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Injury Updates: Blues, Meier, Mantha, Nosek

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The St. Louis Blues have subtracted some big names from their roster in recent weeks, including first-line winger Vladimir Tarasenko and team captain Ryan O’Reilly. While pending unrestricted free agent Ivan Barbashev could be next on his way out, the Blues are also lined up to get some players back into their lineup as well. Blues head coach Craig Berube told the media (including NHL.com’s Lou Korac) that both Brandon Saad and Pavel Buchnevich are likely to return in time for tomorrow’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.

While the playoffs aren’t really in the picture for the Blues any longer, getting both Saad and Buchnevich back should help the team play competitive hockey down the stretch. Buchnevich is arguably the Blues’ best player, with 43 points in 42 games alongside great two-way play. While Saad isn’t as impactful as Buchnevich, he has 15 goals to his name this season and contributes on special teams. Getting them back up and running again will be a major help to Berube as he looks to spark something in what remains of this disappointing Blues season.

Some other injury updates from across the NHL:

  • Top trade candidate Timo Meier is questionable for tomorrow’s San Jose Sharks vs. Nashville Predators contest due to an upper-body injury, relays The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak. This is a situation to monitor for fans across the NHL, as Meier is one of the most sought-after players currently available on the trade market. The Swiss winger has scored 52 points in 57 games and one has to hope that any injury Meier is dealing with proves to be just a minor setback.
  • We have an update on Anthony Mantha, who left last night’s Washington Capitals game with an injury. Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette says, via The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir, that Mantha’s status is officially considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. It’s been an extremely difficult season for Mantha, who hasn’t scored nearly as well as he’d likely have expected to. The 28-year-old has 24 points in 54 games this season, and will look to get back into the lineup so he can finish this season on a productive note.
  •  Although Boston Bruins fourth-line center Tomas Nosek has been out of the lineup since a mid-January contest against the New York Rangers with a foot fracture, he could be nearing a return. Per The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, Nosek is practicing again with the Bruins. The 30-year-old undrafted player is a well-regarded two-way bottom-sixer, and his return should bolster the Bruins’ penalty kill as he’s their top shorthanded forward by ice time when healthy.

Minnesota Wild Recall Dakota Mermis

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The Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman Dakota Mermis from the AHL’s Iowa Wild under emergency conditions, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.

While the Wild appear to have seven healthy defensemen on the roster, The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith report that Mermis’ emergency recall comes in anticipation of injury or illness-related absences. Smith notes that an unnamed defender was banged up in last night’s win against the Los Angeles Kings and that Jonas Brodin isn’t in full health. Brodin’s missed time with a lower-body injury on two separate occasions this season.

Mermis, 29, is a versatile defenseman in his third season with the Wild organization. Stationed on taxi squad duty in his first year, 2020-21, he’s since put up eight goals and 40 assists in 105 AHL games with the Iowa Wild, maintaining his status as one of their top defenders.

He made two appearances with the Wild last season, going without a point. If he does appear in a Wild uniform on this call-up, it will be his first appearance of 2022-23.

Injury Updates: Johansen, Danforth, Muzzin

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Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen will be out of the lineup after surgery this morning. While little is known about the specifics of the procedure, it is worth noting that Johansen left the Predators’ 5-4 shootout win last night with an apparent leg injury.

Johansen has struggled at times throughout this season, with just 28 points in 55 games. Nashville as a team has failed to live up to pre-season expectations and could be an interesting team before the trade deadline as they sit seven points out of the final wild card position. Predators GM David Poile has never been shy about adding to his team in previous deadlines, but Johansen’s injury may push the veteran GM to be a seller.

Some other injury updates:

  • Although the Columbus Blue Jackets are gearing up to be sellers at this year’s trade deadline, it does appear that one player could be returning to their lineup this season. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that forward Justin Danforth is skating 4-5 times per week and hopes to play again this year. Danforth was expected to miss 4-6 months after his surgery in late October to repair a labral tear, meaning that a late-season return could fall right in his expected recovery window.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have addressed the short term future of defenseman Jake Muzzin this afternoon. After meeting several specialists it was announced that Muzzin will be kept out of the lineup for the rest of the season. Muzzin suffered a cervical spine injury in October and has only appeared in four games for the Maple Leafs. Muzzin is signed through 2023-24 at a cap hit of $5.625MM, and his absence has left a large gap on Toronto’s backend. Many NHL insiders expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to add to the defense before the March 3rd trade deadline as they push to win a playoff round for the first time since 2004.

