Jack Hughes Out With Dislocated Shoulder
Oct 29: The Devils have announced that after a re-evaluation, it has been determined that there were no unforeseen issues with his shoulder injury. His recovery will be evaluated again in five weeks. That means the Devils will be without their young center for quite some time, but it appears as though surgery is still not on the table.
Oct 21: Jack Hughes will be out indefinitely after suffering a dislocated shoulder, but that’s actually good news for the New Jersey Devils. The young forward will not require surgery and has begun to rehab the injury. Hughes will be re-evaluated next week, meaning he will still miss a good chunk of time, but there was fear that surgery could take away a huge chunk of the season. He has been moved to injured reserve for the time being, which comes with a minimum of seven days.
Hughes, 20, looked like a wholly different player in his first game of the season, scoring two goals and dominating play whenever he was on the ice. He suffered the shoulder injury in his second match, when Seattle Kraken defenseman Jeremy Lauzon sent him sprawling into the boards.
If he has avoided major injury it’s a huge win for the Devils, who are off to a 2-0 start as they try to show the rest of the Metropolitan Division that the playoffs are not out of the question. One of the youngest teams in the league, New Jersey has just three regulars–Tomas Tatar, P.K. Subban, and Jonathan Bernier–over the age of 30. The latter, Bernier, is also dealing with a lower-body injury and will not dress tonight. The team has recalled Nico Daws from the AHL to serve as backup tonight.
Mason McTavish Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan
When the Anaheim Ducks decided to keep Mason McTavish for the start of the season, it came with the same caveat as any other freshly-drafted player out of the CHL. If they used him for ten games, he would burn the first year of his entry-level contract and become a restricted free agent sooner than if he was sent back to junior. They also couldn’t send him to the AHL, as he’s too young to be eligible for the minor league. That is of course, unless he’s coming off an injury, as he is now. McTavish has been loaned to the San Diego Gulls on a conditioning stint as he recovers from a lower-body injury, he is also no longer listed on the team’s injured reserve.
A normal conditioning loan can last up to 14 days and any games McTavish players in the AHL will not count toward that ten-game threshold for his entry-level contract. In this case, it’s a sly way to get him some additional professional experience while not clicking up his NHL game count. It’s also a good way to get him back on track after being injured earlier this month.
McTavish, the third-overall pick in this year’s draft, had two points in his first three games with the Ducks including his first NHL goal. The 6’1″ forward plays with a physical presence but also has enough skill to contribute at the top of the lineup. Just 18, he spent last season playing in Switzerland when the OHL didn’t hold a season and hasn’t actually suited up for his Peterborough Petes since the 2019-20 season. If he sticks at the NHL level this year, it will have been a very interesting road for McTavish, who has just that one season of CHL hockey under his belt–in which he scored 29 goals and 42 points. The year before that, he was still playing for the Pembroke Lumber Kings.
For at least a little while longer, the Ducks won’t have to make the decision on whether to send him back or not.
T.J. Oshie Out Week-To-Week
The Washington Capitals have lost one of their most reliable forwards, as T.J. Oshie is now listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. As Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic tweets, Oshie blocked a shot against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night, which could have led to the injury though he did finish the game. El-Bashir adds that his sources have indicated that the veteran forward is in a walking boot and on crutches.
Losing Oshie for a chunk of the season would be a huge blow to the Capitals, who use the 34-year-old forward all over the lineup and in different situations. He has four goals and six points in his first seven games after securing his sixth career 20+ goal season in 2020-21. That 22-goal, 43-point campaign came in just 53 games, making it all the more impressive for a player that hasn’t seemed to lose a step as he enters his mid-thirties.
It’s also tough news for the team after they failed to secure the win against Detroit last night, losing in overtime after getting out to a 2-0 lead early in the second period. While the team hasn’t actually lost in regulation yet and technically sit at the top of the Metropolitan Division, they have now dropped three of their seven games in overtime. With the undefeated Carolina Hurricanes right behind them and other Metro teams starting to get healthy, losing Oshie for any length of time is obviously undesirable.
Los Angeles Kings Provide Injury Updates On Walker, Doughty
The Los Angeles Kings provided updates on two of the team’s top defensemen today that Drew Doughty has suffered a right knee contusion and will not skate for the next six weeks, while Sean Walker suffered a torn ACL and MCL and is out for the season. The team is hopeful Doughty can return to the lineup in eight weeks.
Walker tore both ligaments on Monday and will undergo surgery at a later date. His season is over after six games.
It appeared as though the 26-year-old had taken a step forward this season, in terms of performance and responsibility. He had logged more than 20 minutes of ice time in each of the three games prior to Monday’s effort, including a whopping 25:09 against the Dallas Stars last week. In the second season of a four-year, $10.6MM deal, Walker will have to work back from serious knee surgery and try to be ready for next fall.
