Metro Injury Notes: Capitals, Rangers, Hurricanes
The Washington Capitals took the ice for practice this morning, and there were a few takeaways on the injury front. A report from Sammi Silber of The Hockey News indicated that forward Ethen Frank had returned to skating in a non-contact jersey, while defenseman Rasmus Sandin has been fully cleared for contact.
Additionally, Silber shared that center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who’s considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury, did not join the team for practice. All around, it’s mostly positive news for the Capitals, given that Frank and Sandin are the only two currently on the team’s injured reserve.
Since he hasn’t played since October 21st, Sandin has missed the most time of the trio. He’s tallied two assists in seven games for Washington this year, averaging 19:24 of ice time per contest. Meanwhile, Frank hasn’t played since the Capitals’ game on October 28th against the Dallas Stars after being reverse-hit by Mikko Rantanen. Despite the play looking relatively scary, it appears that Frank is on track to return sooner rather than later.
Other injury notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Peter Baugh of The Athletic provided updates on a pair of injured New York Rangers. Baugh reported that defenseman Urho Vaakanainen is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury and wasn’t on the ice for practice this morning. However, in a positive update, Baugh shared that Vincent Trocheck has returned wearing a non-contact jersey. Although Baugh didn’t comment on a potential return for Trocheck, it at least shows that a return is on the horizon. He’s currently on the team’s long-term injured reserve and hasn’t played since October 9th.
- The injury news isn’t as positive for the Carolina Hurricanes. According to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, defensemen Jaccob Slavin and K’Andre Miller have yet to return to practice for the Hurricanes. It’s another blow to a defensive core that’s been devastated by injuries to begin the 2025-26 campaign. Still, despite the unlikelihood of Miller playing in Carolina’s next game, he’s not expected to miss much more time.
Sharks Shake Up Lineup With Wlliam Eklund Out, Timothy Liljegren Back
The San Jose Sharks will once again shake up their lineup in the hours ahead of gametime. Top winger William Eklund is out with a lower-body injury, while Timothy Liljegren wil lreturn from a short-term absence, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The Sharks will operate with 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Sunday, with Ethan Cardwell stepping into the bottom-six for rookie Michael Misa.
Few players would be harder to lose than Eklund. He ranks second on the Sharks with five goals and 11 points through 12 games, only behind Macklin Celebrini (seven goals, 18 points). Eklund has averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time through the early season, and played as much as 25:29 in a recent overtime win versus the Minnesota Wild. He’s returned as a core piece of the Sharks offense this season, after posting a career-year with 17 goals and 58 points in 77 games last season. His role in the lineup, and performance on the scoresheet, both continue to grow.
That will leave San Jose with an important decision as they reshape the lineup. Collin Graf should be the biggest beneficiary, moving into a top-six that also features Tyler Toffoli and Philipp Kurashev in heavy-use roles. Graf has only scored three points in 11 games this season, but his lack of offense could be offset by Kurashev, who has a dazzling seven points in his last four games.
Still, the need to replace Eklund’s offense makes the decision to scratch Msia all the more confusing. The reigning second-overall pick had a three-game point-streak between October 21st and October 26th, though hasn’t managed any scoring in his last two games. He has, however, offered up a 52.6 percent faceoff win-rate, third-highest among Sharks centers. Misa has experience at center, and on the wing, and could have been an interesting bet for top-six minutes in light of Eklund’s injury. Instead, San Jose will turn towards depth forward and grinder Cardwell, who has four points and 10 penalty minutes in seven AHL games. Cardwell was recalled on Sunday morning in a corresponding move to Ryan Reaves‘ placement on injured reserve.
The Sharks will find a silver lining in the return of Liljegren, who has served in a top-pair role for much of the season. Liljegren has only scored three points in nine games, but he and D-partner Dmitry Orlov have posted the best goal-differential of any Sharks pairing at even-strength. Getting him back into the fold after just one game out will be a major relief. Liljegren exited Saturday’s game in the first period, after a puck was deflected into the bunch and hit him in the face.
