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Mike Matheson Out Week-To-Week; Pierre-Olivier Joseph Recalled

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5:25pm: The Penguins have recalled Pierre-Olivier Joseph from the minor leagues, likely due to Matheson’s absence. After impressing as a rookie in 2020-21, Joseph has played in just four games at the NHL level this season, spending nearly the entire year in the minor leagues. He’s been outstanding there, racking up 28 points in 40 games, and could now get an extended look in Matheson’s place.

12:55pm: Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has announced, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, that defenseman Mike Matheson is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury.

Matheson, 27, has had a bit of a career revival  since arriving in Pittsburgh in a trade for Patric Hornqvist. In his 94 games with the Penguins Matheson has provided decent offense, with 12 goals and 37 points, and has also given the club’s defense some size and physicality. Matheson is on a significant contract, $4.875MM through 2025-2026, so while his cap hit may bring him some added attention he has settled into a nice role anchoring the Penguins’ third pairing.

With Matheson’s injury, the Penguins may choose to rely on Mark Friedman to take Matheson’s place on the team’s third pairing. Friedman is now an option due to him being recently called up from an AHL conditioning stint. Since being claimed off waivers from Philadelphia last season Friedman has seven points in 17 games for the Penguins. Other than Matheson, the Penguins could seek to call up another defenseman from the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins or look for added external help on the trade market.

Before this injury, the Penguins’ defense corps had been largely healthy this season. Ruhwedel, Marcus Pettersson, Brian Dumoulin, John Marino, Matheson, and Kris Letang have all played in at least 48 games, and that degree of health up and down their defensive roster is something few other teams can boast of having. That being said, the Penguins have had a tough recent stretch of games, where they have lost three straight games and given up 14 goals in the process. Those results mean Matheson’s injury is particularly bad timing, and it will be interesting to see what GM Ron Hextall and the Penguins’ front office does to respond to Matheson’s extended absence.

Montreal Canadiens Issue Several Injury Updates

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The Montreal Canadiens are on fire. The team has won four in a row under new head coach Martin St. Louis, with Cole Caufield looking reborn. The team is still dead last in the Eastern Conference, but they’ve now passed the Arizona Coyotes and are at least showing some fight for the future. With that in mind, the team has issued several updates on their injured players, starting with Carey Price.

Price is “doing better” in his off-ice rehab, but he’s still not ready to return to the ice just yet. The 34-year-old goaltender has been out all year for various reasons and may end up missing the entire year. The Canadiens aren’t rushing anything in their franchise goaltender’s rehabilitation, knowing that there’s not really any benefit in getting him back into games this season.

Corey Schueneman has been cleared from the COVID protocol and returned to practice today. He was joined by several other teammates that have been dealing with injuries. Joel Armia was at practice, is listed as day-to-day, but won’t play on Saturday night. Mathieu Perreault was a full participant in practice and is also listed as day-to-day. Josh Anderson meanwhile has been cleared to play tomorrow against Ottawa.

The two big ones are Joel Edmundson and Jake Allen, who have been out for quite some time–or in the former’s case, the entire season. Edmundson was on the ice for the first time with teammates, and will travel with the group to Ottawa. He won’t play, but it’s great to see Edmundson back on the ice at all after the nightmare season he has gone through. Allen was also on the ice and is “progressing” though there is no clear timeline on his return. Nor for Paul Byron, who is dealing with an upper-body injury and has no timeline for a return.

Jared McCann Placed On Injured Reserve

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If there’s a player the Seattle Kraken couldn’t afford to lose for an extended period of time, it’s Jared McCann. The 25-year-old forward has been the team’s best offensive player all season, leading the squad in both goals and points so far. Unfortunately, McCann has now landed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, with the Kraken recalling Kole Lind from the AHL to replace him on the roster.

McCann is an interesting case study for those who want to know how the Kraken will approach the next few years. A restricted free agent at the end of this season, he’s put himself in prime position for a substantial raise, either through a long-term extension or the arbitration process. The question now becomes whether it’s the Kraken that are the other signatory on that next contract, or if McCann will be sold off for future assets at some point. That could come at the trade deadline or the offseason, depending on what kind of offers come in the next few weeks (and what kind of injury he’s currently dealing with).

