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Snapshots: Graves, St. Ivany, Krug, Oshie, Protas

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have shared that defenseman Ryan Graves will be stepping away for a paternity leave, opening the door for rookie Jack St. Ivany to make his NHL debut. St. Ivany has flirted with his inaugural game for much of March, getting moved between the NHL and AHL four different times in the last week. He was clearly motivated by the string of moves, recording a career-high three-point night in his latest AHL game – his first since receiving the first NHL call-up of his career. The performance broke a 10-game scoring drought and accounted for a fifth of St. Ivany’s 15 points on the season. He’ll now have a golden chance to build on the hot night, potentially poised for a big role with Graves’ average of 19 minutes a night now up for grabs.

Other notes from around the league:

  • St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug is expected to return to the lineup on Friday after sititng out with a chest injury on Thursday, per NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce. It was Krug’s first absence of the year, after appearing in the Blues’ first 69 games. He’s managed three goals and 34 points in those games. This is Krug’s first time playing in more than 65 games since the 2017-18 season.  His return is expected to bump Scott Perunovich back out of the lineup.
  • The Washington Capitals will continue to be without T.J. Oshie and Aliaksei Protas, head coach Spencer Carbery told The Hockey News. Both players sat out of the team’s Wednesday night loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Oshie is bearing with an upper-body injury, while Protas has a lingering lower-body injury suffered on March 9th. The team will eagerly anticipate their return, now left to lean on Michael Sgarbossa and Ivan Miroshnichenko as top-six fill-ins.

Atlantic Notes: Harvey-Pinard, Lyubushkin, Marchand, Barkov

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Canadiens winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard is no longer waiver-exempt after playing in his 70th career NHL game in Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Canucks, per CapFriendly. The 25-year-old has had his 2023-24 season plagued with injuries, only skating in 32 of Montreal’s 69 contests, although he hasn’t been particularly effective in the lineup, either. His 14 goals in 34 games after being called up from AHL Laval last season hasn’t managed to carry over, and he’s only scored once in 32 contests this season while adding seven assists. Logging 12:49 per game, the 2019 seventh-round pick has been one of the Habs’ worst offensive forwards. He has produced some value with decent possession metrics, logging a 45.8 CF% at even strength that’s above average relative to his teammates, but there hasn’t been much to suggest he can stick in a top-nine role long-term. The 5-foot-9 forward has one season left on a contract carrying a $1.1MM cap hit and will be an RFA with arbitration rights in 2025.

Other updates from the Atlantic Division:

  • Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin isn’t quite recovered from his illness and will miss his third straight game Saturday when Toronto hosts the Oilers, head coach Sheldon Keefe said today. Recently picked up via trade from the Ducks for his second go-around with the Leafs, Lyubushkin did skate today for the first time since his last appearance, Saturday’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Hurricanes. The 29-year-old has been solid since re-joining Toronto, recording two assists and a 51.5 CF% in seven games, mainly skating alongside Morgan Rielly while averaging 16:07 per game.
  • Bruins captain Brad Marchand is questionable for Saturday’s game against the Flyers after he was absent from today’s practice for maintenance purposes, head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters. The 35-year-old had been on a hot streak, picking up eight points in his last seven games. He’s on pace to finish below a point per game for a second straight season after doing so every year from 2016-17 to 2021-22, and his possession metrics have also dipped considerably without the now-retired Patrice Bergeron centering his line. He remains the Bruins’ top secondary talent to David Pastrňák, though, and is the team’s second-leading scorer with 27 goals and 62 points in 71 games.
  • Panthers first-line mainstay Aleksander Barkov traveled with the team on their road trip but is unlikely to draw in Saturday against the Rangers, head coach Paul Maurice said. The perennial Selke Trophy candidate missed yesterday’s loss to the Predators with an undisclosed injury and hasn’t been completely ruled out against New York. The 28-year-old Finn is having another elite campaign, notching 48 assists, 66 points, and a +23 rating in 62 games while helping facilitate linemate Sam Reinhart’s breakout season.

Kraken Notes: Dunn, Schwartz, Oleksiak

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In unfortunate news for the Seattle Kraken blue line, Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times reports that defenseman Vince Dunn did not travel with the team for their game tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights. This will mark Dunn’s seventh straight game that he has been unable to suit up, dealing with an upper-body injury suffered a little over two weeks ago.

