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Maple Leafs To Place David Kämpf On Unconditional Waivers

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The Maple Leafs will place center David Kämpf on unconditional waivers this afternoon for the purpose of a mutual contract termination, Darren Dreger of TSN reports. Assuming he clears tomorrow, he’ll be free to sign a new contract with an NHL club at any time.

The 30-year-old Kämpf is in the third season of a four-year, $9.6MM contract. It hasn’t panned out as Toronto general manager Brad Treliving had hoped when he signed it in June 2023. Kämpf has not played for Toronto’s NHL squad this season. His $2.4MM cap hit and the Leafs’ flurry of depth forward additions over the summer left him out of a roster spot when training camp ended, and he landed on standard waivers. After clearing, he was assigned to AHL Toronto for his first minor-league action since the 2017-18 season.

Initially, Kämpf reported to the Marlies. He suited up for their season-opening back-to-back games but didn’t play again until Oct. 26 and 29. After that, Kämpf took a brief leave to mull his options for an NHL return, which the Maple Leafs made clear wouldn’t be in Toronto. The Leafs initially looked to find a trade partner but were unsuccessful. Soon after, they suspended Kämpf without pay as his leave hit the one-week mark. A mutual contract termination became the clear goal, but there was uncertainty over whether Kämpf would need to return a prorated portion of the $1.325MM signing bonus he was given before the season as part of the transaction.

Today’s news indicates the NHL and NHLPA have come to a resolution on that front. Kämpf will now be walking away from the remainder of the $1.075MM base salary he was owed for this season, plus the $2.4MM total compensation he was due in 2026-27.

His four-year contract with the Leafs came on the heels of a career-best season for Kämpf, who’d initially joined the franchise on a two-year, $3MM pact in free agency in 2021. The faceoff and penalty-killing specialist had averaged north of 15 minutes per game in his first two seasons in Toronto, didn’t miss a game, and reached 26 and 27 points, respectively. He’d never hit the 20-point threshold before in his career and hasn’t hit it since.

While still effective on the dot and shorthanded, Kämpf’s offensive liabilities began to contribute to a decreased role. He saw his ice time slashed by nearly two minutes per game in the first year of his extension, and it was further reduced to 12:29 last year, in which injuries and healthy scratches limited him to 59 appearances. Toronto’s trade deadline pickup of Scott Laughton from the Flyers pushed him out of the lineup entirely, and he only played in one out of 13 playoff games for the Leafs, so the writing was on the wall long before this season began.

That said, Kämpf shouldn’t have much trouble finding a new deal. He has 48 goals and 143 points in 536 career NHL games. Considering he’s only started 31.6% of his shifts at even strength in the offensive zone, his relatively tame -16 rating is indicative of his legitimate defensive skill. He’s not overly physical, averaging under one hit per game for his career, but has a 51.4% lifetime average on draws. If he’s willing to take a deal close to league minimum, he should have a multitude of options. Teams plagued with injuries up front – the Canucks and Sabres, in particular – could be among the first to call.

Hall Of Fame Journalist Larry Brooks Passes Away At 75

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Longtime New York Post columnist and Hockey Hall Of Fame writer Larry Brooks has passed away at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer. Brooks spent 38 years with the Post, across two tenures, split by his work as the Senior Vice President Of Communications with the New Jersey Devils from 1982 to 1992.

Commonly refered to as “Brooksie”, Brooks’ time with The Post began in 1976. He originally covered the Ne wYork Islanders and the MLB’s New York Yankees, who he followed on a run to the World Series Championship in 1977. He took on covering the Rangers in the following year, and continued on for five years before taking on coverage of the Devils following their relocation from Colorado. That role blossomed into an executive role in New Jersey’s front office, giving Brooks a rare mix of experience on both sides of the mic. He became The Post’s primary Rangers beat writer and principal hockey columnist for their paper soon after his return to journalism in 1992.

Brooks covered the Rangers with great intimacy and consistency, modeling beat coverage for many up-and-coming journalists. That exemplary performance was recognized in 2001, when Brooks was named president of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. He carried the title for three years, supporting the group that oversees voting for seven annual awards handed out by the NHL. The PHWA also votes for the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame to recognize those who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.

Fittingly, Brooks won the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award himself in 2018. Along with that win came a spot in the Hockey Hall Of Fame, alongside longtime Toronto Maple Leafs broadcaster Joe Bowen.

