Injury Updates: Vesey, Montour, Patrick, Sharks, Jets
While the Sabres listed Jimmy Vesey as out week-to-week due to an upper-body injury at the beginning of this week, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports that the winger may wind up returning as soon as Saturday. If that happens, he’ll wind up missing only three games due to the issue which was sustained last Thursday. He wasn’t placed on IR so they won’t need to make a roster move when he’s ready to return.
One player that they will soon have to activate off IR though is defenseman Brandon Montour. Harrington notes that the blueliner is likely to make his season debut on Friday against Washington although it’s unknown who he’ll line up with. However, as Buffalo currently has an open spot under the 23-man limit, they won’t need to send anyone to the minors in order to bring Montour back onto the active roster.
Other injury news around the league:
- While it looked like Flyers center Nolan Patrick was progressing towards a return, GM Chuck Fletcher poured some cold water on the thought he’d be back soon, telling reporters, including Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia, that there’s no change to Patrick’s status and that they hope he continues to improve. The 21-year-old has missed the entire season so far with migraine issues and while he had started skating with the team, he appears to have been backed off for now as he didn’t skate today.
- Sharks center Dylan Gambrell has been ruled out through the weekend due to an upper-body injury, reports Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (Twitter link). That means he’ll miss at least the next two games. Meanwhile, Kurz adds that defenseman Radim Simek will play another game in the minors on his rehab assignment on Friday and then be re-evaluated to see if he’s ready to make his season debut with the Sharks. With no timeline for Dalton Prout to return, they could certainly use the extra depth on the roster.
- Jets winger Patrik Laine will miss his second straight game on Friday due to a lower-body issue, notes Ken Wiebe of The Athletic (Twitter link). Center Bryan Little’s availability is also in question. Accordingly, Wiebe expects Winnipeg to recall a forward tomorrow; they have an open roster spot following the demotion of blueliner Ville Heinola earlier today.
Snapshots: Trade Bait, Byfuglien, Landeskog
Frank Seravalli of TSN has released his first Trade Bait board of the season, and at the top is Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers. Both Seravalli and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet have now suggested that Kreider could be a worthwhile option for the St. Louis Blues while they deal with the absence of Vladimir Tarasenko, though neither scribe does anything more than speculate on the situation.
More interesting perhaps is Travis Hamonic‘s appearance relatively high on the board, after recent news came out that he would not negotiate an extension in-season with the Calgary Flames. Hamonic has all the makings of a top trade deadline acquisition—a 29-year old right-handed defenseman with an expiring contract that carries a reasonable $3.86MM cap hit—but he’s also still an important part of a Flames team that had big expectations this season. It’s still early, but as the calendar turns to November trade speculation is about to heat up.
- Dustin Byfuglien‘s representatives are in discussions with the NHLPA about his injury situation according to Darren Dreger of TSN, who suggests things “could get complicated” if it is determined that the ankle injury that recently needed surgery did occur playing hockey. Things are already complicated when it comes to Byfuglien, whose status as suspended by the team has not changed according to Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who declined to provide much of an update today.
- While the Colorado Avalanche have still not confirmed what Gabriel Landeskog‘s injury is aside from it being “lower-body,” A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver saw the forward in a walking boot last night and had heard rumors of a broken foot. The team listed Landeskog as out indefinitely, but head coach Jared Bednar had explained his captain will miss significant time.
Ducks’ Josh Manson Out 5-10 Weeks With Sprained Knee
Not much was made of the Anaheim Ducks placing defenseman Josh Manson on injured reserve late last week. At first it seemed like the shutdown defender may only miss a pair of games and the team somewhat nonchalantly added that there would be a later update. It turns out that the recent trade for Erik Gudbranson may have been about more than just adding depth. The team has issued a statement today on their injured players which states that Manson has suffered a left knee sprain and is expected to miss the next five to ten weeks.
Yet, Elliott Teaford of The OC Register adds that GM Bob Murray seemed somewhat relieved about the diagnosis. Murray and others with the Ducks worried that Manson’s condition was much worse. The injury certainly did not look good. Facing the Dallas Stars last Thursday, Manson fell awkwardly while checking Stars forward Jason Dickinson. He had to be helped off the ice and seemed unable to put any weight on his left leg. The concern with that kind of incident is always a tendon injury, either the ACL or Achilles, which takes months to recover from.
Nevertheless, the possibility of a ten-week hiatus for Manson remains daunting for the Ducks. The Anaheim blue line has been stripped of considerable talent over the last few years and no longer has the talent level nor the depth that once the hallmark of the team. Manson has emerged as one of the most important members of the club, posting a career high 22:18 average time on ice last year while leading the team in hits. The year before he even garnered Norris Trophy votes with a 37-point and plus-34 season. He was back at it to begin the 2019-20 campaign, leading the Ducks in hits per game and pacing himself for a career-high in blocked shots prior to his injury. He helped Anaheim get off to a solid start to the year, but the question is how they will fare, especially defensively, while he remains on the shelf. A five-week return could potentially have Manson back by the end of next month, but the ten-week maximum means he has played his last hockey of the 2019 calendar year. Gudbranson will be asked to do much of what the Ducks have leaned on Manson for in his stead, but the likes of Brendan Guhle, Korbinian Holzer, and Josh Mahura may also have to step up.
