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Injury Updates: Panthers, Avalanche, Sabres Goalies, Watson

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The Panthers are in a battle for first place in the Central Division but will be without a few regulars for a little while.  The team announced (Twitter link) that goalie Chris Driedger has been ruled out for the rest of the road trip which takes him out for the next three games though he isn’t expected to be out much longer than that.  Winger Patric Hornqvist is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Meanwhile, winger Carter Verhaeghe isn’t expected to play on the trip either, notes David Wilson of the Miami Herald.  As a result, Florida entered tonight’s game down two of their top four scorers plus their top netminder statistically.  Between that and Carolina holding two games in hand, the Panthers will have their work cut out for them if they want to secure that top seed.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram and winger Logan O’Connor have both suffered setbacks in their recoveries from upper- and lower-body injuries respectively, reports Mike Chambers of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Byram was recently taken off the COVID-Protocol Related Absences (CPRA) List but his injury preceded his placement there.  As for O’Connor, he has been out since the end of March.  Both players are now listed as week-to-week.
  • On the other hand, Colorado is set to get several key regulars back as com’s Rick Sadowski mentions that wingers Mikko Rantanen and Joonas Donskoi plus goalie Philipp Grubauer could all return to the lineup on Friday. Those three were on the CPRA list until recently as well and would undoubtedly provide a boost to the Avalanche’s lineup as they look to chase down Vegas for the top seed in the West.
  • The Sabres are unlikely to have goaltenders Linus Ullmark or Carter Hutton return this season, reports Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. Ullmark has not yet resumed skating after suffering a lower-body injury two weeks ago while interim head coach Don Granato noted that Hutton recently had a setback after resuming skating as he worked his way back from a leg issue.  That means that Dustin Tokarski and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will likely remain Buffalo’s tandem for the rest of the year.
  • The Senators have ruled out a return for winger Austin Watson this season, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). Watson suffered a wrist injury back in late March, one that carried a four-to-six week recovery time and it appears it will be the latter with him not returning.  He wraps up his first year with Ottawa with 10 points, 40 penalty minutes, and 100 hits in 34 games.

Joonas Korpisalo Out Rest Of Season

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have nothing to play for except pride (and a better draft pick) at this point, after losing nine straight and falling to the bottom of the Central Division standings. Several key players have been ruled out for the rest of the season and now another joins that list. Joonas Korpisalo will not play again this year after suffering a lower-body injury on Sunday. It is not clear if it is a long-term injury, but he will not play again in 2020-21.

The team also announced a handful of other moves. Liam Foudy has been recalled from the AHL, and Matiss Kivlenieks has been brought up from the taxi squad under emergency conditions. Daniil Tarasov has been added to the taxi squad and Cliff Pu is on his way back to the AHL.

Korpisalo, 26, didn’t have the kind of season many expected, posting an .894 save percentage through 33 appearances for Columbus. Those struggles, along with the team’s make an obvious case for the Blue Jackets to move on from the Finnish goaltender in the offseason. Both Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins are on contracts that will expire at the end of next season, leaving them unrestricted free agents able to sign anywhere. If they could get anything in return for Korpisalo, who carries a $2.8MM cap hit, it seems prudent.

Of course, that may be easier said than done. Though he was a strong performer in the 2019-20 season, Korpisalo doesn’t have a very encouraging body of work over his NHL career so far. In 160 appearances he has recorded a .905 save percentage, fluctuating wildly from one season to the next. The potential is there to be a legitimate starting goaltender—he showed that last season when he was selected to the All-Star Game—but it has too rarely shown itself. An acquiring team would need to believe in him and want to extend him past 2021-22 in order for the Blue Jackets to really get much value in trade, especially now coming off an injury.

Thatcher Demko Injured, Canucks Recall Arturs Silovs

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As if the Vancouver Canucks hadn’t been hit with hard enough luck this season, a case of bad timing has now struck the team. According to multiple sources, including The Province’s Ben Kuzma, starting goaltender Thatcher Demko was injured at morning skate on Monday. The Canucks had been well-prepared all season for the absence of one of their NHL goalies, with top prospect Michael DiPietro waiting in the wings on the practice squad. However, with DiPietro having not played in a game all season, the team finally decided to assign him to the AHL’s Utica Coments – on Sunday, less than 24 hours before Demko’s injury. Now, with no timetable for Demko’s return and  DiPietro over the border and at least seven days from being eligible to re-join the roster, the Canucks enter a stretch of four games in six nights (repeated in each of the next three weeks) with backup Braden Holtby and untested recall Arturs Silovs in net. Eight points back of the Montreal Canadiens for a playoff spot in the North Division, but with five games in hand, can the Canucks’ new tandem keep them in the race?

