Tyler Toffoli Undergoes Hand Surgery
Montreal’s injury woes have been an issue all season for them and they’ll now be without one of their top wingers for a while. The team announced following their morning skate today that Tyler Toffoli has undergone successful hand surgery and will be out of the lineup for eight weeks.
Toffoli is in his second season with the Canadiens and this one hasn’t gone anywhere near as well as his first one did. Last season, he was one of the higher-scoring wingers in the league, collecting 28 goals in 52 games while chipping in with 14 points in 22 playoff contests. But as has been the case with many Montreal players, this season has seen him struggle as he has scored just five times in 26 games with his shooting percentage down nearly 10% from a year ago.
The 29-year-old is likely to be out longer than the timeline that the team listed as that basically takes them to the All-Star Break which is immediately followed by the Olympics. Accordingly, the earliest that he’s likely to return is February 26 versus Ottawa, a little more than three weeks before the trade deadline. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek recently listed Toffoli as a trade candidate to watch for with a $4.25MM AAV for two more years after this one, a bit below market value for a top-six winger but he won’t have a lot of time to show he’s back to full strength before teams need to decide whether or not he’s worth acquiring this season.
Montreal will get a bit of help on the injury front tonight as Joel Armia returns from an undisclosed injury that has caused him to miss the last two games. However, they’re also losing another regular as Arpon Basu of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that forward Jake Evans is now listed as day-to-day and won’t suit up versus St. Louis.
Blue Jackets Place Adam Boqvist On Injured Reserve
Young defenseman Adam Boqvist has been sensational for the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, at least when he has been on the ice. For the second time already in 2021-22, that won’t be the case for at least the next week as the club has announced that Boqvist has landed on the injured reserve with an undisclosed upper body injury. Defenseman Jake Christiansen has been recalled to fill Boqvist’s roster spot for the time being.
Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in the Seth Jones blockbuster this summer, Boqvist has already shown that he will be a key piece of new-look blue line in Columbus. The eighth overall pick in 2018, Boqvist started to show why he was considered such an elite prospect with his play in Chicago last season, but has taken his game to a new level in Columbus. Boqvist is scoring at a half point-per-game pace, recording nine points in 18 games. He’s also doing so in less than 16 minutes of ice time per night. Boqvist’s six goals is among the top five defenseman in the NHL so far this season and give of those tallies have come in the past two weeks, leading all blue liners in that span. Boqvist has totaled eight points overall in his past nine games.
Unfortunately, that hot streak came to a halt on Thursday night as Boqvist was injured against the Anaheim Ducks and will now miss “at least a week” according to the team. This is Boquist second substantial injury of the season already, as he previously missed six games with an undisclosed lower-body injury in late October and early November. While Boqvist was able to ramp up his production once he returned to full strength, there is no guarantee that he will do the same this time around. Boqvist suffered a broken wrist and a concussion last season in Chicago, missing a total of ten games – which would have been more if not for the end of the regular season. Boqvist has proven his ability on the ice, just not that he can consistently be on the ice. The dilemma for Columbus will be managing his ice time and situational use if he is deemed an injury prone player with maximizing his production given his obvious offensive ability. At just 21 years old, not to mention 5’11” and under 180 pounds, the hope for the Jackets is that Boqvist can continue fill out his frame and shake the injury bug.
With Boqvist on the shelf, Christiansen will get his first shot at the NHL. An undrafted free agent who was a late-blooming puck-mover in the WHL, Christiansen has impressed in two AHL seasons since signing with Columbus. The 22-year-old has 18 points in 21 games with the Cleveland Monsters this season and has more than earned a chance to see what he can do at the top level. With Boqvist’s offense missing from the blue line, Christiansen makes sense as his replacement for the time being, but the young defenseman has a chip on his shoulder and will be looking to make a more long-term impression with the Blue Jackets.
Casey Mittelstadt Undergoes Surgery
Just as it looked like Casey Mittelstadt was ready to take the next step in his NHL career, disaster has struck. The 23-year-old forward has been out for most of the regular season so far, playing in just one game at the beginning of the year and three more in recent days. Now, after suffering another injury, the Sabres have announced Mittelstadt underwent successful surgery today and is out indefinitely. The club hopes he will play again this season.
It’s been a difficult road for the eighth-overall pick from 2017. Mittelstadt recorded just 39 points in his first 114 NHL games, which were spread out over three seasons. The dynamic playmaker from the University of Minnesota and the U.S. World Junior team was nowhere to be found, as the speed of the professional game swallowed his creativity. Last season, it seemed to be finding a way out, as Mittelstadt recorded 10 goals and 22 points in 41 games. Not the game-changing presence some expected him to become, but a good start for a young player finding his NHL legs.
