Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Injury

East Injury Notes: Jenner, Drouin, Maple Leafs

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner will return to the ice tonight against the Ottawa Senators after an injury cost him a month of hockey. Team reporter Jeff Svoboda relayed word from Columbus Head Coach Dean Evason, who confirmed to the media today that Jenner would be returning. Jenner hasn’t played since Nov. 11 due to an upper-body injury.

Jenner’s return to the Blue Jackets’ lineup comes at an important time. Columbus has lost three straight games and needs to get back into the win column quickly if they’re going to keep pace in the Eastern Conference’s tight playoff race. Getting Jenner back while the team is set to play a key Eastern Conference opponent, who they could feasibly be in the running against for a Wild Card spot later in the season, makes today’s news all the more positive for the Blue Jackets. Jenner scored 10 points in 16 games before his injury and was averaging 16:06 time on ice per game, including usage on both sides of special teams.

Other injury notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner reported today that New York Islanders forward Jonathan Drouin was on the ice for the team’s morning skate. Per Rosner, this is Drouin’s first time skating back with the team since he took warmups before the team’s game against the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 4. Drouin has been out with a back injury since that point, and has so far missed four games. The veteran forward has three goals and 15 points in 26 games so far this season and is playing out the first year of the two-year, $4MM AAV free agent pact that brought him to Long Island.
  • Two notable injury updates emerged from Toronto Maple Leafs morning skate today. First, TSN and The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported that Joseph Woll hit the ice today for the first time since his injury last week. While it’s unclear how close he is to a return to the lineup, today’s news represents a positive development in his recovery from the lower-body injury that landed him on IR. In addition to Woll, defenseman Morgan Rielly was spotted at morning skate, per The Hockey News’ David Alter. Rielly missed Toronto’s last practice with an illness, but appears to be back to game readiness. Rielly is Toronto’s No. 1 defenseman, averaging 22 minutes per night with 22 points in 28 games this season.

Oilers Likely To Move Jake Walman To LTIR

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Oilers have been dealing with a tight salary cap situation all season long, primarily using LTIR in order to keep cap-compliant.  At the moment, they have two forwards on there in Kasperi Kapanen and Noah Philp but even with that, they are only able to afford to carry a minimum-sized roster of 12 forwards, six defensemen, and two goalies.

That could soon be changing, however.  Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 indicates (Twitter link) that the Oilers will likely move defenseman Jake Walman to LTIR over the next couple of days.  In doing so, they’ll add his $3.4MM AAV to their LTIR pool which will be enough to call up an extra forward and defenseman as they get set to embark on a five-game road trip that begins on Saturday in Toronto.

Walman is in his first full season with Edmonton after being acquired from San Jose at the trade deadline back in March.  He made a big impact after joining the team and that has carried over to this season, at least when he’s healthy enough to be in the lineup.  Through 17 games, Walman has three goals and seven assists along with 31 blocked shots while averaging a little over 20 minutes a night of playing time.  His early performance with the Oilers earned him a seven-year, $49MM extension back in October.

Walman missed five games with an undisclosed injury earlier in the season and has been out with another undisclosed injury since leaving Edmonton’s game on November 20th.  If the Oilers do indeed move Walman to LTIR, they will be able to backdate the placement to that time with the 10-game, 24-day requirements being calculated from there.  Considering he’s already missed seven games, this is a safe procedural move that would make a lot of sense for the Oilers to make.

West Notes: Bjugstad, Parekh, Askarov

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Blues center Nick Bjugstad will miss at least the next five days due to an upper-body injury, the team announced.  The injury occurred in the second period of their game against Boston on Tuesday.  The 33-year-old has had a quiet start to his career in St. Louis, putting up just four goals and one assist through 25 games while splitting time between down the middle and on the wing.  The oddly specific timeframe isn’t quite enough to make Bjugstad eligible for injured reserve at this time as that requires a minimum of a seven-day absence.  However, should the team determine that he’ll be out for a little bit longer, they’ll be able to backdate the placement if they need to put him on there to open up a roster spot.

