Kraken’s Yanni Gourde Out Five To Seven Weeks Following Sports Hernia Surgery
One of the more popular rental candidates for the trade deadline will be on the shelf for some time. The Seattle Kraken announced Yanni Gourde will miss the next five to seven weeks after undergoing successful sports hernia surgery.
It’s a difficult situation for both the player and the team. He’ll return on the day of the trade deadline, March 7th, should he miss the minimum amount of time.
Gourde has once again faced challenges this year offensively. He has scored six goals and recorded 16 points in 35 games, significantly lower than his performance two years ago when he achieved 14 goals and 48 points. His average ice time has decreased by nearly two minutes, but he has maintained a solid success rate in the faceoff circle.
If he’s traded before the deadline, he’ll likely command far less than he otherwise would. It’s reminiscent of the situation the Columbus Blue Jackets found themselves in when they traded the injured Gustav Nyquist to the Minnesota Wild for a 2023 fifth-round pick.
Given his ability to play effective minutes in the bottom six, being a two-time Stanley Cup champion, and the fact that he’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, Gourde should still command some interest toward the deadline. If the Kraken eats half of his salary for the remainder of his season, Gourde should potentially fetch a later-round pick.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Aleksei Kolosov, Reassign Adam Ginning
Goaltender Aleksei Kolosov‘s time with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms was short-lived. The Philadelphia Flyers announced they recalled Kolosov from the Phantoms and sent defenseman Adam Ginning the other way. Additionally, the team shared that they placed defenseman Yegor Zamula on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to January 23rd.
The recall is head-scratching at face value. After producing a mediocre 4-8-1 record and a .870 save percentage in 15 games with the Flyers, the organization decided to try Kolosov at the AHL level a little over a week ago.
Kolosov’s results in Lehigh Valley weren’t much better. He posted a 2-4-1 record in seven games, with a .874 SV% and a 3.59 goals-against average. Still, while it’s not entirely the fault of the goaltenders, and it is merely wishful thinking that Kolosov would have produced a different outcome, the Flyers are 2-4-0 since sending him down and have given up 20 goals in that stretch.
The Minsk, Belarus native may receive one or two more starting opportunities with Philadelphia in the coming week. However, this is not the most promising route for him to secure more starts. The Flyers have faced significant goaltending issues this season, and Kolosov’s subpar performance has contributed to this problem.
Ginning is heading to a familiar environment fresh off making his season debut in Philadelphia. He skated in 12:48 of last night’s loss to the New York Islanders adding one hit and one blocked shot to the team’s total. He could be back with the Flyers soon given the team only has six healthy defensemen on the roster without him.
Philadelphia had to make a roster move after yesterday’s acquisition of Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier from the Calgary Flames. Moving to the last part of the transaction, Zamula finally lands on the injured reserve after missing the past four games. Once he’s healthy enough to return, Kolosov or forward Rodrigo Abols will likely be reassigned to AHL Lehigh Valley.
Utah’s Logan Cooley Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury
Star Utah center Logan Cooley will be sidelined indefinitely with a lower-body injury, the team announced Friday. He’ll be re-evaluated when the league schedule resumes following the 4 Nations Face-Off.
It’s not clear when Cooley sustained the injury. He skated 19:50 against the Penguins on Wednesday, more than two minutes above his season average, and ended a three-game point drought in the process with a secondary assist on a Mikhail Sergachev power play goal.
Cooley, the third-overall pick of the 2022 draft by the Coyotes, has yet to miss a game since signing his entry-level contract with Arizona in the summer of 2023. He’ll now be held out of Utah’s next six games, the balance of their schedule until the 4 Nations tournament, at a minimum.
The 20-year-old’s absence will be felt immensely for a team with a bottom-10 offense already dealing with a lower-body injury to top-six winger Dylan Guenther. He’s broken out in a big way after an inconsistent rookie campaign, ranking second on Utah in scoring with 43 points (15 G, 28 A) through 50 games. His plus-four rating is tied for fourth on the club, and his 17:47 ATOI ranks third among forwards behind Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. He’s also improving in the faceoff dot – while still subpar with a 44.2% win rate on over 500 draws, it’s up by a significant margin from last year’s 38% figure.