Dunn originally sustained an injury on a play that warranted a suspension, receiving a hit from behind from Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil. It has been the first major injury to Dunn that he has suffered throughout his tenure with the Kraken organization.

Seattle has heavily missed him, as he has been the team’s best defenseman for the last three seasons. Without their top defensive cog in the lineup, the Kraken has produced a 1-4-1 record in Dunn’s absence, averaging 3.83 goals against per game.

Other Kraken notes:

  • Shefte also reported that Jaden Schwartz would be a game-time decision for tonight’s action. Schwartz has missed the last four games for Seattle as he is dealing with an undisclosed injury. Similar to the rest of his tenure with the Kraken organization, this will mark the fourth time this year that Schwartz has missed game action due to injury.
  • Lastly, in yet another blow to Seattle’s blue line, the team does not sound optimistic about Jamie Oleksiak’s availability tonight (X Link). Earlier today, the team did recall defenseman Cale Fleury on an emergency basis, and he will likely play in his first NHL game of the season tonight.

Central Notes: Vilardi, Pionk, Krug

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During this week’s iteration of 32 Thoughts with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, the two have reported that the Winnipeg Jets are operating under the belief that forward Gabriel Vilardi will return before the end of the season. Vilardi has been out since the team’s March 2nd game against the Dallas Stars with an upper-body injury.

It has been a difficult season in Manitoba for Vilardi, who is in his first year with the organization since being acquired in the trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings. In a separate injury at the beginning of the year, Vilardi injured his MCL which led to his absence for a total of six weeks.

When healthy, Vilardi has been a valueable forward for the Jets, scoring 16 goals and 30 points in only 38 games on the year. Now that Winnipeg is squarely in the race for the Central Division crown, Vilardi will be an important piece to get back into the lineup during the home stretch.

Other Central notes:

  • Staying in Winnipeg, although his status was questionable for tonight’s matchup against the New Jersey Devils due to an illness, defenseman Neal Pionk was able to enter the lineup (X Link). Still operating as a solid two-way defenseman in his fifth year with the Jets organization, Pionk has scored five goals and 25 points for Winnipeg this season, averaging just under 21 minutes of ice time per night.
  • In tonight’s tilt against the Ottawa Senators, the St. Louis Blues will be without defenseman Torey Krug, who was suffering from a lower-body injury (Article Link). Nevertheless, it has still been one of the healthiest years to date for Krug, who has not broken the 64 games played mark since the 2017-18 NHL season. Once again putting up quality offensive production, Krug has scored three goals and 34 points over 69 games this season.

Dan Vladar To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

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Flames netminder Daniel Vladař will undergo season-ending surgery on his hip next week, per the team. Vladař, who missed three games in February with what the team termed a lower-body injury, is expected to recover by the start of the 2024-25 season. No corresponding recall will be made as starter Jacob Markström, who missed the last four games with a lower-body injury, “has been cleared for full practice and game participation.”

Vladař, 26, had the worst season of his career in 2023-24, although today’s news offers a plausible explanation as Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reports the goalie “has needed hip surgery for a while.” His only IR stint this year came during February’s absence. With no roster limit in effect after the trade deadline, there’s little reason for the Flames to move Vladař to IR for the rest of the season to open up a roster spot. While LTIR is also an option given the length of his absence, that’s also unlikely as the team has over $10MM in cap space and likely won’t need the relief provided by Vladař’s $2.2MM cap hit.

He ends 2023-24 with 19 starts, an 8-9-2 record, a .882 SV%, and a 3.62 GAA — his worst numbers since the Flames acquired him from the Bruins in 2021. However, it likely won’t be his last chance to prove himself in Calgary. Markström is a likely candidate to get traded this summer after waiving his no-move clause before the deadline for a trade to the Devils that ultimately fell through, opening a spot for Vladař to remain on the roster alongside top prospect Dustin Wolf. 2024-25 is the second and final season of the extension he signed with the club in 2022, and he’s set to earn the same base salary as his cap hit implies.

