Matthew Tkachuk Expected To Play Again This Season
The Panthers may have star winger Matthew Tkachuk out for more than the next few games, but his absence won’t persist for the rest of the season. Head coach Paul Maurice confirmed as such on the Joe Rose Show on Monday, saying “he’s playing for us this year” even with the “possibility [his recovery] a bit longer term” (via George Richards of Florida Hockey Now).
Tkachuk missed the Panthers’ 2-1 loss to the Kraken on Saturday with the lower-body injury, which multiple reports indicate is a groin issue, he sustained while playing for the Americans at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Maurice said he’s undergoing final evaluations to determine a recovery timeline today.
Florida is comfortably in a playoff spot, but their final standing in the Atlantic Division remains to be seen and could be significantly impacted by Tkachuk’s absence. They’ve been passed by the Maple Leafs once again for the top spot, now one point back with one more game played, and they’re facing pressure from the surging Lightning in third place. There’s now a 20% chance of the Cats slipping to third and another 6.1% of them falling to a wild-card spot, per MoneyPuck. The Panthers have gone 6-4-1 in 11 games without Tkachuk since acquiring him in a blockbuster trade with the Flames in 2022.
Tkachuk isn’t on pace to reach the 40-goal, 109-point heights of his first season in Florida, but he remains at a 1.10 points-per-game pace and ranks second on the team with a 22-35–57 scoring line. He’s been limited to 52 of 58 games, missing five contests back in October with an illness, but remains the team’s leader in power-play goals with 11 and even-strength assists with 23.
In the meantime, rookie Mackie Samoskevich will be the biggest benefactor of Tkachuk’s minutes. He stepped into the latter’s usual second-line role alongside Sam Bennett in the Seattle game. While he didn’t record a point, he logged a season-high 17:23 of ice time and recorded two shots on goal and three hits. The 2021 first-round pick hasn’t played much over the past month due to injury and illness, but he’s been a solid depth piece in his first entire NHL campaign with 8-9–17 through 49 appearances.
An anticipated return before the postseason or early into the first round likely won’t impact the Panthers’ trade deadline strategy too much. Their top priority will continue to be adding a name to a blue line that’s punched above its weight this year after losing key names on last summer’s free-agent market, contributing to an increase of 0.47 goals against per game compared to 2023-24’s league-best defensive effort.
Vancouver Canucks Recall Victor Mancini, Place Thatcher Demko On IR
6:01 PM: The Canucks officially announced the roster moves. Demko’s placement is retroactive to February 8th, meaning he’ll be eligible to be activated at any time.
3:02 PM: According to the team’s play-by-play radio commentator Brendan Batchelor, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled defenseman Victor Mancini from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Vancouver will open up a spot on the active roster for Mancini by placing netminder Thatcher Demko on the injured reserve.
Demko’s placement on the IR will likely be made retroactive to February 8th. He left the Canucks’ game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after only 10 minutes due to a lower-body injury. During the 4 Nations Face-Off break it was announced that Demko wouldn’t join the team on their current five-game road trip and his recovery timeline is considered week-to-week.
It’s becoming somewhat of a lost season for the eight-year netminder. Due to lingering injury issues from the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Demko’s 2024-25 debut was delayed until December 10th. He hasn’t been inspiring when healthy either managing a 6-6-3 record in 17 starts with a .891 save percentage and 2.87 goals-against average.
The newfound injury concerns are especially unfortunate when considering Demko’s season last year. The San Diego, CA native was instrumental in Vancouver’s return to the postseason posting a 35-14-2 record in 51 starts with a .918 SV% and 2.45 GAA. His 21.2 Goals Saved Above Average according to Hockey Reference accounts for 82.8% of his total GSAA throughout his career.
Demko’s future in British Columbia became even cloudier yesterday when the Canucks’ signed fellow netminder Kevin Lankinen to a five-year extension. Lankinen has been objectively better for Vancouver this season and his new contract will run four years longer than Demko’s current deal with the team.
Meanwhile, the freshly acquired Mancini could debut with the Canucks this evening. He’s tallied one assist in five games in AHL Abbotsford since being acquired from the New York Rangers as a part of the package for J.T. Miller.
Vancouver may still need an injury replacement for Quinn Hughes during tonight’s contest and Mancini would have to battle defenseman Elias Pettersson for that role. Pettersson has proven better defensively in limited action but Mancini has outscored him with one goal and four assists throughout 15 games with the Rangers.
Injury Notes: Kreider, Grzelcyk, Cooley
Before today’s game against the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins, the former announced a minor injury just before puck drop. The Rangers shared winger Chris Kreider is out with an upper-body injury although his recovery timeline is only considered day-to-day.
