Blue Jackets’ Damon Severson Out Week-To-Week
Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson is out week-to-week with the upper-body injury he sustained in last night’s loss to the Canadiens, head coach Rick Bowness said Friday.
Severson scored Columbus’ only goal in the 2-1 regulation loss before taking a hard hit from Zachary Bolduc, who scored the eventual game-winner, with 8:04 remaining in the third period. He skated off and immediately went to the room, favoring his left shoulder.
The Blue Jackets obviously lost a bit of ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race with the loss, but their strong underlying numbers still leave them with a 77.9% chance of making the playoffs, per MoneyPuck, despite having the league’s third-most difficult remaining strength of schedule. At 87 points, they’re tied with the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division but have a game in hand, winning the tiebreaker and pushing the Isles to the second wild-card slot.
That playoff likelihood drops a bit without Severson, who is having a resurgent campaign in Columbus. The 31-year-old righty had a pair of underwhelming seasons after signing an eight-year, $50MM deal in 2023 as part of a sign-and-trade with the Devils, even sitting as a healthy scratch for a few games last season, but has re-emerged as a does-it-all top-four piece with the best possession numbers of his career.
Through 71 games, Severson has an 8-24–32 scoring line while averaging 21:04 of ice time per game. Coupled with a career-best +18 rating, it’s his best offensive showing as a Blue Jacket and the third-best of his 12-year career on a per-game basis.
It’s what Severson has done to drive play at even strength, though, that has made him especially valuable. The Blue Jackets are controlling 54.4% of shot attempts at even strength with him on the ice – a number that even eclipses Zach Werenski – and can step in as a second-unit power play quarterback when needed.
Columbus doesn’t have an extra righty sitting around on the active roster. Youngster Denton Mateychuk, who’s gotten comfortable playing his offside on a pairing next to Ivan Provorov at points over the last couple of years, will shift back there for the time being. Egor Zamula, a healthy scratch in nine of the Jackets’ last 10 games, will presumably step back into the lineup in a bottom-pairing role.
Peter Chiarelli, Kevin Maxwell Departing Blues Front Office
Blues vice president of hockey operations Peter Chiarelli and pro scout Kevin Maxwell will not return to the club next season, Darren Dreger of TSN reports. Chiarelli’s departure comes as he’s progressed in the interview process to fill the Predators’ pending general manager vacancy, while Maxwell will be joining the Rangers in a yet-to-be-disclosed management role, Dreger adds.
It may not be the only front office turnover St. Louis will see in the coming weeks. This is Doug Armstrong’s last season in the GM role. The team announced way back in 2024 that following the end of the 2025-26 campaign, Armstrong would elevate to president of hockey operations, while Alexander Steen, who played 765 games as a Blue and has been a special assistant to Armstrong over the past two years, would step into the GM’s chair.
It’s not a complete overhaul – Armstrong will still hold a fairly powerful role – but one that will nonetheless lead to a bit of a shakeup. Chiarelli, 61, had been part of the Blues’ front office for the past seven years. He first joined Armstrong as a senior advisor following their Stanley Cup win in 2019 and was promoted to his current VP role two years later.
As one of the league’s more experienced executives, it’s no surprise the Predators have reached out to him about succeeding Barry Trotz. It would be Chiarelli’s third go-around as a GM, first heading up the Bruins from 2006-15 (and winning a Stanley Cup in the process) before managing the Oilers from 2015-19.
The Predators have cast a wide net in their search, opening themselves up to experience-heavy candidates like Chiarelli while also considering up-and-comers. They’ve previously been linked to former Habs GM and current Sabres AGM Marc Bergevin as well as Panthers AGM Brett Peterson. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported today that they’ve also interviewed Oilers AGM Bill Scott.
Meanwhile, Maxwell has been with the Blues since 2022. In addition to his scouting duties, he’s also served as the GM for their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, a role normally reserved for an AGM. St. Louis will need to find a replacement there.
The 65-year-old Maxwell has been in scouting roles as far back as the late 1980’s with the Flyers, and has also logged stints with the Whalers, Islanders, and Stars. He then joined the Rangers, where he’s set to return now, as a pro scout in 2008 and was promoted to their director of pro scouting in 2011. He held that role until his departure from the organization to join the Blues in 2022.
