Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Injury

Atlantic Notes: Berglund, Backes, Coburn, Anderson

at CDT | by 1 Comment

In a feature aired on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston looks at the unusual story of Patrik Berglund, who a year ago opted out of the final three years and $13.03MM of his contract with the Buffalo Sabres to quit hockey, Berglund claims that it was no decision at all.

“I don’t know how much money you need to be happy, but I’m good,” said Berglund.

The 31-year-old Berglund had spent his previous 12 years with the St. Louis Blues and had a modified no-trade clause with the ability to reject 20 teams in any proposed deal. Unfortunately, the Blues were able to get around the no-trade clause as it was voided when Berglund failed to turn in his list of teams before the set deadline. Johnston reports that the trade affected him greatly.

He struggled in Buffalo, eventually getting scratched, before he finally decided he had enough. He decided in mid-December last year that he had enough and walked away. The Sabres fined and suspended him at first, but eventually the two sides agreed to mutually terminate his deal.

Bergund now is captain of Djurgardens in the SHL, where he makes quite a bit less than what he would make had he remained with the Sabres.

  • While many will always think of the hit that Ottawa Senators forward Scott Sabourin took on Nov. 2, many have forgotten that the other player in the frightening collision was Boston Bruins forward David Backes, who has now sat out 13 games with an upper-body injury. Backes believes he is very close to returning to Boston’s lineup, claiming that he might be ready to return on Sunday against Montreal, although head coach Bruce Cassidy will make the final decision, according to NHL.com’s Eric Russo. The 35-year-old Backes has only played in eight games for the Bruins this year, while averaging just 8:17 of ATOI.
  • There were some questions of the status of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn who left Friday’s game against the Capitals with a lower-body injury after being clipped. While the team was hoping the injury would be day-to-day, the Lightning announced that Coburn will be out indefinitely. Coburn hasn’t received the playing time that the 34-year-old is used to. After averaging more than 16 minutes of ATOI over the past four years, he is averaging only 13:40 this season in 17 contests despite signing a two-year extension this summer with the team. The fact that he’s at the bottom of the depth chart, might make him a little easier to replace if he is out longer than the team hoped for.
  • After the Ottawa Senators placed starting goalie Craig Anderson on injured reserve on Thursday, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the veteran goalie won’t necessarily be out long. The scribe writes the Anderson joined the Senators on their road trip and the 38-year-old skated with the team Saturday, suggesting he may be ready to return soon. The team started Marcus Hogberg tonight in his place.

Pacific Notes: Vegas Defense, Kase, Hjalmarsson, Coyotes

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Plenty of praise has been lauded out by Vegas Golden Knights’ players after the team changed their defensive format from a man-to-man concept to a zone defense. The belief was that teams were taking advantage of holes in their man-to-man concept, so head coach Gerard Gallant switched the team’s defense two games ago with the idea that a zone defense would give players more energy as it cuts down player movement.

“The way we’ve tweaked our D-zone (coverage), you have a little more energy,” Deryk Engelland said. “It’s less chasing around and more positional, so maybe that plays a little bit of a factor in it, and I think that’s a big part of why we wanted to change it.”

According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic (subscription required), the Golden Knights were on target to give up the most goals in their short franchise history. The hope is that these changes should solve some of the team’s defensive issues.

  • There were some concerned faces Friday after Anaheim Ducks winger Ondrej Kase, who has a history of concussions, was hit hard by Winnipeg’s Anthony Bitetto, just two minutes into the game, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required). Kase got up slowly and immediately headed to the dressing room, most likely to undergo concussion protocol. Fortunately, Kase returned to the ice not long after and resumed action, which is good considering the amount of time he has missed (51 games so far since the start of the 2018-19 season). “A guy goes down and he comes off the ice and leaves the bench, you’re usually just waiting for word that he’s done something to his shoulder or his elbow or his knee or whatever it’s going to be,” head coach Dallas Eakins said. “For him, to go in and everything check out fine is great.”
  • Despite expecting to miss 10 to 12 weeks, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson is ahead of schedule, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan (subscription required). Hjalmarsson, who has been out since Oct. 12 after breaking his fibula when blocking a shot, is already walking on his own and should be expected to start skating soon. The team still has no timetable for his return. “Nik is progressing well,” president of hockey operations John Chayka said. “No new timetable at this stage.”
  • Sticking with the Coyotes, Morgan also reports that forwards Carl Soderberg (lower-body injury) and Lawson Crouse (upper-body injury) are both game-time decisions for Saturday’s game against the Sharks. The team did recall Michael Chaput in case neither player can play today.

