Maple Leafs/Panthers Notes: Samsonov, Knies, Lomberg
Another day of morning skates for the Toronto Maple Leafs brings more updates on their duo of injured players, who are both ruled out for Game 5 against the Florida Panthers tonight but making progress in their recoveries. This morning, The Hockey News’ Mike Stephens relayed that netminder Ilya Samsonov was skating on his own this morning, practicing in isolation with Toronto’s skills coaches.
This is Samsonov’s first practice since sustaining an upper-body injury two games ago when Toronto defenseman Luke Schenn collided with him whilst defending a rush. While signs are pointing to Samsonov not being out much longer, Toronto’s season can end at any point, down 3-1 in their series. In the meantime, the starter’s net is filled by rookie Joseph Woll, who stopped 24 of 25 shots in a must-win Game 4 road win on Wednesday.
- Rookie forward Matthew Knies is also practicing for the first time today since his concussion in Game 2 of the Florida series, says The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel. Knies was injured on a play behind the net, forced to the ice by Panthers forward Sam Bennett. While he won’t play tonight, Knies’ status is day-to-day and he hasn’t been ruled out for a potential Game 6 on Sunday.
- The Hockey News’ David Dwork believes forward Ryan Lomberg is doubtful to return to the lineup in the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, should they advance. Lomberg has not played since Game 4 of the First Round against the Boston Bruins and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The physical winger had already racked up 18 penalty minutes through four games, 14 of which game in Game 2.
Injury Notes: Samsonov, Knies, Raanta
The Toronto Maple Leafs are still in Stanley Cup contention after staving off elimination, winning last night’s Game 4 against the Florida Panthers 2-1. The victory came in large part due to the strong play of rookie netminder Joseph Woll, who stopped 24 of 25 shots and saved 2.02 goals above expected (MoneyPuck).
They’ll have to turn to Woll again for Game 5, as head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters this morning that starter Ilya Samsonov remains unavailable with an upper-body injury. Samsonov left early in the second period of Game 3 after Maple Leafs defender Luke Schenn barrelled into him while defending a Panthers rush. Toronto’s starter for much of the season, Samsonov had been largely passable in the postseason, making key saves despite a .898 save percentage on the whole during the postseason. While Woll has just 14 combined regular-season and playoff games in his NHL career, he has a combined 10-3-0 record and has posted save percentages well over .900.
Other injury notes from the playoff landscape this morning:
- Keefe also revealed to reporters forward Matthew Knies‘ concussion symptoms are improving after missing Games 3 and 4, but he’s not yet ready to return to the lineup. Knies was knocked out of Game 2 in the first period, sustaining the concussion on a hit from Panthers center Sam Bennett. The rookie forward had cemented himself in a top-six role by the time of his injury, recording four points in his first seven playoff games.
- Carolina Hurricanes netminder Antti Raanta said he’s recovered from an illness that kept him out for the past three games, meaning he’ll back up Frederik Andersen tonight for a potentially series-clinching Game 5. Raanta started the first five games of Carolina’s First Round series against the New York Islanders but has since been superseded by Andersen, who’s posted a 4-0-0 record and .930 save percentage in five starts.
Gabriel Landeskog Unlikely To Play Next Season
The Colorado Avalanche announced today that captain Gabriel Landeskog will undergo a cartilage transplant in his right knee, likely causing him to miss the entire 2023-24 season.
This is a devastating blow for the Avalanche, who hoped to have their leader back on the ice for the upcoming season. Landeskog missed the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign due to a previous knee injury dating back to the season prior when Landeskog and his Avalanche lifted the Stanley Cup.
Colorado felt Landeskog’s absence deeply this season. Combined with other rashes of injuries, Colorado was plagued with inconsistency but seemed to get hot at the right time going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Without Landeskog (and eventually Valeri Nichushkin) in the fold, though, the Avalanche’s depth couldn’t keep up, and they were eliminated by the Seattle Kraken in a seven-game First Round series.
The decision to undergo a cartilage transplant is a serious one, and it’s clear that Landeskog and the Avalanche are taking a cautious approach to his recovery. The procedure is a substitute for a joint replacement, involving a lab process where biopsied cartilage is allowed to grow and multiply before being inserted into the knee.
Despite the on-ice setback for Colorado, the team now knows Landeskog’s $7MM cap hit can remain on long-term injured reserve next season, giving them ample breathing room to make needed additions to their forward corps.
Off the ice, the focus now shifts to Landeskog’s long-term health in a personal sense, not just on the ice. Chronic knee pain is evidently becoming a serious issue in Landeskog’s life, and the team is inarguably making the right choice by supporting procedures such as this that prioritize Landeskog’s long-term comfort.
