Capitals Notes: Fehérváry, Jensen, Oshie, Milano, Lindgren, Pacioretty
Capitals defenseman Martin Fehérváry won’t be sidelined for long with his upper-body injury. After missing the team’s Saturday game against the Predators, the Slovak defenseman is eyeing a return against the Penguins tomorrow and skated in his normal spot on the team’s top pair alongside John Carlson at practice this morning, head coach Spencer Carbery said (via The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson).
Fehérváry sustained the injury early in last Friday’s game against the Islanders, skating just 2:18 before falling awkwardly into the boards and struggling to get to his feet. The 24-year-old has arrived as a legitimate top-four shutdown defender this season, posting the best possession metrics of his career and logging some penalty kill time with good relative results. His offense was never expected to be the calling card of his game, although his five points through 28 games is a bit slower pace than his career 0.22 points per game average.
Other notes from Capitals practice this morning:
- If Fehérváry can return for tomorrow’s game, expect Nick Jensen to sit out as a healthy scratch to create room in the lineup, per the AP’s Stephen Whyno. The arrival of Ethan Bear, who made his Capitals debut Saturday and played over 20 minutes, has created a bit of a roster crunch, especially among the team’s right-shot defenders. Still, this is disappointing news for the 33-year-old, fresh off signing a three-year, $12.15MM extension. He’s yet to score a goal in 34 games this season and has logged just six assists, a sharp decline after notching nearly 30 points last season. His possession metrics have also nosedived after a few seasons of being one of the strong possession-control players in the league, limiting his on-ice value and making the choice to extend him look a tad dicey.
- Carbery issued multiple injury updates after practice as well, calling the latest news on IR-bound forwards Sonny Milano and T.J. Oshie “not positive,” per Johnson. Oshie is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while Milano will be out longer on a week-to-week basis with an upper-body injury. The update is arguably a good sign for Oshie, though, signifying he’s getting closer to a return after missing the team’s last seven games. It’s been a tough season for the 37-year-old winger, who’s dealing with his second significant injury absence and has just four points in 21 games. Milano, meanwhile, has already missed nine games with his injury and doesn’t appear close to returning to practice anytime soon. The middle-six skill winger was amidst a down season with eight points in 23 games.
- Netminder Charlie Lindgren is also listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Carbery said. He sat out Saturday’s game against the Predators after leaving in the first period of Friday’s game and will miss at least two more contests. Lindgren, 30, has been one of the most statistically efficient netminders in the league this year, and his .928 SV% is tied with the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman for second in the league among all netminders with at least ten starts.
- Veteran winger Max Pacioretty, now coming off his second Achilles surgery in a matter of months, is expected to make his Capitals debut in the second half of the Capitals’ upcoming back-to-back against the Devils on Wednesday, per Carbery. Pacioretty has been nearing a return for weeks, but Carbery said the Capitals have been trying to position his return without needing him to play in back-to-back contests. The 35-year-old was limited to just 44 out of 164 contests in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons due to Achilles injuries.
Injury Notes: Mayfield, Dvorak, Oettinger
It appears as if the Islanders will be welcoming back a key part of their back end tonight against Pittsburgh. The team announced (Twitter link) that Scott Mayfield has been activated from injured reserve. The 31-year-old has missed close to three weeks with an upper-body injury. Before that, he was off to a bit of a quieter start to his season with just four assists in 20 games while his playing time was down to 19:13 per game, his lowest since the 2018-19 campaign. Mayfield was, however, blocking nearly three shots a night, the best rate of his career. With both Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock still injured, getting Mayfield back will be a nice boost to their back end.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Canadiens center Christian Dvorak is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, relays Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link). The 27-year-old is having a tough year offensively with just three goals and four assists through his first 25 games. With Montreal only carrying 12 forwards on its roster – partially a byproduct of carrying three goalies – and being on the road, they will have to dress seven blueliners for their matchup against Tampa Bay tonight.
- Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger has been skating for four or five days now but a return to the lineup does not appear to be imminent. Head coach Peter DeBoer told Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine (Twitter link) that the netminder is “probably further away than he is closer” as it relates to a possible return. The 25-year-old has missed the last couple of weeks with a lower-body injury after getting off to a rough start to his year with a save percentage of just .901 in his first 23 starts.
East Notes: Comrie, Kampf, Joseph
Having to place both Tyson Jost and Jacob Bryson on waivers to make space on their roster over the last several weeks, the Buffalo Sabres still find themselves in a difficult situation. They still maintain a full 23-man roster, and will once again need to make room, as veteran center Zemgus Girgensons is nearing activation off of the injured reserve.