Injury Notes: Staal, Weegar, Drouin, Coburn

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It looks like Marc Staal is nearing a return to the Rangers lineup.  The defenseman told reporters, including Mollie Walker of the New York Post, that he’s hoping to return next week.  Staal last played on November 7th before undergoing ankle surgery due to an infection in his ankle.  Head coach David Quinn has suggested that he’d like to give the veteran a full week of on-ice workouts before re-inserting him into the lineup though so Staal may have to wait a little longer than he’d like before he suits up again.  Through 11 games so far this season, he has a goal and an assist while logging a career-low 18:25 per game.

Other injury notes from around the league:

  • Florida is set to welcome MacKenzie Weegar back into their lineup on Saturday. Head coach Joel Quenneville told Jameson Olive of the Panthers’ website (Twitter link) that the defenseman has been cleared to return from his upper-body injury, one that caused him to miss the last eight games.  The 25-year-old was off to a hot start offensively before getting injured; his 10 points through 17 games was two-thirds of the way to his career-high that was set last season.
  • Canadiens winger Jonathan Drouin met with reporters today, including Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, to discuss the injury he sustained back on November 15th. The incident occurred when he fell and landed awkwardly on his wrist, tearing a tendon and didn’t have anything to do with a hard hit he had received earlier in the game.  The original timeline for his recovery was eight weeks and so far, he appears to be on track with his recovery.
  • Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn suffered a lower-body injury early in today’s game, the team announced (Twitter link). Tampa Bay was playing seven blueliners in the game anyway and will have Erik Cernak available to return from suspension so if Coburn misses any time beyond this, they likely won’t need to bring someone up to replace him.

Prospect Notes: Draft Rankings, Suspension, Canucks

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The OHL is still one of the (if not the) best development leagues in the world for junior-aged players with dreams of becoming NHL stars and this year’s entry draft will be filled to the brim with talent from the Ontario circuit. As he does every year, Brock Otten of OHL Prospects released his preliminary top-10, based on the rankings from several top prospect writers including Corey Pronman of The Athletic, Mike Morreale of NHL.com and Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News.

There’s very little surprise in Quinton Byfield’s selection as the top OHL prospect, picked unanimously by the 17 scouts. After Byfield though comes some more incredible talent, including several names that will be selected in the first half of the first round come June.

  • Reid Duke, the first player ever signed by the Vegas Golden Knights, has been given a two-game suspension in the AHL after a boarding incident earlier this week. Duke will miss two games for the Chicago Wolves, where he has just seven points in 22 games this season. The 23-year old forward signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Golden Knights in March of 2017.
  • Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet gives his thoughts on the five most NHL-ready prospects for the Vancouver Canucks, including top pick Olli Juolevi. Unfortunately the update on the young defenseman isn’t very revealing, as MacIntyre writes that though the organization has admitted his latest injury is unrelated to the major knee injury that took away most of last season, they haven’t said much else. Juolevi hasn’t played for the Utica Comets since November 11th.

Oskar Sundqvist Out “A While” For St. Louis Blues

at CDT | by 1 Comment

5:00pm: Sundqvist has been placed on injured reserve. The Blues have recalled Austin Poganski in his place.

2:55pm: The St. Louis Blues have dealt with serious injuries to their forward group all season, including a potential season-long absence for top sniper Vladimir Tarasenko. Things don’t seem to be getting any better, as head coach Craig Berube told reporters including Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch that Oskar Sundqvist will be out “a while” and is set to get further testing back in St. Louis. Thomas notes that Sundqvist was seen on crutches with his right foot in a walking boot.

Sundqvist came out of last night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after being hit in the corner by Luke Schenn. The 25-year old has been having an excellent season for the team with eight goals and 12 points in 26 games, while lending his physicality and speed to the penalty kill on a regular basis.

Tarasenko, Alex Steen, Sammy Blais and now Sundqvist are all out for the Blues, who will test their depth even further over the next while. Unfortunately trading Robby Fabbri just before some of these injuries hit, they were forced to look at the free agent market and bring in veteran Troy Brouwer to give the lineup some more experience.

Goalie Notes: Dubnyk, Fleury, Anderson

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Minnesota Wild saw Kaapo Kahkonen get his first NHL win recently, and they will need to rely on him for a little while longer as part of a tandem with Alex Stalock. That’s because Devan Dubnyk, though back with the team after taking a personal leave, will need some time to get up to speed.

Dubnyk’s absence was due to his wife Jennifer dealing with some medical issues, ones that have not yet been resolved. The emotional goaltender spoke with reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic, thanking everyone for the support he has been given in recent days.

