Jets Issue Injury Updates On Blake Wheeler And Nate Schmidt
The Jets are off to a strong start to their season, entering tonight’s game in Vancouver with a 19-9-1 record despite missing several regulars due to injuries. That list has now grown as head coach Rick Bowness told reporters, including Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link) that winger Blake Wheeler will miss at least a month after undergoing groin surgery. Meanwhile, defenseman Nate Schmidt, who went on injured reserve yesterday, will be out for four to six weeks.
Wheeler had an interesting start to his season as the captaincy was taken away from him while getting off to a bit of a quiet start. However, the 36-year-old has been quite productive over the last four weeks, notching 16 points in his last 13 games, bringing him up to a tie for fourth in team scoring.
All of a sudden, the Jets find themselves without their top three right wingers. Nikolaj Ehlers has missed all of two games this season, Mason Appleton has been out since mid-November, and now Wheeler will be out for a little while. None of these injuries are season-ending so they can’t create any LTIR space for themselves and their cap space is starting to dwindle as a result of their injury-associated recalls so GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will be in tough to try to shore things up in the short-term.
As for Schmidt, he has cleared concussion protocol and is believed to be dealing with a shoulder issue. The 31-year-old has six points in 29 games so far this season while he’s averaging just shy of 20 minutes a night. He joins Logan Stanley as blueliners that are banged up while Ville Heinola has missed four straight games due to illness.
Flyers Place Cam Atkinson On IR
It has been a strange year thus far for Flyers winger Cam Atkinson. Originally diagnosed as being out day-to-day with an upper-body injury in training camp, the 33-year-old has still yet to play this season. He was said to be nearing a return and has been participating in practices but CapFriendly noted last night (Twitter link) that the veteran has now been moved to injured reserve.
The placement stems from them needing a roster spot for Olle Lycksell who was recalled on Thursday. Originally, it was supposed to be Anthony DeAngelo ceding his spot as the defenseman was away from the team for personal reasons, allowing Philadelphia to designate him as non-roster status. However, Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that DeAngelo is back at practice today which takes that option off the table.
It’s possible that Atkinson might have suffered some kind of setback, one that is going to take at least a little bit of time to heal so they’ve opted to simply place him on IR until he’s cleared to return. Because he hasn’t played this season, Philadelphia is eligible to back-date the placement; accordingly, he’s eligible to be activated at any time. For a few weeks now, it looked like the 700-game veteran was just about ready to come back but now, that wait appears likely to be even longer.
New York Islanders Activate Kyle Palmieri
Yesterday, as part of our coverage of Adam Pelech‘s placement on injured reserve, we covered how the New York Islanders were nearing a return date for Kyle Palmieri, who was out with an upper-body injury.
Today, that return date has been finalized, with Palmieri being activated from injured reserve this afternoon. Palmieri, 31, has played in 20 games so far this season, scoring six goals and nine points. He scored 15 goals and 33 points last year, playing on a $5MM cap hit that runs until the summer of 2025.
Palmieri is a veteran of over 700 career NHL games, and his return to full health is a positive development for the Islanders as they look to make their return to the playoffs. Not only does Palmieri chip in an important amount of secondary scoring, but his gritty, hard-working style is also very highly regarded on Long Island by both fans and coach Lane Lambert.
While he may be a few too many years removed from his 30-goal, 50-point days to be relied on for that kind of production anymore, he’s still an experienced forward with an exceptional resume and a wealth of experience.
New York Islanders Place Adam Pelech On Injured Reserve
The New York Islanders have announced that they have placed defenseman Adam Pelech on injured reserve. Per their announcement, the move is retroactive to December 6th, meaning it’s possible that Pelech misses just one more game.
The move also allows the Islanders to activate Kyle Palmieri off of injured reserve for tomorrow’s game, if they so choose. Palmieri has been out with an upper-body injury.
Pelech is among the most important defensemen on the Islanders’ roster. The 28-year-old veteran is typically partnered with Ryan Pulock, and that pairing forms the duo that eats the most minutes for the Islanders at five-on-five.
In addition to his value at even strength, Pelech, who is an acclaimed shutdown defenseman, spends nearly three minutes per night killing penalties for the Islanders. His success in his own end has helped the uber-talented Ilya Sorokin grow into one of the league’s top netminders.
