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Urho Vaakanainen Taken To Hospital After Suffering Injury

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There was a scary moment partway through the first period in Friday’s preseason contest between the Ducks and Sharks.  After setting up a goal, Anaheim defenseman Urho Vaakanainen hit his head into the boards and had to be stretchered off the ice.

The team announced (Twitter link) that the 23-year-old was taken to hospital for evaluation but “has full movement in his extremities and is fully conscious and alert”.  Speaking to reporters postgame, head coach Dallas Eakins didn’t have any updates on Vaakanainen’s condition.

Vaakanainen is in his first full season with the Ducks after being acquired near the trade deadline last season as part of the Hampus Lindholm trade.  He signed a two-year, $1.7MM contract back in July and was hoping to land a full-time spot in Anaheim’s lineup this season.  Unfortunately, it appears those plans are on hold for the time being as the team waits to see how long he’ll be out of the lineup.

Also on the injury front in Anaheim, center Trevor Zegras will be undergoing a second MRI as the team looks to get more information about the upper-body injury he sustained on Wednesday, relays Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).  Zegras was injured in the second period against Arizona on a hit from Jan Jenik.  The imaging is happening today so the team should have an idea of how long the 21-year-old will be out of the lineup in the near future.

Injury Updates: Copp, Dellandrea, Talbot, Murphy

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Red Wings center Andrew Copp re-aggravated a core muscle injury back in August that was nagging him last season, resulting in surgery at that time.  The expected timeline for recovery put his availability for the start of the season in question but the veteran told reporters including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that he feels that he’s ahead of schedule enough to the point where he could be available on October 14th when they take on Montreal.  Copp signed a five-year, $28.125MM contract this summer to serve as Detroit’s second-line center following a career year that saw him put up 21 goals and 32 assists in 72 games.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Stars forward Ty Dellandrea will be out two-to-three weeks after breaking a bone in his finger during yesterday’s game against Minnesota, relays Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. The 13th pick in 2018 spent most of last season with AHL Texas where he did quite well, notching 23 goals and 27 assists in 68 games but this timeline will end his preseason early which doesn’t bode well for his chances of cracking the opening roster.  Dellandrea is still waiver-exempt this season.
  • Senators goaltender Cam Talbot was originally expected to play the full 60 minutes against Montreal on Saturday but that won’t be the case now as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that the netminder is listed as day-to-day. He took a shot that wound up underneath his equipment at practice on Thursday and the team will give him a few days to recover.
  • The Blackhawks will hold defenseman Connor Murphy out of their two games this weekend due to his continuing back soreness, notes Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, there doesn’t appear to be much concern that the veteran will be out for long.  Murphy logged nearly 22 minutes per game for Chicago last season and should be leaned on for heavy minutes once again in 2022-23.

Carl Dahlstrom To Undergo Surgery

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The Toronto Maple Leafs thought they had a bit of defensive depth going into the season but that is quickly evaporating. After having to play Alexander Kerfoot and Calle Jarnkrok on the blueline in their last preseason game, the team has announced timelines for two injured defensemen. Carl Dahlstrom will require surgery and be out six months after injuring his shoulder, while Jordie Benn is going to miss three weeks with a groin injury, according to David Alter of Sports Illustrated.

The injuries obviously aren’t ideal, but there at least was a bit of a silver lining in it for Maple Leafs fans. After seeing the team move forwards to cover those spots, restricted free agent Rasmus Sandin ended his contract negotiations and agreed to the deal that had been on the table for months. That softens some of the blow but losing Dahlstrom and Benn is still a problem, regardless of whether they were in line for big minutes.

With Jake Muzzin and Timothy Liljegren already dealing with injuries, and Toronto relying on Mark Giordano, the oldest skater in the league, the vibes in Maple Leafs camp certainly weren’t all that positive. With another injury or two, things could quickly look rather thin on the back end, if they aren’t there already. Victor Mete, another league-minimum signing, now looks like the default seventh defensemen, and that is if Muzzin is healthy enough to start the year.

Beyond him, the team’s depth is made up of unproven young players like Filip Kral and Mac Hollowell. In fact, there has suddenly been some chatter connecting Toronto with Jakob Chychrun, likely only because of these early injuries. Whether a deal of that magnitude is completed, or the team just goes and signs another veteran off the scrap heap, it does seem like the Maple Leafs will need to add someone to the organization.

Blues Notes: Chychrun, Perunovich, Toropchenko

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Ever since Jakob Chychrun made it clear that he wants a chance to play for a winning team, speculation has run rampant around the St. Louis Blues. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet touched on it during the latest 32 Thoughts podcast, noting that the Blues are “around” on Chychrun. That led to a number of other reports downplaying the link between the two teams, including Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, who tweets that there has not been “any serious dialogue” with St. Louis and Arizona regarding Chychrun.