Gabriel Landeskog Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury
3:55pm: Landeskog is out “longer than week-to-week” according to head coach Jared Bednar. The injury will cause him to miss “significant time” though there is no exact timetable yet. The team has recalled Jayson Megna from the AHL in the meantime.
10:27am: The Colorado Avalanche are already without star forward Mikko Rantanen for a while, and now captain Gabriel Landeskog will be joining him in the rehab room. The team somewhat ominously announced that Landeskog is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
Though the details are few at the moment, a lengthy injury would be a disaster for the Avalanche as they try to hold onto first place in the Western Conference. The team added depth this offseason to deal with this sort of situation, but removing two of the top three forwards from any team would put them in a difficult situation.
Landeskog, 26, actually wasn’t off to quite as dominant of a start this season, despite having seven points in 11 games. His possession numbers hadn’t been quite as good as usual, and that top line—which has been one of the best in the NHL for the last few seasons—hasn’t been quite as impressive. A step down from greatness is still good however, meaning the Avalanche were still safely one of the best teams in the NHL through the first month of the season.
That claim will be tested without Landeskog and Rantanen, though the additions of Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky and Joonas Donskoi are paying dividends already. The trio has 23 points through 11 games and has made Colorado look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender from top to bottom.
Alex Galchenyuk, Brian Dumoulin Activated From Injured Reserve
Unlike the Boston Bruins, who have breezed past the competition this season even without their second line center, the Pittsburgh Penguins have had to fight just to hold their heads above water as they deal with injuries. Some of that is coming to an end however, as today the Penguins activated both Alex Galchenyuk and Brian Dumoulin from injured reserve.
Add in a returning Evgeni Malkin before long and the Penguins are close to full health as they enter November. The team currently sits at 7-5 on the season but find themselves out of a divisional playoff spot in the tough Metropolitan.
Galchenyuk, 25, was off to a strong start with his new team before injury struck, recording two assists in his first three games. The former 30-goal scorer was acquired in the offseason in the Phil Kessel trade and has big expectations as a top-six winger. Originally selected third overall in 2012, Galchenyuk has scored at least 17 goals in each of the past five seasons and can be a difference-maker on the powerplay.
Dumoulin meanwhile is expected to jump back onto the top pairing alongside Kris Letang and reclaim his position as the team’s Swiss army knife. The 28-year old can do a little bit of everything for the Penguins, including move the puck and play the powerplay when required. Still one of the more underrated players in the league despite his strong play in consecutive Stanley Cup runs, his return to the lineup may be as important as anyone else. The Penguins have gone 1-3 since his injury but will try to get back on track tonight against their state rival Philadelphia Flyers.
Injury Updates: Golden Knights, Sekera, Red Wings, Hyman
The Golden Knights received some good news and bad news on the injury front on Monday. David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes (Twitter link) that winger Alex Tuch, defenseman Nate Schmidt, and goalie Malcolm Subban were all full participants in practice today. Tuch has missed all of the season with an upper-body injury, Schmidt has missed 12 straight games with a lower-body issue, and Subban has been out since October 10th due to a lower-body injury. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll all be ready to play in their next game on Thursday, it’s certainly a good sign that their returns are approaching.
However, as they near a return, defenseman Deryk Engelland is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Schoen mentions in a separate tweet. Including Engelland, the Golden Knights are only carrying five healthy defensemen on the roster at the moment (with Schmidt on IR) so it’s likely that they will have to summon someone from AHL Chicago later this week.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- The Stars will be without defenseman Andrej Sekera for their game tomorrow against Minnesota, reports Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (Twitter link). He has not been ruled out for the weekend so his undisclosed injury appears to be a minor one. With seven defensemen on the roster, Dallas doesn’t necessarily have to make a recall although they could dip into Martin Hanzal’s LTIR opening if they wanted to have an extra blueliner available.
- Red Wings winger Adam Erne is close to returning from his upper-body injury and could suit up on Tuesday night, notes Dana Wakiji on Detroit’s team website. He has missed four straight games and five of the last six with the issue. Meanwhile, winger Justin Abdelkader participated in practice after missing two straight with a lower-body issue but head coach Jeff Blashill indicated that he might not be ready to return for that game.