San Jose will return Liljegren to the lineup alongside rookie Sam Dickinson, who will play in his 10th game of the season. Dickinson hasn’t yet found his first NHL point through nine games. He should be rotated into favorable situations, while Liljegren steps back into an important role next to Orlov.
Flyers’ Tyson Foerster Out, Sean Couturier Returns
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that winger Tyson Foerster will miss Sunday night’s game versus the Calgary Flames with a lower-body injury. Foerster played through Philadelphia’s Saturday loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but will now need to miss at least a few days. Head coach Rick Tocchet said Foerster will need to miss at least a few games, per Charlie O’Connor of All PHLY Sports.
Foerster will be replaced by the return of Flyers captain Sean Couturier, who sat out on Saturday after leaving Thursday’s game in the first period. Couturier sustained an upper-body injury after a shot from teammate Noah Juulsen caught him up high.
The Flyers will trade one top scorer for another with this news. Couturier has managed nine points in 10 games this season, more than any other Flyer except for Trevor Zegras, who has 13 points in 11 games. Foerster ranks third on the team in scoring, with seven points in 11 games. But while Philadelphia won’t lose much firepower with this swap, they will need to shuffle their lines around to fit their top-center back in. Couturier is expected to take over Zegras’ role centering Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov, while Zegras fills Foerster’s role on the second-line wing. This shuffling will notably benefit Noah Cates, who should solidify a top-six center role for the time being.
Despite three games of four-or-more goals, the Flyers offense has only averaged 2.67 goals-per-game across their last week, and three games, of action. Bringing back top playmaker Couturier and spreading their top scorers across multiple lines could be enough to turn those tides. They face a hot-and-cold matchups over their next five game, with matchups against the bottom-dwelling Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators offset by bouts with the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Edmonton Oilers.
Sharks Recall Ethan Cardwell, Place Ryan Reaves On IR
The San Jose Sharks have placed winger Ryan Reaves on injured reserve and used the spot to recall winger Ethan Cardwell, per the NHL roster report and Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Reaves sustained a lower-body injury in Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. He sat out of Saturday’s win over the Colorado Avalanche. Now, Reaves will also be forced to miss at least the next two games.
The Sharks have spent the season rotating 16-year-pro Reaves in-and-out of the lineup with reigning second-overall pick Michael Misa. Reaves has racked up two goals, two fights, and a minus-three through 10 games. He’s already matched the two points he scored in 35 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. Reaves is a pure physical presence, and ranks sixth among all active players in career penalty minutes (1,110).
Cardwell will now step up to fill Reaves’ rotating role on the fourth line. He has managed two goals, four points, and 10 penalty minutes through seven AHL games this season. That production ranks Cardwell fifth on the San Jose Barracuda in scoring. Two players ranked above him have more NHL experience – Cameron Lund, who played in 11 NHL games last season, and Colin White, who has 323 NHL games to his name. The Sharks opt for Cardwell over either of those two, likely thanks to his persistence for making plays in the dirty areas of the ice. That drive, and a chippy style, would be welcome on San Jose’s fourth line.
But first, Cardwell will have to break into the lineup. Misa should keep his stake in the lineup with Reaves out. The rookie has generated three points and 11 shots on net over his last five games. He’s also posted an impressive 58.3 faceoff percentage on 24 draws. Should that production be enough to keep Misa in, Cardwell would be left sparring with Ty Dellandrea and Barclay Goodrow for bottom-line minutes.
Cole Smith Out Three-To-Six Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
The Nashville Predators announced today that forward Cole Smith has suffered an upper-body injury and will be out with a three-to-six week recovery timeline. The Predators also announced that captain Roman Josi, who remains out on a week-to-week timeline with his own upper-body injury, has been placed on injured reserve.
Smith was limited to just 1:55 time-on-ice during the Predators’ victory over the Calgary Flames yesterday, leaving the game after he was on the receiving end of a hit from Flames grinder Ryan Lomberg. It’s an unfortunate development for Smith, who had started off the season well, scoring three goals in 13 games. Smith scored just four goals in all of 2024-25.