  • Dubnyk’s story is very similar to the one playing out with Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights, who has left the team to deal with a “serious illness” in his family according to Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Golden Knights relied on Malcolm Subban last night in their comeback win against the Nashville Predators and will need him and emergency recall Garret Sparks to hold the fort while Fleury deals with more important things.
  • Craig Anderson (who is no stranger to off-ice issues either), has been placed on injured reserve according to Hailey Salvian of The Athletic. The goaltender is dealing with a lower-body injury but will travel with the Senators on their upcoming road trip. Ottawa will be in Minnesota tomorrow for an afternoon game against the Wild.

Minor Transactions: 11/28/19

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American readers, who will have to go almost hockey-less today. With the NFL taking over the airwaves, just one NHL game is scheduled. That one takes place in Montreal, where the Canadiens will welcome back P.K. Subban as a New Jersey Devil. Still, teams are likely to make several moves today and we’ll keep track of all of them right here.

  • The Ottawa Senators have returned Max Veronneau to the minor leagues. where he can continue his development in his first year of professional hockey. The Princeton grad has six points in 14 games for the Belleville Senators this season.
  • Sheldon Dries and A.J. Greer have been recalled by the Colorado Avalanche, after Andre Burakovsky left last night’s game with an upper-body injury. The Avalanche are expected to get Mikko Rantanen back on Saturday night, but may need the extra body tomorrow.
  • After Jimmy Howard was injured in the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calvin Pickard has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings. Jonathan Bernier had an admirable performance after taking the net ill, but Pickard may be needed to hold the fort until he gets better.

Vladimir Sobotka Undergoes Knee Surgery

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After already missing the last three weeks with a lower-body injury, Buffalo Sabres forward Vladimir Sobotka has now been ruled out indefinitely. That announcement follows surgery on his right knee, one injured by a low hit earlier this month. The team has also announced that Rasmus Dahlin and Kyle Okposo remain out indefinitely with concussions.

This is a difficult outcome to come to terms with for Sabres fans, who watched Nikita Kucherov hit Sobotka low during the Global Series games in Sweden and not receive any sort of discipline from the league. It may well cost their player the rest of the season.

Buffalo did not specify what the surgery was for, but after an original timeline of four to six weeks has now been thrown out there likely won’t be a return for Sobotka anytime soon.

Injury Notes: Mantha, Little, Rantanen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Detroit Red Wings will be without Anthony Mantha for a “couple of weeks” according to head coach Jeff Blashill. The power forward will not require surgery however, a good sign for his eventual return to the team and continued development this season.

Mantha, 25, is off to the best start of his NHL career this season with 23 points in 25 games and looks like he will be a mainstay at the top of the Detroit lineup for a long time. The 6’5″ winger now has an impressive 80 goals in 242 career NHL games after taking a few years to get his feet under him as a professional.

  • There is still no real timeline for the return of Bryan Little to the Winnipeg Jets lineup as he continues to recover from the perforated eardrum that put him in a hospital earlier this month. Little took a puck to the head on November 5th and head coach Paul Maurice explained to reporters including Mitchell Clinton of NHL.com today that his veteran forward is still in “that healing phase.”
  • Mikko Rantanen was back at practice with the Colorado Avalanche today without a non-contact sweater, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to return quite yet. The big winger will sit out tomorrow’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, but could be back on the ice Friday. Rantanen had 12 points in his first nine games before suffering a gruesome lower-body injury.

Snapshots: Letang, Brouwer, Rantanen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins will have Kris Letang back in the lineup tonight after he was activated from injured reserve today. The veteran defenseman has been out since November 4th, but the team actually went 4-1-3 without him and are still in good shape in the Eastern Conference standings.

Letang has dealt with injuries almost every season of his career, but still sits as one of the most productive defensemen in the league whenever he is on the ice. If he can get back to full speed quickly the Penguins should be a real contender for a Metropolitan Division playoff spot, though they’ll have to catch one of the three leaders to secure one.

  • Troy Brouwer’s work visa issues have been resolved, meaning he is ready to jump into the lineup for the St. Louis Blues. Klim Kostin has been returned to the minor leagues to make room for Brouwer, after just scoring his first NHL goal on Saturday night. Kostin obviously wasn’t long for the NHL if he was going to get just a handful of minutes every game, as the team wants him to continue to develop as a top-end player.
  • Mikko Rantanen has watched every Colorado Avalanche game in a suit for the past month, but that might be coming to an end very soon. The big Finnish forward practiced today and wasn’t completely ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. Even if he is eventually held out for that game, his presence back on the ice is a good sign he will be returning soon. Rantanen had 12 points in his first nine games before suffering a lower-body injury and will likely go right back to the top line beside Nathan MacKinnon upon his return.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top