Injury Updates: McLeod, Kulikov, Jenner, Vlasic, Larkin
The Oilers welcomed back one of their centers before their game tonight against Colorado, announcing (Twitter link) that Ryan McLeod was activated off LTIR. The 23-year-old missed four weeks with an upper-body injury and was retroactively shuffled to LTIR over the weekend. McLeod has put up nearly identical numbers compared to his rookie season, notching 11 goals and 11 assists in 55 games heading into tonight’s action although he got to those numbers in 16 fewer contests than a year ago.
Other injury news around the NHL:
- Prior to their game tonight against Chicago, the Penguins announced that they activated defenseman Dmitry Kulikov off LTIR. The 32-year-old was brought in from Anaheim at the trade deadline but suffered a lower-body injury in just his fourth game with his new team. Kulikov has 16 points, 107 blocks, and 93 hits in 65 games this season and suited up on the third pairing.
- The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that center Boone Jenner is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He took the pregame warmup but was a late scratch. Jenner has had a nice season, notching 26 goals, the second-highest total of his career while winning nearly 55% of his faceoffs. While it would be easy to say Columbus should shut him down for their final two games after tonight, their AHL affiliate is currently one point out of a playoff spot and keeping Jenner out would result in Cleveland losing another player to recall, hurting their postseason chances.
- Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic did not accompany the team on their season-ending road trip, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, meaning his campaign has come to an early end. The 36-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in their home finale against Edmonton over the weekend. Vlasic saw his playing time increase by more than two minutes per game this season to 17:28 but with a $7MM AAV for three more years after this one, San Jose still didn’t get a great return on this contract this season.
- The Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that center Dylan Larkin is dealing with a lower-body injury, keeping him out of the lineup tonight against Carolina. The captain is averaging a point per game for the first time, collecting 32 goals and 47 assists in 79 games. His absence created the emergency conditions to bring up Danny O’Regan earlier today although they opted to play seven defensemen instead.
Tanner Jeannot Won’t Be Ready For Start Of Playoffs
The Lightning paid a high price to acquire Tanner Jeannot from Nashville prior to the trade deadline, sending five picks (one in each round, first through fifth) along with defenseman Cal Foote to get the winger with the hopes he’d play an important role in the playoffs. Instead, he won’t be available when they start next week as head coach Jon Cooper told reporters (video link) that while they’re hopeful he’ll be available at some point, it won’t be at the beginning of their first-round series against Toronto:
You’d have to sit here and say he’s more than day-to-day. Hopefully he’ll be back here at some point in the playoffs, but he’s definitely not going to start with us in the playoffs.
When asked if Jeannot is expected to miss the whole series against the Maple Leafs due to his lower-body injury, Cooper wouldn’t go that far, only indicating that he’s not going to be ready to play when the series opens up.
The 25-year-old was a big surprise last season with the Predators, tallying 24 goals and 17 assists in 81 games, albeit with a particularly high shooting percentage of 19.4%. In the process, he looked like he’d become a part of their long-term core.
But things didn’t go as well this year as Jeannot notched just five tallies with nine helpers in 56 contests, resulting in GM David Poile opting to move him. However, things haven’t gone any better for him since the move as Jeannot has only a goal and three helpers in 20 games.
Of course, Jeannot also brings a significant physical presence as he sits sixth in the NHL in hits with 290 after putting up 318 in 2021-22. At a minimum, even if he’s not producing, he can still impact the game in a lesser role. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay that impact won’t be coming at the start of the series.
David Krejci Shut Down For Regular Season
Boston Bruins star center, David Krejci, will not be in the lineup for Boston’s final two games of the regular season. Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now reports that Krejci will be out with a lower-body injury.
In missing the final two games of the season, this will be the sixth game Krejci has missed in a row and the 12th that he has missed all season. Krejci did skate this morning, and Boston head coach Jim Montgomery said, “Today was his best day. That has us optimistic about where he’s going to be for Game 1 [of the playoffs]”.
In his return to Boston this season, Krejci has shown the Bruins what they were missing last year, scoring 16 goals and 40 assists in 70 games played for the President’s Trophy winners. Last year, after a 15-year stretch in Boston, Krejci famously left for Czechia, joining HC Olomouc for the 2021-22 season.
In his return to New England, Krejci has filled a vital role, aiding the Bruins on their quest to break the all-time single-season win record, something they did against the Philadelphia Flyers last Sunday. Outside of the regular season, Krejci’s playoff performances in his career have become legends in Boston.
During their Stanley Cup championship run in the 2011 playoffs, Krejci played in 25 games, scoring 12 goals and 11 assists, leading the playoffs in scoring. Two years later, the Bruins again returned to the Stanley Cup Final, and once again Krejci led the way for all players. In 22 games, Krejci scored nine goals and 17 assists, unfortunately failing to the Chicago Blackhawks for the sport’s greatest trophy.