That jump in production comes despite Cooley logging most of his time at even strength away from Keller and Schmaltz, who Barrett Hayton has centered for most of the year. Instead, Cooley anchors the team’s second line between Guenther and Jack McBain, still tying for second on the team with 19 even-strength assists.
Cooley’s two-way game is still developing, but more concerning is the loss of Utah’s arguably most effective even-strength producer as they slide further out of the wild-card race in the Western Conference. It’s been an injury-fueled, inconsistent first year in Salt Lake City for the ex-Coyotes group, who have dealt with extended absences to Guenther and top-four defenders Sean Durzi and John Marino. It’s not all bad news, though – Marino returned earlier this month and has four assists through eight games, while Guenther and Durzi skated with the team today in non-contact jerseys, Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
In the meantime, Hayton will likely overtake Cooley’s job on the top power-play unit and will look to boost his production. The 2018 fifth-round pick has been a good two-way complement at even strength to Keller and Schmaltz, recording 26 points through 50 games with a second-place plus-seven rating. Hayton’s 11 even-strength goals are second on the team behind Keller’s 13, but he has just two power-play points this season while skating with the second unit.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Flames’ Kevin Bahl Out Week-To-Week
The Calgary Flames have designated defenseman Kevin Bahl as out week-to-week with an upper-body injury per TSN’s Salim Nadim Valji. Bahl suffered what appeared to be a head injury after receiving a big hit against the boards from Minnesota’s Jakub Lauko in Calgary’s Saturday night win. Bahl has missed the Flames’ two games since. He’ll now be a candidate for injured reserve, while the Flames will get assured for carrying eight defenseman on their roster leading into the weekend.
Bahl is in the midst of a career year. He has scored 14 points in 47 games, already surpassing his career-high 11 points in 82 games set last season. That boost in scoring has come in tandem with a strong defensive presence, helping Bahl gradually climb the lineup in his first season with the Flames. He has averaged just over 21 minutes of ice time each game, making him the team’s third-most utilized defenseman behind Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar. Bahl also ranks third on the blue-line in blocks (79) and hits (67). It’s been beyond an encouraging season for the 24-year-old, who was traded to the Flames alongside a first round draft pick in exchange for Jacob Markstrom this summer. Bahl had previously spent the last three seasons trying, and failing, to earn secure ice time in the Devils defense. Now on a blue-line decimated by Calgary’s 2023-24 trading of Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev, and Noah Hanifin – Bahl seems to finally be finding his footing at the top flight.
Calgary has recalled Tyson Barrie from an AHL conditioning stint to fill in for Bahl. Barrie played his first game since early November on Tuesday. He recorded one assist, a -1, and one penalty in 17:20 of ice time. That’s certainly a welcome return for the 14-year-veteran who only had two points in nine games this season entering the contest. Barrie will now have a chance to prove he still belongs in the NHL, even at the age of 33, with big minutes opened up in Bahl’s absence.
Maple Leafs Activate Max Pacioretty, Place Matthew Knies On IR
The Toronto Maple Leafs have activated veteran winger Max Pacioretty off of injured reserve. He has missed the team’s last three games with an upper-body injury. It wasn’t apparent when Pacioretty suffered the injury, which first popped up when he missed practice on January 20th. In a corresponding move, Toronto has also placed winger Matthew Knies on injured reserve with his own upper-body injury. Knies was injured one week ago, after taking a hard hit from Kirill Marchenko in the second period of Toronto’s January 22nd loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Knies’ IR designation can be made retroactive to that game, allowing Toronto to activate him as soon as he’s back to full health. Knies will still be on a ticking clock, though, with just two games left on Toronto’s schedule before they go on a two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off.
Losing Knies has been a hard blow the Maple Leafs lineup. The team has lost each of their last two games, getting held to one goal in both outings. Rookie Jacob Quillan received his NHL debut in Knies’ absence on Saturday, but the lineup vacancy will now turn back over to Pacioretty. The 17-year-pro has had a quiet season, marred by injuries, in his first year with the Maple Leafs. He has just five goals and 12 points through 32 games, a far lower scoring pace than he managed even just last year, when Pacioretty netted 23 points in 47 games for the Washington Capitals. Returning from injury will give Pacioretty a chance to snap the eight-game scoring drought he was riding prior to injury. He had six points, split evenly, in nine games prior to that drought – painting a clear picture of a hot-and-cold season.