More from out West:

  • Flames defenseman Zayne Parekh has been cleared for contact, notes Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun (Twitter link). The rookie has missed more than a month due to an upper-body injury.  However, it’s unlikely to be Calgary who immediately benefits from his return to health since Parekh will soon be joining Canada’s entry for the upcoming World Juniors.  If he doesn’t go to their camp right away, he’d be eligible for a conditioning assignment with AHL Calgary, somewhere he’s ineligible to play for this season on a full-time basis.
  • Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov didn’t play last night due to illness but he has rejoined the team at the next stop of their road trip in Toronto, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. As expected, it has been an up-and-down year for San Jose’s top goalie prospect but he has posted a respectable 3.14 GAA with a .901 SV% in 19 starts so far.  The Sharks used an EBUG as the backup on Tuesday in Philadelphia and the fact no netminder has been recalled since suggests they expect Askarov will at least be able to serve as the backup on Thursday.

Atlantic Notes: Evans, Chabot, Mermis

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens will be without center Jake Evans for their contest tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Canadiens shared that Evans is away from the team for personal reasons and that he would rejoin the team this weekend in New York.

There were no additional announcements from the team or subsequent reports indicating why Evans is missing, so it would be unfair to speculate. Still, given that he’s rejoining the team in New York, Evans is expected to re-enter the lineup when the Canadiens take on the Rangers on Saturday.

It also explains, in part, the trio of recalls made earlier today by Montreal. The Canadiens already have several players on the team’s injured reserve, so there was no need for a corresponding roster move. Owen Beck, who was included in today’s recall, will likely slot into Montreal’s third line in place of Evans and appear in his third NHL contest of the season.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Ottawa Senators will have to wait a little bit longer for the return of defenseman Thomas Chabot. According to TSN’s Bruce Garrioch, Chabot won’t travel with the team for their upcoming road trip, indicating that he’s still a week out at best. Chabot, who has two goals and 10 points over 18 games this season, has been nursing an upper-body injury since November 22nd.
  • Staying in Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t expecting depth defenseman Dakota Mermis to return anytime soon. Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun reported that Mermis, who was placed on injured reserve earlier today, is expected to miss a month with a lower-body injury. The nine-year veteran left Toronto’s game in the third period on Wednesday due to the injury.

Injury Notes: Hellebuyck, Ellis, Perbix

at CDT | by 1 Comment

On today’s episode of Insider Trading, Darren Dreger of TSN discussed Connor Hellebuyck, saying that the Jets goaltender is nearing a return, as soon as next week. Dreger says the star wanted to return even sooner, but Winnipeg is making sure he is eased back in properly. Next Monday’s home game vs. Ottawa could be the focus. 

Hellebuyck underwent a minor arthroscophic knee procedure in November, which came with an estimated 4-6 week timetable, but thankfully the back-to-back Vezina winning netminder has recovered quickly and is set to come back by year’s end. He was 8-6-0 with a .913 save percentage and 2.51 GAA prior to going down. 

The defending President’s Trophy winners have faltered a bit so far this season, losing six out of their last 10 and currently three spots out of a wild card spot, but the team has had to lean heavily on Eric Comrie, a respectable backup who has never played in more than 20 games a season. Hellebuyck’s return will be instrumental for the group going into 2026 as they look to get back on track.

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Midway through tonight’s game the Buffalo Sabres announced that goaltender Colten Ellis will not return due to an upper-body injury, leaving Alex Lyon to take duty. He was shaken up after Oilers forward David Tomasek drove to the net, catching the goalie’s head with his shoulder, which earned a penalty, and ending Ellis’ night with a minute remaining in the first period. The 25-year-old has flashed potential as a backup this season, after being claimed off waivers from St. Louis in October. 
  • Nashville beat reporter Brooks Bratten shared that defenseman Nick Perbix would return to the lineup tonight against Colorado. The Minnesota native had missed the last three games with an upper-body ailment, and has been a dependable blueliner since signing from Tampa Bay last summer. Nashville opted for seven defensemen tonight, as forward Tyson Jost was healthy scratched against his former team. 