In Krejci’s absence, the Bruins have received exceptional play at the center position from both Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha. However, when it comes to the playoffs, Krejci has historically been one of the very best, and Boston is optimistic that he will join the team for their effort.
Boston Bruins Reassign Five Players
April 10: All five have been returned to the AHL today.
April 9: The Boston Bruins have announced that five players have been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, on an emergency basis. The players are: Vinni Lettieri, Oskar Steen, Jack Ahcan, Connor Carrick, and Brandon Bussi.
The moves come as the Bruins deal with some lingering injury issues while having already clinched the President’s Trophy. While former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall has been activated off of LTIR and back on the ice, the Bruins placed two players on Long-Term Injured Reserve yesterday and have contributors such as David Krejci still on their active roster but out of the lineup.
Since the Bruins are taking on the Philadelphia Flyers on the second half of a back-to-back set of games today, these recalls give coach Jim Montgomery the breathing room he needs to rest certain veterans or at the very least avoid overworking certain players in order to cope with the injury-related absences.
For these recalls, only one has suited up in a game for the Bruins this season, Steen. The other four have played the whole season in Providence. Steen, 25, has already played for the Bruins twice this month and has played in three total NHL games this season, scoring one goal. The speedy Swedish forward has scored 14 goals and 31 points in 63 games for Providence.
The other forward to be recalled is the 28-year-old minor league veteran Lettieri. Lettieri scored 10 points in 31 games for the Anaheim Ducks last season and is an accomplished AHL scorer, with 225 career points in 264 games. This season, he’s leading all Providence regulars with 45 points in 45 games, and now has a chance to make his NHL debut this season on one of the winningest teams in league history.
The first of two defensemen to be recalled is the 25-year-old Ahcan, an undersized offensive defenseman who the Bruins signed as an undrafted free agent out of the NCAA’s St. Cloud State in 2020. Ahcan got off to a fast start to his pro career, scoring 10 points in 19 AHL games and earning three games in Boston with the Bruins.
The following season, 2021-22, Ahcan’s AHL performance was less consistent. But although he finished with an underwhelming 23 points in 46 games, he did manage to earn six NHL games.
Ahcan has taken a step forward this season and become Providence’s number-two scoring option from the back end, producing 31 points in 65 games.
Despite that increase in production, though, Ahcan hasn’t earned time on the Bruins’ roster until today.
The other defenseman to be recalled is Carrick, a veteran of nearly 250 NHL games. The 28-year-old was once seen as a promising up-and-coming blueliner in the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs organizations, but a mix of major injuries and inconsistent performance scuttled his hopes of delivering on that promise in his early-to-mid twenties.
Despite that disappointment, Carrick has over the past two years established himself as a difference-making minor-league blueliner who can contribute on both ends of the ice and help his team make the playoffs. Last season he scored 32 points in 59 games for the Charlotte Checkers, and this season he leads all Providence defensemen with 41 points in 60 games.
Of this group of five players that has been recalled, Carrick is the one who possesses the most NHL experience. The opportunity for him to get NHL minutes is a significant one, as Carrick is on an expiring league-minimum two-way deal and getting some solid NHL shifts on tape before he hits the market in a few months could be extremely useful.
The final player recalled is a goalie, Bussi. Unlike the four skaters recalled with him, the 24-year-old hasn’t yet suited up for an NHL game. In fact, Bussi only made his professional debut last season. He has had a strong 31-game season in Providence, though, and his 21-5-4 record and .925 save percentage are highly respectable figures.
It’s unclear whether Bussi will get any time in the Bruins’ crease as they close out their regular season, but given Vezina Trophy contender Linus Ullmark‘s injury history over the course of his career, it seems logical that the Bruins would want to add another name to the mix in their crease to ensure their two established netminders are able to get the rest they might need before the playoffs.
Seeing as Providence doesn’t play until Saturday whereas Boston has a game today (after playing yesterday) and two more this week, it seems these recalls were made to help add some fresh legs to the Bruins’ roster with their regular-season fate already decided.
Since these moves likely won’t impact their AHL team’s chase of an Atlantic Division title, bringing them to the active roster to possibly allow some Bruins veterans to take a game off seems like a wise decision for a squad looking to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Mark Stone Returns To Vegas Golden Knights Practice
The Vegas Golden Knights have two games remaining in their season and, despite the Edmonton Oilers’ incredible recent run, still hold first place in the Pacific Division. As they try to lock up the division, they received a significant emotional boost as captain Mark Stone returned to practice in a non-contact jersey.