Even with Pacioretty back, the Leafs will miss Knies for as long as he stays out. The 22-year-old winger is once again showing signs of improvement, with 18 goals and 31 points in 47 games this season. That’s a 54-point scoring pace across 82 games, far better than the 35 points Knies scored in 80 games last year. He’s earned a strong top-six role with that production, averaging nearly 18-and-a-half minutes each game. There’s been no indication of just how much longer Knies may miss, but he’ll be quickly slotted back into the top of Toronto’s lineup as soon as he’s back. Notably, head coach Craig Berube said that he plans to provide goaltender Anthony Stolarz with every chance he can to return before the team’s 4-Nations break. That mindset could also help Knies get back onto the ice before the team returns on February 22nd.
Senators’ Nick Cousins To Miss 6-8 Weeks
Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins will be out through at least early March after suffering a knee injury in the team’s Saturday win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Cousins suffered the injury on a knee-to-knee collision with Leafs rookie Jacob Quillan. Both players needed help off the ice after the hit, though Quillian ultimately avoided an injury. Senators head coach Travis Green shared that Cousins would miss significant time immediately after the game. Now the forward could be a candidate for long-term injured reserve, though Cousins is getting different opinions on the severity of his injury, per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch.
Cousins has been a reliable bottom-six forward for the Senators, appearing in 46 of the team’s 48 games and averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time prior to his injury. He has five goals and 13 points on the year, just shy of the 15 points he managed in 69 games with the Florida Panthers last season. Cousins continues to sit off of his team’s special teams units – which should make his role a bit less of a headache to replace.
Since Cousins’ injury, top forward Joshua Norris has made his return to the Senators lineup. That addition should fill their hole for the time being, with Adam Gaudette and Matthew Highmore securing routine roles on the fourth line. Ottawa also successfully passed winger Cole Reinhardt through waivers on Wednesday, which grants him a 30-day waiver exemption and gives Ottawa a movable extra forward. Reinhardt has two points, a goal and an assist through 12 games this season. They’re the first points of his career, in some of his first NHL games, though he made his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season. Reinhardt has since been a productive member of the AHL’s Belleville Senators. He leads that team in points-per-game this season, with 16 points in 13 games. Ottawa could also turn towards rookie Stephen Halliday – Belleville’s leading scorer with 27 points – should they need additional support over the next two months.
In other Senators news, defenseman Nick Jensen returned to the team’s practice in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday. Jensen has missed the team’s last two games with an undisclosed injury. His status for Ottawa’s Thursday matchup against the Washington Capitals is undetermined, but Jensen is expected to return soon, per Sportsnet’s Alex Adams. Jensen has 18 points in 48 games this season – the second-highest scoring pace of his 10-year career behind his 29 points in 77 games of the 2022-23 season.
Finally, star goaltender Linus Ullmark should return within the next few games, per Garrioch. Ullmark has missed the last 16 games with a back injury. He’s been an integral piece to the Senators’ lineup in his first year with the club, boasting a 12-7-2 record and .915 save percentage through 23 games this season. He’ll be a critical addition when he’s back to full health.
Nico Hischier Downgraded To Week-To-Week
Devils captain Nico Hischier‘s injury status has been downgraded to week-to-week, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Wednesday (including Gabriel Trevino of NJ.com). He has not played since sustaining an upper-body injury on a crosscheck from Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki last Saturday.
Keefe initially called Hischier day-to-day following the injury, which held him out of Monday’s loss to the Flyers. However, he left the team’s road trip to return to New Jersey to visit with team doctors for further evaluation. Evidently, it wasn’t positive news for the Swiss centerman, who will now miss another three games at minimum.
Past the halfway point of the season, Hischier leads the team in goals with 24 and has added 19 assists for 43 points in 51 games. He’s putting up career-highs in shooting percentage (17%) and average ice time (20:21), as well as winning 55.5% of his draws and logging a career-high 55.5 CF% at even strength. It’s been a dominant two-way campaign from the 2023 Selke Trophy finalist, one that could put him back in that conversation, assuming his absence doesn’t stretch out for too much longer.
It’s a difficult blow for the Devils, who are 4-5-3 since New Year’s and are already without starting goaltender Jacob Markström until around the trade deadline due to a sprained MCL. They’ve called to 28-18-6, decidedly third in the Metropolitan Division behind the Capitals and Hurricanes, and are now being chased by the red-hot Blue Jackets who are seven points back with two games in hand.