Pelech’s overall value to coach Lane Lambert and the Islanders’ suffocating defensive structure cannot be overstated, meaning if the Islanders wish to remain in a playoff spot they’ll have to hope that Pelech’s stay on injured reserve is brief.
Pelech suffered this injury after the back of his head slammed into the boards during practice. That’s obviously a scary injury to sustain, so first and foremost getting Pelech’s personal health in order has to be the priority.
But given just how important he is to all of the Islanders’ plans this season, it’s likely that the folks on Long Island will be hoping his return to the ice comes sooner rather than later.
Logan Brown Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan
The St. Louis Blues may get Logan Brown back relatively soon, as the big forward was sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan today. It can last up to two weeks, allowing him to return to game shape.
Brown, 24, has missed 18 games with an upper-body injury, the second stretch he’s missed since training camp. Limited to just five appearances so far in 2022-23, he has been held scoreless.
Standing 6’6″ with the draft pedigree of an 11th-overall pick, there’s still hope that Brown can take his success in the minor leagues and translate it to the highest level. In 19 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds last season, he scored 17 points. That takes his overall minor league numbers to 96 points in 113 games, showing just how effective he can be in the right situation.
With general managers all over the league likely watching Tage Thompson‘s success and believing (rather naively) they can recreate it with other big, skilled forwards, Brown will probably get plenty of opportunities moving forward. His one-year, $750K contract will leave him a restricted free agent at the end of the year.
Injury Notes: Rielly, Ehlers, Rodrigues
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Luke Fox of Sportsnet that Morgan Rielly‘s return to the ice is “imminent,” though a return to game action is still quite a ways down the road. The veteran defenseman was ruled out in late November with an MCL sprain and placed on long-term injured reserve, which will hold him out through at least December 17.
In his absence, Toronto has actually had incredible defensive results, with Mark Giordano and Rasmus Sandin stepping into the vacated minutes on the left side. When he is able to return, it’s not clear exactly who will come out of the lineup, given Conor Timmins‘ recent stretch of strong play as well. The Maple Leafs, who are expected to be without Jake Muzzin all year, suddenly seem to have quite a bit of defensive depth.
- The Winnipeg Jets are in a similar situation with their forward group, which is scoring plenty without the services of Nikolaj Ehlers. The team has put up at least five goals in seven of their last ten games, with Mark Scheifele now up to 18 tallies on the year. Ehlers, who is working his way back from sports hernia surgery, was on the ice yesterday and could potentially return in two to three weeks, according to Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun. The 26-year-old forward had three points in his first two games of the season before going under the knife.
- Evan Rodrigues, who hasn’t played since November 23, is “ready to go” for tonight’s Colorado Avalanche game. The Avalanche have struggled with injuries throughout the year but are starting to get healthy again and have won two in a row. Rodrigues, who was brought in on a one-year deal in the offseason, had six goals and nine points in 18 games before getting forced out of the lineup.
Detroit Red Wings Issue Injury Updates
The Detroit Red Wings issued a pair of injury updates before and during tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild. Earlier today, head coach Derek Lalonde noted that “we’ll know more” on the status of captain Dylan Larkin in the next couple of days, while defenseman Filip Hronek left their game against the Wild and will not return after colliding in a massive open-ice hit with Minnesota forward Ryan Reaves.
Larkin is out with a hand injury sustained in yesterday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The team’s leader in assists and points has been critical in keeping Detroit in the playoff race despite a bevy of injuries early on in the year.
Hronek has been Detroit’s best defenseman this year, eclipsing the offensive and defensive play of last year’s Calder Trophy winner, Moritz Seider. His 24 points rank eighth among all NHL defensemen, and his +11 rating is tied for the team lead.
While Detroit has been able to keep its head above water, long-term absences to one or both of their best players this season could be the nail in the coffin for Detroit’s playoff hopes in an increasingly tight Eastern Conference race. The Red Wings are 10th in the conference and sit three points back of a playoff spot entering tonight’s play.