Brooks was impossible to miss over his time covering the Rangers. Not only did his columns often headline The Post, but his words often found their way into the New York fandom zietgeist. He is often credited as being the one to award Henrik Lundqvist with his popular nickname, “The King”. Brooks was also a vocal challenger to longtime Rangers head coach John Tortorella, with the two butting heads more than a few times during Tortorella’s tenure from 2008 to 2013. The Post shares that Tortorella had reached out to check-in on Brooks over the last week, something that Brooks’ son, Jordan, says meant a lot to his father.

Brooks will be rememebered as a titan of hockey journalism, with the demeanor to stand up to hard-headed head coaches and unfair labor disputes. He was vocal and proud in both the small and the big moments. He watched over a 9-8-7 record to start New York’s season – a nice step forward from a dismal season last year. His final column was an analysis of why defender Braden Schneider deserves loftier minutes.

Brooks leaves behind a son, a daughter-in-law, Joanna, and two grandchildren. His work with The Post will be continued by longtime colleague Mollie Walker. Pro Hockey Rumors sends our condolences to Brooks’ family, friends, and the entire New York sports fanbase.

Senators Sign Shane Pinto To Four-Year Extension

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The Ottawa Senators have signed centerman Shane Pinto to a four-year, $30MM contract extension. The deal will run through the 2029-30 season. It was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger. This move comes in the wake of speculation that Ottawa was planning to reapproach Pinto about an extension sometime this week.

The new deal will carry a yearly cap hit of $7.5MM and carry through two years of Pinto’s unrestricted free agent eligibility. That yearly salary is a full $1MM over the number believed to have been offered to Pinto on an eight-year extension before the start of the season. There was reason to believe Pinto wasn’t satisfied with the long-term deal, or slim price tag, of that previous offer per Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. Now, he’ll find the middle ground between those factors, and maintain the chance to sign a heftier deal before he’s too far away from his prime years.

Pinto’s contract will also mark a new baseline for other young, emerging centerman across the league. He has been a true force for the Senators this season, stepping up as a much-needed second-line center and posting 14 points in 17 games, the third-most on the team. The scoring is a major surge forward from the 37 points he scored in 70 games last season, but it doesn’t seem all too unsustainable. Pinto has recorded a career-high 17.4 shooting percentage this year – 0.9 percent more than he managed last year, and 4.2 percent higher than the 13.4 percent he’s averaged since 2023. But he has also performed in-line with his expected-goals (7.0 xG to 8 goals), suggesting that his step in scoring comes from true improvements.

Finding the balance between properly rewarding a young star, without overcommitting, was the challenge that Ottawa faced. In market value, Pinto seemed to land somewhere between the likes of Marco Rossi (Minnesota, three-years, $15MM) and Connor Zary (Calgary ,three-years, $11.325MM); and the likes of Frank Nazar (Chicago, seven-years, $46.13MM) and Mason McTavish (Anaheim, six-years, $42MM). The deal Ottawa has delivered suggests exactly that, placing Pinto closer to the former in term but the latter in yearly and total salary. This move also continues the trend of young centers signing shorter-term deals, potentially setting the NHL up for exciting free agencies in a few years.

More than setting his market price, this deal will cement a deep connection between Ottawa and Pinto. The two sides have seen their fair share of ups-and-downs since Pinto was selected 32nd-overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. After netting 59 points in 56 games of his sole USHL season, Pinto moved to the University of North Dakota for his underclass years. He posted 60 points in 61 games with the Fighting Hawks, and turned pro with Ottawa at the end of the 2020-21 season. Pinto was a quick impact, looking capable of keeping up with NHL speed and physicality, and posting seven points in his first 12 NHL games. He seemed well set up for a breakout campaign in 2021-22, but missed nearly the entire season with a shoulder injury that began in the fourth game of the season. He tried to return from the injury a few games later, but reinjured his shoulder and got knocked out of the season.

Pinto returned for the 2022-23 season with that breakout still top of mind. He got off to a hot start, earning October’s ’Rookie of the Month’ honors following six goals and seven points in eight games to start the year. His scoring petered out over a long November, sparking a hot-and-cold streak that’d span the year. In total, Pinto posted 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games of his rookie season. It was a modest performance, but not neccesarily the breakout many anticipated from the high second-round pick. Hopes remained high for the 2023-24 season.

