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Injury

Toronto’s Jake Muzzin Out Week-To-Week With Broken Foot

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The injury hits keep coming in Toronto. Already having announced Friday that Trevor Moore would be out indefinitely with a concussion and then announcing Saturday morning that Ilya Mikheyev is out for at least three months due to a wrist laceration, the Maple Leafs announced that defenseman Jake Muzzin is out week-to-week with a broken foot.

“Week to week at this point,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. “They need a little more time to get more tests done to determine the full extent of it.”

Keefe told reporters that Muzzin suffered the injury during the first period of Friday’s overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils. However, Muzzin stayed in the game and played 20:59 during the game. Teammate Justin Holl (via Toronto Sun’s Terry Korshan) said that Muzzin told him during the game that he believed he had broken his toe.

The injury also explains the team’s roster moves earlier today. After the team announced Mikheyev’s injury, it recalled two players, including forward Kenny Agostino as well as defenseman Timothy Liljegren. Now that the team has revealed Muzzin’s injury, it helps explain Liljegren’s recall as he will help fill in on the blueline, although his NHL debut will have to wait as The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel reports that the team will use defenseman Martin Marincin to fill in for Muzzin.

Muzzin is second on the team in ATOI, averaging 21:21 and has three goals and 13 points in 38 games and a plus-eight with the Maple Leafs.

Jeff Skinner To Miss Three-To-Four Weeks

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Friday night was a tough one for the Sabres.  They struggled in a 3-0 loss to Boston and in the process, they lost one of their top offensive threats as the team announced that winger Jeff Skinner will miss the next three-to-four weeks due to an upper-body injury.  The injury occurred early in the third period in a collision with Boston winger David Pastrnak.

Skinner is only a year removed from scoring 40 goals although that production hasn’t quite carried over to this season.  He currently sits fifth in team scoring with 11 goals and eight assists through 39 contests which isn’t the point total they were hoping for when they signed him to an eight-year, $72MM deal back in June.

Nonetheless, it’s another blow to Buffalo’s forward group which has multiple players out already and has seen several others struggle this season.  GM Jason Botterill is known to be shopping multiple defensemen for help up front and while this injury could help a deal like that along, they’ve also lost some leverage with other teams in the process.

After a strong start to the season, Buffalo has won just one of their last six games and have dropped out of a playoff spot in the process with all of the teams battling with them for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the Atlantic having games in hand on them.  Now they’ll be forced to try to get back in without one of their better offensive players for the next little while.

Brent Seabrook, Calvin De Haan Out For The Season

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Friday: In an update, the Blackhawks announced that both Seabrook and de Haan have undergone successful surgery. The recovery timeline for de Haan will be four to five months, while Seabrook’s will be revealed after he undergoes additional surgeries on his hips.

Thursday: The status quo in Chicago will shift dramatically when the team returns to action. The Blackhawks have announced that two of their starting defensemen will miss the remainder of the season due to injury. Both Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. Seabrook will also have surgery on both hips. The duo have been placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve.

This singular announcement means that one-third of the Blackhawks’ starting blue line is now out of action for the rest of the year. Seabrook and de Haan are not exactly offensive dynamos, combining for just ten points so far this year. However, their defensive presence will be missed. De Haan leads the team in both hits and blocked shots, and Seabrook is among the the best on the team in both categories as well. The pair also chew up considerable minutes, with each averaging nearly 20 minutes per game this season. While Chicago is not without hope on the back end, with Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy, Olli Maatta, sand Erik Gustafsson still present on a deep unit, but these losses will nevertheless still be felt.

Also on the sidelines for Chicago is Brandon Saad, announced as missing the next three weeks with a right ankle injury. Saad, while underwhelming so far this season, is still the Blackhawks’ second-leading goal-scorer and fifth in points on the team. With the Blackhawks already in the basement of the Central Division and now missing Saad for several weeks and Seabrook and de Haan for the rest of the year, today’s announcement will more or less mark the end of Chicago’s season, barring an unexpected boost in the absence of their established veterans.

