Brad Richardson Undergoing Surgery
The week of major injuries continues.
Arizona Coyotes forward Brad Richardson was stretchered off after suffering an ugly leg injury during Thursday night’s 3-2 OT loss in Vancouver.
After scoring the first goal of the game in the second period against the team he played two seasons for, Richardson took a hit from Nikita Tryamkin along the sidewall. His right leg buckled under him as the 6’7, 265 lbs Tryamkin fell on top of him. The medical staffs from both teams assisted Richardson as he was strapped into a stretcher.
The 31-year-old Richardson has a broken tibia and fibula, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. He’ll have surgery on his right leg on Friday morning. Coyotes GM John Chayka confirmed McKenzie’s report to Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan. Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports that Richardson is currently stabilized at a Vancouver hospital. There is no timeline for Richardson’s recovery, according to Chayka.
The Coyotes had a 2-0 lead at that point, but the Canucks scored twice in the next six minutes to tie the game before winning it in overtime.
Richardson has been off to a good start this season, with nine points in 16 games so far this season. He’s coming off a career-high 31 points in 2015-16, his first season with the Coyotes. While there’s no timeline for Richardson’s return, it will clearly be a long-term injury. With Coyotes center and pending-UFA Martin Hanzal already on the trading block, Chayka will likely look to add some depth down the middle. Perhaps rookie Dylan Strome will get a bigger role after playing just seven games out of 16 and averaging only 13:41 per game.
Gaudreau Surgery Successful, Out Six Weeks
After undergoing successful surgery on his broken finger, Johnny Gaudreau has been given a recovery timetable of six weeks, according to GM Brad Treliving. The speedy forward was injured on a slash from Minnesota forward Eric Staal in the third period of last night’s game.
A huge blow to the offensive hopes of a team reeling already, Gaudreau represented the best goal scoring option on the team. The 23-year old held out most of the offseason in a contract negotiation, before signing a massive six year, $40.5MM deal just prior to the start of the year. Coming off a 78 point season he and fellow youngster Sean Monahan were expected to form one of the league’s top duos and help Calgary get back to the playoffs.
Not so fast, as the Flames have struggled out of the gate and Gaudreau and Monahan had been split up for much of the year. Now facing more than a month without their sniper, they’ll look to other players to step up. Perhaps one of those will be Matthew Tkachuk, the sixth-overall pick from this year’s draft who has stepped into a bigger role recently. Another option is Kris Versteeg, who though injured at the moment is “close to returning” according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet. Versteeg provides some veteran experience that can play in any situation and slot into any of the top three lines if need be.
One thing is for sure, if the Flames are insistent on making it back to the playoffs this year, their team defense needs to get better. They’ve allowed a conference-worst 60 goals through 18 games, trailing only the Philadelphia Flyers for the league-wide lead.
Patric Hornqvist Suffers Concussion
According to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Patric Hornqvist suffered a concussion last night against the Washington Capitals and is listed as day-to-day. The Penguins’ forward blocked a Brooks Orpik shot with the side of his head in the dying minutes of the second period, which may possibly be the cause of the injury.
While it doesn’t sound like Hornqvist will be out for a great deal of time, this comes just after the publication of a Boston Globe article with Marc Savard and his fight with concussions. In it, Savard talks about seeing nothing but black even though his eyes were open, and describes in detail his battle which includes once being labeled as suicidal at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Between this article, and the recent piece by Gabriel Landeskog at the Players’ Tribune, the spotlight has never been greater on brain injuries and concussions in hockey. Just last night, fellow Penguin Matt Murray was forced out of the game by spotters in the arena after his helmet was knocked off by teammate Evgeni Malkin.
The Savard piece is a must-read for anyone concerned about the future of the game, or youth hockey. Obviously, the game isn’t going to eliminate contact entirely, but hearing first-hand about the horrors Savard had to endure is a hard, but important thing for everyone involved in the game.
Steven Stamkos To Undergo Knee Surgery, Out Four Months
Tampa Bay forward Steven Stamkos is heading to Vail, Colorado today to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear, reports TSN’s Bob McKenzie (Twitter link). While the Lightning are officially saying he’s out indefinitely, McKenzie adds in a follow-up tweet that the recovery period for this type of surgery is typically four months, if not longer. The injury was suffered in Tuesday’s victory over Detroit.