The team has also recalled Kaedan Korczak from the AHL and brought Adin Hill back from his conditioning stint.
Stone, 30, has been out since mid-January with a back injury that continues to limit his playing time. The veteran winger has managed 200 games over the past four seasons combined, including just 43 this season. That said, he was exceptional in those games, scoring 17 goals and 38 points while continuing to provide his elite defensive ability.
His season was cut short when he underwent another back surgery at the end of January. At the time, the team listed him out “indefinitely,” but has given positive reports in recent weeks.
The timing of his return will certainly raise some eyebrows, even if Stone’s injury is legitimate. The Golden Knights used most of the salary cap relief from moving Stone (and Robin Lehner and Nolan Patrick) to long-term injured reserve, adding players like Jonathan Quick, Ivan Barbashev, and Teddy Blueger at the deadline.
Vegas currently has a cap hit of over $96MM, using nearly $14MM in LTIR relief. When the playoffs start, they could activate Stone without any repercussions.
That’s not to say they’re without injuries now, though. Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore, and Zach Whitecloud were all absent from practice today. That’s why Korczak, one of the team’s top prospects, is up to help them with the last few games. The 22-year-old defenseman has 14 points in 50 games with the Henderson Silver Knights this season, and has appeared in 11 career games with Vegas.
Pacific Notes: Schwartz, Comtois, Demers, Vikman
Kraken winger Jaden Schwartz was a late scratch in yesterday’s contest against Chicago. Postgame, head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters, including Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times, that it wasn’t a rest day for the 30-year-old but rather he was out and is listed as day-to-day. Schwartz has had a much healthier season compared to his first year with Seattle and it has resulted in him having his fifth career 20-goal campaign. The Kraken are still in a position to battle for seeding in the Pacific as they’re only two points behind Los Angeles for third place while they have a game in hand.
More from the Pacific Division:
- The Ducks announced (Twitter link) that winger Max Comtois will miss the final three games of the season due to an upper-body injury. His year comes to an end with just nine goals and ten assists in 69 games. The 24-year-old is a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights but with a $2.55MM qualifying offer, he looks like a potential non-tender candidate in June.
- The Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned defenseman Jason Demers back to Bakersfield of the AHL. The 34-year-old logged nearly 11 minutes on Saturday in his first NHL appearance since May 2021, his 700th in total. Demers has spent the rest of the year with the Condors, recording 18 assists in 55 games. It’s believed that the veteran is leaning towards retiring after the season.
- The Golden Knights have given prospect Jesper Vikman his first pro contract but it’s only of the AHL variety as their farm team in Henderson announced they’ve signed the goaltender to a tryout agreement. The 21-year-old had a 3.29 GAA along with a .903 SV% with Vancouver of the WHL this season. Vikman was a fifth-round pick by Vegas in 2020 (125th overall) and the Golden Knights have until June 1st to give him an entry-level deal or lose his rights.
Snapshots: Ullmark, Cooley, Landeskog
Goalie Linus Ullmark did not travel with the Boston Bruins to Philadelphia for their game against the Flyers on Sunday due to a lower-body issue, according to Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. The Bruins recalled Brandon Bussi from the AHL (along with four others) this morning to serve as the backup to Jeremy Swayman in Ullmark’s absence. Bussi has played in 31 games for the Providence Bruins this season, posting a spectacular 21-5-4 record with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
This is the first time that Ullmark has been held out of the lineup due to injury this season, a good sign for the normally injury-prone netminder. He’s played himself right to the top of Vezina Trophy consideration this season, posting spectacular numbers even given Boston’s solid defense. His 1.89 goals-against average, .938 save percentage, and 39 wins all rank first in the league. While his absence so close to the playoffs beginning is a concern, the team will take every precaution possible with injuries during their few remaining games, given the President’s Trophy is already theirs.
- Logan Cooley, undoubtedly the Arizona Coyotes’ top prospect, is reportedly taking a few days to think over his decision regarding whether to sign his entry-level contract this season, according to Joe Smith of The Athletic. The University of Minnesota freshman standout, unlike now-former teammates Brock Faber and Matthew Knies, has not decided on his immediate future after last night’s loss in the NCAA Men’s Tournament national championship.
- According to Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, it appears unlikely that team captain Gabriel Landeskog will play in any of the team’s four remaining regular season games. Bednar confirmed Sunday that Landeskog has not yet resumed practicing with the team and is unlikely to do so before the end of the regular season. A playoff return hasn’t been ruled out for Landeskog, who will miss all 82 regular season games with a knee injury.