It’s difficult to pinpoint any specific moment for Kreider’s current injury. The veteran forward has been dealing with a recurrent back spasms issue for much of the regular season, while he could also be one of the several players to succumb to a minor injury throughout the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Still, despite the specifics of the injury, Kreider did participate in the Rangers’ first game back from the tournament. Despite the team being completely outclassed by the Buffalo Sabres, Kreider scored one goal over 15 minutes in yesterday’s contest joining Mika Zibanejad as the only New York forward to not have a negative rating.
Other injury notes:
- Hopping over to the other side of today’s Metropolitan Division tilt, the Penguins announced defenseman Matt Grzelcyk won’t return to the game due to an upper-body injury. The pending unrestricted free agent only skated in five minutes of today’s action before being hit from behind by Ranger forward Matt Rempe. Rempe was originally reprimanded with a five-minute major only to be downgraded to a two-minute minor call.
- The Utah Hockey Club could be short-handed when they play their first home game in 19 days tonight. According to Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports, Utah forward Logan Cooley is a game-time decision for this evening’s event. Cooley is confirmed to be dealing with a lower-body issue but it’s not severe enough to warrant a concrete absence from the lineup. The sophomore center is only one point away from tying his total production from last year scoring 15 goals and 43 points in 50 games.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Oscar Dansk, John Gibson Out With Injury
The Anaheim Ducks will put forth a different goaltending tandem for tonight’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings. According to the AHL transactions page, the Ducks have recalled netminder Oscar Dansk who hasn’t played in an NHL contest since the 2020-21 season.
Anaheim’s reasoning for the call-up was made clear yesterday evening. The Ducks announced shortly after the second period of last night’s action that goaltender John Gibson wouldn’t return to the game due to an upper-body injury. There haven’t been any meaningful updates to Gibson’s injury status but it was severe enough to prohibit him from participating in the second half of the team’s back-to-back.
Despite years having passed since Dansk last sat on an NHL bench during the regular season, he would play tonight if there’s another injury or the score becomes lop-sided in Detroit’s favor. He’s put together a subpar season in his first year with the Ducks organization managing a 10-10-5 record with a .886 save percentage and 3.43 goals-against average in 27 games with their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
At least the 2024-25 campaign has provided Dansk with increased playing time. The now-veteran netminder spent the last two years with the AHL Calgary Wranglers totalling 44 games in a backup role behind Dustin Wolf.
Fortunately for Anaheim, the injury to Gibson won’t be as detrimental as it would have been in years past. Goaltender Lukáš Dostál has a formidable case to be the Ducks’ MVP this season posting a 16-13-4 record through 30 starts with a .911 SV% and 2.86 GAA.
Hampus Lindholm Unlikely To Return This Season
One of the oft-forgotten aspects of the Boston Bruins’ disappointing 2024-25 campaign is the lack of one of Hampus Lindholm for much of the regular season. This reality isn’t likely to change anytime as general manager Don Sweeney shared (publicized by Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe) that Lindholm isn’t expected to return this season.
The injury update concludes a lost season for Lindholm. The 12-year veteran will finish the 2024-25 season with three goals and four assists in 17 games averaging 20:51 of ice time per night before fracturing his patella on November 12.
If there’s any silver lining for Lindholm, injuries haven’t followed him throughout his career. This year is only the second time he’s played less than 80% of his team’s games. The last time he failed to play in at least 50 games came during the 2020-21 season with the Anaheim Ducks when a wrist injury limited him to just 18 contests.
Still, injuries aside, Lindholm’s performance has declined over the past two years. In Lindholm’s defense, the 2023-24 season wouldn’t have been such a disappointment had he not had a breakout season the year prior. The Helsingborg, Sweden native scored 10 goals and 53 points in 80 games during his first full year in Boston carrying a league-leading +49 rating. It shattered Lindholm’s previous career-high 34 points scoring in 2014-15.
Lindholm’s impressive 2022-23 season earned him a fourth-place finish for the James Norris Memorial Trophy. Unfortunately, he took a dramatic step back last year. He finished the campaign with three goals and 23 assists in 73 games despite increasing his average ice time by six seconds.
Nevertheless, a bone fracture rarely becomes a lingering issue for many players giving Lindholm multiple months to prepare for the 2025-26 season. He’s still a capable top-four defenseman signed to a modest $6.5MM salary until the 2029-30 season giving the Bruins at least some long-term consistency on their blue line.