Injury Notes: Kupari, Mantha, Blackhawks

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Los Angeles Kings fans hoping to get a glimpse of the future at the World Juniors won’t get to see one of their top prospects play for Finland anymore. Rasmus Kupari has left the team after suffering an injury in the opener. John Hoven reports that Kupari suffered a serious knee injury and will likely be out “months.”

Not only is that terrible news for the Finnish team who are already missing Anton Lundell, but Kupari’s absence will adversely affect the Ontario Reign as well. In his first season in North America, Kupari has six goals and eight points in 27 games for the Reign. The 19-year old forward was selected 20th overall in 2018.

  • Anthony Mantha will be out for at least four weeks with his upper-body injury, which has to do with his ribs, not his head. The Detroit Red Wings forward was injured when he got into an altercation with Jake Muzzin against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now will have to wait at least a month to continue his strong season.
  • If you were wondering whether Brent Seabrook would ever really make it back to the Chicago Blackhawks blueline after being ruled out for the rest of this year, Jeremy Colliton has your answer. The head coach told reporters today including Scott Powers of The Athletic that he expects both Calvin de Haan and Seabrook to be ready for training camp in 2020. The Blackhawks icon is having several surgeries and will have a long road back to the NHL.

Trevor Moore Out Indefinitely With Concussion

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have given an update on the mysterious condition of forward Trevor Moore, announcing that he will be out indefinitely with a concussion. Moore had only returned from his previous shoulder injury for a single game, but then was pulled back out of the lineup after more symptoms emerged. The team will now have to move forward without him, though they have been finding plenty of success with his replacements so far.

Moore, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing in 2016 after starring at the University of Denver and quickly developed into a reliable option for Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, who was then coaching the Toronto Marlies. In his first professional season Moore scored 13 goals and 33 points in 57 games, a total he matched the next season before performing at an incredibly high level in the Marlies’ Calder Cup championship run.

Last year the speedy forward made his debut in the NHL and was hard to take out of the lineup, even if the offensive production didn’t completely follow. After the beginning of this season Moore now has 13 points in 47 career NHL regular season games, but will have to wait for his next chance.

In the meantime, the Maple Leafs are red hot under Keefe and have found real contributors in players like Ilya Mikheyev and Pierre Engvall. Toronto will start a back-to-back tonight against the New Jersey Devils,

Joel Armia, Paul Byron Out “Week-To-Week”

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The Montreal Canadiens have been struck with some more bad injury news, as head coach Claude Julien told reporters including Eric Engels of Sportsnet that both Joel Armia and Paul Byron will be out on a “week-to-week” basis. Armia was injured on Monday night against the Winnipeg Jets, while Byron hasn’t played since the middle of November. The team will get one forward back however, as Jesperi Kotkaniemi is expected to play tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Armia, 26, has been an absolute bargain for the Canadiens since being acquired in a salary dump in 2018. Montreal took Steve Mason and his hefty contract from the Winnipeg Jets and proceeded to buy the goaltender out, but ended up with a depth forward who had just set career highs with 12 goals and 29 points. Right away Armia was a huge addition for the Canadiens, changing the look of their penalty kill while also providing some much needed secondary scoring. Though last season was also cut short to injury, he still provided 13 goals in 57 games.

This year has been even better, with Armia scoring at the best pace of his career. With 12 goals in 35 games he trails only Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher for the team lead, while his 21 points put him fifth among Canadiens forwards. His presence in all situations will be missed dearly, especially as Montreal tries to keep pace with the red hot Toronto Maple Leafs and make up some ground on the bruised Boston Bruins.