But Pinto was once again derailed, this time suspended by the NHL for invovlvement with prohibited sports gambling. The League stepped up to make an example of Pinto by suspending him for the first 41 games of the season. He served through that punishment, and still looked promising in the second-half of Ottawa’s season. He scored nine goals and 27 points in 41 games, putting him on pace for 54 points across a full season, had he had the opportunity.

The return to an impact role wasn’t enough to cement Pinto’s presence in Ottawa, though. The Senators faced an uphill battle attempting to sign Pinto to a contract and then an extension amid his return from suspension. At one point, Pinto suggested he was hoping to be offer-sheeted away from the Senators organization, though he never officially requested a trade. Ultimately the two sides came together first on a one-year deal that pushed him through the 2023-24 season, then on a two-year extension that carries him through this season.

Now, Ottawa will finally cement Pinto’s spot in the lineup. He seems to be emerging as the high-octane forward the team was always hoping for, marked by a career-high 19 minutes of average ice time. He’s played over 20 minutes of ice time in three of Ottawa’s last five games, and rewarded them with three points in that stretch. The Senators’ top-end is loaded with promising, young forwards, including Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens. Now, they’ll add the 25-year-old Pinto to that mix for the long haul.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports.

Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin To Miss Some Time

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An oft injured Colorado Avalanche winger has once again landed on the sideline. Head coach Jared Bednar shared that Valeri Nichushkin will need to miss “some time” after sustaining a lower-body injury in Tuesday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, per The DNVR. Bednar added that the team is still evaluating the extent of Nichushkin’s injury and aren’t sure just how long he’ll be out, per Denver Gazette’s Evan Rawal. The Avalanche expect to know more about Nichushkin’s absence on Thursday.

It wasn’t entirely clear when Nichushkin sustained his injury. He left the team’s bench in the third period, after appearing to be in pain earlier in the period. He managed a primary assist on Colorado’s second goal, before exiting the game.

The Avalanche will miss Nichushkin’s presence in the top-six. He’s scored five goals and 12 points through 17 games this season, while averaging 18 minutes of ice time. He has also recorded four blocked shots, 16 hits, and 41 shots on goal. Nichushkin has filled roles on the top power-play and penalty-killing unit – though the return of captain Gabriel Landeskog has cut his ice time just a bit. Fittingly, Landeskog scored his first goal of the season – and his first regular season goal since March 2022 – for Nichushkin’s sole point on Tuesday.

A prolonged absence for Nichushkin would force Colorado to shake up a roster that’s been surprisingly consistent all year long. Landeskog would almost surely move up to Colorado’s top-six, and top power-play unit, especially after finding the scoresheet for the first time in three games. Ross Colton, who has earned a third-line role with chippy hockey, could be in line for PK minutes in Nichushkin’s spot. Colton has seven blocked shots and an offense-leading 39 hits in 17 games. An open spot on the penalty-kill could also offer opportunity for rookies Gavin Brindley or Zakhar Bardakov.

Nichushkin can be considered doubtful for Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, and questionable for Sunday’s game against the New York Islanders, until the Avalanche release a clearer prognosis.

Thatcher Demko Out Two To Three Weeks With Apparent Groin Issue

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Canucks starting netminder Thatcher Demko will miss two to three weeks with the apparent groin injury he sustained in last night’s loss to the Jets, Frank Seravalli of Victory Plus reports. It’s a new issue that’s entirely unrelated to the knee issues he’s had over the past couple of years and also irrelevant to why he didn’t dress for a pair of games earlier this month, Seravalli adds.

After his lingering knee issues and a few other ailments limited Demko to 23 appearances last season, he’s back to looking like a legitimate starting netminder in 2025-26. He started hot, compiling a .911 SV% and 5-4-0 record in his first nine games, until he allowed three goals on eight shots last night before leaving the game after the first period. That showing brought his year-to-date save percentage down to .903, along with a 2.80 GAA. Those numbers are still far superior to what No. 2 option Kevin Lankinen has put on offer (.885 SV%, 3.57 GAA, 3-5-1 record) and remain good for 6.3 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck, 10th in the league.

Demko sustained what looks to be a relatively minor groin strain when he stretched across his crease to make a save on Jets forward Cole Perfetti (video via Canucks Army). He played out the first period and took a skate as players warmed up for the second, but ended up ceding the net to Lankinen, who saved 20 of 21 shots in relief but took the loss.

