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West Notes: Landeskog, Copley, George, Vilardi, Ehlers, Hronek

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After flirting with an official comeback in Games 1 & 2, Gabriel Landeskog will suit up for the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3. The NHL proudly announced that Landeskog will play in his first game for the first time in 1,032 days.

Landeskog’s return to the NHL minutes is one of the most remarkable comebacks in professional sports. After captaining the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022, the Swedish winger underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which is an operation more inclined to return an individual to a generic standard of mobility rather than professional sports. Through intense willpower, Landeskog was able to overcome.

It’ll be important for the rest of the Avalanche, too. Based on multiple interviews with players on the team, the void of Landeskog has been present for some time, and having him back in the lineup, even for a few shifts, should lead to intense motivation.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

  • The Los Angeles Kings have switched up their emergency third goalies for Game 2. The Kings announced they’ve recalled netminder Carter George from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, and have reassigned Pheonix Copley in a corresponding roster move. Should George play, which is incredibly unlikely, it would be the first NHL appearance of his career.
  • There are a few injury updates for the Winnipeg Jets as their opening-round series transitions to St. Louis. Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reported that forward Gabriel Vilardi will travel with the team while Nikolaj Ehlers will not. Still, it’s important to note that Vilardi has yet to practice without a non-contact jersey, meaning he could remain a ways away from returning.
  • Team Czechia will have a quality defenseman join them for their IIHF World Championship gold medal repeat bid. Earlier today, it was announced that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek will join his international team for the upcoming tournament. It’ll be the first time since the summer of 2022 that Hronek has played in the tournament when he tallied two assists in 10 contests.

Evening Notes: Kane, Klingberg, Team USA, Backlund, Alexeyev

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After giving up six goals on 30 shots, it was clear throughout Game One that the Edmonton Oilers could use some reinforcements. According to Sportsnet’s Jack Michaels, that could be a realistic possibility relatively soon.

Michaels publicized a note from Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch indicating that there’s a “very good possibility” Edmonton will have forward Evander Kane and defenseman John Klingberg for Game 2 in their opening-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. Neither player offers much in the defensive zone, but could prove valuable on the Oilers’ forecheck.

Kane will be the most interesting of the two to reinsert into the lineup. Despite letting in six goals, Edmonton still produced five, meaning Kane could give them the offensive edge to win the one-goal contests if their defense and goaltending struggle. Meanwhile, Klingberg failed to garner much offensive consistency with the Oilers in limited action this year, scoring one goal and four points in 11 games.

Other evening notes:

  • Earlier today, USA Hockey announced the rest of their coaching staff for the 2025 IIHF World Championships. According to the announcement, Mike Vellucci (Pittsburgh Penguins), Kevin Dean (Chicago Blackhawks), and Adam Nightingale (Michigan State University) will serve as assistant coaches to head coach Ryan Warsofsky. Meanwhile, Thomas Speer has been named the team’s goaltending coach, while Nick Gialdini (San Jose Sharks) and Lawrence Feloney (Nashville Predators) will be the team’s video coaches.
  • On the other side of the bracket, the Calgary Flames announced an important for Team Sweden this afternoon. The Flames shared that captain Mikael Backlund will participate in the World Championships for Sweden for the first time in seven years. Backlund delivered an outstanding performance in the 2018 IIHF World Championships, scoring two goals and accumulating nine points in 10 games, which helped lead Sweden to consecutive gold medals.
  • Despite winning in overtime in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens, the Washington Capitals had an injury scare late in the third period when defenseman Alexander Alexeyev left the game due to being high-sticked by Jake Evans. Fortunately, Alexeyev’s absence will not be lengthy, as Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports he will rejoin the lineup tomorrow night. It’s an important injury update for the Capitals as the team recently lost defenseman Martin Fehérváry for the postseason due to knee surgery.

Central Notes: Foligno, Heiskanen, Robertson, Bridgestone Arena

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In an engaging article from Joe Smith at The Athletic, Smith performed a deep dive on the injury-plagued seasons of Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno over the past few years. Foligno’s injuries, largely in his core abdominal muscles, began negatively impacting his life off the ice, leading to doubt concerning his playing career.

As Smith points out in the article, Foligno’s play style has a part to play. He’s been an aggressive forechecker for his entire career, amassing 2,614 hits (2.98 hits/game) in 875 regular-season contests. That aggression only increases in the postseason, where Foligno has delivered 154 hits (5.31 hits/game) in 29 playoff appearances.