MacKenzie Entwistle Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Chicago Blackhawks have made a couple of announcements this morning, moving Mackenzie Entwistle to injured reserve retroactive to February 14 and revealing that Reese Johnson has been put in the concussion protocol.

Entwistle, 23, has been out for the past week with a wrist injury but was skating on his own before the rest of the Blackhawks hit the ice this morning. The young winger has collected seven points in 46 games, while racking up 88 hits in a depth role. There will likely be plenty of opportunity for players like him down the stretch if Chicago decides to sell several veteran forwards. Still, he’ll have to be healthy enough to take advantage.

Johnson, meanwhile, is in a similar situation as a depth forward on the NHL roster. The 24-year-old has six points in 46 games and leads the club with 142 hits. On Sunday against Toronto, he played over 11 minutes and recorded six hits, three blocks, and a shot on goal. It is unclear how long he’ll be out, but it seems likely that a recall is coming because of the Entwistle IR designation.

The Blackhawks play at home tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights before traveling to Dallas, San Jose, Anaheim, and Arizona on a long road trip.

Vegas Golden Knights Recall Michael Hutchinson

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An unfortunate theme in recent seasons for the Vegas Golden Knights has returned. As the Las Vegas Sun’s Danny Webster reports, goalie Adin Hill is banged up after the team’s last game Saturday, and the Golden Knights have recalled Michael Hutchinson from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.

Hill played the entirety of Saturday’s win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, he didn’t practice today after taking a “bump” during the game, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters today.

If Hill can’t dress for tomorrow’s road tilt against the Chicago Blackhawks, Vegas will momentarily be down to their third- and fourth-string netminders. Starter Logan Thompson is week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained over a week ago. Hutchinson would back up Laurent Brossoit, who’s also yet to play an NHL game this season after slipping behind Thompson and Hill on the team’s depth chart.

None of that considers Robin Lehner, who remains on long-term injured reserve with a hip injury and won’t play this season.

Hutchinson, 32, has played just seven games for the Silver Knights this season after signing a two-way contract with Vegas as an unrestricted free agent last summer. He also appeared in two games for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup tournament. A veteran of 137 NHL games and 209 AHL games, Hutchinson has just one win and a .897 save percentage in Henderson this year.

St. Louis Blues Activate Marco Scandella, Scott Perunovich

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The St. Louis Blues are getting two defensemen healthy for the first time this season. As announced by the team, Marco Scandella and Scott Perunovich have been activated from injured reserve, while Jake Neighbours replaces them as he lands on IR with an upper-body injury.

Scandella could make his season debut Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 32-year-old is in the third season of a four-year, $13.1MM contract but hasn’t played since undergoing hip surgery last September.

Perunovich remains one of the organization’s best prospects despite missing significant time over the past three seasons with various injuries. A talented offensive defender, Perunovich underwent surgery to repair a fractured left shoulder last October after he sustained the injury in a preseason game.

The 45th overall selection in the 2018 draft, Perunovich has been assigned to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds as he continues to adjust to game action. He’s already recorded one assist in two games on a conditioning stint.

Neighbours officially lands on injured reserve after head coach Craig Berube told reporters yesterday he’d be out long-term. Per the team, Neighbours will be reevaluated in five weeks, meaning he could return with a handful of games left in the season.

It’s been an especially long road to recovery for Scandella, who’d been skating for nearly three months before returning to full health. As he enters the twilight of his NHL career, Scandella is coming off a 14-point effort in 70 games last season.

Perunovich could see NHL action near the tail end of the campaign to prime him for a full-time role in 2023-24. However, with so little professional experience under his belt over the past few seasons, some consistency in his ice time (and routine) at the AHL level could prove beneficial.

Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Tristan Jarry

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The Pittsburgh Penguins activated starting netminder Tristan Jarry from injured reserve, the team announced Monday afternoon. Goaltender Dustin Tokarski was re-assigned to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a corresponding transaction.

Jarry is expected to start tonight when the Penguins host the New York Islanders. It will be his first start since January 22, missing the following nine games with an upper-body injury.

Pittsburgh’s been their best with Jarry in goal, and his return couldn’t come at a more important time in the season. The Penguins are surrounded by a tight pool of teams looking to secure Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference, and the team’s 4-4-2 record in their past ten games can be attributed in part to poor goaltending.

