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Injury

T.J. Oshie Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury

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The Washington Capitals haven’t updated T.J. Oshie’s status after exiting Saturday’s game early other than to tell reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that he is out indefinitely. Oshie did not travel with the team to Carolina and will not play in tonight’s game.

John Carlson is also out with a lower-body injury and will not play tonight, but the team designated him as day-to-day. That suggests Oshie’s indefinite timeline is longer than that, a substantial blow for a team that is already without Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, Connor Brown, and Carl Hagelin due to various injuries. With Oshie exiting early, Conor Sheary played a season-high 18:55 in the win over Nashville.

The 35-year-old Oshie had scored five points in his first six games of the season but was held off the scoresheet in the two games previous to Saturday’s tilt. The veteran winger still plays a ton for the Capitals, including as a key part of their first powerplay unit. Hopefully, this new injury isn’t one that keeps him out too long, especially given his experience last season.

Oshie played just 44 games and had the worst statistical season of his career, scoring just 11 goals and 25 points. Signed through 2024-25, getting him back to full strength will be important for the Capitals’ contention in the Metropolitan Division.

Injury Notes: Oettinger, Drysdale, Ellis

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A serious bit of concerning news came out of the first game on today’s schedule, with the Dallas Stars tweeting that netminder Jake Oettinger was questionable to return to their game against the New York Rangers with a lower-body injury. It’s not apparent when Oettinger suffered the injury, and he was replaced in the game by Scott Wedgewood with 13:37 remaining in the second period. Luckily for the team, he was healthy enough to return for the third period but did not play, staying on the bench while Wedgewood continued.

Oettinger has been nothing short of spectacular to open 2022-23. His unreal .960 save percentage and 1.17 goals-against average lead the league through six starts, and he’s undeniably the biggest reason behind the team’s 5-2-1 start to the season. Hopefully, the injury doesn’t keep him out of any further game action past this point.

  • Young defenseman Jamie Drysdale was not on the ice today at Anaheim Ducks practice, tweets The Athletic’s Eric Stephens. Drysdale played 7:22 in last night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights before leaving the game with an upper-body injury, suffered on a hit in the corner from Knights forward William Carrier. The sixth overall selection in 2020 had yet to register a point through eight games this season but had received upwards of 20 minutes per game of action on multiple occurrences.
  • According to the AHL, St. Louis Blues goaltender Colten Ellis has been assigned to the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers after being activated from season-opening injured reserve (SOIR) three days ago. Ellis last year was loaned to the Worcester Railers, where he posted a .905 save percentage and a 15-13-5 record. Drafted in the third round in 2019, Ellis sits fifth on the organizational goalie depth chart behind Jordan Binnington, Thomas Greiss, Joel Hofer, and Vadim Zherenko.

St. Louis Blues Activate Pavel Buchnevich

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The St. Louis Blues announced that they have activated forward Pavel Buchnevich off of IR today. As a result, the team has also sent forward Josh Leivo to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. Buchnevich had missed the previous five games after suffering a lower-body injury on opening night. The team is set to take on the Montreal Canadiens at home this evening.

Though Buchnevich’s injury wasn’t too serious, a return today is a bit surprising. Word had been out that Buchnevich could be nearing a return, but as Blues head coach Craig Berube told reporters earlier, including Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the return could be as soon as Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. Evidently, that return will come tonight against Montreal. That return can’t come soon enough for St. Louis too, who is 3-3-0 on the young season, but has lost their last three games.

Always a solid point-producer, Buchnevich broke out during the shortened 2021-22 season, recording 48 points in 54 games with the New York Rangers. That offseason, New York sent Buchnevich to the Blues for forward Sammy Blais and a second-round draft pick. The 27-year-old did not disappoint in his first season with St. Louis either, scoring 30 goals along with 46 assists over 73 games.

Leivo, 29, is in his first season with the Blues organization after signing a one-year deal with St. Louis this summer. The veteran forward played in just seven NHL games last season with the Carolina Hurricanes, but did have a terrific year with the Chicago Wolves, their AHL affiliate, contributing 46 points in 54 games. Leivo has yet to play an AHL game in 2022-23, but has played three games with the Blues to start.

Sean Couturier, James Van Riemsdyk Have Surgery

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As reported by Giana Han of The Philadelphia Inquirer, a pair of Philadelphia Flyers forwards underwent surgery recently. Center Sean Couturier underwent back revision surgery and will require three to four months of recovery. Winger James van Riemsdyk also had surgery on his left index finger and will miss six weeks. As reported, van Riemsdyk’s surgery was expected to have surgery earlier this week, however Couturier’s comes as a bit of a surprise. At the end of September, it was reported that Couturier would not require surgery on his back. Still, given the recent news that Couturier was not ready to start skating, today’s news gives some context as to why.