Lightning’s Victor Hedman Leaves Due To Injury

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Tampa Bay Lightning announced during the second intermission that star defenseman Victor Hedman will not return versus Montreal due to injury. The Swede left after 06:14 of ice time, which was all in the first period. Further details have not been provided at this time on possible severity. 

The hits keep coming for Tampa Bay, already having a defense corps ravaged by injury, to go with Andrei Vasilevskiy landing on IR yesterday. Hedman himself just came back after missing a large chunk of November with an undisclosed ailment, and naturally, it is unclear if today’s injury is related. Regardless, losing their captain when Ryan McDonagh and Erik Černák remain sidelined is a serious blow. Despite facing such adversity, the longtime contenders have mostly continued their winning ways, currently second in the Atlantic Division. J.J. Moser has stepped up and risen to the occasion in his second season as a Bolt, emerging as a highly reliable top four defender, a savvy pickup helping the team extend its contention window. 

Hedman himself, now 34, has been remarkably durable throughout his career. The towering defender is already well above 1,100 career games, not to mention another 170 playoff appearances, leading the team in heavy minutes throughout runs over the past decade. Despite all of it, when healthy, the 2009 draftee remains elite, having 12 points in 17 games this season.

As is symbolic of their season so far, Tampa Bay handled business over the Canadiens tonight even being short on the back-end. However, Hedman’s status will be a huge question, along with how long the team can sustain success with so many key players shaken up for the time being. Tonight’s win ended a four game skid, but things won’t get any easier without Vasilevskiy or Hedman.

Evening Notes: Pastrnak, Predators, Askarov

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Boston Bruins are getting a huge boost tonight, as Conor Ryan of Boston.com shared that star forward David Pastrňák is returning versus St. Louis. It was speculated yesterday that he, as well as Charlie McAvoy, would come back at some point on the club’s road trip, and sure enough, Pastrňák slots back in on a line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov this evening. 

The 29-year-old sniper posted 29 points in 25 games before going down with an undisclosed injury in late November. Without their go-to scorer, Boston went 3-2, and despite losing their two stars, the team remains firmly in the mix, currently third in the Atlantic. McAvoy proved unable to return today, but eyes will be on the defender later in the week, as the Bruins travel to Winnipeg for a Thursday matchup. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey posted comments from Predators GM Barry Trotz’s radio segment on 102.5 The Game, that he is “listening to everything”. Trotz went on to say that if a team approaches him for Steven Stamkos, he’s “going to listen”. Kieser also shared that Trotz is open to taking on unfavorable contracts in deals. The Predators, still 32nd in the league, appear set to finally embark on a full scale teardown. As they’ve retained salary on Mattias Ekholm and Colton Sissons (both set to end after this season) they have just one remaining retention slot, complicating things a bit. Although the team has a deep prospect pool, they lack NHL ready talent, so bringing back veteran placeholders would be beneficial as they navigate a rough season. Trade talks for the likes of Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Ryan O’Reilly have yet to reach serious stages, but once suitors officially emerge, Trotz will have to get creative to find his highly respected veterans new homes on teams with limited cap flexibility. 
  • An unlikely figure has dressed for the Sharks tonight, as the team announced that Justin Kowalkoski has been added to the roster on an ATO to back up Alex Nedeljkovic, as Yaroslav Askarov has fallen ill. Kowalkoski, 39, played collegiately for Colgate University until 2007-08 as a backup netminder, now finding himself at the highest level in what will be a memorable night. The goaltender also made emergency backup appearances with the Red Wings and the ECHL’s Reading Royals in past years, but has not appeared in a contest. 

Thomas Harley Returning To Stars Lineup

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Dec. 9: Harley will be back in the lineup tonight against the Jets, per Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press. He never landed on injured reserve when he was out, so there’s no transaction involved.