That the Blues are willing to part ways with Maxwell is unsurprising. Springfield is on track to miss the playoffs for the second time in four seasons under Maxwell – a hard feat in a league where 23 of 32 teams qualify. The year before he took over, Springfield had advanced all the way to the Calder Cup Final.
Sidney Crosby Leaves Game With Apparent Lower-Body Injury
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby left Thursday’s game against the Senators early in the second period and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the contest, per a team announcement.
Crosby went down the tunnel and didn’t return after taking the opening shift of the period. He previously left the bench late in the first period, favoring his left leg following a seemingly innocuous collision with Ottawa forward Nick Cousins (video via Gino Hard on X).
If there’s a saving grace, that’s not the same knee Crosby sustained a Grade 2 MCL sprain in last month when he fell awkwardly on a hit from Czechia’s Radko Gudas while representing Canada at the Olympics. That cost the three-time Stanley Cup champion 11 games coming out of the Olympic break, returning to the lineup just over a week ago.
In Crosby’s first four games back in the lineup, he was immediately back to being his old self offensively. He had at least one point in each outing, totaling a goal and four assists with an uncharacteristic -4 rating. He had a +1 rating and one shot on goal in 6:39 of ice time tonight before bowing out of the contest.
Pittsburgh’s injury situation, particularly among its forwards, has been tenuous of late. Evgeni Malkin is dealing with an upper-body injury and is missing his second consecutive game tonight. Anthony Mantha missed Wednesday’s practice with a lower-body injury but was healthy enough to dress tonight. Blake Lizotte is likely done for the regular season with an upper-body issue, but should be an option for the first round of the playoffs.
That’s if the Penguins can weather the storm – both from inside and out – and hold onto a playoff berth. The Blue Jackets’ recent surge has unseated the Pens from the second-place spot they’ve held in the Metropolitan Division for most of the season. They’re still a relatively safe bet to make it at 74.2%, but have next to no cushion. At the time of writing, they’ve been leapfrogged by the Islanders, who defeated the Stars in regulation tonight, for third in the division and have slipped to the second wild-card slot.
Blues’ Robert Thomas Out Day-To-Day
After a few days to assess the injury, top St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas will indeed be forced to miss games with a day-to-day, upper-body injury sustained in Tuesday’s win over the Washington Capitals per NHL.com’s Lou Korac. Thomas was injured on a body-slam from Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois in the third period. Dubois was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure, while Thomas was removed from the game by concussion spotters. He cleared concussion protocol, per head coach Jim Montgomery, but has still missed St. Louis’ last two practices with a minor injury.
Injury ended a quiet night for Thomas on Tuesday. He has otherwise been red-hot as of late, with five goals and 13 points in 11 games since the start of March. Thomas has averaged 20 minutes of ice time and a 25.0 shooting percentage over that span. His performance has helped St. Louis drive to a 8-1-2 record in March. It is also an encouraging turnaround after Thomas’ name was mentioned in many rumors around the Trade Deadline. The 26 year old has assumed even more responsibility following the trade of Brayden Schenn.
Thomas missed the entire month of February, and 13 games in total, with an injury sustained on January 10th. In his absence, St. Louis leaned heavily on Pavel Buchnevich and Schenn to fill holes at the center position. Buchnevich scored five goals and 12 points in his move to the center role, though he only managed a 40.4 faceoff percentage. Jordan Kyrou led the team in scoring during Thomas’ previous injury, with 15 points. It will be those two veterans who have to step up once again with Thomas out. Buchnevich will likely shift back to center, while Pius Suter and Otto Stenberg continue to split reps filling Schenn’s third-line role.
St. Louis faces a shifting lineup as they approach mathchups with teams in similar spots. Both the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs have also struggled through points this season, which could support the Blues’ attempt to keep their hot streak rolling without their top center. They will need to lean on their proven scorers, and emerging goaltender Joel Hofer, to lift up the lineup until Thomas can return to his starring role.
Senators’ Thomas Chabot Undergoes Surgery, Out Six To Eight Weeks
Bad injury luck has struck at the worst time for the Ottawa Senators. Top defenseman Thomas Chabot will have to miss six-to-eight weeks after undergoing surgery to address a broken arm, per Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Citizen. Chabot suffered the injury on a cross-check from New York Rangers captain J.T. Miller in the first period of Monday’s game. A two-month timeline will likely keep Chabot out until at least the Eastern Conference final, if the Senators make it that far.
