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Snapshots: Bear, Stalock, Sanford

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The Vancouver Canucks will be without Ethan Bear for the next little while, after he suffered an injury last night. Bear was moved to injured reserve today, with Noah Juulsen recalled in his place.

Vancouver is quickly running out of options for a team that is expected to move at least one defenseman at the deadline. Bear joins eight other players on IR (regular or long-term) for the Canucks, including Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Travis Dermott, and Tucker Poolman.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have activated Alex Stalock from injured reserve, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. That is encouraging news after he was ruled out with ocular dysfunction from multiple head injuries for a while. His return means Jaxson Stauber is being sent back to the AHL, despite a pretty impressive performance from the rookie netminder. Stauber went 5-1 in six games with a .911 save percentage.
  • With Nino Niederreiter gone, the Nashville Predators have recalled Zach Sanford from the minor leagues. The big forward has nine goals and 19 points in 32 games with the Milwaukee Admirals but just two points in eight NHL contests so far this season.

Snapshots: Dumba, Olofsson, Boqvist

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The Minnesota Wild have acted as a banker the last few weeks, retaining salary in two transactions to grab some extra draft capital. Given their place in the standings, though, many assume they will do something more significant at the deadline. General manager Bill Guerin spoke candidly about his team today, once again answering specific questions on Matt Dumba:

Look. If someone comes through and offers a boatload for him we’ll think about it, but as of right now, Matt’s playing his best hockey of the year. I would bet that he’s here through the end of the year. I can’t make that promise, but he’s playing pretty good hockey right now. 

Dumba, 28, is on an expiring contract, and despite Guerin’s comments that he’ll be in Minnesota through the end of the season, he once again implied that the team wouldn’t be able to (or wouldn’t even try to) re-sign him in the summer. Minnesota is in fourth in the Central but just four points behind the division-leading Dallas Stars.

  • Speaking of Dallas, they have once again loaned Fredrik Olofsson to the minor leagues, as they do on almost every off-day. The Stars have been banking cap space all season, and today’s addition of Evgenii Dadonov opened up even more room, due to the salary retention by the Montreal Canadiens. The team now has plenty of flexibility going into this week’s negotiations and could add another significant player.
  • Adam Boqvist was scratched from today’s Columbus Blue Jackets game due to a lower-body injury but is only out day-to-day, according to the team. The young defenseman was playing arguably his best hockey of the season lately, registering points in five of his last six games. He was replaced in the lineup by Billy Sweezey, who is making his NHL debut while Vladislav Gavrikov continues to sit out.

Michael Rasmussen Out Indefinitely For Detroit Red Wings

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Forward Michael Rasmussen is out indefinitely for the Detroit Red Wings, with a lower-body injury, announced via coach Derek Lalonde on the team’s Twitter account.

Team reporter Carley Johnston reports more will be known in the coming days but a timetable is not yet known for his return.

Rasmussen, 23, has recorded 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 56 games this season. The 6’6″ Canadian behemoth hasn’t produced at the NHL level at the rate one would expect from a top-10 pick, but has started to carve out a role on a Red Wings team still trying to discover its identity.

Injury Notes: Demko, Raymond, Brown

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The Vancouver Canucks haven’t had Thatcher Demko in net for an entire game since November. More than anything, his absence has been a considerable part of the organization’s collapse this season. Demko’s strong play likely shrouded some of the issues the team faced last year, and when he struggled at the beginning of this season, they were revealed.

His injury, which has kept him out since a game on December 1, went through several levels of severity as he dealt with setbacks. Demko is now, finally, expected to be back for the Canucks in the next few days, according to Sportsnet broadcaster Brendan Batchelor.

  • According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Lucas Raymond took part in his first practice today since getting injured earlier this month. The young forward wasn’t part of line rushes, so likely won’t return tomorrow, but he should be back soon to continue his sophomore season. Raymond has 15 goals and 33 points through 50 games, and will be coming back to a Detroit Red Wings group that is suddenly in the thick of a playoff race.
  • While Jakob Chychrun was on the ice for Arizona Coyotes practice, Josh Brown wasn’t, according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. The big defenseman is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He left Wednesday’s game after just five shifts.

Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Flyers, Sillinger

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have two injured players trending in opposite directions. TSN’s Mark Masters reports that defenseman Rasmus Sandin will miss his third straight game, while head coach Sheldon Keefe said today that goalie Matt Murray will rejoin practice tomorrow and travel on their upcoming five-game road trip.

Sandin is out with an upper-body injury but has not been placed on injured reserve. The 2018 first-round pick is having a strong season offensively, having stepped up to produce 20 points in 51 games while averaging a hair over 18 minutes per game. Murray has been out since the end of January with an ankle injury, his second long-term absence this season. While his questionable injury history has followed him to Toronto, he’s shown improved play when healthy, compiling an 11-5-2 record and a .911 save percentage in 19 appearances.

West Notes: Krug, Olofsson, Eller

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St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug is set to return to the lineup against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, head coach Craig Berube told reporters today. It ends a brief absence stemming from a lower-body injury.

It’s been a bumpy road for Krug in 2022-23, who’s missed significant portions of the season. This is the fifth separate occasion he’s missed time with a lower-body injury, including a 13-game-long absence through December and January. Krug’s ice time has dipped below 20 minutes this season, and his -28 rating is tied for the worst on the team. He’ll return to his usual spot alongside Justin Faulk.

  • After being sent down yesterday, the Dallas Stars have brought forward Fredrik Olofsson back up from the minors. The 26-year-old has been a frequent call-up as of late, and he’s recorded a goal and three assists in 15 games with Dallas on top of 14 points in 37 games with AHL Texas. Olofsson will draw back into the lineup tomorrow against the Vegas Golden Knights as Luke Glendening and Joel Kiviranta remain sidelined with injuries.
  • The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun covered the Washington Capitals’ trade deadline plans in his latest piece and listed pending unrestricted free agent center Lars Eller as a potential fit for the Colorado Avalanche. Eller’s offense has taken a step back this season, recording just seven goals and 16 points in 58 games, but he’d be good depth insurance for an Avalanche team that’s thin at center. As Colorado begins to string wins together ahead of the trade deadline, they hope some depth additions combined with healthy stars propel them back into the “contending” category of teams.

 

Cole Perfetti Out Eight Weeks

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Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness told reporters this morning that forward Cole Perfetti is expected to miss at least eight weeks due to an upper-body injury.

The young forward, who was drafted by the Jets 10th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, has had a strong rookie campaign, registering eight goals and 30 points in 51 games played. Bowness stressed that Perfetti’s injury isn’t related to the upper-body injury that cost him the last few months of last season. The news of his absence is significant for the Jets down the stretch, as Perfetti is developing into a core part of the team’s top-six forward group.

Perfetti was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and has missed the team’s last two games.

The eight-week timeline lines up nicely for Perfetti to return during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs if his recovery doesn’t extend past what’s anticipated. The Jets are second in the Central Division but have lost six out of their last 10 games.

Perfetti’s injury won’t impact Winnipeg’s salary cap landscape much, considering he’s still on his sub-$1MM entry-level deal, but it does exacerbate the need for the Jets to upgrade at the forward position with months left to go in the season. They have been linked in recent weeks as an outside team to land San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier, and other depth targets like James van Riemsdyk and Ivan Barbashev could be an option to replace Perfetti’s top-six role at the deadline.

East Notes: Jensen/Gustafsson, Chychrun, Monahan

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The Washington Capitals have some decisions to make regarding their defensive corps, as reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun on Twitter. The team has been in contract talks with pending unrestricted free agent defensemen Nick Jensen and Erik Gustafsson; however, given the fact they were in negotiations with Dmitry Orlov before trading him to the Boston Bruins yesterday, it’s no guarantee that Jensen and Gustafsson remain Capitals through the trade deadline.