At this point in his career, Landeskog has skated in 738 regular-season and 69 playoff games, all with Colorado. He recorded 22 points in 20 games and a league-leading +15 rating en route to 2022’s Stanley Cup win and has amassed 248 goals and 571 points in his regular-season career.
Mattias Janmark Out Indefinitely
It has been a tough postseason so far, to say the least for Oilers winger Mattias Janmark. He played in their playoff opener against Los Angeles but suffered a lower-body injury after blocking a shot in the opening period. He returned to kick off their second-round series against Vegas but after hitting his head off the boards in that game, Postmedia’s Robert Tychkowski relays that Janmark hasn’t skated since then and there is no timetable for his return.
Janmark signed with Edmonton this summer as an unrestricted free agent but didn’t make the team out of training camp, instead clearing waivers in early October. However, he was recalled after playing just four games with AHL Bakersfield and was with the Oilers to stay the rest of the way.
The 30-year-old wound up getting into 66 games with Edmonton during the regular season, notching 10 goals and 15 assists, continuing his consistent level of production. Over the last three seasons, Janmark’s lowest point total was 24 with his highest being 25, a mark he has now exactly hit three times in his seven-season career. Depth scoring has been a question mark for Edmonton in the playoffs but one of their better depth scorers in Janmark will be out for a little while once again.
Matthew Knies Likely Out For Second Round
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today that forward Matthew Knies sustained a concussion in Game 2 of the team’s Second Round series against the Florida Panthers and is unlikely to return for the remainder of the series.
Keefe has already ruled Knies out for Games 3 and 4 as Toronto tries to battle back from a 2-0 series deficit. Knies was injured on contact with Panthers forward Sam Bennett in the first period of last night’s game, skating one shift before leaving the game for good. Bennett was assessed a fine today for a separate incident in the game involving Toronto winger Michael Bunting.
Knies, who just played his 10th NHL game combined between the regular season and playoffs, had registered four points through six previous games for Toronto in the postseason. He’d moved further and further up the lineup with strong play, earning ice time alongside Auston Matthews. Needless to say, it’s a significant loss for Toronto.
The injury opens up opportunity for Calle Jarnkrok to slot back into a top-line role alongside Matthews. Jarnkrok looked more than comfortable in that role down the stretch of the regular season and for a few games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, helping Toronto gain some of their most dominant shifts of the series.
Snapshots: Gavrikov, Rossi, Teravainen
Earlier this afternoon, Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times took some quotes from Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, telling the reporter that his family loved living in Los Angeles for the last couple of months, but also said “We’ll see what happens” on whether or not he will extend his tenure with the Kings. Gavrikov is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
Gavrikov had previously spent three seasons playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but with the Blue Jackets not meeting expectations this season, Gavrikov was subsequently dealt to the Kings with teammate Joonas Korpisalo. In 52 games in Columbus this season, Gavrikov scored three goals and seven assists, and would almost match that same output in only 20 games in Los Angeles. Gavrikov is one of the better defensive defensemen in the game, as he has blocked over 100 shots in each of his previous last two seasons.
In their opening-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, Gavrikov continued his strong play on the Kings’ back end, playing in all six games, accruing 16 hits, and earning a rating of +5. In the upcoming free agency period in July, Gavrikov joins a list of notable defensemen that play best on the defensive side of the puck, such as Ryan Graves, Scott Mayfield, Connor Clifton, and Dmitry Orlov.
Other snapshots:
- Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Minnesota Wild prospect, Marco Rossi, will suit up for Team Austria in the 2023 IIHF World Championships. Although playing in limited NHL action over the last two seasons, Rossi has been one of the better performers in the AHL, playing for the Iowa Wild. In his rookie season, Rossi scored 18 goals and 35 assists in 63 games played, and followed that up with almost a point-per-game performance this year, scoring 51 points in 53 games. In the opening round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, although his team was eliminated in two games by the Rockford IceHogs, Rossi managed a goal and an assist.
- In some positive news regarding an injury for the Carolina Hurricanes, Tom Gulitti of the NHL reports that forward Teuvo Teravainen participated in an off-ice workout today. Teravainen is currently healing from a broken hand, and although this is a major step in the right direction for his return, it is still unknown whether or not he will be back for the playoffs. In somewhat of a down year compared to his previous standards, Teravainen only managed 37 points in 65 games this year, but would undoubtedly be a welcome return to a surging Carolina team.
East Injury Notes: Meier, Kane, Drury
The New Jersey Devils are entering Game 1 on the road tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes with the status of their main trade deadline acquisition uncertain. Winger Timo Meier is a game-time decision after taking a hard hit from New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba in the team’s Game 7 win on Monday, per head coach Lindy Ruff.