Demko has only played two of Vancouver’s last five games, including his abbreviated performance last night, thanks to his pair of missed games over the weekend due to maintenance/load management. That stretch has coincided with the Canucks now allowing at least three goals in six straight games. The Canucks have been porous defensively this season. Even with his .885 SV%, Lankinen is still credited with 1.4 goals saved above expected. Vancouver is allowing 30.2 shots against per game, which ranks 26th in the league. Their xGA/60 of 3.77 in all situations is the second-worst in the league, according to MoneyPuck.

Without Demko propping them up for the next few weeks, the Canucks could be in for a slide. They’re already behind the eight ball with an 8-9-1 record, undoubtedly influenced by an injured list that now contains eight players, including Demko. Their -10 goal differential is 29th in the league, and they face a pair of top-five offenses (the Ducks and Hurricanes) in their next six games.

The Canucks were already rostering Jiri Patera as a third goalie after recalling him to back up Lankinen over the weekend, so there won’t be a corresponding transaction, and an IR placement for Demko isn’t necessary at this time.

Auston Matthews, Anthony Stolarz Leave Due To Injury

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Tonight’s game in Boston has dealt a blow to the Maple Leafs: the team announced that Auston Matthews and Anthony Stolarz will not return due to injury. Matthews has been designated as a lower-body injury, after taking a hit from behind into the boards from Nikita Zadorov. Meanwhile, Stolarz exited after playing the entire first period. With the Leafs off to a rough start, it appeared the team was just shaking things up between the pipes, but now, the team’s #1 goaltender has been listed with an upper-body ailment on top of their superstar captain’s injury. 

9:18 PM CST: Toronto Head Coach Craig Berube has provided updates, shared by Jonas Siegel of The Athletic: Stolarz is expected to be “fine”, while Matthews’ injury has no timeline or severity yet, as Berube told Siegel.

Toronto is still trying to find their way, in their new, post “Core-Four” era. 8-7-1, the team has fallen to second-to-last in the Atlantic, despite scoring the most goals in their division entering tonight. Sinking the Leafs has been in good part their own end, as they’ve allowed 60. 

Matthews, always subject to criticism whether more warranted or not, has done his part with nine goals in 16 games. Now 28, he has been mostly durable in his first nine professional seasons, averaging just shy of 70 games a year. While a hit into the boards from behind from a player like Zadorov sounds highly alarming, it was a relatively routine play. Matthews got up, finished a check on Zadorov moments later in the corner, then skated to the bench without seeming bothered. The captain went to the locker room, but all things considered, it hopefully is not a major injury. 

Meanwhile, Stolarz completed the first frame before Dennis Hildeby took over in net. Given that he had let in three goals on 10 shots, the update from the team that Stolarz is injured came as a bit of a surprise. The 31-year-old former top Flyers prospect is the latest example of a late-blooming goaltender, tasked with holding things down for Toronto into the near future. Stolarz was extended for four more years at $3.75MM after a strong 2024-25, where he posted a .926 in 34 games in his first campaign wearing the blue and white. 

Thankfully Stolarz seems to have avoided a serious injury, as Toronto waits for Joseph Woll to return from personal leave. Woll has been practicing with the team and appeared with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies last weekend, but has no timetable to return yet. Cayden Primeau was a waiver casualty to Carolina last week after a short stint. Hildeby, currently serving as backup, has just eight NHL games under his belt. 

The Maple Leafs are back in action on Thursday, hosting the Kings, and further details on the status of their superstar Matthews will be watched urgently in the meantime. 

Avalanche Sign Gavin Brindley To Two-Year Extension

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The Avalanche announced they’ve signed winger Gavin Brindley to a two-year extension through the 2027-28 season. The cap hit of the deal is $875,000, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports. He’ll earn an $850,000 NHL salary in a two-way structure in 2026-27 before it converts to a one-way deal worth $900,000 in 2028-29. He was set to become a restricted free agent next summer following the expiration of his entry-level contract.

It’s hard to imagine a better start to the season for Brindley. The 21-year-old winger was an early second-round pick by the Blue Jackets in 2023. He was one of the more offensively explosive prospects in their system with an extremely strong collegiate and international track record. While his 5’8″, 172-lb frame was always going to limit his stock, he had a spectacular post-draft season that saw him record 25 goals and 53 points in 40 games for the University of Michigan. He was the Big 10’s scoring leader in conference play in addition to racking up six goals and 10 points in seven games for the United States en route to a gold medal at the World Juniors.