The 30-year-old winger is a player who has worked his way into a steady fourth-line NHL job as an undrafted former college free agent. While he’s never been much of an offensive producer, Smith brings valuable physicality and penalty-killing ability to the table. Smith has played a role Nashville’s the penalty kill dating back to 2022-23, his first full-time NHL campaign, and he took on a more central role there after the departures of Tanner Jeannot and later Yakov Trenin. Smith led all Predators forwards in short-handed ice time each of the last two seasons, and ranks second behind Michael McCarron through 13 games this season.
As a result, the loss of Smith for the next few weeks will be felt most prominently on the Predators’ penalty kill. Despite a poor all-around season, Nashville’s shorthanded operation ranked as the seventh-best in the NHL in 2024-25 and ranks sixth so far this season. This injury therefore costs one of the league’s top penalty kills one of its most important contributors.
Veteran Ryan O’Reilly ranks fifth among Predators forwards in short-handed ice time per game this season and could end up seeing his usage on that unit rise as a result of Smith’s injury. It’s also possible that a younger player such as Fedor Svechkov or Ozzy Wiesblatt, who have each seen sporadic use on the penalty kill, could get a longer look on the unit in Smith’s absence.
Looking at yesterday’s game as a clue, Wiesblatt took Smith’s spot alongside McCarron on the Predators’ top shorthanded unit after Smith left the game. He finished with just over two minutes of ice time on the penalty kill. That’s the most shorthanded ice time he’s played in a single NHL game so far in his young career, and it could indicate that Wiesblatt will get a chance to play that role moving forward while Smith recovers.
Injury Notes: Benson, Strome, Nylander
Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson has been among the team’s best players in this early portion of the 2025-26 season, but despite his brilliance, he’s had some trouble staying on the ice. Injuries forced Benson to miss the first three games of the Sabres’ season, and since his return the club has bounced back from its 0-3-0 start to record a 5-4-3 record. They’ll have to sustain that momentum without Benson, though, as the forward was placed on IR yesterday with a lower-body injury. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff provided some more detail on Benson’s absence, via Buffalo Hockey Beat’s Bill Hoppe, stating that Benson is likely to miss just a week and therefore isn’t likely to see his absence extend beyond the timeline mandated by his IR placement.
Ruff did note, per The Hockey News’ Michael Augello, that Benson has been managing his injury for the past few games, and it’s gotten to the point where he’s unable to play and needs that time to recover. Benson has been very good to start the season, registering eight assists in eight games. He had occupied a spot on the Sabres’ top line and first power play unit, and in response to Benson’s absence, Ruff shook up the lines for the team’s shootout victory last night. The player who Buffalo recalled to take Benson’s spot – 2021 first-rounder Isak Rosen – scored his first NHL goal to give the Sabres a lead late in the first period of yesterday’s game.
Other injury updates from around the NHL:
- While the Sabres were forced to manage the absence of one of their top scorers in yesterday’s game, the Washington Capitals dealt with the reverse: the return from injury of one of their top offensive talents. Center Dylan Strome made his return last night after a lower-body injury cost him the chance to play in two Capitals contests. Strome is Washington’s most important center, and he led the team in scoring last season. The 2015 No. 3 overall pick scored 82 points in 82 games last season, has 11 points in 10 games this year, and also scored a goal last night in Buffalo.
- Toronto Maple Leafs star winger William Nylander missed another game due to his lower-body injury. The 29-year-old has been managing the injury for some time, his classification originally beginning as a game-time decision on Oct. 27 before deteriorating to an “out” designation for each of the Maple Leafs’ last two games. Nylander has been Toronto’s best player early this season with 15 points in nine games. While last night was a difficult one for Toronto sports overall, the Maple Leafs managed to register a strong 5-2 win in Nylander’s absence.
Late Night Notes: Tanev, Makar, Wutzke
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev was taken out of Saturday night’s game on a stretcher, following a collision with Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov halfway through the third period. It wasn’t clear exactly where Tanev took the bump, though he was fitted with a head immobilizer.