Vladař’s injury means the Flames do not need to modify Wolf’s emergency loan, which they used to bring him up from AHL Calgary earlier this month when Markström got hurt. Without two other healthy goaltenders on the active roster, Wolf can remain with the Flames on an emergency loan for the remainder of the season and keep Calgary from burning one of their two remaining post-trade deadline standard recalls. Vladař wasn’t likely to get much action down the stretch anyway, having been pulled for Wolf in his last appearance on March 12 against the Avalanche. The 22-year-old Californian has a .931 SV% and 2-1-0 record since entering the Colorado game.

Snapshots: Oshie, Protas, Brodin, Gruden

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Before the puck drop in the team’s game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Washington Capitals announced two injuries to their lineup. In the announcement, the Capitals stated that forward T.J. Oshie is out with an upper-body injury, and Aliaksei Protas is out with a lower-body injury.

Although both players were given a day-to-day injury designation, it is much of the same for Oshie this season. Oshie has only played in 43 of a possible 68 games for the Capitals this season, only managing 11 goals and 19 points in the process. With one more year remaining on his eight-year, $46MM contract after this year, the injury concern is certainly piling up for the veteran forward.

Protas, on the other hand, has sustained much more health than Oshie this season, skating in 65 games for Washington. Earning a five-year, $16.875MM contract extension in January, Protas has turned into quite the playmaker for the Capitals, scoring five goals and 28 points altogether.

Other snapshots:

  • Moving out West, the Minnesota Wild announced that defenseman Jonas Brodin would miss the team’s game tonight against the Los Angeles Kings with a lower-body injury. It will mark the 19th game that Brodin has missed this season with injury, as an upper-body injury, as well as another lower-body injury, have kept him out of the lineup for multiple games at a time. Nevertheless, Brodin is still the second-highest-scoring defenseman for the Wild this season, putting up seven goals and 23 points in 51 games.
  • After filling in for the injured Jeff Carter last night, Jonathan Gruden has been returned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after being recalled on an emergency loan. Gruden will return to a situation in WBS where he has been largely successful this year, scoring 13 goals and 24 points in 43 games at the AHL level.

West Notes: Zegras, Pietrangelo, Bjugstad, Smith

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In an update today on Anaheim Ducks’ forward Trevor Zegras, Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune reports that Zegras has been a full participant in two straight practices. Although there is still no set timetable for Zegras’ return, two full practices without restrictions indicate that he could be making his return to the lineup very soon.

It has been a season to forget for Zegras, both due to a broken ankle that has kept him out of the lineup for two months, and due to his play on the ice when he has been healthy. Only managing to suit up in 20 games for Anaheim this season, Zegras has scored four goals and seven points overall, while averaging 17:20 of ice time.

When Zegras eventually makes his return to the active roster, he will have much more responsibility upon his shoulders after the team parted with center Adam Henrique at the trade deadline. As Zegras was also mentioned in trade rumors throughout the deadline season, his play down the stretch may impact the offers that the Ducks receive for his services over the summer.

Other West notes:

  • After missing the team’s last game due to an illness, the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bruce Cassidy, states that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is feeling better but will be a game-time decision for their game tomorrow night against the Seattle Kraken (X Link). In Pietrangelo’s absence, the team lost an important game to the Tampa Bay Lightning, while still maintaining their grip on the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
  • Moving to the Central Division, Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that forward Nick Bjugstad will make his return to the lineup tonight for the Arizona Coyotes. This confirms that Bjugstad has shaken off his day-to-day injury designation suffered in the team’s most recent game against the New Jersey Devils. A key offensive contributor for the organization over the last couple of weeks, Bjugstad has scored seven goals and 10 points in his last 13 games for the Coyotes.
  • Staying in Arizona, the team has announced they have returned forward Nathan Smith to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. Smith was originally recalled via an emergency loan for insurance if Bjugstad could not play tonight. He will return to a Roadrunners team where he has scored nine goals and 27 points in 48 games this season.

Injury Notes: Larkin, Reaves, Blackwell

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In a positive report for the Detroit Red Wings organization, captain Dylan Larkin was back at practice this morning as a full participant (X Link). It is undetermined whether or not Larkin will be available in the team’s important game tomorrow night against the New York Islanders.

Working his way back from a lower-body injury suffered on March 2nd, the team as a whole as certainly looked different without their captain in the mix. Since Larkin’s exit after the game against the Florida Panthers, the team has produced a 2-6-0 record, coupled with a pedestrian 2.5 GF/G.