Jason Zucker Out Week-To-Week
Not only will the Pittsburgh Penguins be without Jeff Petry for at least several weeks after placing him on long-term injured reserve yesterday, but now Jason Zucker is out too. Head coach Mike Sullivan explained today that Zucker is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury and will not travel with the club when they travel to Florida for tomorrow’s game against the Panthers.
Petry will be out “longer-term” according to Sullivan, though a clear timeline has not been given at this point. Neither player is expected to require surgery.
It is unfortunate news for Zucker, who was having a nice bounce-back season after two injury-riddled campaigns. He had just totaled just 18 and 17 points the last two years, numbers he had already surpassed this year with 20 points in his first 27 games. The versatile winger was playing regular minutes and had two assists in Monday’s game, including on the game-winning tally from Evgeni Malkin in the dying seconds.
For a player that has taken a lot of heat since he arrived in Pittsburgh, it looked like the 30-year-old was getting back to the player that scored 33 goals and 64 points for the Minnesota Wild in 2017-18. Unfortunately, the rebirth of that player will have to wait at least a few games as he deals with the lower-body injury.
Not only was this his best performance as a Penguin but Zucker is also a pending free agent, and a big year could set him up for a substantial payday. He’ll be 31 when the market opens next summer, coming off a five-year, $27.5MM deal he signed with Minnesota in 2018.
Montreal Canadiens Release Injury Updates
The Montreal Canadiens have updated several injury statuses, including one that fans of the team were dying to hear about. Cole Caufield will travel with the team and is available for tomorrow’s game against the Ottawa Senators. For David Savard and Sean Monahan, things aren’t so positive. Both players will be out for two to three weeks. Mike Matheson and Jonathan Drouin are listed as day-to-day, though the latter will travel with the team to Ottawa.
Caufield’s status is the most encouraging after he took a huge hit from Trevor Lewis last night that looked like it might keep him out for a while. The young forward is off to a brilliant start to the season with 16 goals and 25 points in 28 games. His continued development under head coach Martin St. Louis is one of the biggest successes of the year for Montreal, and one that will likely lead to a huge extension at some point for the diminutive sniper.
Monahan’s injury, though, is terrible for the team. Not only was he playing excellent hockey, rebounding from hip surgery nicely, but he had become one of Montreal’s top trade chips. The pending free agent could be an excellent addition for a contending team looking for center depth, but he’ll have to stay healthy. A weeks-long absence doesn’t take him off the board but will certainly cause some hesitation in teams that might have been focusing in on him as a target.
Savard is back to playing big minutes for the club this season but still doesn’t have strong results. The 32-year-old is signed through 2024-25 and has eight points through 24 games this year. While he isn’t driving play for the Canadiens, the team doesn’t have the deepest group to choose from and will be icing quite a few young defensemen in his absence.
Mackenzie Blackwood Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan
After rehabbing a knee injury for the last month, Mackenzie Blackwood is ready to get back on the ice and into game action. He’ll do it first at the minor league level, where the New Jersey Devils have loaned him on a conditioning assignment. This allows Blackwood to play a handful of games before coming off long-term injured reserve.
The 26-year-old Blackwood has struggled both to stay healthy and perform at the NHL level in recent years, with an .880 save percentage through seven appearances this season. The team’s primary goaltending spot has been firmly handed over to Vitek Vanecek, who sits 12-2-2 on the year with a .912. The most interesting part will be whether Blackwood can retake the backup spot at all, given the other young netminders in the Devils’ system.
Akira Schmid has looked calm and efficient in his six appearances, posting a .940 and going 5-1. The 22-year-old appears to be playing at a higher level than he did as a rookie last season, when he was forced to play NHL games in his first year as a professional due to all the injuries in New Jersey. The 21-year-old Nico Daws, who actually saw 25 games last year with the Devils, is also grinding away in the minor leagues waiting for another opportunity.
With the team’s newfound contender status, they can’t wait around for Blackwood to regain his form. As a pending arbitration-eligible RFA due a $3.36MM qualifying offer, there’s a real chance that this is his last year with the team. If that’s the case, and his performance doesn’t improve, a longer stint in the minor leagues may eventually be in order. Blackwood would have to clear waivers to do it, but it is no longer rebuild time in New Jersey; the team will have to make some tough decisions to push for the Stanley Cup.