Flames Expected To Activate Connor Zary, Kevin Bahl
The Calgary Flames are expected to activate forward Connor Zary and defenseman Kevin Bahl off of injured reserve ahead of Sunday night’s game, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960. Zary has sat out of Calgary’s last 15 games with a knee injury, while Bahl missed the last eight games. Both players have served impactful roles this season, making their returns a notable addition to a Flames lineup just three points back from a Western Conference Wild Card.
Of the pair, Bahl has been the more utilized Flame so far this year. The 24-year-old defender joined Calgary in the trade that sent Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey this summer, and quickly claimed a top-four role in his new setting. He’s posted a tame stat line, with 14 points, a plus-one, 29 penalty minutes, 67 hits, and 79 blocked shots through 47 games this season – while spending much of it lined up next to top Flames defender Rasmus Andersson. That premier partnership has helped Bahl’s average ice time jump north of 21 minutes, nearly four minutes more than he averaged in New Jersey last season. While he still has improvement to go, this season has been Bahl’s first making a top-of-the-lineup claim, after last season marked his first full season in the NHL. He should quickly return to that top-pair role when he’s able to return, likely bumping Ilya Solovyov out of the lineup.
Zary’s bid back into the lineup will be a bit tougher to anticipate. The Flames added Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost and parted ways with Andrei Kuzmenko via trade during Zary’s absence. That’s sparked a lineup shakeup that Zary will now have to find his footing within. Farabee and Frost have filled a third-line role alongside Yegor Sharangovich, which should leave a top-six role next to Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman open for Zary. But the young forward will need to earn his footing. He has 10 goals and 22 points in 40 games this season, a slight uptick to the 14 goals and 34 points he scored as a rookie last year. If Zary can continue to grow that scoring upside, and his knack for making big plays – his return could be the piece that solidifies Calgary’s top-nine as a group to envy. But tepid offense could be the piece that necessitates further changes.
The pair of returns will give Calgary their first chance to see their roster at full-strength after their trade with Philadelphia. Zary and Bahl are two young, impactful pieces of the Flames lineup – and stood as two of the biggest bright spots on the year before they fell to injury. How the lineup performs amid their return will be closely scrutinized, as Calgary hones in on a potentially lucrative Trade Deadline.
East Injury Notes: Tkachuk, Trocheck, Copp
Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that captain Brady Tkachuk would likely sit out of the Ottawa Senators’ first game back from the 4 Nations Face-Off due to a minor injury. Tkachuk’s recovery timeline is only considered day-to-day but his absence from tonight’s game was later confirmed when the Senators shared their lineups.
Any of the multi-million viewers of the 4 Nations Face-Off likely could have predicted this outcome. Tkachuk was one of the most noticeable players on Team USA scoring big goals and delivering even bigger hits. He did have some mild injury concerns due to colliding with the net during the game against Sweden but he never missed a game.
Due to his rough-and-tumble style of play and the playoff atmosphere throughout the tournament, it’s understandable that Tkachuk could use additional rest. Thankfully, although his absence is felt tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa has a three-day break until their next game giving their captain plenty of time to rest and recuperate.
Other injury notes from the Eastern Conference:
- According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, New York Rangers’ center Vincent Trocheck suffered a broken finger during the United States’ penultimate game against Sweden. Although he did not practice with the team yesterday, Trocheck miraculously suited up for the Rangers this evening. Unfortunately, the matchup didn’t turn out how he and New York would have hoped as Trocheck managed a -2 rating in 18:04 of ice time in an 8-2 blowout loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
- Before the Detroit Red Wings let a third-period two-goal lead collapse to the Minnesota Wild this afternoon, they lost one of their forwards to an apparent injury. After Alex DeBrincat landed a massive hit on Wild defenseman Brock Faber, center Andrew Copp joined the ensuing scrum. The altercation didn’t last long for Copp as he immediately fell to the ice and grabbed at his left shoulder. Copp finished the game with one assist in 10:20 of action.
Central Notes: Vejmelka, Kaprizov, Manson, Nichushkin
Earlier today, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the Utah Hockey Club is engaged in extension negotiations with netminder Karel Vejmelka. Although no deal is imminent, Dreger adds that Vejmelka could become an interesting trade piece at the deadline should he and Utah not agree on a palatable salary for both sides.
It’s a good season for Vejmelka to find comparable situations. Kevin Lankinen, Logan Thompson, and Mackenzie Blackwood have signed extensions with their respective teams this year giving Vejmelka plenty of ammunition to work with. He’s arguably had the best season of his career this year with a 13-15-4 record in 31 starts with a .909 save percentage and a 2.57 goals-against average.