It is a terrible outcome in what was meant to be Tanev’s first full game back from a previous injury. He was activated off of injured reserve earlier on Saturday, after missing 11 days and four games with a concussion sustained on October 21st.
Tanev remained a core part of Toronto’s blue-line prior to his October 21st injury. His plus-three through seven games is the second-highest among Toronto defenders. He also leads the blue-line with four takeaways on the year.
Toronto could be pushed to recall Dakota Mermis, who was assigned to the AHL to make room for Tanev’s return. Mermis has no scoring through one appearance in the NHL, and two in the AHL, this season. He could continue to fit outside the lineup, should Toronto continue leaning on Philippe Myers and Simon Benoit in a nightly role.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- The Colorado Avalanche have assigned forward Taylor Makar to the AHL. Makar made his NHL debut on Saturday. He posted one hit and no shots in just six minutes of action. The night was also Taylor’s first chance to play alongside brother Cale Makar at the NHL rank. Despite playing for the same junior and college programs, the two hadn’t formally played together, largely thanks to Cale being three years Taylor’s senior. With this move, the younger Makar will now return to the AHL ranks, where he’s already accrued four points and 14 penalty minutes in nine games. He’s playing through his rookie AHL season, after earning a five-game sample in the league following the end of his senior year last season.
- Minnesota Wild goalie prospect Chase Wutzke has been traded in the WHL. He moved from the Red Deer Rebels to the Moose Jaw Warriors in a lofty trade – with one first-round, two second-round, one third-round, and two fourth-round draft picks headed back to Red Deer. Wutzke will bring starting upside to the Warriors. He’s posted a .889 save percentage in nine games so far this season, a that mark sits above both of Moose Jaw’s goaltenders. That should earn Wutzke the starter’s crease sooner rather than later, and give Moose Jaw one more piece to help push towards a long season.
Evening Notes: Liljegren, Dubois, Fensore
San Jose Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren exited the team’s Saturday win over the Colorado Avalanche in the first period after a deflected puck hit him in the face while he was on the bench. The injury looked painful, but Liljegren isn’t expected to miss the long-term with a serious injury, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka.
Liljegren recorded seven minutes of ice time and a minus-one before exiting. The injury forced an end to a red-hot streak for the veteran defender. He scored three points across his last three games, prior to Saturday, and averaged over 24 minutes of ice time across his last five. He’s begun to show some sea legs after being thrust to the top of a young Sharks blue-line in the early season. Liljegren and defense partner Dmitry Orlov have outscored their opponents three-to-one – the best mark on San Jose blue-line. That will make him tough to replace, even though he’s only managed three assists in eight games.
The Sharks are currently carrying Sam Dickinson and Vincent Iorio as their extra defenders. Right-shot Iorio would likely be the preferred fill-in, though Warsofsky wouldn’t committ to either defender yet.
Other notes from around the league:
- It seems the Washington Capitals have avoided serious injury with centerman Pierre-Luc Dubois, who sustained an injury in Friday’s game against the New York Islanders. He’s been designated as out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Dubois was playing his third game back from a previous injury that held him out for two weeks. His struggles to find the scoresheet stuck around, though, pulling the reigning 66-point scorer through a sixth game with no scoring this season. He will miss Washington’s Saturday match against the Buffalo Sabres, but should return to his hunt for a score in the first week of November.
- With K’Andre Miller nearing a return from injury, the Carolina Hurricanes have assigned defenseman Domenick Fensore back to the minor-leagues. Fensore played in his first game of the NHL season, and third of his career, on October 28th. He recorded two shots on net and a minus-two. He’s been far more productive in the AHL, where his seven points in four games still leads the Chicago Wolves in scoring, despite the team playing two games without him. Fensore will now return to his cushy top-defender role, where he’ll look to bolster a Wolves offense that’s only scored three goals across their last three games.
Kings Place Warren Foegele On IR
The Los Angeles Kings have moved forward Warren Foegele to injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The move is retroactive to Foegele’s last appearance on October 26th, making him eligible to be reactivated as soon as November 2nd. It seems he’ll be out for longer than that, though, with head coach Jim Hiller telling Mayor’s Manor that Foegele “isn’t close”.
