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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.

Toronto Maple Leafs Move Muzzin To LTIR; Clifford To IR

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October 26: Muzzin has now been placed on LTIR retroactive to October 18, according to CapFriendly. The soonest Muzzin would be eligible to return to the Leafs’ lineup is now November 11, meaning they’ll be without him for at least the next two weeks. Kyle Clifford has also been moved to regular injured reserve, with Filip Kral recalled, filling his roster spot.

October 19: After their minor league club signed Danny DeKeyser to a PTO earlier today, the Toronto Maple Leafs have brought up another AHL defenseman to the active roster. Filip Kral has been recalled, as the team moves Jake Muzzin to injured reserve. Muzzin is out with a neck injury that will keep him out indefinitely.

Kral, meanwhile, could be looking at his first NHL game should he get into the lineup. The 22-year-old defenseman was a fifth-round pick of the team in 2018 and has developed nicely over the years, to the point of being one of the final cuts this fall. The 6’2″ Czech-born defender played three seasons in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs, before returning home to play another year overseas.

Last season, he posted 21 points in 58 games during his first full season with the Toronto Marlies, and now he’s an NHL call-up just a week into the schedule. As David Alter of Sports Illustrated notes, Jordie Benn and Timothy Liljegren are both joining the Maple Leafs’ practice today, though neither can be removed from LTIR until November 5.

That means a little bit of runway for Kral, though it seems likely that Victor Mete will get the first crack with the main group tomorrow night.

Vancouver Canucks Place Curtis Lazar, Brock Boeser On Injured Reserve

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The nightmare season for the Vancouver Canucks continues, this time with two regular forwards headed to injured reserve. Curtis Lazar and Brock Boeser have been moved to IR, with the team recalling William Lockwood and Sheldon Dries in their place.

Boeser was listed as out day-to-day on Monday, so his move to IR is a little curious. The 25-year-old is off to a brutal start to the season (like so many other Canucks), with no goals in his first six games. While he does have four points, Boeser has always been his best when he’s putting the puck in the net, and this year he has only generated nine shots on goal.

Perhaps that is because of this injury, as he did receive a “maintenance” day earlier in the week as well before they called it an injury. General manager Patrik Allvin told reporters including Harman Dayal of The Athletic that Boeser is still considered day-to-day, though did not speculate when he will be able to return.

Lazar meanwhile played in Monday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, playing 11:09 and registering two shots and two hits. Allvin did not give the specific injury but noted that he is expected to miss three to four weeks.

The depth forward has turned into an energy and penalty-killing option for the Canucks, after having his best professional season with the Boston Bruins last year. Still, given how little upside he offers offensively and his rather pedestrian short-handed performance so far, losing him from the lineup shouldn’t weaken the overall chances for the Canucks very much.

Still, as they whittle away at their depth, it’s only going to be more difficult to dig themselves out of the 0-5-2 hole they are in to start the year. While the front office doesn’t want to rebuild, it does seem like the Canucks are headed for a finish a lot closer to the first-overall pick than the Stanley Cup.

Josh Norris Out Several Months

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Oct 26: The results of the MRI are not what any Senators fan wanted to hear. Ian Mendes of TSN reports that Norris will be out long-term (three to five months was a rough estimate), though surgery has not been confirmed yet. Head coach D.J. Smith is not confident that the young forward will even play again this season, though he is holding out hope.

Oct 24: The Ottawa Senators will be without one of their top centers for at least the next two weeks. Josh Norris will miss that time after suffering a shoulder injury over the weekend, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, who adds that the young forward is waiting on the results of an MRI before getting a more accurate timeline.

Ottawa moved Derick Brassard into the second-line center role, for the time being, quite an opportunity for a player on a PTO just a few weeks ago. He’ll line up between Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux, though the team could always move Shane Pinto into that role during Norris’ absence.

It’s a tough start for the 23-year-old Norris, who is coming off a breakout 35-goal campaign and starting an eight-year, $63.6MM contract. Norris did score against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday but ended up playing just 14:32. Missing a couple of weeks isn’t the end of the world, but if the injury is deemed more serious and keeps Norris out for longer than that, it could be a huge blow to an Ottawa team that has turned things around after a slow start.

With wins in each of their last three, the Senators are now back in the mix in the Atlantic Division, exactly what they expected after an impressive offseason. Their potential was always tied to the forward depth they accumulated but now with Norris on the sideline and Alex Formenton still unsigned, there are some cracks showing.

The team is back in action tonight against the Dallas Stars.

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