Torey Krug Placed On Injured Reserve

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After sustaining an upper-body injury on December 23rd, Torey Krug has been placed on injured reserve. The Boston Bruins have recalled Steven Kampfer from the minor leagues to take his place under emergency conditions. Krug left the game on Monday after taking a hard hit from Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, though it is not clear exactly what the ailment is at this point.

If Krug misses any significant time, the Bruins will have to find other ways of moving the puck quickly to their talented forwards. The 28-year old has been one of the most consistent offensive defensemen in the league the last several years and had 26 points in his first 33 games this season. That included 14 powerplay assists, a spot that the Bruins will need to find a replacement for as well.

Obviously the exit of Krug doesn’t completely torpedo a Bruins team that sits firmly in first place in the Atlantic Division, but the group had already shown cracks in their armor recently. Boston is just 2-4-4 in their last ten games and do have a hard-charging Toronto Maple Leafs team now within nine points. The ship needs to be righted at some point, and losing Krug certainly doesn’t help.

Prospect Notes: WJC Injuries, Groulx, Mysak

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The World Junior Championship began today and it took just 53 seconds for the first notable injury to occur. Czech Republic forward Jakub Lauko (BOS) was sandwiched between two Russian checks within the first minute of this morning’s game (video). Lauko’s right knee buckled from knee-to-knee contact on the first hit and as he he fell there was knee-to-knee contact on the second hit, not to mention shoulder-to-chest and head-to-ice. Lauko struggled off the ice and did not return. He was later seen watching the game with his right knee taped and using crutches. After the game, head coach Vaclav Varada indicated that it was an MCL injury for Lauko and that the early expectation is that he will miss the rest of the tournament. The host Czechs escaped with the win against the Russians, but will struggle without Lauko, one of the top forwards on a shallow unit up front. Lauko has eight points in 18 games with the Providence Bruins in his first pro season.

Team Finland also suffered a blow in the first game of their title defense and it wasn’t just the loss to rival Sweden. Rasmus Kupari (LAK) suffered a left knee injury in the third period on an awkward check that sent him airborne (video). Kupari was helped off the ice and did not return. Early indications is that it is a serious injury. Kupari had eight points in 27 games with the AHL’s Onatio Reign prior to the injury but now one has to wonder if his first season in North America is now over, ended by the overseas tournament. Fortunately for Kings fans, the team still leads all NHL teams in WJC participants, even with Kupari’s absence.

  • Benoit-Olivier Groulx (ANA), the final cut from Team Canada’s WJC roster, will be on a new team when QMJHL action resumes. The Moncton Wildcats have announced that they have acquired the former Halifax Mooseheads captain in exchange for a 2021 first-round pick and second-round picks in 2020 and 2022. Groulx, a second-round selection of the Anaheim Ducks in 2018, had 41 points in 28 games with Halifax prior to the trade and will look to keep that momentum going with his new team. The skilled, two-way center is a major addition for Moncton, who currently hold the third-best record in the league and have their eyes on a Memorial Cup berth this season.
  • 2020 NHL Draft prospect Jan Mysak made a splash in his WJC debut, named the player of the game for the Czech Republic versus Russia. The young winger is a dynamic offensive talent who has flown somewhat under the radar due to his participation in the Czech pro league instead of a more recognizable locale. However, many expect that by the end of the tournament he will have assured any doubters that he is worthy of his first-round billing. Meanwhile, older brother Josef Mysak didn’t want to miss out on the headlines. Mysak, a defenseman in the NAHL, has committed to play college hockey at Niagara University. The elder Mysak becomes the first graduate of HC Litvinov, the program that both he and his brother grew up in, to play in the NCAA, while Jan could become the first to be drafted in the first round of the NHL Draft.

