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Penguins’ Bryan Rust Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will once again be without top-line winger Bryan Rust, who head coach Mike Sullivan listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Josh Yohe of The Athletic. Rust left the team’s Thursday matchup against Anaheim in the second period, after taking a big hit from Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas. Rust has already missed seven games this season. He was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury two separate times in October.

Rust has continued to stand as one of Pittsburgh’s top forwards, and a fantastic compliment to superstar Sidney Crosby, this season. He has 19 goals and 38 points in 43 games, putting him on pace for 36 goals and 72 points. Both marks would be career-highs for Rust, who so far hasn’t managed more than 28 goals (set in 2023-24) and 58 points (set in 2021-22) in a single season.

That’s largely thanks to a perennial challenge with the injury bug. Through his 11 years in the NHL, Rust has only managed to appear in more than 65 games three times. He was still finding his way to top-end scoring for the first two occurrences – the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, when Rust only scored 38 points in 69 games and 35 points in 72 games respectively. He scored a bit more in his healthiest season: the 2022-23 campaign, when he scored 46 points in 81 games – but that year still stands out as a cold spell amid Rust’s string of 50-point seasons. This season could be Rust’s chance to finally couple top-end scoring with routine ice time, but those odds are waning as he approaches 10 absences on the year.

Blake Lizotte will likely draw back into the lineup in Rust’s absence when the Penguins visit the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Lizotte has rotated into the team’s fourth line throughout January, but he hasn’t recorded a point since the holiday break. His last point came via a goal in Pittsburgh’s December 23rd win over Philadelphia, giving Lizotte a 13-game scoreless streak headed into the weekend. The Penguins will have to spread time around with a top-line option unavailable, which could be the setup Lizotte needs to get this monkey off his back.

Hurricanes’ William Carrier Out Long Term After Surgery

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1/24: After receiving a second opinion, Hurricanes forward William Carrier has moved forward with surgery to address his lower-body injury. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour has shared that the forward will be out “long term” after the procedure, per Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer – at least two months, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. The team is hoping that he’ll return this season.

1/16: Hurricanes winger William Carrier is seeking a second opinion on how to proceed in his recovery from the lower-body injury that’s kept him out for nearly two weeks, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.

It’s an inauspicious start to Carrier’s tenure in Carolina after he inked an eye-popping six-year, $12MM deal with heavy trade protection in free agency last summer. The 30-year-old grinder hasn’t returned to the heights of his 16-goal, 25-point campaign in 56 games with the Golden Knights in their Stanley Cup-winning 2022-23 campaign. He’s been limited to four goals and nine points through 39 appearances with the Canes, similar production to the injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign that, in part, led Vegas not to pursue re-signing him aggressively.

Regardless of whether or not he undergoes surgery to address the issue, it’s likely he’s facing another lengthy stay on the shelf. Carrier was on IR for nearly half the campaign last year with upper-body issues, so while his current problem isn’t related, it still indicates a rapidly growing proneness to injury. It’s not unsurprising for how the gritty Quebec native plays, already racking up 136 hits to lead Carolina by a huge margin with 18.01 per 60 minutes.

Before landing on the shelf, Carrier had been ridiculously effective, even if he wasn’t scoring. He’s replaced the injured Jesper Fast on the Canes’ third line alongside Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal for much of the campaign, with the trio controlling 65.8% of expected goals at even strength, per MoneyPuck.

His and Tyson Jost’s continued absence will provide increased opportunities for depth wingers like call-up Juha Jaaska, who has an assist and a plus-one rating through his first seven NHL games over the past couple of weeks.

Islanders’ Noah Dobson Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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Jan. 24: The Islanders placed Dobson on injured reserve Friday, per Daily Faceoff. The transaction opens a roster spot for defenseman Tony DeAngelo should he clear return waivers on Saturday after signing a one-year deal with the Isles for the remainder of the season.

Jan. 23: Dobson has been upgraded to week-to-week with his right leg injury, which evaluation revealed will not require surgery, an Islanders spokesperson told Denis P. Gorman of Newsday on Thursday.

Jan. 21: Star Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson has no timetable for a return from the lower-body injury he sustained in Monday’s win over the Blue Jackets, the team told Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News and NHL.com. Dobson had to leave the contest after falling awkwardly on his lower right leg and ankle while attempting a check on Columbus center Cole Sillinger, although he skated off under his own power.

Dobson will likely be placed on injured reserve at some point before Friday’s game against the Flyers, which will give them the roster space to recall an extra defenseman. Scott Mayfield figures to slide up into a top-four role at even strength in the interim, while Ryan Pulock could see an uptick in ice time by taking Dobson’s spot on their top power-play unit.

New York has failed to keep pace in the wild card race, sitting one game below .500 and seven points back of the Bruins for the second Eastern Conference spot. The Athletic still gave the Isles a 17% chance of rebounding and making up that ground with 36 games remaining, but that number drops at least a couple of percentage points with their most valuable defenseman set to miss multiple weeks.