- While the Maple Leafs will activate defenseman Travis Dermott off LTIR for Tuesday’s game against Washington, winger Zach Hyman hasn’t been cleared to return and could still be a week or two away from playing, suggests TSN’s Kristen Shilton (Twitter link). Toronto will have to clear up some cap room to activate Dermott and will have to free up even more space to bring his $2.25MM AAV back onto the books.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Seidenberg, Malkin
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and once again a member of the Boston Bruins top line headlines the group. This time it’s Brad Marchand‘s turn after he recorded eight points in three games. Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron has been absolutely devastating this season with 54 combined points through their first 11 games. No other Bruins forward has more than four points this year.
The second and third spots were given to Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators and Brian Elliott of the Philadelphia Flyers respectively after similarly outstanding weeks. Josi put up six points in three games from the Nashville blueline, while Elliott has seemingly resurrected his career in Philadelphia with a 3-0 record last week.
- After announcing his retirement recently, Dennis Seidenberg will remain with the New York Islanders organization in their player development department. The 38-year old was a sixth-round pick in 2001 but worked his way to the NHL and lasted for nearly 900 games, winning a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011.
- Not only did Evgeni Malkin return to practice today for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but even shed his non-contact jersey at one point and is now targeting Saturday night as his potential first game back from injury, according to Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That would be an incredible return for the superstar forward after suffering the lower-body injury just three weeks ago. It’s not only Malkin who will return soon for the Penguins, who are finally getting healthy enough to really show what they are capable of this season.
Connor Carrick Out 4-6 Weeks With Broken Finger
The New Jersey Devils will be without Connor Carrick for at least a month, after the defenseman underwent surgery on his right pinky finger. The team announced a recovery timeline of four to six weeks, meaning Carrick will have to be removed from their plans for the time being. The injury was suffered in practice last Thursday when Carrick blocked a shot.
Carrick, 25, seemed to finally find a home with the Devils after arriving in New Jersey through a trade with the Dallas Stars. The young defenseman played in 20 games for them down the stretch and averaged nearly 20 minutes a night, before eventually signing a two-year, $3MM contract with them in the offseason.
Unfortunately, that role hasn’t continued this season with Carrick averaging fewer than 14 minutes a game in the four contests he did suit up for. The right-handed defenseman has been a bottom-pairing option for the team with little impact, meaning this injury won’t drastically change their game plan.
Still, losing defensemen for more than a month always puts pressure on a team’s depth chart. Should the Devils be forced to deal with any other injuries, Carrick’s absence will be notable.
Ryan Murray, Alexandre Texier Placed On Injured Reserve
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without two key players for the next few weeks, as both Ryan Murray and Alexandre Texier were placed on injured reserve. Murray is out for three to four weeks with a broken hand, while Texier is expected to miss two to four weeks with a knee injury. Both occurred during the Blue Jackets loss on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Murray, 26, just can’t seem to stay healthy enough to ever really show what he is capable of. The second-overall pick in 2012 has missed substantial time in six of his seven NHL seasons, only remaining healthy in 2015-16. In fact, Murray has averaged just 53 games played over his career, a mark he’ll hopefully still be able to hit this season after returning in a few weeks.
Not only because of his injury history, Murray has also been involved in trade rumors for some time. With his current contract set to expire after the 2020-21 season and unrestricted free agency awaiting him thereafter, it seemed possible that this was finally the season that the Blue Jackets would find him a new home. Unfortunately this injury complicates things, as teams rarely trade for players dealing with something this serious.
For Texier, this is hopefully not a sign of things to come. The 20-year old forward burst onto the North American scene at the end of last season by dominating for the Cleveland Monsters and then suiting up for the Blue Jackets in the playoffs, and earned himself a full-time role with the club this year. He had just three points through 11 games so far however and had seen his ice time reduced of late. Still, he’s carries huge upside as a two-way player for the Blue Jackets that can play in all situations. Losing him for at least a few weeks will be tough, though he has lots of time to become that impact player.
Scott Laughton To Miss A Month
Flyers forward Scott Laughton suffered a broken finger on his right hand during the second period of Saturday’s victory over Columbus, notes NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall. The injury is expected to keep him out of the lineup for a month. That duration is long enough to make him eligible for LTIR which is notable considering the team has less than $150K in cap room at the moment.
It’s certainly a tough blow for Philadelphia who has come to rely on the 25-year-old as a key option for their penalty kill; his 1:39 SH ATOI per game is second on the team among their forwards. He also took a step towards becoming a reliable secondary scorer last season when he posted career bests in goals (12), assists (20), and points (32) although he was off to a bit of a quieter start this year with three assists in nine games.
In the short-term, Tyler Pitlick draws into the lineup although the team could opt to pull someone back up from AHL Lehigh Valley as well and transfer Laughton to LTIR. Rookie Carson Twarynski was recently sent down and would have to be considered a candidate to be brought back up. 2017 second overall pick Nolan Patrick should also be in the mix once he’s cleared to return from the migraine issues that have held him out all season and considering he has been skating for a few days now, that return may not be too far away.