The 24-year-old defenseman is eventually going to be moved somewhere but it doesn’t seem to be the Blues – at least right now.

  • Of course, a recent injury only fed the flames. Scott Perunovich was taken out of a preseason game recently and the discussion around him is certainly not encouraging. Head coach Craig Berube told reporters including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic that Perunovich is still being evaluated but that he feels bad for the young defenseman, and explained that “now he has to wait.”
  • In some better injury news, Alexey Toropchenko appears to be ahead of schedule in his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery. Strickland tweets out that Toropchenko is not ruling out playing on opening night and notes that it “won’t be long” until he’s in the lineup. The 23-year-old forward had two goals in 28 regular season games for the Blues last year and played in 12 playoff matches.

Ilya Mikheyev Out Week-To-Week

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Sep 29: After initial fears that he may have suffered a torn ACL, it looks as though Mikheyev avoided serious injury altogether. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reports that he had two opinions and could resume skating as soon as tomorrow.

Sep 27: One of the big free agent signings for the Vancouver Canucks is in danger of missing the start of the season, as Ilya Mikheyev is out “week-to-week” according to head coach Bruce Boudreau. Mikheyev suffered a lower-body injury in his preseason debut with the team on Sunday.

Signed to a four-year, $19MM contract in the offseason after a 21-goal campaign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mikheyev has been one of the impressive players at Canucks camp, with J.T. Miller referring to the Russian’s speed as “humbling.” The 27-year-old forward has had some pretty unfortunate injury luck in his short NHL career so far, including a sliced wrist and a broken thumb.

That has limited him to just 146 regular season games in three years, though it was his production in those matches and his versatile profile that made him such an appealing target in free agency. With 21 goals in just 53 games last season, he is the kind of perfect secondary scoring option that teams crave. His speed, length, and puck protection make him a great option on the penalty kill, and he can often create offense without the help of teammates.

Still, at some point, he’s going to need to be able to put together a full campaign, especially now that he is carrying a cap hit of $4.75MM. The Canucks need him to be everything he was last season and more if they are going to get their money’s worth, especially given he will play this season at 28 and the final season of this contract at 31. The hope was that they were buying his best years – a weeks-long injury isn’t a great start.

Given the team will also be without Brock Boeser after he underwent hand surgery, there will be plenty of minutes up for grabs in Vancouver.

Evening Notes: Nylander, Maple Leafs Injuries, Sillinger

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans figure to have a tense few months throughout the 2023-24 NHL calendar, as superstar Auston Matthews will be eligible for an extension, and should he choose not to pursue one in Toronto, could head to the UFA market. But, even if Matthews were to re-sign, the UFA worry wouldn’t stop there, as William Nylander is also set to hit the market in the summer of 2024. It doesn’t feel like too long ago when Nylander held out as an RFA, ultimately signing a six-year, $45MM deal at the last minute on December 1st of 2018, but that long-term deal is now more than halfway complete.

Recently, The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel had a chance to sit down with Nylander to discuss his future. When asked about the possibility of an extension with the Maple Leafs or testing the free agent market, Nylander said it wasn’t something he had really thought much of, but added that it would be “unreal to stay,” especially if the team could go on a deep playoff run before then. Looking deeper into an extension, Siegel opines that if Nylander can build upon his 2021-22, where he had 80 points in 81 games, and help Toronto make a deep playoff run, not only does an extension with the Maple Leafs become more likely, but it could push his number to at least $9MM per season. On the other hand, if Toronto is still unable to take the next step in the playoffs, they could opt to move on from Nylander. Of course, there is still plenty of time for Nylander to establish who he is as a talent and two more postseasons before his contract formally expires but, as one of five members of a group of Maple Leafs superstars who may figure to earn a raise from his $6.96MM cap hit, the Maple Leafs could be poised to make an interesting decision either way.

  • Sticking with the Maple Leafs, the team lost two of its defenseman in tonight’s preseason contest against the Montreal Canadiens before the game was even half over. Veteran Jordie Benn, who signed with Toronto this offseason, suffered an undisclosed injury early on in the first period and left the game. The Maple Leafs have since announced that he will not return to the game for precautionary reasons. Also injured was Carl Dahlstrom, who the team soon after announced would not return to the game for precautionary reasons. Losing the pair puts the Maple Leafs in a tough circumstance early on in a preseason game, left with just four defenseman. At one point, forwards Calle Jarnkrok and Alexander Kerfoot were taking shifts on defense for Toronto.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweeted that, per Columbus Blue Jackets radio host Dylan Tyrer, forward Cole Sillinger skated today in a non-contact sweater after he suffered an upper-body injury on the first day of training camp. Today’s skate was Sillinger’s first since the injury, and no timetable for a more formal return has been disclosed.