One of the clearer choices in who will ultimately sent down is goaltender Eric Comrie, who has not played in a game since earlier this month on December 5th. Seeing only a total of seven games up to this point, Comrie carries a 1-5-0 record on the year, with a .863 SV% and a 4.01 GAA. With young netminders Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen carrying the bulk of the load between the pipes, it makes little sense for the Sabres to continue with three netminders.
In an article from Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat, Comrie acknowledges his placement on waivers as a legitimate possibility and is ready to play wherever Buffalo believes he is best suited. Comrie will be no stranger to the waiver wire, as he has previously been waived five times, and has been claimed four of those times.
Other notes:
- Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reports that David Kampf will be a healthy scratch tonight for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After spending two years being a formidable bottom-six forward for Toronto, the organization rewarded Kampf, signing the forward to a four-year, $9.6MM contract extension over the summer, hoping to gain some long-term stability in the bottom of their forward core. Unfortunately, Kampf has not lived up to expectations this season, only amassing seven points in 33 games, and seeing his ice time drop by more than two minutes on average.
- Relaying on a note from a team spokesperson, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports that Pittsburgh Penguins’ defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph will be out of the lineup tonight with an illness. Since returning to the team from an undisclosed injury on December 12th, Joseph has played in three games for Pittsburgh, averaging just under 13 minutes a night, adding zero points.
Central Notes: Connor, Girard, Lehkonen, Reichel
Winnipeg Jets’ leading goal-scorer Kyle Connor is making progress in his return from a knee injury, returning to the Jets’ practices in a no-contact jersey. The winger has been out for 20 days but still leads Winnipeg with 17 goals scored across 26 games, a mark tied for 11th in the NHL – despite Connor playing in at least five games fewer than any other player in the top 20. Winnipeg has leaned even heavier into Mark Scheifele in Connor’s absence, with the recently-extended centerman scoring eight points in the seven games that Connor has missed. The Jets have proven surprisingly successful for a team missing their top goal-scorer, setting a 4-1-2 record without Connor. And while that’s a great sign for optimism, the Jets were on a four-game winning streak leading up to Connor’s injury, and had a five-game winning streak just a few games prior. They will look to get back on that winning run as Connor continues to progress back to play.
Other notes from around the Central Division:
- Samuel Girard is set to return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup on Sunday, after missing the team’s last 20 games for personal reasons. It was known that Girard would return soon, as the Avalanche anticipate the return of an option that averages over 20 minutes a night for the team. Girard has scored four goals in 15 games this season.
- Artturi Lehkonen has begun taking full practices with the Avalanche, after working independently for much of the week. Lehkonen is working back from a scary-looking neck injury that’s held him out since late-November. Lehkonen has scored eight points in 12 games this season. And while Lehkonen returned, Ross Colton did not skate on Saturday.
- Lukas Reichel could be set to lose a significant amount of money on his first NHL contract after his entry-level deal, per The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, who shares that the promising 21-year-old was set for a comfy pay raise from his entry-level contract prior to the season, but now may only receive a cheap qualifying offer as a restricted-free agent after a season of struggles. Reichel has managed just eight points through 34 games this season and currently sits with a -19. And while Reichel continues to struggle, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson and head coach Luke Richardson both told Lazerus that Reichel has proven he’s an NHL talent, and that a move to the AHL isn’t in the cards yet.
Blackhawks Place Taylor Raddysh On IR, Recall Boris Katchouk
The Blackhawks have made a pair of roster moves this morning as the team announced that they’ve placed winger Taylor Raddysh on injured reserve with a left groin strain. Taking his place on the roster will be winger Boris Katchouk who has been recalled from AHL Rockford.
Raddysh was a bright spot on Chicago’s offense last season, putting up 20 goals and 17 assists in 78 games in his first season of being a full-fledged regular after coming over from Tampa Bay in 2022. That was good for a tie for fourth in team scoring. However, production has been harder to come by this year as the 25-year-old has been limited to just five goals and five assists through 35 games so far despite logging over 16 minutes a night in playing time. Those numbers will stay put for the time being as with the placement, Raddysh will be out for at least the next week after being injured in the first period last night against Dallas.
As for Katchouk, he came to Chicago in the same swap as Raddysh but hasn’t had the same level of success. He had 16 points in 58 games last season and was with the Blackhawks for the first couple of months of the year, notching two goals and two helpers in 17 contests before clearing waivers earlier this month. Since then, he has played in six games with the IceHogs, picking up three tallies and two assists. He can play in ten games or be up for 30 days before needing to go through waivers once again.