That was enough for Columbus to offer Brindley his entry-level contract at the end of his sophomore season with the Wolverines. He accepted and turned pro, making his NHL debut in the Jackets’ final game of the 2023-24 season. That was the only game he’d play in a Blue Jackets sweater. Brindley didn’t crack the opening night roster the following season due to a finger fracture that delayed his season debut until November. When he got around to playing with AHL Cleveland, the adjustment to the pro game hit him like a truck. In 56 regular-season and playoff appearances for Cleveland, Brindley had just six goals and 11 assists for 17 points with a -10 rating.

With the Jackets already carrying one of the league’s brighter young forward groups, they were comfortable using Brindley as trade bait. So, after just one full pro season in the organization, they sent him to the Avs over the offseason in the deal that landed them veterans Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood.

Thus far, Colorado is happy with its return. Brindley snagged a roster spot out of camp and has quickly established himself as a regular on the Avs’ fourth line, offering a more offensively inclined counterpart to his rotation of linemates in Zakhar Bardakov, Parker Kelly, and Joel Kiviranta. He’s yet to be a healthy scratch and only missed a pair of games earlier this month due to a concussion. In 14 appearances, he’s rattled off his first five NHL points – three goals and two assists – despite not receiving any special teams deployment and averaging just 8:58 of ice time per game. His possession metrics aren’t spectacular, controlling 47.9% of shot attempts at 5-on-5, but Colorado is nonetheless outscoring opponents 7-5 with him on the ice.

There’s still plenty of room for growth in Brindley’s game, though. He’s less than three years out from his draft day and was ranked as Colorado’s top forward prospect and No. 4 overall by Elite Prospects over the offseason. With Colorado’s top nine gelling well offensively, there isn’t a ton of upward mobility for him this year. Victor Olofsson is a pending unrestricted free agent, though, and Brindley could conceivably push for a third-line job next season if he’s not brought back.

The Avs will still have four years of team control left when Brindley’s extension expires in 2028 – he won’t be eligible for unrestricted free agency until after the 2031-32 season.

Image courtesy of Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images.

Senators, Shane Pinto To Meet Again On Contract Extension

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The Ottawa Senators will resume one of their most important conversations of the season later this week. High-scoring centerman Shane Pinto is set to become an arbitration-eligible, restricted free agent this summer, after closing out the two-year bridge deal he signed in 2024. The Senators have already started offering new deals to the 24-year-old, including a six-year, $52MM extension offered last month, per Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. That deal would have set Pinto’s cap hit at $6.5MM each season – though Garrioch points out that Pinto likely wouldn’t have liked the money or term of that deal.

Pinto has certainly garnered the right to ask for a few favors on his next contract. He’s scored eight goals and 14 points through 16 games this season, good for third on the team in scoring behind Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle (16 points each). More than that, Pinto has posted a 57.8 faceoff percentage on 199 draws – ranking him 16th in the league among eligible players (>100 faceoffs). He also ranks among the top-five Senators forwards in blocked shots per game. That performance has cemented Pinto as Ottawa’s second-line center this season – a role the team was desperately looking for, even acquiring Dylan Cozens to fit the bill last season.

Pinto saved his career-year for his contract-year, but his performance doesn’t appear to be a total fluke. He leads the Senators’ offense in total expected-goals with 7.0 – a mark he’s just narrowly outperformed with eight goals on the year. He also leads the bunch in shot attempts per game – averaging 5.8, one full shot more than Stutle’s 4.8 in second-place. Pinto has recorded an 18.6 shooting percentage in total – a mark that sits far above his career-average of 13.2 percent. That could indicate that the young center is set to fall back to Earth in due time, though it could also be elevated by Pinto’s growing lineup role.

In full, Pinto is on pace to score 41 goals and 72 points this season. That would blow his previous best – 21 goals and 37 points scored last year – out of the water. It would also command far more than $6.5MM each season, especially against the growing salary cap.

Few players have found themselves in Pinto’s shoes – with a productive, top-end role still a few years away from their prime. Many comparable free agents have opted to avoid max-term contracts – including Marco Rossi, who signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Minnesota Wild, and Connor Zary, who signed a three-year, $11.325MM deal with the Calgary Flames.

Pinto and his agent Lewis Gross could point towards Chicago Blackhawks’ recent extension of Frank Nazar as a baseline. Chicago inked Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2MM contract ahead of his second full season in the NHL. Nazar has gone on to score just below a point-per-game pace – 11 points in 15 games – enough to cement his spot as Chicago’s number-two behind Connor Bedard. Pinto is three years older than Nazar, and likely won’t be able to carve out as much importance on a top-heavy Senators offense. Nonetheless, shooting for roughly $7MM each season could be a sensible mark, especially if Pinto continues his dominant season.