Unfortunately, as Foligno puts it in the article, his tenacity on the ice caught up to him off the ice. Smith quoted Foligno saying, “There were some dark days going through that stuff and thinking about the future and thinking about, how are you going to manage through this injury? You’re thinking about it: ‘Will this (surgery) really solve all my problems?’ You’re really banking on coming out of it. There’s always a bit of gray area, little bit of fogginess where it comes to like, ‘Am I going to be the player I once was before these injuries started piling up?’”

Now that his surgery is in the rearview mirror, we know how the surgery turned out for Foligno. The 14-year veteran appeared in 70 or more games for the first time since the 2021-22 season, scoring 14 goals and 29 points. Meanwhile, he set a career-high in hits with 253, placing him in the league’s top 10.

Other notes from the Central Division:

  • After splitting the first two games in Dallas, the Stars and Avalanche are headed north for Game 3 and Game 4 of their opening-round matchup. According to Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports, defenseman Miro Heiskanen will travel with the team while forward Jason Robertson will not. Given that he’s already returned to skating, there’s a strong chance that the Stars will welcome Heiskanen back at some point in Colorado. Meanwhile, Robertson’s recovery is only a few days into a week-to-week prognosis, meaning there’s very little chance of him returning during Round One.
  • Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, is getting a major makeover (Article Link). The arena announced a $1B renovation set to take place over the next 15 to 20 years that “aims to increase seating capacity, introduce new seating options, and create various fan communal areas.” The project will begin after the 2026-27 NHL season and will start with replacing the outer concrete of the building with glass walls facing Broadway.

Devils’ Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon Out For Game 2

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Devils defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon will both miss tonight’s Game 2 matchup with the Hurricanes, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe (X link).

The team’s leading scorer and hitter among defensemen in the regular season, respectively, both sustained injuries in Sunday’s Game 1 loss. Hughes left the game briefly in the third period after getting tangled up with Carolina center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, favoring his left shoulder – the same one he injured last offseason but didn’t have surgically repaired. He returned for a pair of shifts late in the game. He recorded a minus-one rating, two shots on goal, seven shot attempts, one block, and three giveaways in 22:20 of ice time. Hughes was one of the few players who controlled play for New Jersey at 5-on-5 in the 4-1 loss, recording a Corsi share of 54.4% and an expected goals share of 58.1% (per Natural Stat Trick).

Injured on the same play was center Cody Glass, who did not return to the game after taking a heavy inadvertent slash from Devils netminder Jacob Markström as he was crossing in front of the net. Thankfully, he won’t miss time and called the play “pretty funny” to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh.

Dillon’s absence from Game 2 is less surprising. The physical shutdown defender left Game 1 midway through the second period after falling awkwardly in a net-front battle with William Carrier and could not get up without assistance from Devils head athletic trainer Scott Stanhibel. He didn’t return after the apparent lower-body injury, although New Jersey hasn’t handed down a specific injury designation to either Dillon or Hughes. Dillon recorded four hits in 8:53 of ice time before leaving the game. The Devils were outshot 7-3 and outchanced 6-2 with Dillon on the ice at 5-on-5 to begin the game.

Thus, after getting decisively outplayed by the Hurricanes in Game 1, the Devils enter Game 2 without half of their regular complement of defensemen. They were already without Jonas Siegenthaler, who hasn’t played since Feb. 4 due to a lower-body injury and is not expected back until the second round at the earliest. In-season waiver claim Dennis Cholowski and 2022 No. 2 overall pick Simon Nemec will replace Dillon and Hughes in the lineup, according to Baugh.

Capitals’ Martin Fehérváry Out For Season After Knee Surgery

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The Washington Capitals have announced that defenseman Martin Fehérváry will miss the entirety of the postseason after undergoing surgery to address a meniscus injury in his right knee. Fehérváry sustained the injury in the final game of Washington’s regular season. The injury held him out of Washington’s playoff opener on Monday. In his place, the Capitals utilized depth defenseman Alexander Alexeyev – who only appeared in eight regular season games this season.

Fehérváry was getting run as a top-pair defenseman in Washington’s final few games. He averaged just under 20 minutes of ice time through his final 10 games of the season, bringing his season long average up to an even 19 minutes per game. Fehérváry showed well in his middling role in the lineup, with 25 points and a plus-18 in 81 games – all career-highs. He’s proven to be an effective defender on his own side of the blue line, with a long reach and strong physical play that made him the set-back match for aggressive partners like Matt Roy and John Carlson. Fehérváry was set to be leaned on heavily through the postseason, on a left-hand side that would have made the Capitals absolutely formidable – behind Jakob Chychrun and Rasmus Sandin.

Instead, the Capitals will have to turn towards the untested Alexeyev in their must-win matchups. Unforutnately, even that plan may be knocked awry after Alexeyev lost some teeth in the third period of Game 1. He was hit in the mouth by the skate of Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans and had to leave the game, only to return during the overtime period. Head coach Spencer Carbery shared postgame that Alexeyev would need some “significant dental work” after the incident, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.