Doughty meanwhile is obviously one of the most important players on the Kings and was off to an incredible start through his first three games. With seven points in those contests, it was a devastating blow when he collided with Jani Hakanpaa partway through the game against the Stars.
Hakanpaa was given a major penalty and a game misconduct for kneeing, but did not receive any supplementary discipline.
Eight weeks from now would suggest Doughty could be ready to return by the team’s last game before the Christmas break, though that will obviously be dependant on how he recovers and reacts once he’s back on the ice. Either way, it is likely he’ll miss upwards of 20 games due to this injury, a huge chunk of the season for a team trying to make the playoffs.
The Kings recalled Kale Clague and Austin Strand today as they work to figure out the depth chart on defense moving forward.
Nikita Kucherov Out 8-10 Weeks
The Tampa Bay Lightning made it to the playoffs without star forward Nikita Kucherov last season, and they’ll have to again operate without him for the next few months. The team has announced that Kucherov will be out approximately eight to ten weeks following a successful procedure yesterday on a lower-body injury. The team did not disclose the specific injury.
Kucherov proved he could perform at a high level in last season’s playoffs despite a long layoff, as he led all players with 32 points despite having missed the entire regular season. If Tampa wants to three-peat, he’ll have to pull off the same trick after going down three games into the year. Kucherov did have four points in those three games, but will now miss at least two months with another major injury.
The 28-year-old forward is without a doubt one of the most talented offensive players in the world, but his usual durability has been thrown out the window. From 2014-15 when he became a full-time member of the Lightning through 2019-20, he missed only a handful of games for the Lightning. It could very well be 2022 by the time he makes his return this season.
This case isn’t exactly like last season, where the Lightning were basically able to use Kucherov’s entire cap hit to add more talent for a playoff run, only to have him back when they needed him most. Since he is returning during the season and won’t spend the entire year on LTIR, they have to be careful with who replaces him on the roster. Still, given the team is already deep into LTIR relief with Brent Seabrook‘s deal, moving Kucherov there does open some other options for a team that is extremely comfortable operating on the fringes of the salary cap rules.
Dean Kukan Out Eight Weeks With Broken Wrist
The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved Dean Kukan to injured reserve after he suffered a wrist fracture in last night’s game against the Dallas Stars. Kukan is expected to miss eight weeks with the injury. In his place, the team has recalled Gavin Bayreuther from the AHL.
Kukan, 28, is in the second season of a two-year contract signed in 2020 that carries an average annual value of $1.65MM. The Swiss defensemen has been a part-time player for the Blue Jackets in each of the last several seasons, totaling 114 regular season games since coming to North America in 2015. This season he has appeared in two games, failing to record a point in nearly 30 minutes of total ice time.
While not a key player for Columbus, Kukan’s injury will certainly weaken the depth of the blue line as the team continues to try and compete in the difficult Metropolitan Division. Adam Boqvist is also dealing with a minor injury, necessitating the recall of Bayreuther who will be the eighth defenseman on the active roster.
The 27-year-old Bayreuther has just 28 games at the NHL level in his career but is a well-respected minor league veteran that can step into the lineup in a pinch. In five games with the Cleveland Monsters this season, he has three points. Interestingly enough, Bayreuther was actually given a two-game AHL suspension just today after a cross-checking incident over the weekend. That will not affect his NHL availability, but means he’ll have to sit out whenever he returns to the Monsters.
Morning Notes: Penguins, Toews, Blackhawks
The Pittsburgh Penguins will still be without several top players as they welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening. Sidney Crosby has been ruled out once again, despite joining the optional morning skate today. Jeff Carter remains asymptomatic and should join the group at the end of the week, but Kris Letang is experiencing symptoms, meaning he’ll be out a little longer. Vaccinated players must remain out for at least ten days if they have tested positive and are experiencing symptoms. Letang’s positive test result was confirmed yesterday, meaning he’s still out indefinitely.
Those absences–along with Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust, who are also dealing with injury–certainly haven’t slowed down the Penguins. Their early-season success shouldn’t really be much of a surprise, as Mike Sullivan has routinely found a way to win even with his best players on the sideline. Luckily, the Penguins are also in the midst of an eight-game homestand, and won’t have to hit the road until November 9 against the Chicago Blackhawks.
- Devon Toews was cleared for controlled contact yesterday, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, and the defenseman is on the ice today at the Colorado Avalanche morning skate. His return is not imminent, but it’s a good sign to see Toews back on the ice with the rest of the team, even at an optional skate. The Avalanche aren’t off to the start they hoped for at 2-3 and with Samuel Girard now expected to miss a little bit of time, they could certainly use Toews back in the lineup. The team will welcome the rival Vegas Golden Knights this evening who are going through a slow start of their own.