Anaheim Ducks Forward Max Jones Out Day-To-Day

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According to Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Mike Stothers and relayed by The Athletic’s Eric Stephens, forward Max Jones is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Jones, the team’s 24th overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft, played just two games last season before suffering a torn chest muscle and missing practically the entire campaign. While this lower-body injury has nothing to do with that chest injury, Stephens notes the team is exercising extra caution with Jones, and rightfully so.

With a career-high of just 12 points and having never played more than 59 games in a season, Jones hasn’t exhibited the offensive potential you’d hope for out of a first-round pick. High-end scoring was never Jones’ appeal, though. Rather, his 6′ 3″, 216-pound frame and willingness for physicality made him an attractive prospect for the Ducks at the time.

If he can manage to stay healthy, Jones is again expected to contend for a role in the team’s bottom six. With some added offensive depth over the offseason, Jones could get a chance to have a breakout season with some better linemates.

Injury Notes: Carrier, Muzzin, Blueger

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The Vegas Golden Knights have some good news and some bad news on the injury front. The good news is that captain Mark Stone has “checked all the medical boxes” according to head coach Bruce Cassidy, and should be able to take part in a preseason game in the next few days.

The bad news is that William Carrier will be re-evaluated next week after suffering an upper-body injury over the weekend. The 27-year-old Carrier is in the third season of a four-year, $5.6MM contract signed in 2020 and had 20 points in 63 games last season.

  • Jake Muzzin joined his teammates at practice today, after sitting out the last few because of an ongoing back issue. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman did leave early as a precaution, but head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including David Alter of Sports Illustrated that Muzzin could have continued.
  • Teddy Blueger left today’s practice with the Pittsburgh Penguins partway through and is now being evaluated for an upper-body injury. Blueger is an important part of the team’s forward depth, especially as Jeff Carter deals with an upper-body injury of his own. Ryan Poehling was skating as the third-line center in their absence.

Sean Couturier Will Not Require Surgery

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It appears as though the Philadelphia Flyers have avoided the worst injury outcome (at least for now) in regards to Sean Couturier. According to Chuck Fletcher, who spoke with reporters including Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic, the veteran center will not require surgery for his recent setback but remains out on a week-to-week basis.

There was some speculation that Couturier could miss the entire season when it was announced that he was dealing with a back injury again. This essentially rules that out, though fans of the Flyers who have gone through the Ryan Ellis saga over the last year won’t be satisfied until they see the Selke winner back on the ice.

Couturier, 29, missed all but 29 games last season, which became one of the reasons why the Flyers struggled so mightily. Losing him for this season would likely have the same effect, even if John Tortorella’s new coaching staff can get the best out of the rest of the roster.

One of the most dominant two-way players in the league a few years ago, Couturier hasn’t quite been himself since winning the Selke in 2020. If he can avoid surgery and get close to that level, the team will have a legitimate star at the top of the forward group to build around.

Unfortunately, even if there is no surgery required right now, back issues aren’t something that usually go away completely. Given Couturier is only just beginning an eight-year, $62MM contract extension, which will carry a $7.75MM cap hit through 2029-30, it’s hard to know how much value the Flyers are actually going to receive.

Top Blues Prospect Scott Perunovich Leaves Game With Injury

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Defenseman Scott Perunovich is one of the very best prospects the St. Louis Blues have in their system – if he stays healthy. Injuries have been a serious concern for him in the past, and they may be unfortunately continuing now. The Blues announced that Perunovich left tonight’s preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks with an upper-body injury and will not return.

Perunovich took a hit along the boards from Blackhawks forward Michal Teply, causing his arm/wrist area to make awkward contact with the glass.

St. Louis’ 45th overall pick in 2018, Perunovich missed the entire 2020-21 season with an injury after a spectacular junior season with the University of Minnesota Duluth. In 2019-20, he registered an assist per game and finished the year with 40 points in 34 games. Despite the missed season, Perunovich didn’t seem to miss a step in 2021-22, scoring 22 points in just 17 games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds and registering six assists in his first 19 NHL games with the Blues. He now has just played those 36 games combined over the last two seasons, and the 24-year-old is losing precious development time.

Perunovich figured to challenge for a top-four role with the Blues this season, especially with veteran Marco Scandella on the injured list. Hopefully, Perunovich’s injury isn’t long-term and he’s able to rebound and get back to health before the regular season begins.

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