The 27-year-old Jarry has been one of the better netminders in the league this season, boasting a .921 save percentage and a 16-5-5 record. Pittsburgh is below .500 with backups Casey DeSmith and Tokarski in the net.

Tokarski returns to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he has a sparkling .920 save percentage in 21 appearances.

Mathew Barzal Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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11:40am: The Islanders have clarified, explaining to reporters, including Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, that Barzal is “week-to-week” and is expected to return at some point this season.

10:30am: The New York Islanders will be without one of their most dangerous offensive players, as Mathew Barzal is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. The star forward suffered it over the weekend against the Boston Bruins, playing just three shifts before leaving the game.

New York would end up losing badly without him, and now may have to find a way to stay in the race without him for a long stretch. Indefinitely, of course, doesn’t necessarily mean Barzal will be out long-term but is usually the terminology used when a player has been ruled out but is still being evaluated for potential surgery. Hopefully, in this case that won’t be required, and the Islanders will have the smooth-skating forward back in the lineup before long. If not, their offense is going to take a significant hit.

Barzal, 25, has 51 points in 58 games this season and is part of a trio with Brock Nelson and Anders Lee that drives almost all of the Islanders forward offensive production. Jean-Gabriel Pageau (who is also injured) is the next highest-scoring forward with 29 points in 56 games, while Zach Parise is the only other forward with more than ten goals.

Luckily, the Islanders did just add Bo Horvat, who will likely be given even more responsibility than he already has. Horvat is averaging more than 21 minutes a night with the Islanders so far, and has three goals and four points in seven games since coming over from the Vancouver Canucks. If Barzal misses significant time, he will need to continue his outstanding season to help New York reach the playoffs.

Jake Neighbours Likely Out Long-Term

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According to St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube, young forward Jake Neighbours is likely out for “a while” after leaving today’s game against the Ottawa Senators with an upper-body injury. The news is a harsh blow to Neighbours and the Blues, who were looking to see the young forward take a step down the stretch this season.

The exact nature or return timeline for Neighbours’ injury is unknown at this time. However, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Matthew DeFranks’ report that Neighbours was wearing a sling postgame suggests a shoulder or arm injury of some kind. After playing just 37 seconds, he left the game, and the Blues lost 7-2.

For Neighbours, this injury comes at a particularly unfortunate time. The 20-year-old left wing was hoping to see increased ice time down the stretch, as the Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko trades have left spots open in St. Louis’ top six. Neighbours lined up on the second line today alongside Brayden Schenn and Sammy Blais.

For the Blues, Neighbours’ injury adds to an already-depleted forward core. With Brandon Saad on injured reserve and Ivan Barbashev expected to be traded before the deadline, Neighbours was one of the few NHL-ready young players in the organization who could benefit from potential top-six ice time. Without Neighbours, the Blues will instead increase the roles of depth forwards such as Blais, Josh Leivo, Logan Brown, and Nathan Walker, most of whom have averaged under 10 minutes of ice time per game.

It figures to be a miserable ride to the finish line for the Blues, who have fallen beneath .500 and are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games.

Timo Meier Out Day-To-Day

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According to head coach David Quinn, San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier has been sidelined with an upper-body injury.

It’s unclear when Meier sustained the injury, though Meier has been listed as day-to-day. Meier did not participate in the team’s practice today, and Quinn notes he’s questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Seattle Kraken.

However, the most notable factor surrounding Meier’s absence is his status as the top trade target remaining before the March 3 trade deadline.

The 25-year-old Swiss forward has been an important part of the Sharks’ offense this season, scoring 31 goals and 21 assists in 57 games. With names such as Bo Horvat, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Ryan O’Reilly now off the trade board, Meier, a pending restricted free agent, is the best forward available on the trade market.

According to various reports, the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes are leading candidates to acquire Meier. Both teams need a top-six forward to counter the New York Rangers’ — their divisional rivals — move to add Tarasenko. The Toronto Maple Leafs are out of the picture after acquiring O’Reilly, but the Winnipeg Jets have also had reported interest in the Sharks sniper.

Meier is expected to generate a large return for the Sharks, and his status as a trade asset is more important than his on-ice benefit to the team at this point in the season. San Jose is just six points ahead of the last-place Chicago Blackhawks.

Hopefully, Meier’s absence is very short-term, which won’t affect his trade value. While it’s never easy to trade a talented player like Meier, it’s a move that could help the Sharks in the long run. Acquiring assets that can help them in the future is a necessary step to building a sustainable contender.

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