 

Five Key Stories: 12/16/19 – 12/22/19

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The days leading up to the NHL’s Holiday Roster Freeze are always full of potential for big moves by teams looking to make a change before a stretch of mandatory inactivity. This year did not disappoint, as the biggest target on the rental market was dealt, highlighting a busy week. Here are the five biggest stories of the past week:

Taylor Hall Traded To Arizona: The week started with a bang, as the Taylor Hall saga came to an end with a trade to Arizona. The Coyotes sent a 2020 first-round pick, a conditional 2021 third-round pick, and prospects Nate Schnarr, Nick Merkley and Kevin Bahl to the Devils. New Jersey retained half of Hall’s $6MM cap as well. Hall was the top name in the rental market this season, but many were left underwhelmed by the trade return. The asking price may have been affected by Hall’s reluctance to negotiate an extension in-season, which he has maintained since arriving in the desert. Nevertheless, the Coyotes’ acquisition could make them the favorite to win the Pacific Division this year as they pursue the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

Ilya Kovalchuk Leaves Kings: Veteran Ilya Kovalchuk is on the move as well, but his destination is yet to be determined. He and the Los Angeles Kings came to a mutual agreement on a contract termination on Monday, with Kovalchuk clearing unconditional waivers on Tuesday. The former superstar never fit with the Kings after returning from the KHL and could be tempted to return to Russia after this failure. However, he is reportedly willing to sign a minimum deal to remain in the NHL as he too is pursuing his first Stanley Cup, without much time left in his lengthy career.

Eric Comrie, Stefan Noesen Claimed: Three players entered the waiver wire on Wednesday and two emerged on new teams. Both goaltender Eric Comrie and forward Stefan Noesen were claimed on waivers. For Comrie, he returns to the Winnipeg Jets, the team with which he began the season, after making stops with the Arizona Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, Noesen only signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins a few weeks ago, but is already on the move to the San Jose Sharks. Austin Czarnik, the most accomplished player waived on Wednesday, but also the most expensive, was not claimed and remains with the Calgary Flames.

The Injury Bug Bites: Injuries are not exactly an uncommon occurrence in the NHL, but this week in particular took a heavy toll across the league. Just how bad was it? Here is the list of players who were announced this week as being out long-term: Josh Anderson, Danny DeKeyser, Troy Terry, Derek Grant, Andrew Peeke, Ryan Murray, Darcy Kuemper, Jason Zucker, Josh Leivo, Brandon Saad, Cal Clutterbuck, Anthony Mantha, and Oliver Bjorkstrand. 

Chris Snow Diagnosed With ALS: Calgary Flames Assistant General Manager Chris Snow has been diagnosed with ALS, as disclosed by his wife in a public letter. As Snow begins this difficult battle, we here at PHR wish he and his family the best this holiday season.

 

Columbus’ Oliver Bjorkstrand Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have placed Oliver Bjorkstrand on injured reserve as the forward is expected to miss four to six weeks due to a rib/cartilage contusion with an oblique strain, an injury he received during the team’s 5-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Bjorkstrand suffered the injury in the third period of the game when he was cross-checked by the Devils’ Damon Severson. He left the game and did not return. It’s a severe blow for an injury-plagued team. The team now has seven players on injured reserve and 10 total players injured, including Josh Anderson (shoulder), Cam Atkinson (lower body), Emil Bemstrom (ribs), Brandon Dubinsky (wrist), Sonny Milano (upper body), Ryan Murray (lower body), Markus Nutivaara (upper body), David Savard (illness) and Andrew Peeke (hand).

The injury is even more significant that he has been red-hot recently, having scored four goals in the last five games and moved into a tie with Pierre Luc-Dubois for the scoring lead with 12 goals, two of which came during Saturday’s victory over the Devils. Bjorkstrand has 12 goals and 23 points and was on target to break career highs in several categories. The 24-year-old is also tied for 17th in the NHL with 122 shots.

The team has recalled Nathan Gerbe from the Cleveland Monsters on an emergency basis. The 32-year-old veteran hasn’t played in the NHL since appearing in two games during the 2017-18 season, but the quick-moving veteran has eight goals and 25 points in 30 games for the Monsters.

 

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