Generally, a star player having major back surgery that causes them to miss significant time would come as bad news, however for Couturier and the Flyers, this may be the start of bringing the star’s injury saga to a close. The former Selke winner missed significant time the last two seasons, playing in just 74 out of 138 possible games, including just 29 of 82 last season. His production hasn’t suffered in that time, recording 58 points in those 74 games while chipping in superb defense. Even if Couturier were to miss the maximum four months, it would put him on track for an early March return date which would be, all things considered, fantastic considering rumors that the 29-year-old could miss the entire 2022-23 season.

Van Riemsdyk, like his Flyers, had been off to a strong start to the season, but suffered an injury and left Sunday’s game against the San Jose Sharks early with an apparent injury. Though the surgery had been expected, a timeline for recovery remained unclear heading into the procedure, but with it complete, six weeks appears to be the magic number. Considering the 33-year-old’s status as a pending UFA, this injury is a tough blow not only for the team, but for the player. The veteran doesn’t seem to be the perennial 60-point player he was in his prime with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but has still shown the ability to get to tough areas to score all while being a team leader, two valuable assets to bring into free agency. Should Van Riemsdyk recover as expected and finish the season strong, he should be able to preserve his value in free agency.

With low expectations to start the season, Philadelphia’s strong start has been a welcomed surprise for the team and their fans, the team sitting at 5-2-0 coming into today. Losing one of its core veterans in Van Riemsdyk surely doesn’t help their cause, but a somewhat favorable timeline is a silver lining. With expectations that Couturier might be done for the season, the news that he could return later in the year is encouraging, especially if the team can remain in the playoff hunt. In the meantime, the absences will give opportunities to younger players to shine, as well as newcomers Lukas Sedlak and Kieffer Bellows, who were both claimed off of waivers recently.

Michael Rasmussen Suspended Two Games

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3:45 PM: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has now announced that Rasmussen will be suspended for two games for high-sticking Krejci. This means that he will be first eligible to return to the ice on November 3rd, when the Red Wings take on the Washington Capitals.

8:48 AM: The Detroit Red Wings might be missing one of their big forwards for a little while, as Michael Rasmussen will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today. The meeting stems from a collision between the Red Wings forward and Boston Bruins forward David Krejci, where Rasmussen’s stick came down on the side of Krejci’s head.

He received a two-minute minor for high-sticking, while Krejci left the game in considerable pain. It seemed as though the injury was caused by the hit (and potentially a butt-end delivered on contact), not by the follow-through, but the league may take it into account anyway. Krejci did not return to the game.

Rasmussen, 23, is off to a very nice start for the Red Wings, recording five points in seven games. The 6’6″ forward has started to figure out how best to use his size at the NHL level and is delivering far more checks than he did as a youngster. While he is important, he also only plays around 14 minutes a game and can be replaced if given a short suspension.

Artem Zub Out With Upper-Body Injury

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One of the most underrated parts of the Ottawa Senators rebuild might be the acquisition of Artem Zub, an undrafted defenseman out of the KHL. After signing in 2020, Zub has become one of the team’s most reliable players at any position, even at times ahead of Thomas Chabot (at least in the defensive end).

Zub effectively shuts down rushes with an active stick, engages physically in front of his own net, and quietly logs huge minutes in tough situations for the Senators. He is averaging 22 minutes a night through six games this season, minutes that unfortunately are going to have to be spread out for the next little while. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that Zub will miss one to two weeks with an upper-body injury. Chabot, who was also missing today, is okay and will be ready tomorrow.

After winning four in a row, the Senators were thrashed by the Minnesota Wild last night, outshot 40-29 in a 4-2 loss. Notably, Zub played nearly ten minutes more than fellow Russian right-hander Nikita Zaitsev, who may be forced to take on a bigger role in his absence. Zaitsev’s game has fallen off a cliff in recent years, and can’t stay in the lineup, let alone live up to the $4.5MM cap hit he carries.

The team also could look elsewhere to fill those minutes. The Carolina Hurricanes are speaking with multiple teams on Ethan Bear, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, and the Senators do have some young options like Jacob Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thomson.

One week would mean missing three games, while two would be at least six for the injured Zub. That short timeline isn’t the end of the world, but things in Ottawa do seem to be perched precariously this season, with the difference between contending for the playoffs and contending for a lottery pick not that large. Hopefully, for their sake, the underrated defenseman will be back as soon as possible.

Jakob Chychrun Suffers Setback, Still Week-To-Week

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After Jakob Chychrun made it very clear that he wants a trade away from the Arizona Coyotes and into a contending organization, many believed he would quickly be dealt. That still hasn’t happened, and part of it is because of the injury he’s currently recovering from.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet recently wrote that “teams want to see him go out and be immediately impactful” before they make an offer. Unfortunately, that sounds like it might still be down the road.

Jenna Ortiz of AZ Central reports that Chychrun has suffered a setback in his recovery and is still listed as “week-to-week” by general manager Bill Armstrong. What that means for his trade value isn’t clear but it would be difficult for any team to know what they are getting if they went after him today.