There’s a real argument to be made that any extension with McCann would cover years when the Kraken are still not competitive in the Pacific Division, though the same might have been said during the unrestricted free agent period last summer. Instead of holding onto their cap space and building through the draft, general manager Ron Francis signed multi-year contracts with free agents like Philipp Grubauer, Jaden Schwartz, Jamie Oleksiak, Adam Larsson, and Alexander Wennberg, players that were already in their late-twenties and likely aren’t going to experience much improvement over the production they had already shown. It seemed, at least at the time, like the Kraken were targeting a playoff spot in year one, something that hasn’t come to fruition.

So a long-term deal with McCann would certainly be following their previous path, though the wisdom in that strategy is still up for debate. Alternatively, selling him off at some point before UFA status–he’ll reach the open market in the summer of 2023 if not signed–would signal that perhaps those initial moves were mistakes and that it will take quite a bit longer for the Kraken to reach playoff contender status.

There is of course also the possibility that McCann doesn’t want to stay in Seattle at all and an extension isn’t even possible, though with 21 goals and 33 points through 48 games, he’s already having the best season of his career with the improved offensive deployment.

Tony DeAngelo Out Weeks With Upper-Body Injury

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The Carolina Hurricanes have had one of the most valuable defensive contracts in the league this season with Tony DeAngelo, signing him to a one-year, $1MM deal after his public exit from the New York Rangers. DeAngelo has been brilliant for the Hurricanes, racking up 40 points in 43 games while averaging close to 20 minutes a night. One of the most effective powerplay quarterbacks in the league, 15 of his 31 assists have come with the man advantage. Carolina will have to find a new player to run PP1, though, as DeAngelo will miss about a month with an injury according to head coach Rod Brind’Amour, who spoke with reporters including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.

For now, DeAngelo’s regular partner Jaccob Slavin has taken over the quarterback duties on the top unit, with Ethan Bear joining the second group. Slavin is a capable player but there should be at least some concern about him taking over the majority of the powerplay time, given how important he is in other areas. There’s no one in the league that has logged more short-handed ice time than Slavin, who has close to 170 minutes on the penalty kill through 48 games this season. Teams have scored just seven goals against the Hurricanes during that time, showing just how effective he is at it.

With that in mind, losing DeAngelo could have a sort of cascade effect on the Carolina blue line, putting players in spots that they aren’t perfectly suited for, or taxing the best defensive players even further. Brett Pesce has joined Slavin on the first pair, while Jalen Chatfield slides in beside Brady Skjei on the second. That’s certainly not a perfect situation, and one that will likely lead to more speculation as the trade deadline approaches. If DeAngelo is out for a month he might miss up to 14 of the team’s remaining 32 games, meaning a defensive addition may be necessary just to shore up the depth.

Of course, Carolina is one of many teams operating in long-term injured reserve relief space–this time afforded by Jake Gardiner’s chronic back issues–meaning any addition would have to be carefully determined.

Rodion Amirov Diagnosed With Brain Tumor

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The Toronto Maple Leafs released a shocking and heartbreaking message to fans today. Rodion Amirov, the team’s first-round draft pick from 2020, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The young forward is receiving medical attention at a facility in Germany after extensive testing the last few months led to this discovery. General manager Kyle Dubas explained:

Rodion commenced the 2021-22 season with Salavat Ufa of the KHL but suffered an injury to open the season. During the course of his recovery from this injury, he developed some new, unrelated symptoms that required ongoing extensive investigations over the last few months.

Rodion is currently undergoing treatment at a medical facility in Germany and will not return to play for the remainder of the season.

Our medical staff has been involved throughout the process alongside Ufa’s and we are in direct contact with the facility on an ongoing basis to monitor his treatment and care. Rodion has the complete support of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and we will continue to ensure he receives the best care possible throughout this process.

Out of respect for Rodion and his family, the Club will not have any further comment at this time.