Foegele was injured on an awkward hit into the boards from Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno. The hit seemed to jam up Foegele’s shoulder, though his injury hasn’t been specified beyond “upper-body”.
This absence brought an end to a 174-game ironman streak that Foegele had been riding since the 2023-24 season. He posted a career-year in his first year with the Kings last season, setting a career-high 24 goals and 46 points while averaging 16 minutes of ice time. Both his role, and his production, have dwindled this season. He has just one goal in 10 games on the year, while averaging 13 minutes.
His role has been much more defensive-oriented. The line of Foegele, Phillip Danault, and Trevor Moore has recorded the second-lowest expected-goals-against per-60 (xGA/60) of any routine Kings line. That hard-nosed, high-IQ, and defensive style has underscored Foegele’s game even as he struggles to find the back of the net.
The Kings have turned towards Jeff Malott, Alex Turcotte, and Joel Armia to fill Foegele’s minutes. Malott has one goal, and Turcotte has one assist, in two games in that span. The Kings have been better helped by 40-year-old winger Corey Perry, who has three goals, four points, and a plus-five since Foegele’s injury. That surge has helped move focus away from the Kings’ bottom-six, and away from less-experienced company filling in. Los Angeles is likely to continue rotating through depth wingers as they wait for more news of Foegele’s timeline.
Of note, the Kings opted to move Foegele to IR, and clear a roster spot, after placing defenseman Kyle Burroughs on waivers. The move leaves them with an open spot that could be used to recall the Ontario Reign’s leading scorer, Taylor Ward, or prospects Andre Lee or Francesco Pinelli.
Bruins’ Elias Lindholm Out Multiple Weeks
Bruins center Elias Lindholm will miss at least a few weeks with the lower-body injury he sustained in Thursday’s overtime win over the Sabres, head coach Marco Sturm told reporters today (including Adam Pellerin of NESN). He’s having an MRI today to more finely pinpoint the severity and recovery timeline.
Boston is not making a corresponding recall from AHL Providence at this time, Sturm said. They had 14 healthy forwards on the active roster, so they still have a healthy extra on hand with Lindholm sidelined. John Beecher will enter the lineup on Saturday against the Hurricanes after serving as a healthy scratch in three straight games and sitting out 10 of 13 contests this season, according to Sturm.
Lindholm was involved in a knee-on-knee collision with Buffalo forward Jordan Greenway near center ice just short of the halfway point of regulation. He needed assistance from trainers to leave the ice and didn’t return to the game.
Now in his second season in Boston, Lindholm has been stapled in as the Bruins’ top-line center with David Pastrňák on his right wing since opening night. They’ve had a rotating cast of left-wingers that’s included Marat Khusnutdinov and Pavel Zacha, but have mainly been deployed with Morgan Geekie at 5-on-5. Lindholm, 31 in December, is averaging 17:42 per game and has won 57.5% of his faceoffs. He’s fourth on the club with nine points (four goals, five assists) in 13 games, but despite his line’s offensive success, they’re giving up far more than they’re generating. He has a -3 rating while Geekie and Pastrňák have a -5. The trio has controlled just 38.1% of expected goals, by far the worst in the league among the nine forward lines that have spent over 100 minutes together this season, per MoneyPuck. They’ve been outscored 8-4 and out-attempted 134-103.
Boston’s offense has come out of the gates slightly better than expected, sitting just around league average at 3.31 goals per game. That’s largely been fueled by an early-season shooting bender from Geekie, who’s tied for the league lead with nine goals and is finishing at a 33.3% clip. Losing his middleman isn’t great news, but it won’t be the worst opportunity for Sturm to trial different names in the first-line pivot spot between him and Pastrňák to try and boost their two-way numbers. It will be Khusnutdinov getting the first crack at the job, according to the team’s Belle Fraser, fresh off an overtime winner against the Sabres.
With Lindholm out for at least seven days, the Bruins can retroactively place him on injured reserve if they need a roster spot. With over $1.6MM in cap space, they won’t need to do anything other than that to facilitate a recall.