The salary cap is expected to grow by up to $8.5MM between this season and next. That will be more than enough room for Ottawa to afford a player-friendly extension with Pinto – or earn some savings by pulling him closer to their first offer. Either way, it seems the Senators are well on their way towards cementing yet another young, high-potential forward into their future.

Photo courtesy of Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports.

Rangers Activate Vincent Trocheck

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11:43 a.m.: Trocheck has been formally activated from LTIR, and Rempe has been shifted there in the corresponding move, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.

9:51 a.m.: Rangers center Vincent Trocheck is expected to come off long-term injured reserve and return to New York’s top six when they face the Predators tonight, according to this morning’s line rushes (via Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic). The Blueshirts are currently using about $100,000 of Trocheck’s $3.768MM LTIR pool after recalling top prospect Gabriel Perreault yesterday, so they’ll need to make a corresponding transaction. That could easily mean shifting Matt Rempe from IR to LTIR, since he has already missed 18 days and seven games of the 24 and 10 required, and he remains out indefinitely.

Rempe notwithstanding, Trocheck’s activation gives the Rangers a healthy forward group for the first time since their second game of the season. Trocheck left that contest against the Sabres early and was quickly labeled week-to-week.

His absence was essentially a death knell for the Rangers, whose limited bottom-six scoring depth made it imperative that their first and second lines operated at maximum capacity. He’d started the first game-and-a-half as their top-line center between Alexis Lafrenière and Artemi Panarin, a role filled by Mika Zibanejad shifting back to center after starting the year on the wing. That domino effect led to training camp tryout success story Conor Sheary being immediately overtaxed in second-line duties alongside J.T. Miller and William Cuylle.

The results have been disastrous. The Rangers have been shut out five times in seven home games and are scoring just 2.19 per game overall, second-worst in the league ahead of only the Flames. Only Panarin has produced at more than a 41-point pace with 10 in 16 appearances. They’re hoping a new-look offense, fueled by Trocheck and Perreault’s season debut, can help reverse that trend starting tonight.

Trocheck will reprise his role between Panarin and Lafrenière. At the same time, Perreault bumps Sheary back down to the bottom six, according to Mercogliano – the latter slots in on the left wing with Zibanejad and Miller.

Only now will Trocheck get his season started in earnest. He’s looking for a rebound after a semi-underwhelming offensive showing in 2025-26. He finished top 20 in Selke Trophy voting for the second year in a row, but his 59 points in 82 games were his lowest total since signing his seven-year, $39.375MM contract with the Rangers in free agency in 2022.

Sabres’ Jiri Kulich Diagnosed With Blood Clot, Out Indefinitely

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Sabres center Jiri Kulich will miss a “significant amount of time” after a blood clot was diagnosed during an unrelated injury absence, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today (per Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report). Ruff demonstrated optimism about Kulich being able to play again this season, but wouldn’t commit to it, leaving the door open to Kulich’s IR stint being permanent for the balance of the campaign.

They’ll have a better estimate of Kulich’s return timeline based on how his treatment progresses in the next three to four weeks, Ruff said. That’s normal for clotting issues. The Penguins recently had the same thing sideline rookie Filip Hallander and immediately gave him a three-month timeline.

Kulich had already missed three games with a facial injury and was placed on IR late last week as Buffalo tries to manage a crushing amount of injuries to its forward group. Five regulars – Kulich, Zach Benson, Justin Danforth, Joshua Norris, and Jason Zucker – are currently on injured reserve with none expected back in the short term. Understandably, the team’s offense has faltered. Their 2.67 goals per game are sixth-worst in the league, and they’re averaging just 1.75 per game over their last four outings.

Kulich’s long-term health now takes the forefront, though. The 21-year-old had played in 12 straight to begin the year and was frequently serving as their top center between Benson and Tage Thompson. He’s notched three goals and five points with a -4 rating while averaging a career-high 16:22 per game. The No. 28 pick in the 2022 draft is in just his second season as a regular but has managed an 18-11–29 scoring line through his first 75 career games.

With both of Thompson’s usual linemates out of commission, he’s seen Ryan McLeod and Alex Tuch elevated to ride shotgun. That trio practiced together again today, although Buffalo is off until Wednesday after losing 6-3 to the Hurricanes on Saturday.

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