Amirov, 20, has played just ten games this season with Ufa Salavat Yulayev, his KHL team. Speaking with Sportsnet, Amirov explained that he wants to “stay positive” and for people to “think positively” about him.

The young forward will not play again this season as he continues treatment, though his agent released a statement that includes some encouraging news. Amirov is still skating three times a week and working out every day. He is in “good spirits” and is “determined to return back to professional hockey.”

Andrew Ladd Out Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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The Arizona Coyotes will be without Andrew Ladd for more than a month, as the veteran forward has been ruled out for four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. Ladd played just 1:13 on Sunday before exiting after a collision with Dallas Stars forward Luke Glendening.

Ladd, 36, is just eight games away from reaching 1,000 for his career, after finding his way back into the NHL with the Coyotes this season. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has six goals and nine points through 42 games, averaging fewer than 14 minutes a night. That’s better than being stuck in the minor leagues or not playing at all, as he has for most of the past two seasons with the New York Islanders, where he suited up for just four NHL games since the start of 2019-20. Now facing a major injury, the veteran must go through a long recovery period once again.

Importantly, something like this could have an effect on a draft pick for the Coyotes. Should Ladd not play in 2022-23–he’s still under contract for one more year at a $5.5MM cap hit–but spend it on something like long-term injured reserve instead of retiring, the Coyotes would receive a 2023 third-round pick from the Islanders. That pick is not transferred if he plays a single professional game in 2022-23 on his current deal or decides to retire at any point before the 2022-23 season concludes. Basically, if the Coyotes are stuck paying him while on LTIR, they get an extra draft pick.

While a four to six-week timeline shouldn’t affect next season, all injuries for players like Ladd come with at least some risk of long-term effects. It’s been a long, physical career for the big forward, who traveled through Carolina, Chicago, Atlanta, Winnipeg, and New York before arriving in Arizona this season.

With him out of the lineup, the Coyotes should have Nick Ritchie added in short order, after receiving him from the Toronto Maple Leafs a few days ago. Ritchie has arrived in Arizona according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports but won’t practice today as he is still sorting through immigration issues.

Goalie Notes: Holtby, Hill, Varlamov

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Two of the four new names on Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff’s trade targets ranking are goaltenders, namely Braden Holtby of the Dallas Stars and Anton Forsberg of the Ottawa Senators. Holtby has had a nice bounce-back campaign in Dallas after being bought out by the Canucks last summer. In his 21 starts this season Holtby has a .912 save percentage and a 2.78 goals against average, strong improvement from his .889/3.67 marks in Vancouver. But his future in Dallas is clouded by the emergence of 23-year-old first-round-pick Jake Oettinger. (As well as the looming presence of Anton Khudobin, the goalie who led the Stars to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, in the AHL.) In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic, Stars General Manager Jim Nill noted that Oettinger has “settled in” with the Stars, and LeBrun also ponders the possibility of Dallas dealing a goaltender.

The Senators’ Forsberg joins Holtby on the list, in large part thanks to the resurgence of Matt Murray. As Murray has shined, Forsberg and his .916 save percentage in 21 starts for the club have become more expendable. Given the Senators’ status as a likely seller come the trade deadline, Seravalli calls Forsberg “perfect trade fodder” for GM Pierre Dorion. Like Holtby, Forsberg is also a pending unrestricted free agent.

  • Adin Hill has not played since a late January tilt versus the Lightning, and his absence looks set to continue. The San Jose Sharks announced that Hill has been placed on injured reserve as he continues his recovery from a lower body injury. As the Sharks sit second-to-last in the Pacific Division standings, Hill’s lack of recovery and placement on IR have to be seen as an unfortunate setback to add to his underwhelming first season in San Jose. 
  • As the Sharks battle Hill’s continued absence, the Islanders get one of their absent netminders back into the fold. The team announced that Semyon Varlamov has been activated from the COVID-19 non-roster list. Varlamov has a .916 save percentage in his 13 starts this season and figures to give the Islanders a boost as they attempt to build momentum in their long-shot chase for a playoff spot.