Meier hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations yet, especially with no points in the team’s series victory over New York. He did have nine goals in 21 games for New Jersey down the stretch, however, and has shown to be a valuable offensive weapon in playoffs past with San Jose. If he’s unable to play, one of Curtis Lazar or Jesper Boqvist will draw into the New Jersey lineup.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- Now-pending UFA winger Patrick Kane told reporters at the Rangers’ end-of-season availability today that he was never 100 percent healthy after the trade to New York, but praised the team’s training staff for trying to get him there. Kane did not rule out off-season surgery for the lower-body injury that plagued him the entire 2022-23 season. Kane recorded one goal in seven playoff games for the Rangers and posted a career-low 57 points in the regular season (in a full season).
- Carolina Hurricanes winger Jack Drury is expected to return from an upper-body injury tonight when they host New Jersey to start their second-round series. Drury, 23, has slotted into Carolina’s top six with injuries to multiple key wingers. He’ll look to register his first point of the playoffs tonight, expected to flank Jordan Staal and Martin Necas on the team’s second line.
Joel Eriksson Ek Underwent Surgery, Will Be Ready For Camp
Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek played just one shift in his team’s first-round exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, sidelined by a lower-body injury sustained during the tail end of the regular season. Speaking during the team’s season-ending media availability today, Eriksson Ek told reporters, including The Athletic’s Joe Smith, that he sustained a broken fibula that “didn’t hold up” during his attempted return in Game 3.
The Wild center had surgery to repair the break and plans to be ready for training camp next season.
Eriksson Ek, the team’s strongest all-around center, was a critical absence in the Wild lineup as they failed to get much offense generated against the Dallas Stars. He notched a career-high 38 assists and 61 points in 2022-23.
Perennially in the Selke conversation, Eriksson Ek’s presence down the middle is a must-have for Minnesota to continue success with a cap-strapped roster next season. The Wild are expecting a breakout campaign from young Marco Rossi next year but need the leadership of Eriksson Ek to maintain playoff positioning.
Eriksson Ek joins pending restricted free agent Mason Shaw as Wild centers sidelined with long-term injuries over the offseason.
Ryan Lomberg Out Week-To-Week
After a miracle win in overtime last night, the Florida Panthers have been hit with some unfortunate news ahead of their Second Round playoff matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. According to David Dwork of Local 10 Miami, forward Ryan Lomberg is labeled as week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Head coach Paul Maurice disclosed to reporters Monday that Lomberg was injured in Game 1 against the Boston Bruins and tried to play through it. Today’s news means Lomberg will likely miss significant time after also missing Games 5, 6, and 7 against the Boston Bruins, a blow for a Florida team looking to advance past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1996.
Lomberg had a solid season in a depth role for the Panthers this season, playing in all 82 games and registering 12 goals, a career-high, and eight assists. Best known for his physicality and energy on the ice, Lomberg was certainly visible in the first half of the Boston series and his ability to stir the pot will be missed.
33-year-old Zac Dalpe has largely replaced Lomberg in Florida’s bottom six, recording his first Stanley Cup Playoffs goal in the process at a pivotal moment in Game 6 against Boston. Rough-and-tumble winger Givani Smith also remains on Florida’s active roster and could be an option.
Andrew Cogliano Out For The Season
04/30/23: Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters today, including the Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker, that Cogliano would miss the rest of the playoffs due to the fracture of the C5 vertebrae in his neck.
It’s a major loss for the Avalanche penalty kill, and while Colorado is undoubtedly fixated on tonight’s Game Seven, the organization’s greater priority is likely helping Cogliano, a veteran of over 1,200 NHL games, recover from this gruesome injury and return to full health.
04/29/23: Although the play will reportedly not result in any suspension being handed out, due to the hit from behind from forward Jordan Eberle of the Seattle Kraken in Game Six, Andrew Cogliano will be out indefinitely for the Colorado Avalanche with a fractured neck. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Cogliano has fractured his C5 vertebrae, which are towards the top of the spinal cord structure.
It is unknown whether the Department of Player Safety was in the know of the damage done to Cogliano on the hit, but given the context of this series, it will likely raise a host of questions surrounding the supplemental discipline being handed out in this year’s playoffs. Although the context surrounding this hit was different, Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar received a one-game suspension for Game Five due to his hit on Kraken forward Jared McCann, who was also injured on that play.
Becoming a theme that has begun to sound like a broken record to this point, the Avalanche will once again lose team depth due to injury. Already without Gabriel Landeskog, Josh Manson, Darren Helm, and Valeri Nichushkin (personal reasons), the Avalanche will be without some very important players as they look to close out the Kraken in Game Seven.