Fortunately, Holtby appears to shaken off a difficult start to his Vancouver career and has been terrific of late. In three starts since the Canucks returned from their COVID layoff, Holtby is 3-0-0 with seven goals allowed on 107 shots for a save percentage of .935. The veteran netminder knows how to handle pressure and the hope is that he can shoulder the load with Demko sidelined and help lead the Canucks to some much-needed points as they make up their missed games.

However, with four back-to-backs scheduled before the end of the season, including Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Silovs will likely have to play at some point before Demko can return or DiPietro can be recalled. A 2019 sixth-round pick, Silovs has played just one pro game in North America, suiting up for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for one game in February. The Latvian keeper has played pro back home, including on loan earlier this season, and spent last season in the OHL. At no point in his career has Silovs produced eye-popping numbers, but with good size and a variety of experience he is still considered a good prospect. Vancouver may need him to be more than that though and adjusting to the NHL could prove difficult for the 20-year-old.

With that said, Kuzma writes that the team is still unsure of the extent of Demko’s injury and there is still a chance that he may only be out day-to-day. If that isn’t the case, and Demko is out longer than a week, they could also decide that it is worth it to recall DiPietro from Utica. Either way, assistance should be on the way at some point. In the meantime though, every point is crucial and Holtby and Silovs will have a lot of pressure facing them during this busy stretch.

Noah Hanifin To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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After sustaining a shoulder injury on the weekend, Noah Hanifin’s season is over. The Calgary Flames confirmed that Hanifin will require season-ending shoulder surgery, ending what has been a rollercoaster season for the 24-year-old defenseman.

One could argue that Hanifin has been the team’s best defenseman this season, though it certainly hasn’t been all rosy for the former Carolina Hurricane. Hanifin has 15 points through 47 games and at one point had the longest streak in the league without allowing a goal against, but there have also been times where he has looked overmatched taking on the opponent’s best. Calgary as a group has shown moments of dominance among a sea of ineptitude this season but is amazingly still within striking distance of the final playoff spot in the North Division.

Because they sit just four points behind the Montreal Canadiens, it’s hard not to see this as anything but a disaster for the Flames. Hanifin averages more than 20 minutes a night for the team, contributes on both special teams, and is one of only three regular Calgary defensemen with any offensive upside.

Without him, the team will be forced to look elsewhere for help on the blue line. Michael Stone has played in 12 games this season and Oliver Kylington has played in six. One of those two will likely have an expanded role, but it’s hard to rely on either at this point.

It is not clear exactly what Hanifin’s timeline looks like right now, with the Flames set to provide more information later this week.

Andrew Shaw Announces End Of Playing Career

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After suffering another concussion in February, Andrew Shaw is going to call it a career. The Chicago Blackhawks forward has announced that he will hang up his skates based on the recommendation of the team’s medical staff. The team fully supports the move to prioritize his long-term health.

Importantly, nowhere in the press release does the word “retire” appear, as Shaw has another year left on his current contract. Official retirement would mean he forfeits the $2.9MM he is set to earn next season. Instead, he will likely be moved to long-term injured reserve whenever the Blackhawks need some extra cap flexibility.

Shaw was an integral part of two different Stanley Cup runs for the Blackhawks, winning in 2013 and 2015. The hard-nosed forward was occupying a checking center role at that point while also contributing a bit at the offensive end. His career-high in points actually came during the 2018-19 season with the Montreal Canadiens when he scored 47 in just 63 games, but that kind of output was never really his calling card in Chicago.

Overall, Shaw will finish his career with 247 points in 544 regular season games, but none of that will compare to a single moment. In 2013, the Blackhawks were in triple overtime in game one of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins. After some dirty work in the corner to free up the puck, Shaw tipped a Michal Rozsival shot (well, technically tipped a Dave Bolland tip) past Tuukka Rask to put Chicago up 1-0 in the series.

It’s never easy when a 29-year-old player is forced to retire due to injury, much less when it is concussion-related. But Shaw has already accomplished a lot in his career and will be able to focus on his health moving forward knowing that he is a Stanley Cup champion.