It’s unclear if Alexeyev will need to sit out of Game 2. If he does, the absence will be another pile on the string of injuries and absences that held Alexeyev to just 11 games combined between the NHL and AHL this season. He underwent shoulder surgery at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, with a rehab that dragged into the summer. Alexeyev went on to miss time due to personal reasons and routine healthy scratches throughout this season. He managed no scoring in eight NHL games, but did have two assists in three AHL games – production that Washington will need to tap into this Spring. If Alexeyev is forced to miss time, the Capitals will have to turn towards extra defenseman Ethan Bear. Bear was the star of the AHL’s Hershey Bears this season, with a team-leading 46 points in 62 games. He is the only extra defenseman on Washington’s roster, though they could also recall Vincent Iorio or Brad Hunt from the minor leagues.

Metro Notes: Sullivan, Penguins Goaltending, Fehervary

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The Pittsburgh Penguins won’t be among the few teams looking for a new bench boss this summer. In an article from Wes Crosby of NHL.com, the Penguins will retain head coach Mike Sullivan through the 2025-26 NHL season.

Sullivan’s tenure as the longest-serving coach in franchise history is a story of two distinct coaching periods. He guided Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017, and into the playoffs for another five years after.

Unfortunately, the dream ended in 2022-23, as the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Throughout his first 507 games behind the bench, he coached Pittsburgh to a 297-156-54 record. Since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, the Penguins have only mustered a 112-99-35 in the last 246 games under Sullivan’s tutelage.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • In a separate article from Michelle Crechiolo, General Manager Kyle Dubas indicated that netminders Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic would compete for the spot they wanted in training camp. Indirectly, that confirms that the Penguins intend to keep both netminders on the team throughout the summer, and that won’t be an area they’ll look to improve externally. Both goalies showed flashes of quality play throughout the 2024-25 season. Still, Pittsburgh finished the year with a 30th-ranked 3.50 GA/G and a 27th-ranked .884 SV%.
  • Defenseman Martin Fehérváry isn’t in the lineup for the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of their opening-round matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, as alluded to by Sammi Silber of The Hockey News this morning. Fehérváry continues to recover from an ankle injury suffered in Washington’s penultimate game of the season. Still, it granted an opportunity for Alexander Alexeyev, who’s taken Fehérváry’s spot in the lineup for tonight’s contest.

Rangers Notes: Kreider, Schneider, Edstrom

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Rangers winger Chris Kreider ended the season dealing with a hand injury that may require offseason surgery, he told reporters during today’s end-of-season media availability (via Peter Baugh of The Athletic). That’s on top of the known back troubles that bothered him earlier this season. Kreider also said an illness he developed shortly after the holiday break led him to develop vertigo temporarily.

Kreider said he sustained the hand injury in the first game following the 4 Nations break, so that ties into his six-game absence and injured reserve stint leading into the trade deadline. All of those ailments give some context to what was a disastrous season for Kreider, who was limited to 22 goals and 30 points in 68 games after topping the 30-goal and 50-point marks in each of the previous three seasons. That drop-off led to his name landing on the trade block for much of the campaign, and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said last week he expects the Rangers to continue shopping him over the offseason.

Surgery to address his ailments could prove beneficial to his trade value with interested teams hoping his injuries were the principal reason for his steep offensive regression. He can block a trade to 15 teams and has two years left on a deal carrying a $6.5MM cap hit. He did still manage to score at a 27-goal pace this year while shooting slightly south of his career average, so if there are enough teams high on the 33-year-old’s rebound potential, there may not be a need for Blueshirts general manager Chris Drury to retain a portion of his salary. Kreider did end his season on a high note with a goal, three assists, and a plus-four rating in his final two outings.

On the back end, Braden Schneider has already undergone surgery to repair the torn labrum that caused him to miss the final two games of the regular season (via Baugh). Schneider said he’s been playing through the partial tear for the last two seasons but felt it impeded his physicality in 2024-25, influencing him to go under the knife. Those procedures can carry fairly lengthy recovery times, so his decision to undergo surgery as soon as the Blueshirts were eliminated from playoff contention could be the difference in determining whether he’s available when training camp begins in September.

Schneider, 23, scored a career-high 6-15–21 this year and played all 80 games up until undergoing surgery. He tied his career-high plus-nine rating and saw the most minutes of his career at 17:52 per game, seeing increased deployment after the Rangers traded ex-captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks in early December. Now the team’s de facto No. 3 defenseman behind Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller, he’ll garner a considerable raise on his current $2.2MM AAV after he becomes eligible to sign an extension on July 1.