This is undoubtedly a huge loss for the Lightning as Stamkos not only has been one of their top scorers this year but also is near the top of the league in points. Through 17 games this year, he has nine goals and 11 assists despite averaging nearly two minutes less per game compared to last season.
Injuries have not been kind to Stamkos, who is in the first of an eight year deal with a cap hit of $8.5MM signed late in June to avoid free agency. In 2013-14, he missed more than half the season with a fractured tibia and just last season, he had surgery to repair a blood clot near his collarbone.
Given that he will be out until around March at the earliest based on McKenzie’s timeline, the Lightning are eligible to place him on Long-Term Injury Reserve to free up some cap space to pursue a short-term replacement, should they deem that necessary. In the meantime, it’s likely that center Valtteri Filppula will be asked to move into a top six role for Tampa Bay.
[Related: Lightning Depth Chart]
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kings Notes: Gaborik, Andreoff, Kopitar, Lucic
Kings winger Marian Gaborik is progressing well in his recovery from a broken foot and is hoping to get back into the lineup somewhat soon, he told Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. He has missed the entire regular season so far after suffering the injury while blocking a shot back in September at the World Cup of Hockey.
Gaborik has been skating lightly over the last week but pushed his workout a bit harder on Wednesday and was pleased with how it went:
“I think I’m right on track. It’s just like I said, a matter of getting the strength back on the ice and skating. I haven’t skated for several weeks or something like that so it’s just a matter of getting those practices in so I can jump in to games ready to go.”
Despite the progress, there remains no timetable for his return to the lineup. When he does get back, he’ll be a welcome addition to a lineup that is scuffling in the goal scoring department as the Kings have just 39 goals in 17 games so far this season.
[Related: Kings Depth Chart]
More news from Los Angeles:
- Left winger Andy Andreoff is nearing a return to the lineup after thumb surgery, Rosen notes in a separate piece. He also appears to be well ahead of schedule as two weeks ago, head coach Darryl Sutter estimated that Andreoff would be out another four to seven weeks. However, the 25 year old is targeting Wednesday’s game against the Islanders as his return date, using the practices between then to work on his conditioning. Andreoff has played in nine games for Los Angeles this season, being held off the scoresheet but is averaging a career high in ice time at 10:02 per game.
- Center Anze Kopitar skated on Wednesday but is not expected to play against the Oilers tonight, reports Curtis Zupke of the LA Times. The captain remains day-to-day with either a hand or arm injury. Kopitar says progress is being made but not enough to return to the lineup: “It’s been feeling better and better but just not quite to where it needs to be and not quite good enough, obviously, to play.” He is off to a bit of a slow start this season with just two goals and six assists in 15 games.
- Milan Lucic is set to face his old Kings squad tonight for the first time since signing in Edmonton in free agency but reiterated to Elliott Teaford of the LA Daily News that he had intentions on re-signing there over the offseason: “I tried everything I could to make it work. I think both sides tried to do everything they could do to make it work. With a cap system, it just didn’t work out in the end.” Lucic spent just one year with the Kings and while he had a strong year (55 points in 81 games), the end result from the trade with Boston didn’t work out too well for LA when you consider that on top of Lucic essentially being a one year rental, one of the players they gave up for him – Martin Jones – is now the starting goalie for a division rival.
Red Wings Notes: Injuries, Sproul, Mantha
The injury bug has certainly bitten Detroit hard as Darren Helm is the latest Red Wing to take a turn on the injury carousel. He joins Andreas Athanasiou, Thomas Vanek, and Niklas Kronwall as wounded Wings, but Vanek is expected to be back for Sunday’s game. The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James reports that Helm is expected out 6-8 weeks, but general manager Ken Holland said that no surgery will be required. Athanasiou will be out for another two weeks at a minimum while Kronwall is game to game with a bad knee. St. James writes that the Red Wings will be calling up a forward later this evening to take Helm’s place. Detroit just sent Tyler Bertuzzi back to Grand Rapids, but he could be back quicker than expected.