23-year-old Dawson Mercer shifts to center in Hischier’s absence with Erik Haula also on the shelf. The 2020 first-rounder has 23 points in 52 games, up only slightly from last year’s offensive pace.
Afternoon Notes: Kulich, Stolarz, Savage, Durzi
The Buffalo Sabres cleared up space in their bottom six by placing winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel on waivers. After the team’s practice, head coach Lindy Ruff shared that the decision was influenced by how well 20-year-old Jiri Kulich has performed as of late, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Ruff elaborated that the team will face a roster crunch with Jordan Greenway expected to return to practice soon. An undisclosed injury has forced Greenway out of 28 of Buffalo’s last 32 games.
Through the weeds of roster moves, this news shines a spotlight on Kulich. The young center recorded the first three-point game of his career last Tuesday, and was promptly awarded with the most ice time of his career on Thursday. Kulich didn’t manage any scoring, but made sure to find the scoresheet in Buffalo’s Saturday game – scoring one goal on a career-high seven shots. He’s playing much more confident and determined than he was earlier in the year, and the Sabres seem ready to reward him with a hardier role and a chance to prove his worth.
Across the Atlantic Division, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told media after practice that he won’t hold back goaltender Anthony Stolarz if he’s healthy before the league breaks for the 4-Nations Face-Off, captured in a video from TSN. Stolarz participated in his first full practice after missing the last 21 games with a knee injury. He’s been upgraded to day-to-day and nearing a return, but will have just five chances left to return before the Leafs go on a two-week break.
Stolarz effectively leads the league in save percentage among goalies with 10-or-more games played. He’s recorded a .927 through just 17 games this season, backed by a stout 9-5-2 record. Stolarz seemed to be the reliability in net that Toronto had been seeking, but his untimely injury has put the team in a challenging spot. The Leafs have been outscored 70-to-69 since Stolarz’s injury, though they’ve still managed a 12-9-0 record. His return will be hotly anticipated as, hopefully, the catalyzing piece of a second-half run in Toronto.
Traveling south of Toronto, Michigan State Spartans captain and Detroit Red Wings prospect Redmond Savage has suffered a season-ending injury, Spartans head coach Adam Nightingale told local reporter Conor Earegood of Detroit News Sports. Savage’s season will end with 11 points in 20 games – a dip in scoring pace from his 27 points in 38 games last season, but still a better pace than his two years at Miami University of Ohio. Detroit drafted Savage in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, but haven’t yet signed him to his entry-level contract. They will lose his rights next summer if he doesn’t sign.
Finally, out in the plains of the Western Conference, Utah Hockey Club defender Sean Durzi returned to the team’s practices on Tuesday. Durzi has missed Utah’s last 45 games with a shoulder injury. Head coach Andre Tourigny joked about the defender’s return to Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune, saying that Durzi looked a bit rusty but that the team is incredibly excited to have him back. Utah signed Durzi to a four-year, $24MM contract this summer, but he’s so far only played four games on the deal. He was still productive enough to illicit excitement in the brief showing – recording two assists, seven penalty minutes, and a +2. Durzi will likely return to a role on Utah’s second pair, once he eases his way back to full practice.
Kirill Kaprizov To Undergo Lower-Body Surgery, Out Minimum Four Weeks
1:34 p.m.: The Wild moved Kaprizov to IR to open up a roster spot, per a team announcement. They also shifted Brodin from IR to LTIR retroactive to Jan. 7 to open up the cap space for a forward recall, ruling him out of the team’s next two games at minimum.
10:35 a.m.: Wild star winger Kirill Kaprizov missed Tuesday’s practice and will undergo surgery to address his nagging lower-body injury, according to Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic. Russo and Smith report the surgery, which would address what’s believed to be a muscular issue in his groin and is scheduled for Friday, carries an expected recovery time of six weeks. General manager Bill Guerin handed down an official week-to-week designation with a minimum four-week window, per Jessi Pierce of NHL.com.