Depth winger Adam Edstrom said he underwent surgery to address his lower-body injury and should be fully healthy in time for training camp this fall (via Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today). The Rangers announced in early February that Edstrom would miss 10 to 14 weeks with a lower-body injury, and Edstrom reaffirmed today he would have been an option at some point in the postseason had New York qualified. The 6’6″ 24-year-old ended his rookie season with 5-4–9, a minus-five rating, and 27 PIMs in 51 appearances while averaging 9:16 per game.

Mathew Barzal, Semyon Varlamov Expect To Be Ready For Training Camp

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New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov and forward Mat Barzal both expect to be ready for the start of next season, per Ethan Sears of the New York Post.

Varlamov has been out since November with an injury that required season-ending surgery. The 36-year-old appeared in only 10 games on the season, finishing with a 3-3-4 record and an undesirable .889 save percentage. Speaking to reporters, Varlamov noted the injury is something that he’s been dealing with for quite some time. He added that he is looking forward to returning to action next season.

If healthy, Varlamov should provide the Isles with a solid backup option behind star Ilya Sorokin. Marcus Högberg ended up appearing in 15 games this year, but didn’t make the most of his opportunity, finishing with a 2-6-3 record to pair with a .878 save percentage. Varlamov has two years remaining on his contract, paying a $2.75MM AAV. Despite a rough 2024-25 season, he’s just one year removed from providing New York with a .918 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average. If he can rediscover that type of play, the combination of him and Sorokin should help the club’s efforts to return to the playoffs.

Barzal, who suffered an injury to his knee back in early February, also expects to be 100 percent for next season. In fact, had the Isles made the playoffs, there’s a chance Barzal could have played. In 30 games on the year, he posted six goals and 20 points. The three-time All-Star is coming off of an 80-point season and has produced 190 points in the three seasons prior to this year. The 27-year-old still has six years remaining on his $9.125MM AAV deal.

Capitals Notes: Fehervary, Protas, Chychrun

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Martin Fehervary and Aliaksei Protas did not practice for the Capitals today, per NHL.com reporter Tom Gulitti. He adds that defender Jakob Chychrun did practice despite a puck deflecting into his face at practice yesterday.

Fehervary appeared in 81 games in the regular season but missed the final game of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins with an ankle injury. The 25-year-old defender scored 25 points on the year to go along with a plus-18 rating, 150 blocked shots and 139 hits. He also averaged 19 minutes of ice time per game, so his return will play a major factor in the team’s Stanley Cup aspirations. The same can be said for Protas, who burst on the season this year and produced 30 goals, 66 points, and an incredible plus-40 rating. He’s been out since April 4 with a foot injury.

Head coach Spencer Carbery was vague in discussing the potential return of Fehervary and Protas, recently stating: “I’m just going to leave it as we’ve got a bunch of guys working through some things, progressing, potentially playing on Monday, potentially not. Once we get going in the series, I can give you more updates as guys are obviously warming up and in the lineup or not.”

Chychrun has appeared to avoid any serious injury after being struck with a puck in practice yesterday. His return to practice today is obviously a great sign for the Capitals, especially considering the unknown return of Fehervary. Chychrun produced 20 goals and 47 points from the blueline on the season and serves as a key member of the team’s top power play unit.

Kings’ Tanner Jeannot Remains Out Week-To-Week

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While the Kings are relatively healthy heading into their first-round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, forward Tanner Jeannot remains out week-to-week, per Mayor’s Manors. It appeared Jeannot hurt his ankle on a no-contact injury while setting up to block a shot in March 25th’s win over the New York Rangers, and he’s been out of the lineup ever since. He has not begun skating and isn’t expected to play in the first round.

Jeannot scored seven goals and 13 points in 67 games on the season but served the Kings well as a physical presence on the fourth line, where the 6’2″, 220-pounder produced 211 hits. In 294 career games, Jeannot has delivered 1,083 hits, good for a 3.7 average per game. However, the 27-year-old has never been able to match the offensive production of his rookie year during the 2021-22 season, when he scored 24 goals and 41 points.

He also hasn’t been able to produce much offensively in 16 career playoff contests, where he’s produced just three assists and a minus-nine rating. However, he has showcased his physicality with 65 hits in those contests while averaging 13:04 of ice time. His return would provide the team’s bottom-six with a high-energy presence that can change the momentum of a game.

In his absence, rookie center Samuel Helenius and depth winger Jeff Malott have received more minutes. Helenius produced seven points in 50 regular season games but also doled out 150 hits in his rookie campaign. Malott produced well in the AHL this season, scoring 51 points in 61 games, but only secured one assist in 12 NHL games on the year.

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