The Senators are also facing injuries to defensemen Lassi Thomson (day-to-day) and Dennis Gilbert (two to three weeks), per Garrioch. Thomson made his season debut in Monday’s game against New York but only played four minutes. Gilbert served a bottom-pair role through five games in mid-March but hasn’t played since Saturday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Senators will have a slight silver lining. Defenseman Jake Sanderson has returned to skating at practice and will join the Senators on their upcoming two-game road trip to Florida, per Garrioch. Sanderson has been out of the lineup since March 7th, missing nine games since. He routinely plays upwards of 24 or 25 minutes a night when fully healthy, a role that could increase as Ottawa looks to make up for Chabot’s absence. Sanderson leads the Senators’ blue line in scoring with 11 goals and 48 points in 62 games. It has been a career-year for the 23-year-old, who won an Olympic Gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in addition to scoring at the highest pace of his NHL career.
But even with Sanderson progressing towards a return, the Senators will be losing major firepower with Chabot on the shelf. The alternate captain was a focal point of the lineup after Sanderson was injured, even playing 31 minutes of ice time in Ottawa’s regulation win over the New York Islanders on Saturday. Chabot has nine points in his last 12 games, dating back to the last day of February. His hot streak has brought him to 31 points in 55 games this season, a scoring pace well on par with Chabot’s trend of 45-point seasons.
Chabot faced injury at multiple points this season, including missing 13 games between November and December. He has found his way back to consistent performance in the new year, netting 10 points in 16 January games, followed by nine points in 16 games since the start of February. It was a difficult season, capped off by a long-term injury at the worst time, but the year will support Chabot’s hold over a starring role on the Senators’ blue line leading into next season. He could also spur the bad luck with a quick recovery and a return to Ottawa’s playoff run, if the team can stay alive until he’s back.
Ottawa rotated its defense pairings with both of its star blue-liners out of Tuesday’s game against Detroit. Artem Zub and Jordan Spence filled the main play-driving roles, each receiving roughly 11 minutes of even-strength ice time in the process. The openings also made room for top defense prospect Carter Yakemchuk to make his NHL debut. He scored two points, a goal and an assist, in the effort. Yakemchuk could become a focal point of the Senators’ blue line until Sanderson is back to full health. He leads all AHL rookie defensemen in per-game scoring this season with 10 goals and 36 points in 50 games. Yakemchuk is well-known for his all-out style, focused on throwing big hits and driving the puck 200 feet.
Red Wings Extend Jacob Bernard-Docker
The Detroit Red Wings announced that they’ve signed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to a two-year, $3.2MM ($1.6MM AAV) contract extension. The contract will run through the 2027-28 NHL season, and Bernard-Docker will become an unrestricted free agent upon expiry.
Bernard-Docker, 25, is in his first year with Detroit after signing a one-year, $875K contract last summer. The former first-round pick began last season with the Ottawa Senators and finished the campaign with the Buffalo Sabres after being included in the Dylan Cozens, Joshua Norris swap at the trade deadline. Buffalo opted not to tender him a qualifying offer last offseason, making him free to sign with any team.
Although he doesn’t provide much offense from the blue line, he’s had an otherwise solid debut with the Red Wings. Through 55 games this season, Bernard-Docker has tallied four assists with a +5 rating, averaging a flat 15 minutes per game.
Most of his value is made up on the defensive side of the puck. Not only is Bernard-Docker averaging the highest on-ice SV% at even strength (95.0%) of his career, but he is averaging the highest on the team by a significant margin — a team that has flirted with postseason positioning for much of the season.
Still, the Red Wings don’t typically utilize Bernard-Docker on the special teams as they usually opt for a veteran-heavy rotation, particularly on the penalty kill. At even strength, he is almost exclusively partnered with Albert Johansson, and the two have combined for a 51.0% xGoals% throughout the year, according to MoneyPuck.
The biggest question mark with this extension is how Bernard-Docker will be utilized next season and beyond. Detroit brought in Justin Faulk at the deadline, and with Moritz Seider and Axel Sandin Pellikka, it leaves little room on the right side of the defensive corps. The Travis Hamonic experiment, if you want to call it that, is assuredly over after this season. If nothing else changes, Bernard-Docker may have to move to his off-hand, or Detroit will have to do some shifting around of some kind.