Now, things have been set back in a big way. Mittelstadt has competed just four times in the first two months of the season and faces another long recovery period. The three-year contract he signed in September that had a chance to be a huge bargain for the Sabres is now a complete unknown once again, with it unclear when he’ll be back in the lineup.
To this point, Mittelstadt has just one goal and no assists on the season. Hopefully, he’ll get a chance to increase those totals by the end of the year.
Goalie Notes: Bernier, Korpisalo, Fucale
The New Jersey Devils have placed Jonathan Bernier on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, meaning Akira Schmid is on his way up to the big leagues. Bernier last played on December 3 against the Winnipeg Jets, allowing six goals on 32 shots. Overall this season he hasn’t been very busy, appearing in just ten games and posting a .902 save percentage.
Schmid meanwhile has been outstanding for the Utica Comets, posting a .944 and 8-0-2 record in ten games. The 21-year-old netminder is in his first year of professional hockey after spending the last few seasons in the USHL, but looks like the transition will be no problem for his 6’5″ frame. Should Schmid get a chance to play, it would be his NHL debut.
- Speaking of goaltenders making debuts, Daniil Tarasov has been sent back to the AHL after playing in his first three NHL games. The young netminder was up while Joonas Korpisalo dealt with a non-COVID illness, which he has now recovered from. Korpisalo was activated from injured reserve and will resume his duties alongside Elvis Merzlikins in the Columbus Blue Jackets net. That is of course unless the team makes a trade at some point, one that looks even more likely now that Tarasov has shown he can handle things at the NHL level. The 22-year-old posted a .936 save percentage in his three appearances.
- Zach Fucale made his own NHL debut earlier this season with the Washington Capitals, posting a 21-save shutout after a long minor league career. He’s back up with the Capitals again, recalled as a precaution with a back-to-back coming up. The team has been dealing with COVID protocols and injuries all season, so having a third goaltender with the group gives them a little insurance in case the worst happens.
Joel Farabee Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury
Dec 4: Farabee has been moved to injured reserve, giving the team room to recall Jackson Cates from the AHL. Cates, 24, made his NHL debut last season after signing out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth and has been playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this year.
Dec 3: The Philadelphia Flyers’ nightmare season rolls on, this time with another injury to a key player. Joel Farabee suffered an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night and will be out on a week-to-week basis. Farabee was not at practice today and the team has recalled Max Willman and Connor Bunnaman under emergency conditions.
Farabee left in the first period of the game after falling awkwardly into the boards, holding his left arm gingerly at his side. To that point, he was tied for the team lead in goals with seven, though his overall impact has been stifled like many of the Flyers forwards this season. With 10 points in 21 games, he was on pace to just barely crack his previous career-high, set at 38 points last season in just 55 games. That doesn’t mean the team won’t miss him though, as he’s still one of the few bright spots in the lineup as they navigate a brutal seven-game losing streak.
The Flyers will likely be going through drastic changes to the core if this season continues the way it has gone so far, but Farabee isn’t going anywhere. The 21-year-old signed a six-year extension in September that will carry a cap hit of $5MM through the 2027-28 season. His continued development is key for the organization and long-term injury would only hinder that. Hopefully, he can get back on the ice in the coming weeks without needing surgery or missing a huge chunk of the season.
Snapshots: Guentzel, Trade Bait, DeBrusk
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Jake Guentzel for the next little while, as head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that the sniper will be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Guentzel is having another outstanding season with 15 goals and 27 points in just 24 games.
The 27-year-old forward now sits at 136 goals and 284 points through his first 323 career games, even closer to point-per-game production if you include his playoff performances. On a team that has some of the most recognizable players in the league, Guentzel sometimes doesn’t get the credit he deserves as one of the league’s premier offensive players. Losing him, especially just as things are starting to roll for the Penguins, will be a difficult thing to deal with.
- TSN revealed its first Trade Bait board for this season compiled this time by new insider Chris Johnston. Ben Chiarot of the Montreal Canadiens tops the board, as one of the few impact defensemen that will be available at the deadline this year. As Johnston notes, players like Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson were once expected to hit the market this year, but the Anaheim Ducks are playing well enough now that that may not be the case.
- One of the other players on that list is Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk, who was the focus of one of Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts. The Bruins are “definitely willing” to trade DeBrusk according to Friedman and are “unafraid to take a chance” on a younger player in return. They won’t just sell off DeBrusk because of his public trade request.