Dobson hits pause on his 2024-25 season with six goals, 18 assists, 24 points and a minus-eight rating over 46 appearances, translating to a 0.52 points-per-game rate that’s a sharp dropoff from last year’s career-best 0.89. That can partially be explained by the Islanders’ dismal power play, tied with the Ducks for last in the league at 12.5%. 24 of his 70 points last season came with a man advantage, but he’s on pace for half that PP point total this year. Dobson remains the team’s leader in average time on ice (24:01), shots on goal (143), and takeaways (28), so it’s not all bad for the 25-year-old.

Injuries haven’t yet cost Dobson significant time in his six-year NHL career, but that looks to change now. He’s never missed more than four games in a single season due to a non-illness-related injury, but he could easily miss more than twice that before the Isles’ schedule pauses in early February for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The injury also comes in a contract year for Dobson, who’s ticketed for a big raise on his current $4MM AAV as a pending restricted free agent. The 6’4″ righty has 143 points in 203 games over the life of his current three-year bridge deal and will likely argue for at least doubling his salary on a long-term deal.

Devils’ Jacob Markstrom Out 4-6 Weeks With Knee Sprain

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Jan. 24: Markstrom’s absence will likely stand in the four-to-six-week range, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast. That keeps him out of the 4 Nations tournament and potentially up until the trade deadline, but all indications point to him being back between the pipes for the stretch run.

Jan. 23: A frightening situation from last night’s game against the Boston Bruins has worsened for the New Jersey Devils. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported that Devils’ goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been diagnosed with a knee sprain and could be sidelined until after the 4 Nations Face-Off, which concludes mid-February.

Weekes states that the diagnosis is more favorable than anticipated, but it adds insult to injury for a team that has struggled recently. Bruins’ forward Justin Brazeau collided with Markstrom early in the second period of yesterday’s game, causing the Swedish goaltender to awkwardly hit his net. Markstrom exited the game after 23:09 of action, having stopped six out of seven shots.

After managing three straight wins against intra-divisional opponents in mid-December, New Jersey has amassed a 3-6-3 record in their last 12 games falling to third place in the Metropolitan Division. It’s difficult to blame Markstrom for the rough patch given he’s managed a respectable .907 save percentage over the same span. Throughout the regular season, Markstrom has been exactly what the Devils needed with a 21-9-5 record in 36 starts with a .910 SV% and 2.20 goals-against average.

While Jake Allen may not be as skilled as Markstrom, he is certainly a better option than many backup goaltenders. This season, he has started 14 games for New Jersey, recording a 6-8-1 record with a .901 save percentage and a 2.66 goals-against average. New Jersey only has seven games between now and the end of February’s international tournament so he won’t have too much to shoulder. Although it may be challenging to count on Allen to steal wins for the Devils, he remains a capable veteran goalie.

In addition to the impact of Markstrom’s injury on the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference playoff race, it could pose a significant challenge for Team Sweden. The team is already facing the potential unavailability of Linus Ullmark due to his injury status, and Filip Gustavsson has struggled with a .839 save percentage over his last four starts, which has not instilled much confidence. Multiple sources indicate that Philadelphia Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson would be called to fill the role if neither Markstrom nor Ullmark can participate in the Four Nations Face-Off because of injury. 

Boston Bruins Recall Michael DiPietro

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Michael DiPietro, American Hockey League All-Star for the Providence Bruins, will get his first look on the bench with the Boston Bruins this evening. The Bruins announced they’ve recalled DiPietro from their AHL affiliate to fill in for Jeremy Swayman as he deals with a minor injury.

Still, aside from an injury to Joonas Korpisalo or a lopsided affair against the Ottawa Senators, DiPietro will have to wait to debut with the Bruins. Should he be needed; however, it will be exactly three years to the day that DiPietro last suited up in an NHL contest.

Boston acquired DiPietro from the Vancouver Canucks in the 2022-23 season as a part of the package that sent Jack Studnicka to British Columbia. He spent much of that year for the Bruins’ ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners, posting a 19-9-0 record in 29 games with a .918 save percentage.

DiPietro hasn’t looked back since becoming a full-time netminder with AHL Providence. He split the net with Brandon Bussi last season posting an 18-9-2 record in 30 games with a .918 SV% and 2.51 goals-against average, including four shutouts. For better or for worse, Providence tasked Bussi with playoff duties despite DiPietro’s marginally better output, and they were ousted in four games against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The Windsor, Ontario native is still sharing the net with Bussi this season albeit starting a few more games. DiPietro has already been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team with a 14-5-4 record in 22 games with a .930 SV%. Not only is DiPietro leading Providence in save percentage by a large margin, he sits second only to Devin Cooley in the entire AHL for netminders that have started in 20 or more contests.