At any rate, Bernard-Docker’s new deal locks up every Red Wings defenseman for next season outside of Hamonic and Simon Edvinsson. Edvinsson, who is scheduled to become a restricted free agent, isn’t yet eligible for arbitration, giving Detroit a lot of flexibility with his next deal.
Victor Hedman Taking Leave Of Absence
The Lightning announced Wednesday that captain Victor Hedman will be out for at least one additional game as he takes a temporary leave of absence for personal reasons.
Hedman has already missed Tampa Bay’s last three contests. He left their game against the Canucks last Thursday after less than five minutes of ice time and didn’t return due to what the team labeled an illness.
That, plus a whole host of other injuries, has limited the usually durable Hedman to under half of the Bolts’ games this season. He has only managed 33 appearances, currently tracking for a career low, including lockout and COVID-shortened seasons.
Hedman, who finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting just last year, hasn’t had nearly the same effect when dressed, either. At 18:52 of ice time per game, he’s averaging under 20 minutes for the first time in his 17-year career, and his 0.52 points per game is his worst output since his early 20s.
The Bolts have maintained a 27-7-3 record without Hedman dressed this season, including a 2-0-1 stretch in their last three without him. They certainly miss his presence, even lower in the lineup, with depth options Declan Carlile and Maxwell Crozier sidelined, but they’ve been able to keep their system rolling and intact this season amid a bevy of other injuries on defense.
At this point in the season, the Lightning have essentially locked up home ice in the first round with a 89.5% chance of finishing in the top two in the Atlantic Division, per MoneyPuck. A playoff spot is all but clinched, but the race with the Sabres for the division title is still wide open.
Devils Expect To Sign Anton Silayev
The Devils are expected to sign 2024 10th overall pick Anton Silayev to his entry-level contract this offseason, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.
Silayev, 20 next month, is in the final weeks of his contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. Torpedo is up 1-0 in their first-round playoff series against Severstal Cherepovets, but unlike with prospects in most other leagues, the timing of when Silayev’s postseason schedule ends is irrelevant to his ability to sign an entry-level contract this season.
KHL contracts run through May 31, and due to the lack of a transfer agreement with the NHL, it’s rare for Russian clubs to release players to sign with an NHL team before the legal expiry of their deals. With the Devils out of the playoff picture, they won’t be able to sign him until well after their season is over, but the hope is to get him to North America in time for their development camp following the draft, Pagnotta reports.
The monster 6’7″, 207-lb lefty was drafted with the hope he could be New Jersey’s top shutdown threat long-term. Getting him under wraps two years after his draft is better than the usual case for Russian prospects, so that’s a definite positive to take away from today’s news.
Silayev was viewed by some as a risky bet to take that high in the draft due to his evident lack of offensive upside, but he still grades out as the organization’s top prospect according to Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff and their #2 according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. Still, this season was tough for him.
He’s continued to demonstrate defensive development, but his already limited offensive utility was almost nonexistent this year, recording just three points in 61 regular-season games for Torpedo after hitting low double-digit totals each of the prior two seasons. His ice time was lessened as a result.
With that in mind, expecting him to emerge with a roster spot in the fall is hasty. A likely outcome is that Silayev anchors a top-four job with AHL Utica, with the expectation that a strong start will lead to a quick call-up. Players with similar archetypes over the last few seasons have adjusted well to minor-league duties but don’t routinely make the immediate jump to a full-time NHL role.
There were similar concerns in Dmitriy Simashev‘s game when the Coyotes, now Mammoth, selected him sixth overall in 2023, but he’s produced nearly a point per game upon his arrival in the AHL this season after a similar lack of offensive success in Russia. He has just one assist and a -9 rating in 25 NHL outings this year, though, so Utah has opted to keep him stashed in the minors amid their push for the franchise’s first playoff berth.
Senators Recall Jorian Donovan, Carter Yakemchuk
The Senators’ push for the playoffs got a lot murkier despite last night’s defensive standout win over the Rangers. The two points cost them both Thomas Chabot and Lassi Thomson on the blue line, who, head coach Travis Green said, would miss multiple games with apparent right wrist injuries and undisclosed injuries, respectively. Ottawa was already without Dennis Gilbert, Nick Jensen, and Jake Sanderson on defense, so they would need to recall a pair of rearguards from AHL Belleville before tonight’s game against the Red Wings to have six healthy ones. Those two beneficiaries are Jorian Donovan and Carter Yakemchuk, the team announced Tuesday morning.