Central Notes: Blue Jackets, Stamkos, Galvas, Reichel

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With the regular season slowly coming to an end, there have been plenty of speculation regarding what the Columbus Blue Jackets intend to do about their coaching situation. While the team still has head coach John Tortorella under contract, that deal will expire at the end of the season and so far there hasn’t been a new extension, suggesting the team may be looking in a different direction.

In his most recent mailbag, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes while there is no guarantee that Tortorella is on his way out as the team could easily choose to re-sign him, the growing suggestions that the team will instead bring in former coach Gerard Gallant is highly unlikely. Gallant, who has become quite a big-name coach since leaving Columbus, could command a salary in the $4MM range, something the Blue Jackets likely would never meet with the scribe adding that the $2.5MM that Tortorella is making could be one of the reasons why Columbus may be looking for a new coach for 2021-22.

In fact, Portzline suggests that one candidate who could have some merit as a coaching candidate is former Columbus player Luke Richardson.

  • Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said that forward Steven Stamkos remains on schedule with his recovery from a lower-body injury, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith. While the initial diagnosis stated that he needed seven to 10 days, it’s already been eight days, suggesting he will not be ready to return on time. However, Cooper said that with three weeks left before the playoffs, Stamkos will be ready. He added that Nikita Kucherov also remains on schedule to return by the playoffs, although he has yet to be cleared for contact.
  • The Atheltic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) writes that the Chicago Blackhawks are expected to sign a couple prospect in the coming weeks, including 2017 draft prospect Jakub Galvas. The defenseman must sign a contract before July 1 or the team loses his rights. He has spent the last two years playing in the Liiga and has scored four goals and 27 points combined over two seasons. Powers adds that the team is also working to sign their 2020 first-round pick, German forward Lukas Reichel, to an entry-level deal. Reichel has 10 goals and 27 points in 38 games in the DEL this season.

North Notes: Senators Goalies, Scheifele, Oilers

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The Ottawa Senators seem to be running short on goaltenders. That became apparent Saturday when scheduled starter Anton Forsberg suffered an injury during warmups, forcing Matt Murray into net against the Canucks. However, Murray got tangled up with Jake Virtanen early in the second period and was forced to leave the game himself, leaving Marcus Hogberg as the only remaining goaltender.

In a unusual scare, Hogberg and Nikita Zaitsev collided within 10 seconds of Hogberg’s appearance in the game, scaring the coaching staff. Hogberg was OK and finished out the game, but with no emergency backup goalie in place due to COVID-19 restrictions, who would have taken Hogberg’s place had he been injured?

The Athletic’s Ian Mendes (subscription required) writes that while the team did consider goaltending coach Zac Bierk, but the team settled on putting the pads on Artem Anisimov, who was on the taxi squad, instead.

Murray is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

  • Much of the Winnipeg Jets season could find itself in the reaction of center Mark Scheifele, who was benched in the middle of Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Scheifele was benched for 17 minutes during the second and third periods while being on the ice during John Tavares’ goal, which gave the Maple Leafs a two-goal advantage. Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe writes that the team needs Scheifele to be at his best and the benching on national TV was meant to make a point. However, it is up to Scheifele and how he will respond. He was given a chance to return to the ice in the third period and performed well, according to Wiebe, although the star did not speak to the press after the game.
  • Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Tippett said that defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is expected to make his Oilers’ debut on Monday, according to Sportsnet’s Jack Michaels. Kulikov was acquired at the trade deadline for a conditional 2021 fourth-round pick and has sat out the mandatory quarantine period. Tippett added that rookie Ryan McLeod has also completed his quarantine period since being recalled from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. The coach said McLeod was likely to play on Monday as well at the center position. The 21-year-old had 14 goals and 28 points in 28 AHL contests.

East Notes: Ovechkin, Penguins, Hart, Lafreniere

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The Washington Capitals were without star forward Alex Ovechkin, who missed his first game Saturday (due to injury) since May 5, 2015 due to a lower-body injury. His ability to stay healthy throughout his career is one reason why many people believe that the 35-year-old has a chance to break the goals scored record (held by Wayne Gretzky). However, the forward will be a game-time decision on Tuesday against the Islanders as well, according to NHL.com.

“I think with some injuries, you don’t know what’s going to go on, whether somebody’s going to be available or not available and that’s why I think people say ’day to day’, because they’re unsure,” Washington coach Peter Laviolette said Saturday. “Will he be there for the next game? I’m not sure at this point, so we’ll err on the side of caution at this point in the season. We’re not going to risk anything as we head towards the playoffs, but hopefully he continues to improve.”