Nov. 15: The Dallas Stars will be without one of their top defenseman for the next few weeks. Dallas announced that Thomas Harley is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Although Harley’s most recent game came in the Stars’ lopsided win against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, there’s reason to believe that he’s been playing through the injury for some time. Given their salary cap space, it’s expected that Kyle Capobianco will fill in for Harley for the time being.

It’s safe to say that Harley will be a huge missing piece for Dallas moving forward. The former first-round pick has arguably been the Stars’ top defenseman for the last three years, scoring 32 goals and 107 points in his previous 175 games. Additionally, Harley was the highest-scoring defenseman for the Stars last postseason, adding four goals and 14 points in 18 games.

Fortunately, Dallas has built a solid lead in the standings that they can likely absorb Harley’s loss. At the time of writing, the Stars are four points up on the Utah Mammoth for second place in the Central Division standings and are five points up on the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Moving forward, it’s likely that young blueliner Lian Bichsel will get a larger look in the Stars’ top-two defensive pairings. Also drafted 18th overall like Harley, Bichsel is in his second year in the NHL. At this point, he’s scored four goals and 11 points in 56 games with 213 hits, averaging 14:46 of ice time per night.

Sabres’ Jason Zucker To Miss Significant Time

at CDT | by 7 Comments

Sabres winger Jason Zucker is going to miss significant time after sustaining an undisclosed injury in last night’s 7-4 loss to the Flames, head coach Lindy Ruff said on WGR 550 this morning. He was seen favoring his leg at points during the contest but finished the game – not before taking a slash from MacKenzie Weegar with seconds left in the game that presumably aggravated whatever he was dealing with (video via The Sabre Report).

“Something happened inside the game,” Ruff said. “He missed some time in the second period and came back and played, but the initial view by our crew last night after the game is he will miss some time.”

Zucker has already had one multi-game absence this season, although it wasn’t injury-related. The 12-year vet contracted a viral illness at the beginning of November that caused him to lose a significant amount of weight, and it took him weeks to get back into regular conditioning form. He ended up missing eight games.

However, the 33-year-old has arguably been Buffalo’s best forward since getting back in the lineup. He’s recorded a point in seven of his last nine games, including three multi-point efforts. His 11 points (five goals, six assists) in nine games since Nov. 11 lead the Sabres and are tied for 12th in the league during that time. The year, he’s now up to a 9-7–16 scoring line in 20 games. That’s got him fifth on the team in points, tied for second in goals, and third in points per game. That’s great production for a winger whose 15:32 average time on ice is tied for eighth among Buffalo forwards.

He’s a significant loss for a reeling Sabres team that’s now lost three games in a row, all by three goals. They’re still without a regulation win on the road this season and are four points deep into last place in the Eastern Conference with an 11-14-4 record. Per MoneyPuck, their chances of making the playoffs have dropped to 5.6%. Only the Predators (4.2%) have worse odds.

For a Sabres team whose depth forward contingent is already weakened by extended absences for Justin Danforth and Jiri Kulich, they’ll presumably place Zucker on injured reserve soon to add a forward from AHL Rochester. That will likely be 2022 first-rounder Noah Ostlund, who was working his way into a regular job in the lineup but was forced down to the minors over the weekend to allow the Sabres to carry seven defensemen on their road trip without placing anyone on waivers. Fellow first-rounder Isak Rosen, who had seven points in only 10 games during a prior call-up this year, is also a good option.

Penguins Recall Danton Heinen, Sam Poulin; Evgeni Malkin Out Week-To-Week

at CDT | by 1 Comment

9:04 a.m.: Malkin and Lizotte are destined for longer absences than the minimum ones required by IR. The team later announced both have been downgraded to week-to-week with their upper-body injuries.

8:55 a.m.: The Penguins announced they’ve again added forwards Danton Heinen and Samuel Poulin to the NHL roster, marking each player’s second recall of the season from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They placed forwards Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte on injured reserve in corresponding moves.