General manager Brian MacLellan essentially deemed his team a seller with the Orlov trade, as Washington now sits at the back of the pack regarding the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. Jensen and Gustafsson are valuable role players who could fetch decent deadline returns, but they’d also hold value for future seasons in Washington. Injuries have taken an enormous toll on the team, pushing them toward the back of the conference, and they’ve vowed to remain competitive while Alex Ovechkin chases the all-time goals record. With John Carlson being the only defenseman signed for next season, it’s feasible that the Capitals would try to hold onto one or both of Jensen and Gustafsson.

  • According to a report by The Athletic’s Rob Rossi, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has expressed interest in acquiring the top defense target left on the market: Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. However, Rossi relayed notes from sources that general manager Ron Hextall is opposed to the Coyotes’ asking price, which includes 2025 and 2026 first-round picks as part of the package — the seasons when Sidney Crosby’s and Evgeni Malkin’s contracts are set to expire. Pittsburgh is 3-6-1 in their past 10 games, falling behind both the Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres in terms of points percentage in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
  • The injury status of Montreal Canadiens center Sean Monahan remains unclear, according to a report by TSN’s Darren Dreger on Insider Trading. Monahan’s injury assessment is ongoing, says Dreger, and an update on his status is expected early next week. If the update is positive and Monahan is scheduled to return to the ice soon, teams in need of a veteran center could inquire about acquiring him before the trade deadline. The 26-year-old has recorded six goals, 11 assists, and 17 points in 25 games this season for Montreal but has missed nearly three months with a foot injury.

Florida Panthers Recall Grigori Denisenko, Zac Dalpe

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The Florida Panthers have announced the recall of forwards Grigori Denisenko and Zac Dalpe from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. The move comes as the Panthers are dealing with injuries to key players, including captain Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett, who are both day-to-day with “lingering injury issues,” per head coach Paul Maurice.

Denisenko returns to the NHL after being sent to the minors two days ago. The 21-year-old Russian has appeared in 17 games for the Panthers this season, recording three assists. The Panthers’ first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Denisenko is known for his speed and skill, but his NHL opportunities have been limited, and he’s still searching for his first NHL goal.

Dalpe, 31, has scored 14 goals in 32 games for the Checkers this season and remains the team’s captain. A veteran of nearly 500 AHL games, Dalpe also has two goals and two assists in 11 appearances with Florida this season. He provides veteran depth in a fourth-line role for the Panthers after they lost Chris Tierney on waivers to the Montreal Canadiens yesterday.

In addition to the recalls, the Panthers will get a boost tonight in perhaps their biggest game of the year against the Buffalo Sabres, as the two teams remain in a tight Eastern Conference Wild Card race. As expected, Maurice confirmed Anthony Duclair will make his season debut after completing his recovery from an Achilles tear. The 27-year-old was a key contributor for the Panthers last season, recording 31 goals, 27 assists, and 58 points in 74 games.

To create the salary cap flexibility needed to activate Duclair and allow for the recalls, it’s expected that Givani Smith was placed on long-term injured reserve. The 24-year-old forward was hit in the face by a shot from teammate Radko Gudas during a game Monday. Smith has appeared in 22 games for the Panthers this season, recording a goal and three assists after he was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings.

Injury Updates: Gaudreau, Mantha, Brodin

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While the season, on the whole, hasn’t gone well for the Columbus Blue Jackets, their big free agent signee from last summer, Johnny Gaudreau, has been as advertised, with 15 goals and 37 assists for 52 points in 55 games.

Johnny Hockey has missed the past two games for Columbus, a 4-1 win over Dallas and a 3-2 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes, but is set to return as the Jackets host the Minnesota Wild, according to Bailey Johnson of the Columbus Dispatch. He will add a boost to a team that has four wins in its past 10.

A few other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Anthony Mantha of the Washington Capitals has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. Mantha carries a cap hit of 5.7MM through next season, and has struggled with nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points in 54 games. After scoring 49 goals from 2017-19, he has scored just 33 since the beginning of his current four-year contract.
  • Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin is also headed to injured reserve with a lower-body injury, according to the Wild’s PR account. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported Brodin sustained the injury Feb. 6 against Arizona, and had played six games since. The Wild can ill afford to lose a player of impact such as Brodin, as Minnesota looks to make a deep playoff run.

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