With only 13 games remaining in the regular season for Detroit, they will be hoping that Larkin’s return to the lineup will bring an added boost to the rest of the roster. Amid a battle for the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Red Wings are looking to break a seven-year playoff drought by the end of the season.

Other injury notes:

  • David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves will miss tonight’s game due to an eye injury. The injury was suffered in the team’s most recent game against the Philadelphia Flyers and was likely due to Reaves’ fight against Flyers grinder Nicolas Deslauriers. In Reaves’ absence, depth forward Noah Gregor will draw into the lineup after not having played since March 16th.
  • Sticking with the Original Six theme, the Chicago Blackhawks have some injury concerns as well, as Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that forward Colin Blackwell is out with an upper-body injury. Without much to play for down the final stretch of the season, it is still unfortunate news for the organization. Over the team’s last five games, Blackwell has been on a solid streak, scoring three goals and four points, with all three of those goals coming in a game against the Arizona Coyotes.

Joshua Roy Out Indefinitely With Undisclosed Injury

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Canadiens rookie winger Joshua Roy will be out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury, GM Kent Hughes said in a team release. The 20-year-old sustained the injury in Tuesday’s game against the Oilers and has left the team’s Western Conference road trip to return to Montreal for evaluation. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports the injury occurred when Roy blocked a shot from Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard in the third period of yesterday’s 3-2 overtime loss, although he didn’t appear to miss a shift.

It’s been an otherwise promising season for the youngster, who’s climbed his way to the NHL ranks earlier than expected. Still in the first season of his entry-level contract, the 2021 fifth-round pick exploded in the minors with 13 goals and 32 points in 40 games for AHL Laval, one of the best per-game rates on the team. He received an 11-day recall in January and was summoned again to the Canadiens on Feb. 11, where he’s remained aside from a brief loan to Laval on March 8, the day of the trade deadline, to make him eligible to play with Laval in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Roy hasn’t looked out of place in the majors, recording four goals, five assists, and nine points with a -2 rating through his first 23 games. He’s managed solid possession metrics for a rookie on a rebuilding squad, logging a 49.5 CF% at even strength as well as a 2.9 relative CF%, and he’s averaging just under a minute per game on the power play. He’s logged middle-six minutes overall, averaging 12:08 per game, and is shooting at 11.8%.

For the Canadiens, it’s another disappointing injury to a young forward in a development year. They’ve been without Kirby Dach since Game 2 of the regular season due to a knee injury, while Alex Newhook and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard have also missed significant chunks of the season.

If Roy’s evaluation yields a week-to-week timeline for a return, he may be done for the season. The team has 14 games and 27 days remaining on their regular-season schedule.

Snapshots: Kovalenko, Chmelar, Joshua

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Earlier today, the Colorado Avalanche announced that the team had finally brought up-and-coming prospect, Nikolai Kovalenko, to North America. Not under the best pretenses, however, as the team announced Kovalenko would start with their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, to rehabilitate from a leg injury suffered during his time in the Kontinental Hockey League.

The obvious hope for the Avalanche is that Kovalenko is eventually able to play at the NHL level at some point this season. Playing for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL for the last two years, Kovalenko has scored 32 goals and 89 points in 98 games after being a sixth-round pick by Colorado in the 2018 NHL Draft.

The Eagles do have a game tonight as well as one tomorrow against the Milwaukee Admirals, but it is unlikely that Kovalenko will draw into the lineup for either of those two matchups. After that, AHL Colorado does not have another game until March 29th, which may set a timeline for Kovalenko’s debut within the Avalanche organization.

Other snapshots:

  • Although nothing is official, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal is reporting that the New York Rangers are expected to sign Jaroslav Chmelar after his season with Providence College came to an end on Saturday. Chmelar was originally a fifth-round pick of the Rangers back in the 2021 NHL Draft and has spent the last two years in the United States after coming over from his native Finland. Over 59 games in the Hockey East Division, Chmelar scored 12 goals and 28 points overall, after a leg injury requiring surgery cut his season short this year.
  • Recently being put on the team’s long-term injured reserve, Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua is progressing with his injury recovery, but the team is still being cautious with his load management (X Link). An important depth scorer for the Canucks this season, Joshua has scored 13 goals and 26 points over 53 games this year.

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