Unfortunately, unless there’s a major injury between now and the deadline, there isn’t much desire for goaltending in the trade market. Most if not all contending teams have a formidable situation between the pipes, with the Philadelphia Flyers likely being the only hypothetical option as a rental. Even then, the Flyers don’t seem to have much appetite for buying regardless of their position in the standings. Unless a non-playoff team is looking for a goaltender and Vejmelka is open to separate extension negotiations, all signs indicate he’ll remain with Utah beyond the trade deadline.
Other Central notes:
- Exiting the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Minnesota Wild were expecting the return of star forward Kirill Kaprizov shortly after. However, it appears the Wild are still a ways away from the return of their highest-scoring forward. In an interview on KFAN 100.3, general manager Bill Guerin said, “I think he’s going to be out longer than we originally expected. How much, I cannot answer.” Kaprizov had surgery in late January to repair a lower-body injury and was given a four-week minimum recovery timeline.
- Neither forward Valeri Nichushkin nor defenseman Josh Manson are expected to join the Colorado Avalanche on their upcoming road trip. In an interview with Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette, head coach Jared Bednar said, “He’s not coming on the (road) trip. Him and (Josh Manson) will both be here getting some work done.” The news is expected for Manson as he’s been dealing with a lower-body injury for much of the regular season. However, the news can’t be seen as anything other than disappointing for Nichushkin who hasn’t suited up since New Year’s Eve despite practicing multiple times.
Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Boeser, Kovalenko, Rutta
Aside from the Boston Bruins losing Charlie McAvoy, the Vegas Golden Knights are another team that lost an impact player during the 4 Nations Face-Off. According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic, the Golden Knights don’t have any new updates regarding defenseman Shea Theodore‘s injury status. However, head coach Bruce Cassidy provided updates on another pair of injured players.
Forwards William Karlsson and Cole Schwindt have resumed regular skating making their returns imminent. Neither Karlsson nor Schwindt has played in a game for Vegas in February as they’re both dealing with lower-body injuries. The former has been impacted by injuries for much of the 2024-25 campaign as he’s only managed seven goals and 18 points in 38 appearances.
Meanwhile, the positive injury updates continue as the team is expected to activate (X Link) forward Tanner Pearson for tonight’s contest against the Vancouver Canucks. Pearson missed the Golden Knights’ final two games before the break due to an undisclosed injury. The former 20-goal scorer has notched nine goals and 19 points in 53 games for Vegas this season averaging 12:01 of ice time per night.
Other Pacific notes:
- Vancouver could be headed for treacherous waters with their pending unrestricted free agent forward Brock Boeser. The team has been playing too well to warrant moving Boeser at the deadline but not much traction has been made for a potential extension. In an article from Thomas Drance in The Athletic, he argues the Canucks will treat Boeser as their own rental for the deadline. Still, Drance argues that if Vancouver significantly falters leading up to March 7th, that could make a Boeser trade more palatable from their perspective.
- According to San Jose beat writer Curtis Pashelka, forward Nikolai Kovalenko nor defenseman Jan Rutta are expected to join the San Jose Sharks on their upcoming road trip. Pashelka adds that Rutta is still relatively far from a return, which could affect his trade value at the upcoming deadline. Rutta is a pending unrestricted free agent right-handed shot defenseman who would likely have some value as a potential depth option for a contending team.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Matt Tomkins
Regular backup netminder Jonas Johansson won’t be ready to return after all following the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. The Tampa Bay Lightning announced they’ve recalled Matt Tomkins from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, and he’ll serve as a backup tomorrow night.
Today’s roster move marks Tomkins’ third call-up since the end of January. It hasn’t made too much of a difference for him personally, as Tomkins still hasn’t stepped on the ice for the Lightning outside of practice and warm-ups.
He’s spent the 2024-25 season as the ‘1B’ option with AHL Syracuse. Splitting the crease with the impressive Brandon Halverson, Tomkins has managed a 9-9-5 record in 22 games with a .911 save percentage and 2.54 goals-against average including three shutouts.
It’s objectively been the best professional year of his career up to this point. Unfortunately, being 30 years old, Tomkins doesn’t have much long-term value within the Lightning organization.
Given Johansson’s injury struggles of late, and the pair of older options in the AHL, goaltending could become a secondary focus for the Lightning at the trade deadline. Tampa Bay has a more pressing need at the forward position but the team may look to improve their backup option. Fortunately, the Lightning have the privilege of deploying Andrei Vasilevskiy on most nights, who’s no stranger to playing in 60 or more games a season.