top prospect Devon Levi who is still waiting for his immigration paperwork to be finalized to allow him to officially join the team.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Following their victory last night over Tampa Bay, the Canadiens announced that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will miss the remainder of the regular season due to a high ankle sprain. Despite dealing with injuries off and on, it was still a quality rookie campaign for the 21-year-old who had 18 points in 44 games while averaging over 20 minutes a night on a young Montreal back end.  The team also noted that surgery will not be required.
  • The Sharks could get a pair of veterans back on their current road trip which runs through Saturday as Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now notes (Twitter link) that blueliners Radim Simek (concussion) and Jacob MacDonald (upper body) are close to returning from their respective injuries. Neither player logs heavy minutes on the back end but their returns would allow Nikolai Knyzhov and Derrick Pouliot to return to the minors to try to help their farm team push for a play-in spot in the Pacific Division.  Meanwhile, Peng adds that Jonah Gadjovich isn’t close to returning; the winger has been out week-to-week for the last five weeks with an upper-body injury.

Injury Notes: Hall, Avalanche, Rangers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With the playoffs beginning in just a handful of weeks, it appears an important piece of the Boston Bruins lineup is gearing up for a return from injury. Winger Taylor Hall was practicing in a non-contact jersey this morning, per The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.

The skilled winger has been out of action since the end of February with a knee injury, and the Bruins are currently using his $6MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve to stay cap compliant down the stretch. If Hall is ready to return before the start of the playoffs, April 17, Boston would need to operate with an extremely trim roster to stay compliant before the end of the regular season. That likely won’t matter much for their success, with the President’s Trophy all but clinched.

  • While Erik Johnson had already returned to skating in a normal jersey at Colorado Avalanche practice, two other injured players joined him today — Cale Makar and Darren Helm, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Helm, who’s appeared in just five games this year as he’s been sidelined with multiple injuries, is set to rejoin the lineup tonight, says The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. Makar had missed the team’s last game with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day.
  • Ryan Lindgren and Tyler Motte both had maintenance days for the New York Rangers today, per Larry Books of The New York Post. Lindgren is fresh off returning from an 11-game absence due to an upper-body injury, and the team is likely going to ease him back into a normal game and practice routine with health for the playoffs at the top of everyone’s mind. Motte missed two games with an upper-body injury earlier in the month but has skated in seven straight contests since then, looking no worse for wear with three goals and an assist.

Morning Notes: NHLPA Poll, Quick, Canadiens

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The NHLPA Player Poll has become a yearly fixture, giving fans an insight into what players have to say in popular public debates. This year’s edition dropped this morning with mostly expected results.

Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy was voted by a wide margin as the goalie players would want in net with one game on the line for the second straight season, while the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar was voted best defenseman in the league by a landslide. Connor McDavid won “most impactful forward in a must-win game,” no doubt buoyed by last year’s electric playoff performance. Other winners were Patrick Kane for best stick-handler, Leon Draisaitl for best passer, Sidney Crosby for most complete player, Brad Marchand for least enjoy playing against (but want on your team), Joe Pavelski for most effective net-front player, and Aleksander Barkov for most underrated. Marie-Philip Poulin was also voted as the women’s hockey player that NHL players would most like to play alongside, past or present, and the Bell Centre was voted as having the best ice in the NHL for the fifth time.

In off-ice results, Las Vegas was voted the best road city to have an off day, Marc-Andre Fleury was voted best locker room presence, and Auston Matthews was voted as having the best shoe game.

More notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • Now a Vegas Golden Knight, Stanley Cup-winning netminder Jonathan Quick continues to move up the all-time ranks. With last night’s road win against the Vancouver Canucks, Quick moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list for American-born goaltenders, trailing only Ryan Miller. Quick now sits just 16 wins back of tying the all-time record with 375 wins under his belt.
  • In some rare positive injury news for the Montreal Canadiens this season, Jake Evans has returned to practice in a full-contact jersey, while Jesse Ylonen has returned to practice after missing the team’s last game with an illness, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Ylonen hasn’t looked out of place in his first extended NHL look this season, recording five goals and 12 points in 29 games. Evans is nearing a return after missing over two months with a lower-body injury.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top