- Speaking of younger Red Wings, the Detroit News’ John Niyo pens a column about the emergence of youth in the shadow of injury and how they might just be exactly what Detroit needs. Niyo looks at Ryan Sproul who stepped up in the place of Kronwall and to the joy of a Red Wings fan base clamoring for an injection of youth, looks to be closer to regular play. From Niyo:
And it’s a big reason, though hardly the only one, why Sproul needs to stay right where he is. Not just in Detroit, but also in the lineup, which is sort of what Blashill promised earlier in the day. Sproul hadn’t played in seven games, the last five because veteran Niklas Kronwall was back on the ice. But with Kronwall resting that chronic bad knee again Tuesday — he didn’t look good in the 5-0 loss at Montreal on Sunday — Sproul was given another chance. At the morning skate, Blashill stuck to his pat answer about how long it’d last, saying Sproul’s job was to make sure he was “ready to jump through the window.”
Sproul had a goal and an assist in the Red Wings 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay, but it was his work on the power play that opened eyes. Sproul is known for his booming slapshot, and it was featured in both goals, one that found its way into the net. The other led to a rebound that was dished to Henrik Zetterberg from another young Wing, Anthony Mantha. Mantha has stood tall in his call up, being a net-front presence on the power play, which led directly to the goal that tied the game. There have been questions as to why Mantha hasn’t been allowed to snipe goals like he has in the AHL, but Detroit wants consistency and a two-way game out of him. As injuries pile up, however, the Wings may be better off letting Mantha play the game that’s brought him success since he played juniors: shoot the puck often. The goal scoring problem that has plagued the Red Wings for several seasons may just be solved.
Niyo argues that as Detroit sits seventh in the Atlantic and is on pace for 82 points (which would certainly be way off of a playoff spot), letting the kids play may be in the Red Wings’ best interest.
Darren Helm Out Six Weeks With Shoulder Injury
And the injury avalanche continues. The Detroit Red Wings have announced that forward Darren Helm will be out six weeks with a dislocated shoulder. Likely a result of the huge hipcheck he took from Nikita Nesterov during yesterday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Helm is the latest forward to go down today.
After being re-signed by the Red Wings to a five-year deal this offseason, Helm was off to another solid start as an effective two-way centerman. His speed and penalty killing ability has been a big part of the Detroit game for years now, and while he’s never provided a ton of offense, his 25-35 point output is dependable and effective.
Though he won’t need surgery, it’s unclear who will step into his role for the next month and a half, with Riley Sheahan being the most likely candidate. Perhaps a return of Tyler Bertuzzi, who played three games for the Red Wings during his first stint in the NHL is also a possibility. While Bertuzzi doesn’t have experience at center, Steve Ott has played it extensively in the past and could slide over to the middle of the fourth line.
Taylor Hall To Miss 3-4 Weeks With Knee Injury
3:17pm: The Devils have placed Hall on injured reserve and recalled Blake Pietila from Albany. He’ll meet the team in Anaheim, though there has been no word on if he’ll make his season debut on Thursday. Pietila has 11 points in 12 AHL contests this season.
2:31pm: Another superstar forward is out for a while, as the New Jersey Devils have announced that Taylor Hall will be out for three to four weeks following surgery to his left knee today. The forward went under the knife to repair a torn meniscus.
As reported earlier today, the coaching and training staff for New Jersey are unsure of when the injury took place, just that Hall came to the rink Tuesday morning in pain. After being traded to the Devils in the offseason, Hall has established himself as the powerful offensive presence he can be with 12 points in his first 14 games.
Though obviously losing a player of Hall’s stature isn’t good news, the Devils have collected a larger group of offensive players than usual over the past few seasons. With a 9-3-3 record, the team will now look to skaters like Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique and Pavel Zacha to step up their offensive production and keep the team on track.
For Tampa Bay Lightning fans, this may be a good indication of the timeline of injured forward Steven Stamkos, who also underwent an MRI today and likely has a meniscus injury. If surgery is required, he too could be out for almost a month.