Joel Eriksson Ek Out Week-To-Week, Kirill Kaprizov To Return
The Minnesota Wild’s center depth took a hit on Wednesday, as Joel Eriksson Ek was listed as week to week with a lower-body injury, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. The news is a significant blow to the team’s weakest position and takes the Wild’s best two-way forward out of the lineup longer-term as the playoffs quickly approach. Trade deadline acquisition Oskar Sundqvist is also day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
It wasn’t all bad news, though, as Russo reported that Kirill Kaprizov is set to return to the lineup tomorrow against the St. Louis Blues after missing multiple weeks with a lower-body injury.
Kaprizov has been the Wild’s best skater by a mile again this season, scoring 39 goals and 35 assists in 65 games. His return will be a welcome sight for a team that will struggle to fill the gap left at center by Eriksson Ek’s injury. The Wild managed to stay afloat in his absence, going 7-3-3 in 13 games without their star scorer and recording 3.62 goals per game, well above their season average of 2.9.
The news on Eriksson Ek, however, is concerning for the Wild, as the 26-year-old has been one of the team’s most reliable players this season. He has scored 23 goals and 38 assists in 78 games, logging almost 19 minutes per game in the process of his career offensive year. The Wild have limited options at center without him, though, and pressure will shift back onto last year’s breakout star, Ryan Hartman, down the stretch to carry the weight in the middle of the ice.
Sundqvist’s injury may be less severe than Eriksson Ek’s, but it still leaves the Wild with another hole to fill in their lineup. The Wild acquired Sundqvist in a trade deadline deal with the Detroit Red Wings and has provided solid depth scoring in the bottom six, recording seven points in 15 games with Minnesota.
As Russo notes, the Wild will need to call up a forward ahead of tomorrow’s game from the AHL’s Iowa Wild to ice 12 players at the position. It could be a chance for 21-year-old Marco Rossi, who had one assist in 16 games earlier this season, to get a late-season look in the NHL lineup.
Boston Bruins Issue Injury Updates
Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery provided updates today on the injury status of key players Charlie McAvoy, David Krejci, and Taylor Hall ahead of the team’s upcoming weekend games. McAvoy and Krejci are listed as day-to-day, with Krejci being labeled as “doubtful” for their upcoming games while Hall remains a “possibility” to play.
The Bruins, who have already clinched the Presidents’ Trophy for the NHL’s best regular season record and recorded their 61st win last night, are the second-highest-scoring team in the league and have secured home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. While the availability of these players may not impact the team’s regular season standings, their contributions in the upcoming playoffs (or lack thereof) will undoubtedly be critical.
McAvoy left last night’s win against the Toronto Maple Leafs with an upper-body injury and did not return. After sustaining the injury in an accidental collision with teammate Patrice Bergeron, however, Montgomery said postgame that he was removed for precautionary reasons. In all likelihood, McAvoy’s playoff ability will not be impacted, and with nothing left to play for, Boston will hold him out of the lineup to ensure he’s as close to 100% as possible when the puck drops on Game 1 of their First Round series.
Krejci has been a critical contributor after his one-year absence from the team, scoring 56 points in 70 games this season, but his lingering absence from the lineup is becoming concerning. Krejci hasn’t suited up since April 1, sidelined for the past two games with a lower-body injury. It’s unclear whether Krejci’s designation for the weekend’s game is precautionary or if his injury is significant enough to truly keep him out of action.
Montgomery’s update on Hall comes after he practiced in a regular jersey for the first time two days ago since sustaining a lower-body injury over a month ago. With Pavel Zacha‘s versatility allowing Boston to shift him to center on the second line, Hall’s impending return could quickly help replace any offense lost by Krejci’s absence.
Alexander Romanov Listed As Day-To-Day
New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov, who did not play in the team’s last game against the Carolina Hurricanes, is officially listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. There is no timeline on his return, but Islanders’ head coach Lane Lambert confirmed he will not be in tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2018, Romanov became one of the better young defensemen on the Canadiens’ blue line. During his rookie season in 2020-21, Romanov played in 54 games for Montreal, primarily as a depth defenseman, and even registered four games on the Canadiens’ path to the Stanley Cup Final.
Last season, Montreal took a dive back to the basement of the NHL, and with Romanov becoming a restricted free agent, he was made available to other teams via trade during the 2022 NHL Draft. In the first round, Romanov was subsequently traded to the Islanders for the 13th overall pick (which was later traded to the Chicago Blackhawks) and then would go on to sign a 3-year, $7.5MM in New York.
This season, Romanov has progressed with the Islanders, scoring 22 points in 76 games, all while carrying a solid +13 +/-. Unfortunately for New York, Romanov is a key defenseman to be missing as the team looks to find its way back to the playoffs. As things currently sit, the Islanders hold the last wild card position in the Eastern Conference and hold a one-point lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins with the same amount of games played.