Cole Perfetti Moved To Injured Reserve

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The Winnipeg Jets announced three injury-related transactions today, including activating both Nathan Beaulieu and the recently claimed Adam Brooks from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, Cole Perfetti has been moved to IR after suffering an upper-body injury last week against the Seattle Kraken.

Getting Beaulieu back explains the demotion of Ville Heinola yesterday and suggests that the veteran defenseman will finally get to continue his season. Beaulieu hasn’t played since January 27 and has just 19 games on the year, between absences from injury and illness. In the second season of a two-year, $2.5MM deal signed in 2020, when he does return to the action he’ll be jumping aboard a Jets team that is still scuffling along, unable to string together any sort of winning streak.

Winnipeg lost on Saturday night to the Edmonton Oilers, snapping a short two-game winning streak from last week. They’ll now take on the Calgary Flames today–a game that won’t include Beaulieu just yet–and try to snap the red-hot Pacific Division leader’s nine-game winning streak. Brooks is making his Jets debut on a line beside Kyle Connor and Pierre-Luc Dubois after being shipped all over the league this season through waivers.

That spot had belonged to Perfetti, who has quickly shown that he is already a full-time NHL option. The 20-year-old forward has seven points in 18 games this season after being the tenth-overall pick in 2020. It’s not clear yet how long Perfetti will be out, but he has to miss at least seven days from his last appearance–February 17.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Jet Greaves

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Jet Greaves to a three-year entry-level contract, and will recall him to serve as backup for this evening’s game. Greaves will be behind Jean-Francois Berube, who gets his first NHL start in several years as both Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins deal with injury.

Greaves, 20, had been playing on a minor league contract, splitting the season between the Kalamazoo Wings and Cleveland Monsters. In the AHL, the undrafted goaltender put up a 4-6 record in 13 starts, posting an .898 save percentage. This is his first year of professional hockey after two years with the Barrie Colts, neither of which were all that exceptional. Suddenly he finds himself on the way to the NHL, with the Blue Jackets dealing with a depth issue at the position.

The only other goaltender that could have been recalled by the Blue Jackets is Cam Johnson, who is on a one-year, two-way deal himself. But Johnson has spent most of the year in the ECHL and actually played last night for Cleveland, allowing three goals on 18 shots. Given the lack of options, Greaves finds himself the beneficiary of a three-year deal that makes him an NHL goaltender, at least for the day.

The entry-level contract will keep him in the organization through 2023-24, not bad for a 6’0″ goaltender that has just 28 games of professional experience under his belt.

Injury Updates: Islanders, Canadiens, Tarasenko

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The Islanders will be without winger Oliver Wahlstrom for tomorrow’s game against Montreal due to an upper-body injury, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link).  He was injured in Thursday’s victory over Boston and is listed as day-to-day.  The good news for New York is that they’re expected to welcome winger Josh Bailey back after he missed Thursday’s contest.  Meanwhile, Semyon Varlamov has returned to New York after testing positive for COVID while in Western Canada.  He remains unavailable for the time being.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • The Canadiens are expected to have defenseman Ben Chiarot back in the lineup tomorrow, notes TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link). The blueliner was injured last weekend against Columbus and while it was a minor injury, they needed to move him to IR to free up a roster spot to bring up a replacement for him.  Chiarot is widely expected to be traded by the deadline but it appears Montreal isn’t ready to hold him out of action as a precautionary measure just yet.
  • Still with Montreal, the Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that Joel Armia is listed as day-to-day and will not play tomorrow afternoon. He took a skate blade to the face late in Thursday’s victory over St. Louis.  It has been a tough season for the 28-year-old as he has scored just twice in 37 games in the first season of a new four-year, $13.6MM contract.
  • The Blues announced that winger Vladimir Tarasenko will not play tonight in Toronto due to an undisclosed injury suffered in Thursday’s game against Montreal. The nature of the injury was not disclosed but head coach Craig Berube listed the veteran as day-to-day.  Tarasenko has had a nice bounce-back season and leads St. Louis in scoring with 45 points in 44 games.  Tyler Bozak will take Tarasenko’s place in the lineup.

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