Blue Jackets Place Sean Kuraly On IR, Recall Jake Christiansen
The Blue Jackets have made a pair of roster moves leading into today’s contest against Buffalo. The team announced that they’ve placed center Sean Kuraly on injured reserve retroactive to December 23; they’ve recalled defenseman Jake Christiansen from AHL Cleveland to take his place on the roster. Meanwhile, the team also revealed that blueliner Zach Werenski will miss four to six weeks with the ankle injury that landed him on IR yesterday.
Kuraly suffered an abdominal injury last weekend against Toronto and was recently listed as day-to-day. This placement suggests that he’ll miss the game against the Sabres but he will be eligible to return at any point after that due to the back-dating. The 30-year-old has 11 points and a team-leading 74 hits in 35 games so far this season while logging 13:29 per night.
As for Christiansen, this is his first recall of the season after clearing waivers back in training camp. The 24-year-old had been quite productive with the Monsters during his entry-level deal and that has continued into his fourth professional campaign as he has 22 points in 28 games so far. Despite the offensive success in the minors, that has yet to materialize into production at the top level as Christiansen has just five points in 32 career NHL appearances.
Werenski, meanwhile, will be a big loss for the next month for Columbus. He’s tied for the team lead in points with Johnny Gaudreau, picking up a goal and 24 assists while leading the way in playing time, logging over 24 minutes a night. Andrew Peeke took his place in the lineup last night against Toronto although they could opt to give Christiansen a look in that spot today.
East Notes: Chytil, Capitals, Jost, Senators
Rangers center Filip Chytil has returned to his native Czechia as he continues his recovery from a suspected concussion sustained back in early November, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post. While the 24-year-old has made some progress skating on his own, this move will basically serve as somewhat of a reset in his recovery. While there, Chytil will keep skating while working with the trainer and skills coach that he works with in the offseason. There is no word for how long he’ll be at home but Brooks notes that Chytil is committed to returning this season. Chytil had a career year last season with 45 points and was off to a nice start this year before the injury, collecting six assists in ten contests.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren left tonight’s game early with an upper-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). He appeared to be shaken up on the first shot he faced and was only able to stay in for a few minutes before eventually coming out of the game. The 30-year-old has done quite well this season, posting a 2.29 GAA with a .928 SV% in his first 14 games heading into this contest.
- Meanwhile, in a separate tweet, the Capitals also noted that defenseman Martin Fehervary left tonight’s contest with an upper-body injury of his own which also occurred in the first period. The 24-year-old hasn’t lit up the scoresheet with just five points heading into this game but he had been logging a little over 19 minutes a night on Washington’s second pairing.
- The Sabres announced that they’ve assigned center Tyson Jost to AHL Rochester. The move comes as little surprise after he cleared waivers earlier today on the heels of notching just four points in his first 29 games while carrying a $2MM contract. With Ryan Johnson’s quick recall following the move, Buffalo will need to make another roster move to activate Zemgus Girgensons off IR; he could be cleared to return on Saturday.
- On top of the Senators potentially getting Thomas Chabot back on their upcoming road trip which begins January 2nd, TSN’s Claire Hanna relays (Twitter link) that forwards Mathieu Joseph and Rourke Chartier should also be back during that stretch. Chabot is closer to returning than Joseph while Chartier’s timeline is a little less certain as he’s dealing with a concussion.
Islanders Recall Ken Appleby Under Emergency Conditions
6:00 PM: Appleby’s stint with Bridgeport was short-lived as Rosner notes that Appleby is back up and serving as the second-stringer once again tonight.
Dec. 29, 7:31 AM: Appleby was evidently returned to Bridgeport on Friday morning, as he is no longer listed on the Islanders’ roster on the NHL media site (via The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner). As such, Varlamov is likely healthy enough to dress for today’s game.
Dec. 28: The Islanders recalled netminder Ken Appleby from AHL Bridgeport under emergency conditions on Thursday. Semyon Varlamov, who made six saves on seven shots in relief of Ilya Sorokin in last night’s 7-0 loss to the Penguins, did not practice with the team today for maintenance purposes. His status for Friday’s game against the Capitals is uncertain.
The team also assigned defenseman Grant Hutton to Bridgeport, which will likely be reversed tomorrow. Hutton is the team’s seventh defenseman for the time being, as Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech, and Ryan Pulock are all on injured reserve. The Islanders have been returning him to Bridgeport on off-days to reduce his time spent on the roster and draw out his waiver-exempt status as long as possible.
Appleby has three NHL games to his name, all coming with the Devils in January 2018. Now 28 years old, Appleby stopped 52 of 55 shots faced for a .945 SV% across one start and two relief appearances.