Golden Knights’ William Karlsson Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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11:31 a.m.: Laczynski has been recalled from AHL Henderson along with winger Brendan Brisson, the team announced. The pair of recalls indicates both Karlsson and Schwindt have been placed on IR. This is the first recall for the 23-year-old Brisson since October, after he went pointless in seven games to begin the year. The 2020 first-rounder has struggled with just four goals and 14 points in 31 AHL games since his demotion.

10:48 a.m.: The Golden Knights announced Thursday that center William Karlsson will be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Karlsson, 32, also missed the first eight regular season games with an undisclosed injury. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote this morning that there’s been a lingering injury bothering Karlsson that could prevent him from suiting up for Sweden in next month’s 4 Nations Face-Off, so it stands to reason the two are related.

One of three players remaining on Vegas’ roster from their inaugural season, Karlsson has operated as the Knights’ third-line center when healthy in 2024-25. With the reduction in role has come a slight decrease in minutes, with his 17:11 ATOI clocking in as his lowest during his Vegas tenure by a slight margin.

Likely due to a combination of his reduction in power-play usage and his nagging injury, this season has been a tough one for Karlsson offensively. He’s scored seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points through 38 games, down sharply from last year’s resurgent 30-goal, 60-point campaign.

Karlsson has remained valuable to Vegas in other ways. He’s winning faceoffs at a career-best 58.9% rate, leading the team. He also grades out as their top defensive forward this season, recording team-best marks at even strength in CF% (54.8) and GA/60 (1.8), the latter of which only leads Knights forwards.

The alternate captain’s absence is a big one for the Golden Knights, who will likely turn to Nicolas Roy to increase his minutes at even strength and on the penalty kill to compensate. Roy’s point production isn’t dissimilar to Karlsson’s this season, but his defensive play is a sizeable downgrade. Vegas allows 3.2 GA/60 at even strength with Roy on the ice, and his Corsi share while shorthanded is the worst among the team’s regular penaltykillers.

Vegas has a full active roster, and they also received news Tuesday that depth forward Cole Schwindt carries a week-to-week designation with a lower-body issue. One of them will presumably land on injured reserve today to allow the Knights to recall a forward for tonight’s game against the Blues. Tanner Laczynski, a natural center with a goal in six appearances for Vegas earlier this season, is the likeliest recall option.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Adam Lowry Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury

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The team atop the Western Conference will have their depth tested down the middle for the next few weeks. According to Murat Ates of The Athletic, Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry has been designated as week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Lowry suffered the injury in the team’s most recent game against the Utah Hockey Club after leaving the game after only skating in 5:18 of the action. The Jets will likely move Rasmus Kupari to the third line role between Nino Niederreiter and Cole Perfetti but any center combination will have difficulty replicating what the Jets’ captain has done this season.

The St. Louis, MO native has always been a natural bottom-six center, totalling over 120 hits each season of his career and maintaining a 51.4% success rate in the faceoff dot. His scoring has come up the last few campaigns as evidenced by his 0.43 point-per-game average in 2022-23 and 2023-24, and he was on pace for another career-high this year with a 0.54 PPG pace.

Unless another player succombs to injury, the Jets won’t have to place Lowry on injured reserve to add another player to the roster. Winnipeg only has 22 players on the roster at the time being so young prospects such as Brad Lambert or Nikita Chibrikov could get another look at NHL action in Lowry’s absence.

How the team performs in Lowry’s absence should answer multiple questions about the Jets’ deadline approach. Although he’s performed admirably throughout the season, it’s difficult to imagine a Stanley Cup conteder with Vladislav Namestnikov as their second line center. Winnipeg’s center depth will be even more tested without Lowry.

Avs’ Valeri Nichushkin Downgraded To Week-To-Week

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Avalanche star winger Valeri Nichushkin is now considered week-to-week after sustaining a second setback in his recovery from a lower-body injury, head coach Jared Bednar said on Altitude Sports Radio on Wednesday (via Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette).

Nichushkin last played on Dec. 31 against the Jets, leaving the game midway through the second period. Bednar said later that week he expected Nichushkin to miss seven to 10 days.

He then told reporters early last week that Nichushkin wouldn’t make it back within that window and still had a ways to go in his recovery after sustaining a setback, but he reversed course a few days ago. The 29-year-old practiced over the weekend but hasn’t been on the ice since, leading to today’s update.

Colorado has only had Nichushkin available for 21 of their 48 games. He missed the first 17 games of the campaign while serving the end of his automatic six-month suspension levied by the NHL when he was placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program during the Avs’ second-round loss to the Stars.

When available this season, Nichushkin has remained an extremely effective top-six piece. His 11 goals and six assists for 17 points through 21 games equate to 0.81 points per game, down from last season’s career-high 0.98 but still fifth on the team.