Ovechkin left late in the third period of Thursday’s game with the Islanders due to the injury. He has 24 goals in 43 games this season and sits sixth on the NHL all-time goals leaders with 730, just one short of tying Marcel Dionne.

  • Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said (via the Penguins) that injured players Evgeni Malkin, Brandon Tanev and Frederick Gaudreau all skated Sunday morning with the taxi squad. While the coach admitted they all are making progress, he said their status with the team has not changed. Malkin has been out with a lower body injury since March 16. Tanev has appeared in just two games since March 18 with an upper-body injury, while Gaudreau has been out since April 11 with a lower-body injury.
  • With just nine games remaining in the Philadelphia Flyers season, Philadelphia Inquirer’s Ed Barkowitz writes that one of the key things to watch is the return and the play of young goaltender Carter Hart. However, head coach Alain Vigneault has not indicated when Hart will return from the mild knee sprain he suffered on April 15, suggesting it might be a bit longer before he returns to the ice. The team is 1-2-1 without him since the injury.
  • The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that New York Rangers rookie Alexis Lafreniere looked impressive Friday when he was promoted to the top line next to Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich when Chris Kreider sat out, scoring a goal and an assist in the process. The scribe writes that the team might benefit during the final stretch of games remaining this season to see what Lafreniere can do on the top line.

Zack Kassian Listed As Week-To-Week

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The Oilers will be without winger Zack Kassian for the next little while as head coach Dave Tippett told reporters, including TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link) that the veteran is listed as week-to-week after suffering a lower-body injury early in Wednesday’s game against Montreal.

It has been a tough year for the 30-year-old who also missed time with an upper-body injury sustained in a fight that cost him 17 games.  As a result, Kassian has been limited to just 27 appearances this season where he has struggled offensively, notching just two goals and three assists while averaging only 11:51 per night, his lowest ATOI since his rookie season.  Of course, he is more well-known for his physicality and he has delivered at that end, ranking third on the team in hits per 60 minutes at 13.68.  Having said that, it has not been the year he or Edmonton had hoped for, especially with him being in the first season of a four-year, $12.8MM contract.

Kassian joins Jujhar Khaira (concussion) and Joakim Nygard (undisclosed) as forwards that are injured which means that James Neal, who was recalled on an emergency loan earlier in the week, could stay on the active roster for a little while longer.  On the surface, with only 11 healthy forwards on the roster and veterans Tyler Ennis and Kyle Turris being on the taxi squad along with winger Patrick Russell and prospect Ryan McLeod, it would seem that one of those players would be recalled.  However, with only $278K in LTIR room remaining, per CapFriendly, they can’t afford to bring anyone else up unless someone else is transferred to LTIR which could force them to dress seven blueliners for the time being.

Zach Bogosian Out Minimum Of Four Weeks

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The Toronto Maple Leafs had played the same six defensemen for nearly two months straight until recently but now may have to look for a new mix. Zach Bogosian went down with a shoulder injury in Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks and head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Kristen Shilton of TSN that after further evaluation, the veteran defender will miss a minimum of four weeks.

That means Bogosian will miss the rest of the regular season and could even be out of the picture for the first few games of the playoffs. Rasmus Sandin has played the last two games for the Maple Leafs after an early-season foot injury and last night paired with Travis Dermott on the third pair. Bogosian’s injury could mean a longer runway for the young Sandin, but it also could potentially open the door for trade deadline addition Ben Hutton.

This kind of injury is exactly why the Maple Leafs added Hutton, though losing Bogosian certainly isn’t an ideal situation. One of only two right-handed shots on the active roster, the 30-year-old had been strong in his limited role. Penalty killing and a physical presence are exactly why Toronto added the Stanley Cup champion, and Bogosian provided both while averaging under 15 minutes a night.

Interestingly, the Maple Leafs could now move Bogosian’s $1MM salary on long-term injured reserve retroactive to when he last played. Normally after the trade deadline that doesn’t provide a huge bonus, but there is still at least some thought that Frederik Andersen will be healthy enough to play before the end of the year. Activating him is tricky at the moment given how little cap space they have, but perhaps the team can find a creative way to get around that. If Bogosian is placed on LTIR he would have to miss a minimum of 10 games, meaning he would not be able to return before the end of the year.

It is incredible just how injury-prone Bogosian has been throughout his career. After playing 81 games in his sophomore season as a teenager, he hasn’t been able to total more than 71 in a single year. In fact, only once since that second season has he even played in more than 65, with just 689 total across his 13-year career.

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