Jujhar Khaira Released From Hospital; Out Indefinitely
Last night, after a scary hit that sent him to the ice unconscious, Chicago Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khaira was taken to a nearby hospital and monitored overnight. After extensive testing, he has been discharged and returned home. The Blackhawks have announced that though he suffered a significant injury, Khaira is expected to make a full recovery. There is no timeline for his return to play.
The hit, which was delivered by Jacob Trouba of the New York Rangers, did make contact with Khaira’s head, but also drove directly through his core. It was not penalized, but Trouba did end up fighting Riley Stillman soon afterward.
Chicago has made several roster moves following the game. Mike Hardman and Philipp Kurashev have been recalled, while Wyatt Kalynuk and Ian Mitchell have been sent back to the AHL. Mackenzie Entwistle, who was on injured reserve, has been activated and sent down.
Three Players Out Tuesday For Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators will play Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings with an injury-hampered lineup. Per the team, goalie Juuse Saros and defensemen Matt Benning and Mattias Ekholm are all unavailable for the tilt against Detroit.
Saros and Ekholm are both out with non-COVID-related illness, a growing trend across the NHL as cold and flu season hits. Benning is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Benning played all of Nashville’s last game, a win against the Montreal Canadiens. He had an assist in 15:51 of ice time. The nature of the upper-body injury is unknown.
The losses of Saros and Ekholm are tough to swallow. Saros has once again been the rock of this Predators team that still finds itself in playoff contention with a .921 save percentage in 20 games played. Ekholm, while he hasn’t produced much on the scoresheet (just five assists), is second on the team in ice time per game (23:18).
David Rittich gets the start in goal in place of Saros, while call-up Connor Ingram will serve as the backup. Ben Harpur and Philippe Myers re-enter the lineup in place of Benning and Ekholm.
Neal Pionk Placed In Concussion Protocol
The Winnipeg Jets weren’t going to have Neal Pionk for the next two games as he was given a suspension yesterday, but he will be out even longer than that. Pionk is in the concussion protocol according to team reporter Mitchell Clinton, and will not play tonight or travel with the team to Seattle and Vancouver this week.
Injured on a hit from Jason Spezza which triggered an in-person disciplinary hearing for the Maple Leafs forward, it’s unclear how long Pionk will actually be out of the lineup. For his part, Spezza faces a suspension that could eclipse five games, though that won’t be announced until later this afternoon (the hearing is ongoing as of this writing). Importantly, this injury sustained by Pionk will be considered and his absence could result in a longer suspension.
In his three years with the Jets, Pionk has turned into one of the team’s most important players, averaging over 22 minutes a night this season. His 16 points in 24 games lead all Winnipeg defenders, while he is just five hits behind Adam Lowry for the club lead in that category as well. The 6’0″ defender is no stranger to the rough stuff, having racked up more than 135 hits in each of his three full seasons in the league.
Rasmus Sandin, Mitch Marner Placed On Injured Reserve
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a new look lineup tonight, as several roster moves were made this morning to deal with notable injuries. Rasmus Sandin and Mitch Marner were both placed on injured reserve, while Joey Anderson was sent back to the minor leagues. Alex Biega, Kristians Rubins and Alex Steeves have been recalled. At today’s morning skate, Travis Dermott was also absent, while Petr Mrazek was back with the NHL group after his short AHL conditioning stint.
Sandin faces a few weeks on the shelf thanks to a Neal Pionk hit that earned a two-game suspension yesterday. Chris Johnston explained on TSN radio yesterday that the young Maple Leafs defenseman is expected to miss two to three weeks, but it looks more like three to four now according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet. That’s probably a good outcome given how serious the injury appeared, but it will still throw off the strong season Sandin was having as a full-time player.
Marner meanwhile could be out a week or two, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The star forward collided with a teammate in practice a few days ago and has missed the last two games, both losses for the Maple Leafs. The team seemed a bit out of sorts without their top playmaker, who also logs big minutes on the powerplay and penalty kill. Marner had 21 points in 24 games before the injury. Both he and Sandin will need to miss at least seven days from when they last played.
Remember, the Maple Leafs are also going to be down Jason Spezza after his in-person hearing with the Department of Player Safety is concluded this afternoon. Spezza retaliated for the Pionk hit by targeting the Winnipeg Jets defenseman with an ugly check of his own, and faces the possibility of a much longer suspension.
It appears as though both Rubins and Steeves will be making their NHL debuts this evening,