The Avalanche have a 14-7-0 record with Nichushkin in the lineup in 2024-25 compared to a 14-12-1 mark without. Nonetheless, his reputation as one of the league’s premier two-way wingers hasn’t held up in his small play sample. His 51.2 CF% at even strength is right in line with the team’s average, so while he’s stayed above water, he hasn’t had an overtly positive impact on the team’s puck possession.

Nichushkin, signed through 2030 at a $6.125MM cap hit, remains on the active roster. However, he can be retroactively placed on injured reserve anytime to open a roster spot if necessary.

While Colorado’s forward corps is healthier than it’s been for a good chunk of the season, they’re still without bottom-six energy winger Miles Wood, who hasn’t played since late November because of an upper-body injury. Captain Gabriel Landeskog remains sidelined due to the multiple right knee surgeries that have kept him from playing since the team’s 2022 Stanley Cup win but has become a more frequent participant in morning skates in recent days.

Ducks’ Brock McGinn Out For Season Following ACL Surgery, Trevor Zegras Activated

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Jan. 22: The Ducks announced later Tuesday that forward Trevor Zegras, who’d missed the last six weeks after undergoing right knee surgery, was activated from injured reserve. McGinn was already on IR and Anaheim had an open roster spot, so there was no corresponding transaction. Zegras suited up in last night’s game against the Panthers, recording a minus-two rating and four shots in 15:48 of ice time. His point totals remain at a sluggish four goals and six assists through 25 appearances.

Jan. 21: Ducks winger Brock McGinn underwent successful ACL reconstruction surgery in Los Angeles last week, the team announced. McGinn has a seven-to-nine-month recovery window as a result, ending his 2024-25 campaign and putting his availability for the start of the 2025-26 regular season in jeopardy.

McGinn, a pending unrestricted free agent, last played on Dec. 23 against the Golden Knights. The 30-year-old left that game in the first period after awkwardly twisting his knee while attempting to throw a check. It didn’t appear he’d miss too much time after skating off under his own power and initially being termed day-to-day by the club, but he’ll now finish the season hurt for the third time in his three seasons in Anaheim.

A second-round pick of the Hurricanes back in 2012, McGinn’s tenure in Southern California has been riddled by injuries. He first missed the final four regular season games of the 2022-23 campaign with an upper-body issue after being acquired from the Penguins at the trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. McGinn then missed over half of the 2023-24 season due to various injuries, including season-ending back surgery in March.

The 6’0″, 187-lb forward also missed seven games earlier this season with a lower-body issue. It’s unclear if the two are related or if a cumulative/re-aggravated knee issue led to such a major procedure being required.

Understandably, the once productive bottom six piece’s production has taken a hit in Anaheim due to his health and the team’s underwhelming roster. He’s managed only seven goals and 14 points in 65 appearances as a Duck since the 2023 trade, averaging 11:38 per game. His eight points in 26 games this year was on pace to be his best offensive showing since posting 22 points in 64 games with Pittsburgh in 2021-22, however.

While McGinn was already going to need to take a pay cut on his expiring $2.75MM AAV on the open market this summer, the injury likely locks him in as a candidate for a PTO in September. He likely won’t be cleared to resume contact until around then, so any interested teams will likely be wary of giving him a guaranteed contract earlier in the summer.

For the Ducks, McGinn’s continued absence leaves a permanent hole in the bottom six. That opening should mean more playing time for fringe youngsters like Sam Colangelo and Nikita Nesterenko in addition to veteran AHL call-ups like Jansen Harkins.

Predators Activate Cole Smith Off IR

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The Nashville Predators have activated centerman Cole Smith off of injured reserve, per Nick Kieser of Nashville’s 102.5 The Game. Smith has missed the team’s last 11 games with a lower-body injury suffered in the team’s December 21st game against Los Angeles. He appeared to be laboring through pain but managed to play through the final seconds of regulation time in that matchup – before not skating for the team’s eventual overtime win. Smith was placed on injured reserve three days later, with a prognosis of four to six weeks. He returns right on time with this activation – exactly one month later.

Like many of his teammates, Smith has been ice-cold this season. He appeared in all 34 of Nashville’s games prior to his injury, routinely serving as the team’s third-line center. But a routine role hasn’t meant routine production – with Smith posting just five points, 20 penalty minutes, and a -9 on the year. That includes no scoring, and just one fighting major, through his last eight games. Smith won out a third-line role last season with responsible and often consistent hockey. He played in 80 games and posted 23 points – the third-most of any Predators forward to average below 14 minutes of ice time. Smith was also the most utilized forward on Nashville’s penalty kill during the 2023-24 campaign, recording 168 minutes of shorthanded ice time. He’s returned to that high-trust role this season and should once again stand as one of the team’s go-to defensive forwards now that he’s back from injury.

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