The loss of Kaprizov is less devastating than when he missed 12 games over the past month-plus, with most of his absence set to fall while the NHL schedule stops for the 4 Nations Face-Off. They still have six games left before the break, though, and their best player will join top shutdown defenseman Jonas Brodin and middle-six winger Marcus Johansson on injured reserve for that stretch. While the ageless Mats Zuccarello and breakout center Marco Rossi still form two-thirds of a formidable top line, there’s simply no replacement for Kaprizov as the Wild desperately try to hold onto their top-three spot in the Central Division heading into the break.
While second-line winger Matt Boldy is a top-line player in most markets and would likely do well with a bump in ice time, the 27-year-old Kaprizov has solidified himself as a top-three winger in the league this season. In 37 games, the 5’10” lefty has tallied 23 goals and 29 assists for 52 points with a +19 rating. His 1.41 points per game are fifth in the league, and tops among left-wingers, not a level of production Boldy or the other few high-upside offensive options in the organization can aim to touch.
Boldy slid into Kaprizov’s minutes during his previous absence, doing well offensively but causing the line’s two-way dominance to falter. He posted five goals and six assists for 11 points over the 12-game span, but the Boldy-Rossi-Zuccarello trio has conceded 3.61 expected goals against per 60 minutes compared to just 2.38 xGA/60 with Kaprizov on that line, per MoneyPuck. With Johansson also missing from the top nine, 2022 first-round pick Liam Ohgren is likely to get an extended run in increased minutes. It’s a shot in the dark, though – Ohgren has just two points in 13 NHL showings this season, both assists against the Avalanche on Jan. 20.
Kaprizov will be back shortly after the trade deadline if he undergoes surgery this week and the six-week recovery window holds true. That won’t allow Minnesota to keep Kaprizov’s cap hit on long-term injured reserve for the remainder of the regular season, but it should allow them additional options for short-term flexibility as they look to add to their roster. They’ve been linked to Islanders pending UFA pivot Brock Nelson, and The Fourth Period reports they’ve at least demonstrated loose interest in Canucks stars J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. But they currently project to have just $200K in deadline space, requiring them to move out salary in any deal they make, plus asking for maximum retention on the other end.
Canucks Notes: Sherwood, Joshua, Friedman
The Vancouver Canucks fit in a practice early this morning before traveling to St. Louis to begin a three-game road-trip. The skate brought plenty of updates. Most notably, third-line forward Kiefer Sherwood did not travel with the team, per Jeff Patterson of Rink Wide: Vancouver. He is expected to miss Monday’s game, at least, after also sitting out of the team’s Saturday win over Washington. There is hope that he could join the team partway through the trip. No specifics of Sherwood’s injury have been disclosed.
Sherwood is having a career year in his first season with the Canucks. He ranks fourth on the team with 13 goals – just behind Jake DeBrusk (17), Brock Boeser (16), and defender Quinn Hughes (14). Sherwood has totaled 21 points through 47 games, putting him just six games shy of his career-high in scoring with 34 games still on the schedule. It has been a long road to land Sherwood in an everyday NHL role. He originally debuted with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018-19, but only managed 12 points in 50 games as a rookie. He spent the next three seasons making only spot starts at the top flight, through trips with Anaheim and the Colorado Avalanche, before spending the full season with the Nashville Predators last season. That’s when he set a career-high 27 points – a number he’s poised to smash now with the fourth club of his seven-year career.
In other Canucks news, forward Dakota Joshua made his return to the practice sheet on Sunday. Joshua has missed Vancouver’s last 10 games with a leg injury. He was placed on injured reserve on January 6th. Joshua has had an up-and-down season. A summer cancer diagnosis forced him to sit out the first month of the season, but he was a routine presence in the Canucks lineup between November and early January. He’s managed just four points and 20 penalty minutes through 24 games – but was riding a seven-game scoring drought prior to injury. He seems to be nearing a lineup return, likely giving him a chance to break his cold spell on Vancouver’s upcoming trip.
Ahead of the road trip, Vancouver also assigned defenseman Mark Friedman to the AHL. Friedman has only played in five NHL games this season – two coming last week. He hasn’t managed any scoring through the appearances, with 10 penalty minutes and a -4 his only notable stat changes. He’s been slightly more productive in the minors, with one goal and six points in 20 appearances with the Abbotsford Canucks. Friedman has served as a top AHL call-up for nearly every year of his nine-year career. He’ll continue to fill that role with this move, with Vancouver opting to carry rookie defenseman Elias Pettersson for their road trip instead.