The undrafted free agent has spent time in both the AHL and ECHL since. After making his debut with the Devils, Appleby spent one season under contract with the Jets before spending the entire 2019-10 campaign in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades. He put his name back on the NHL radar there, posting a .913 SV% in 42 games before the league paused operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He parlayed that performance into a two-way contract with the Islanders signed near the end of the 2020-21 campaign, where he’s remained since. Now in his fourth season, Appleby has primarily been the team’s fifth-string goalie behind Sorokin, Varlamov, Cory Schneider, and Jakub Škarek, resulting in most of his playing time coming with the Islanders’ ECHL affiliate in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Appleby has been upgraded to full-time AHL status in 2023-24 with Schneider no longer in the organization, serving as Škarek’s backup and posting a .898 SV% in ten games. While the younger Škarek has received more starts in Bridgeport, he’s been the worse statistical netminder, posting a difficult-to-swallow 3-13-2 record and .877 SV%.
The 6-foot-4 Ontarian is in the final season of a two-year, two-way extension, earning him $130K in guaranteed salary this year. He will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Blue Jackets Place Zach Werenski On Injured Reserve, Activate Jack Roslovic
The Blue Jackets placed defenseman Zach Werenski on injured reserve Friday, the NHL’s media site reflects. Head coach Pascal Vincent informed reporters yesterday that he’d be sidelined on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury. A team release distributed later Friday reflects that Werenski sustained an ankle injury and that the team has also activated forward Jack Roslovic off injured reserve.
Werenski will miss a minimum of seven days, starting from Wednesday when he sustained the injury against the Devils, but he’ll likely be sidelined for much longer given the week-to-week designation. This continues a stretch of horrid injury luck for the Blue Jackets’ top defenseman, who missed two games early this season with a quadriceps contusion and nearly all of last season with a shoulder injury.
He may have just one goal through 34 games, but Werenski has racked up 24 assists for a 0.74 points per game rate that’s the highest of his career – and on the team this season. His two-way play is also at a peak, posting a team-high +1.5 expected rating while averaging nearly 20 minutes per game at even strength and additional time on both special teams units. Simply put, the 26-year-old has been the Blue Jackets’ best player this season by a decent margin.
His absence won’t affect the Blue Jackets’ outlook this season very much, as their 11-18-7 start to the campaign has them with just a 0.6% chance of making the playoffs, per Hockey Reference. However, it is another tough blow for one of the division’s top defensemen who, at 26 years old, is beginning his prime.
If the Blue Jackets can build a playoff contender out of this current group of developing prospects, Werenski will be the leader of the core. He has four seasons remaining after this at a $9.58MM cap hit.
Roslovic will return to the lineup tonight for the first time in over six weeks. He last played on November 12 against the Rangers before sustaining an ankle fracture, resulting in a 21-game absence.
Before getting injured, the 26-year-old had eight points through 14 games. He is expected to play wing on the team’s fourth line alongside Brendan Gaunce and Alexandre Texier in tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs, the teams’ third meeting of the season.
Injury Updates: Werenski, Carpenter, Cates
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has dealt with significant injury issues in recent years, including an injury that knocked him out for most of last season. That bad luck continued last night when Werenski was knocked out of the team’s game against the New Jersey Devils after an awkward collision with Devils forward Ondřej Palát.
Today, team reporter Jeff Svoboda relayed word from Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent, who said that Werenski is still being evaluated but the injury is most likely going to keep Werenski out on a week-to-week basis. An extended Werenski absence could very well deal a killing blow to the Blue Jackets’ already long-shot playoff hopes, as the team would need to replace a defenseman scoring at a 60-point pace who plays over 24 minutes per night, including on both special teams units.
Some other injury updates from across the NHL:
- The San Jose Sharks announced that forward Ryan Carpenter has been activated off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the team placed forward Givani Smith on injured reserve, retroactive to December 21st. Carpenter has missed the last 10 games with an undisclosed injury and has five points in 18 games so far this season playing as a defensive/penalty-killing specialist in San Jose. Smith 25, has played in 26 games this season and has logged three points and 33 penalty minutes.
- According to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, Philadelphia Flyers forward Noah Cates skated today as part of his recovery from a lower-body injury that was originally slated to cost him six to eight weeks. Cates was not having the strongest sophomore campaign before his injury, and his offensive production had declined sharply compared to last season. But in his rookie year he showed himself to be a promising defensive forward, so regardless of his struggles so far this year the Flyers have to be hoping that he’ll return to full strength relatively soon.