Both will be making their NHL debuts tonight. It comes right on schedule for Yakemchuk, who, at seventh overall in 2024, Ottawa hopes will be the last high pick of their years-long rebuild. The 6’4″, 207-lb righty was a physically dominant offensive threat in his draft year for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, leading the league in goals by a defenseman that year with 30.
Since then, Yakemchuk’s development has hit some speed bumps. His post-draft year with the Hitmen immediately raised some red flags as his offensive production took a step back from 1.08 points per game in 2023-24 to 0.88 in 2024-25, particularly concerning considering he was already one of the oldest players in his class. Those concerns have only persisted as he made the adjustment to professional life in Belleville this season. He’s slotted in as their top offensive weapon on the blue line as expected, ranking fourth on the team in scoring with a 10-26–36 line in 50 games, but that’s been accompanied by a team-worst -30 rating and some glaring concerns regarding his defensive play.
He’ll need to work on that moving forward to ensure he doesn’t top out as a third-pairing threat at even strength to limit his minutes while serving as a power-play quarterback for the Sens. For now, while everyone involved hoped it would be under better circumstances, he’ll at least get his first taste of NHL play this year while getting a chance to boost his shot at a roster spot next October with a strong run of play in the absence of Ottawa’s two top two-way threats on defense in Chabot and Sanderson.
Donovan is a more unheralded prospect but an intriguing talent nonetheless. A fifth-round pick in 2022, the 6’2″ lefty is now 21 years old in his second season with the B-Sens. He’s coming along nicely as a well-rounded two-way piece who can wash out opponents with ease, recording a 4-17–21 line in 58 outings this season with a -12 rating and 70 penalty minutes.
His development at this stage significantly outpaces the normal curve of a fifth-rounder. Donovan now ranks #5 in Ottawa’s prospect pool and is their top left-shot option in the system, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic opined this month. The Calgary native “has the tools to become a No. 5-8 D and play NHL games” with “pro size and excellent skating,” Wheeler wrote.
Blackhawks Recall Anton Frondell
March 24: The Blackhawks announced Tuesday morning that they’ve officially recalled Frondell from Djurgardens. He has joined the team on their road trip ahead of tonight’s game against the Islanders, and he will be available to play. Head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters earlier this week (including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times) that Frondell would “play right away” once he arrives, so there’s a good chance he’s in the lineup tonight.
March 21: Chicago’s already young roster is about to get even younger for the stretch run. Top prospect Anton Frondell’s playoff run in the SHL came to an end today, paving the way for him to officially make his debut in North America. To that end, Scott Powers of The Athletic relays (subscription link) that the Blackhawks are expected to recall the youngster and he could make his NHL debut as soon as next week.
The 18-year-old was the third overall pick last June and the second forward to come off the board. Frondell spent most of his draft year in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan level, helping his club team Djurgardens earn a promotion to the SHL for this season. He fared quite well, tallying 11 goals and 14 assists in 29 regular season games while adding seven points in 16 playoff contests.
Although Frondell is a natural center, he spent the bulk of this season playing on the wing with Djurgardens. It allowed his scoring side to come out as he potted 20 goals (with eight assists) in 43 games, good for a tie for seventh league-wide in tallies. He also played a big role for Sweden at the World Juniors, chipping in with eight points in seven games en route to a gold medal. Now, he’s ready to take that next step and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him deployed on the wing in Chicago to allow him to ease in.
While Sacha Boisvert’s debut is presently on hold while he waits to receive his work visa, that won’t be the case for Frondell. The team clarified that Frondell already went through the visa process when he signed his entry-level deal over the summer. Accordingly, he’ll be eligible to play as soon as he joins the team.
But even with that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chicago manage Frondell’s minutes somewhat. While it rarely comes up at this time of the season, the Blackhawks would officially burn the first season of his contract if he plays in ten or more games. A Sunday debut seems highly unlikely but if he joins the team on their upcoming road trip, there will be a dozen games left in the season. It doesn’t seem worth burning a year to get him three extra games so the Blackhawks will likely limit Frondell’s game action to nine appearances or less to ensure he’ll still have three years left on his contract heading into next season. But even with that, Frondell will have some runway to get his feet wet at the top level before making a push for a full-time opportunity in 2026-27.