Heinen was one of the most surprising training camp cuts across the league. The 30-year-old is in the back half of a two-year, $4.5MM deal he signed with the Canucks as a free agent in 2024. After scoring six goals and 18 points in 51 games for Vancouver, he was sent to Pittsburgh in the deal that saw the Nucks acquire Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. Heinen was a familiar pickup for the Pens, having scored a career-high 18 goals for them in the 2021-22 season.

For his $2.25MM cap hit, he was reasonably productive down the stretch. He totaled a 3-8–11 scoring line in 28 games and was viewed as likely trade bait entering this season as the Pens looked to clear out some veterans. After all, the 2014 fourth-round pick has been an NHL fixture for years now and hadn’t seen extended time out of the lineup since spending most of 2016-17, his first professional season, in the minors.

Pittsburgh hasn’t shown a propensity to keep veterans in the lineup for the sake of doing so this season, though. With Heinen not serving as much of a fit in their long-term plans – or short-term ones, for that matter – they opted to waive him at the beginning of this season with no desirable trade options on the table. The 6’2″, 187-lb forward has proved he still has NHL talent, lighting up the scoresheet in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a 6-12–18 scoring line in just 12 appearances.

Heinen spent most of November on the NHL roster as a result of injuries to Noel Acciari and Justin Brazeau, both of whom were recently activated from IR. He was returned to WBS on Nov. 30 after scoring one assist in nine games. He saw 12:15 of ice time per contest, getting some occasional reps on both special teams. While his production wasn’t impressive, his two-way impacts were spectacular. Among players with at least 50 5-on-5 minutes for the Pens this year, Heinen boasts the highest share of shot attempts (58.2%), expected goals (59.7%), scoring chances (60.0%), and high-danger chances (61.1%). He managed that with a 43.8 offensive zone start percentage, 17th out of 26 skaters.

Poulin has been similarly productive in the minors. He’s the only WBS skater with more points than Heinen this season, on track for a career year with nine goals and 20 points in 21 games. The 2019 first-round pick is now 24 years old and has aged out of being a top prospect, but he’s proving he can hold down a job as solid organizational depth and be a reliable call-up. He got into two games for the Pens last month on his call-up, recording a -2 rating and six shot attempts while averaging 13:49 of ice time.

Both will be on hand to add to their games-played totals this season tonight against the Ducks as the injury bug continues to bite Pittsburgh’s forward group. Malkin already missed Sunday’s game against the Stars with an upper-body injury and remains listed as day-to-day. Before landing on IR, the future Hall-of-Fame had rattled off two goals and three assists in his last two games. The IR placement technically only rules him out of tonight’s game. Since his last appearance was on Dec. 4, he’ll be eligible to be activated ahead of Thursday’s game against the Canadiens.

Lizotte’s IR placement comes as a surprise. He played nearly 14 minutes in Sunday’s shootout loss in Dallas, recording an assist in the process. He didn’t leave the game, and it’s unclear when he got banged up. The team hasn’t assigned any injury designation other than his IR placement. He’s not eligible for reinstatement until Dec. 14, so whatever’s going on with him will cause him to miss at least three games.

Lizotte, who turns 28 on Saturday, signed a two-year, $3.7MM pact with Pittsburgh in 2024 after being non-tendered by the Kings. He tied his career-high 11 goals last season despite being limited to 59 games and has continued to be quite valuable in a fourth-line role this season. He’s managed a +1 rating despite being used almost exclusively in the defensive zone at 5-on-5 and has contributed a 3-2–5 scoring line in 27 showings. He’s averaging 13:57 of ice time per game and is the Pens’ top penalty-killing forward, likely influencing their decision to add Heinen back into the fold. With Joona Koppanen in the minors and Filip Hallander and Rickard Rakell still on IR, Heinen is ticketed for a job on Pittsburgh’s top two shorthanded units.

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