The Coyotes, of course, are trying to maximize the value of their asset but also don’t really have to rush a move. Chychrun is signed through the 2024-25 season at a reasonable $4.6MM cap hit, meaning there is plenty of time to wait for the right offer. Sure, his value to an acquiring team would be highest the quicker they receive him, but there will still be interested parties down the road, even if it takes him another month to get back on the ice.

It would be much more detrimental for Arizona if he were to rush back and suffer a more long-term injury – plus it’s clear that Chychrun doesn’t really want to play for the team anymore. Taking it slower to make sure everything is healed seems like the best solution, even if it does take some fun out of the hot stove discussion.

Snapshots: Gronborg, Heiskanen, Talbot

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One of the names that used to come up every summer in connection to vacant NHL coaching jobs is Rikard Gronborg, former long-time coach of the Swedish national team programs. Gronborg has plenty of experience on this side of the ocean, after playing college hockey at St. Cloud State, coaching in the AWHL, and serving as an assistant in the WHL. For the last few years, his candidacy hasn’t been brought up for a while because of his commitment as head coach of the ZSC Lions in Switzerland, one of the most successful and popular teams in Europe.

Today, news has broken that Gronborg won’t be back with the Lions and instead is likely taking a multi-year contract with Tappara Tampere in Finland. However, the report out of Switzerland also states that if the NHL were to come calling, Gronborg’s new contract with Tappara has an out clause to let him pursue a North American opportunity. With seven World Championship medals, six World Juniors medals, and an Olympic silver, Gronborg has one of the most impressive international coaching resumes of all time. Whether that ever translates into an opportunity in the NHL remains to be seen.

  • Miro Heiskanen is still listed as day-to-day for the Dallas Stars and isn’t expected to play tonight, he could be back on Saturday according to head coach Pete DeBoer, who spoke with reporters including Saad Yousuf of The Athletic. Without Heiskanen in the lineup against the Boston Bruins, Nils Lundkvist played a career-high 22:04. Lundkvist had never gone above 16:39 with the New York Rangers but has now matched or exceeded that in six of seven games with Dallas.
  • Cam Talbot might be back ahead of schedule, according to Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith. As Claire Hanna of TSN reports, Talbot was on the ice facing shots today and is “certainly ahead of the timeline” that had been set for him. There’s still no clear date set for his return but they could still use him, with Anton Forsberg dealing with a minor injury of his own. On that front, Forsberg was back at practice as well and is expected to be the starter when the team takes on the Minnesota Wild tonight.

Tyler Johnson Placed On Injured Reserve

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After suffering an ankle injury on Tuesday, Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson has been moved to injured reserve. While it might seem like placement on regular IR is encouraging for his timeline, that’s not necessarily the case. With the Blackhawks nowhere near the salary cap ceiling, there is no need to use long-term injured reserve. It is not clear how long Johson will be out.

It’s a tough blow for Johnson, who was experiencing something of a renaissance with Chicago this season after some down years. The versatile forward had six points through six games, including an assist against the Florida Panthers before exiting. Playing top-six minutes with powerplay time, the 32-year-old was setting himself up to have a nice bounce-back year.

With Johnson unavailable, Jujhar Khaira will move onto the second line with Jonathan Toews and Taylor Raddysh and play the net front on the second powerplay unit according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. The Blackhawks have been steadfast in keeping top prospects in the minor leagues to play with the Rockford IceHogs, and this injury likely won’t change that. For now, it appears as though they’ll go with 12 forwards on the roster, though that may change once they head out on the road.

Sean Couturier “Not Ready” To Continue Skating

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While the word setback wasn’t used, it sure seems like that’s what John Tortorella suggested when speaking about Sean Couturier today. He told reporters including Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer that Couturier is “just not ready” to continue his rehab and has stopped skating for the time being. As Jordan Hall of NBCS Philly points out, the veteran forward recently said he was feeling good in his recovery while getting on the ice.

Couturier is not close to returning. Meanwhile, Cam Atkinson is “one frustrated young man,” who isn’t expected to be back anytime soon.

This will sound like the same old song and dance for Flyers fans who have lived in a world of injury setbacks and additional surgeries over the past few years. Ryan Ellis, last year’s offseason prize, played just three games for Philadelphia before ending up on the shelf, and then just one more before being shut down for the year. He hasn’t played at all this season.

Kevin Hayes underwent several surgeries to correct multiple issues and ended up playing in just 48 games. Even Nolan Patrick, the high draft pick that was supposed to help usher in a new era of Flyers hockey, could never get over his migraine and concussion issues to stay in the lineup on a consistent basis.

Couturier, arguably the team’s most important forward, only played 29 games last year. Despite his obvious injury concerns, the team signed him to an eight-year, $62MM contract extension in August 2021 – one that he is only just starting this season. The deal carries a cap hit of $7.75MM through 2029-30. Already 29, Couturier will turn 30 in December and now hasn’t played a full season in several years.

Hopefully, this setback only means that it will take him a little longer to return from his back injury. But with whispers in September of him missing the entire season because of the potential need for surgery, and now keeping him off the ice, there are bad vibes coming out of Philadelphia.

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