New York Islanders Looking For An Offensive Boost
Maybe Cal Clutterbuck isn’t a good enough winger for John Tavares — who knew? In a piece for Newsday, Arthur Staple reports that the New York Islanders are looking for an upgrade on offense, and have been scouring the league for possible options. Staple mentions the Colorado Avalanche as a possible trade partner, as their struggles mirror those found in New York. While Matt Duchene‘s name is bandied about, the possibility of that kind of a blockbuster still seems far-fetched.
The Islanders sit last in the Metropolitan Division and have scored just 2.5 goals per game, a big drop from the 2.83 they scored last season. While that drop-off could have been partially expected after the departures of Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen to free agency, big ticket signing Andrew Ladd has been a disaster for the Isles, relegated to the fourth line at times. His three points in 16 games lends credence to the idea that he was always more of a secondary-scoring type playing in excellent situations.
While no one is questioning Ladd’s work ethic or leadership qualities, it’s quite telling that Clutterbuck and Josh Bailey have been skating with Tavares over him. It’s not clear where the next wave of offense is expected to come from though, as youngsters Ryan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier have each scored just five points through the first part of the season. In Staple’s article, he mentions Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle as potential additions; both are skating with Bridgeport of the AHL at the moment and finding varying degrees of success. Ho-Sang though has apparently caught whatever Ladd has, and has seen his playing time reduced and was even a healthy scratch on Friday night.
If Garth Snow, who is in Toronto at the annual GM meetings, decides to look elsewhere he’ll need to be careful not to mortgage the team’s future in pursuit of something that may not be able to be found. A single player, while clearly helpful, may not be able to turn around what has been a disaster of a season so far. If one were to listen to Islanders’ fans, it’s a problem with the head coach Jack Capuano and not the players. Staple reiterates what many others have said however, that Capuano is in no danger of losing his job – for now.
Duchene, while an interesting option, would surely cost a huge haul coming off his first 30 goal season in the NHL. The speedy forward is only 25 still despite having over 500 games of experience and is under contract for two seasons after this at a $6MM AAV. After signing Ladd to a seven year, $38.5MM deal this summer the Islanders are right up against the cap and although they do have some flexibility with LTIR they would likely need to move out some money to bring in an impact forward.
To add a little bit of insult to injury, P.A. Parenteau, the winger New York waived prior to the season is off to a hot start in New Jersey. His five goals would tie him for the lead on the Islanders with Tavares and costs just $1.25MM.
Sabres Notes: Ennis, O’Reilly, Eichel
After undergoing surgery last week to repair two sports hernias, Buffalo Sabres forward Tyler Ennis will miss six weeks according to John Vogl of Buffalo News. The three-time 20 goal scorer had been struggling to start the season with only two points in twelve games. This comes after an injury-plagued 2015-16 that saw Ennis suit up only 23 times, scoring 11 points.
Six weeks gives Ennis a timeline right around the Christmas break in the NHL, which happens December 24-26. Before last season, the small forward had proven fairly durable in his career, playing in 335 games from 2010-2015. He’ll now try to get back to that pace with a successful rehab and final three months.
- Ryan O’Reilly is skating again, but is still day-to-day and will likely not play tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Buffalo alternate-captain has been in and out of the lineup all season with a “middle-body injury” or back spasms, and has been limited to just 13 games (out of 16). After avoiding any potential suspensions from his offseason incident, O’Reilly was expected to once again lead the Sabres in scoring. After putting up 60 points in 71 games last season, the big center has put up nine this year.
- The other big scoring threat on the Sabres, Jack Eichel, is also injured at the moment and working his way back. While there is still no exact timetable for his return, head coach Dan Bylsma did say he is skating and progressing today. Eichel was injured at practice in early October, and initial diagnoses had him somewhere between 4-8 weeks for a return. Last year’s second-overall pick put up 56 points in his rookie season but has yet to hit the ice in a game this year.
- The team has sent down Casey Nelson to Rochester today, though according to Vogl is expected to recall him tomorrow after the Americans’ game tonight. With all the injuries to the NHL squad, Nelson is playing somewhat of a taxi-squad role just in case anything happens in warmups or morning skates.