- Caleb Jones and Wyatt Kalynuk, both currently on injured reserve, were on the ice before the Chicago Blackhawks started practice today, according to Tracey Myers of NHL.com. The young defensemen would certainly be a welcome sight for the Blackhawks, who have allowed 27 goals through six games and incredibly not held a lead for a single second this season. Neither player is expected to return in the coming days, with Jones not even eligible for activation until he’s missed ten games given his LTIR designation. Still, it’s good to see both on the road to recovery after unfortunate preseason injuries.
Coyotes Lose Carter Hutton To Injury
Expectations are low if not non-existent for the Arizona Coyotes this season. After starting 0-4-1 with a league-worst -17 goal differential, the only expectation for the ‘Yotes could be a last place finish. This should not come as surprise either; Arizona’s entire off-season was about off-loading talent, using their salary cap space, adding draft picks and prospects, and not committing to any long-term free agent deals. More than half of the current roster will be unrestricted free agents next summer as the team is fully committed to just to a rebuild but to a complete overhaul.
After dealing away both Darcy Kuemper and Adin Hill and letting Antti Raanta walk, the Coyotes started fresh in net this season. While 25-year-old Czech import Karel Vejmelka has drawn the headlines after winning a roster spot and earning more time and better numbers thus far, it is veteran Carter Hutton who was tapped as the new starter albeit on a one-year deal. While the Yotes’ plan is clearly not to contend in any manner this season, if they don’t want to completely isolate their fan base then they need to at least stay competitive and Hutton gives them that chance – despite some abysmal numbers early on this season.
Well, Hutton may now be unavailable. Hutton suffered a lower-body injury on Monday night and was forced from the game after the first period, the team announced. No further update has been revealed, but any extended absence would be a tough blow for the Coyotes, even though it contributes to their primary goal of contending for a top pick this year. The Coyotes are giving up a lot of shots early this season and it is not an environment in which a young goalie is likely to thrive. Yet, behind Vejmelka would be either 23-year-old Josef Korenar, who struggled in ten games with the San Jose Sharks last season, and 22-year-old Ivan Prosvetov, who took his lumps in three games with the ‘Yotes last year. Things could get even uglier in the desert if Hutton is out long-term, so hopefully the injury is not serious.
The Coyotes also lost young defenseman Conor Timmins to injury in the same game, one of the few players on the roster that Arizona really wanted and needed to play a major role this season as a potential future top-four blue liner. Free agent addition Ryan Dzingel was also ruled out with an injury in the game. Things are not going well in Arizona right now.
Injury Notes: Klingberg, Senators, Dowd
It looks like the Dallas Stars will receive a huge boost for their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night in the form of a healthy John Klingberg. Head coach Rick Bowness said Sunday morning that Klingberg “should” return, but that the team won’t have full confirmation until tomorrow. The 29-year-old defenseman was injured in the team’s season opener and missed the succeeding four games, playing just 10:21 before suffering a lower-body injury. He’ll look to provide a boost with his offensive instincts to a team that’s scored just ten goals through their first five games.
More injury notes from around the league:
- There’s some updates on the injury front in Ottawa, as TSN reports goalie Matt Murray has been moved to injured reserve with a neck injury after being run into by the Rangers’ Chris Kreider on Saturday afternoon. He’ll miss at least the next ten days. It also appears center Shane Pinto will be out for a shorter term than expected, as head coach D.J. Smith he’s only expected to be absent for a week or two. A prompt return would be a good break for both him and the team, as Pinto had begun to impress in a top-six role.
- Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette says the status of Nic Dowd for the team’s one-game road trip to Ottawa on Monday night is in question. Dowd is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He played in all of the team’s overtime loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday, so even if he does miss that contest, it doesn’t appear he’ll be out for any sort of term. The native of Huntsville, Alabama has one goal in five games this season.
Joel Edmundson Returning To Montreal Canadiens After Leave Of Absence
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson is returning to the team after a leave of absence and is back in the city, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. As he continues to recover from an injury that’s kept him out since the beginning of the season, Lavoie reports he’s expected to make his season debut within the next two weeks.
Edmundson took an indefinite leave of absence from the team just a few days again in order to be with his father who’s currently dealing with cancer. It’s a promising sign that Edmundson is already back in Montreal and working towards a return.
Any change would help the Habs right now, who are reeling with an 0-5-0 start. Edmundson played over 20 minutes a night last season, supplementing 13 points in 55 games with solid defensive play. He played over 23 minutes a night in the playoffs, forming a formidable pairing with Jeff Petry. That’s where he could slot again once he returns to the lineup, allowing head coach Dominique Ducharme to experiment with some different pairings to stop the bleeding.
Edmundson is in the second season of a four-year, $14MM deal ($3.5MM cap hit) he signed with Montreal after they acquired his signing rights in September 2020.
His return could potentially mark the healthiest Montreal’s defense will be all season if there are no further injuries, as Shea Weber is expected to be absent for the entire year.