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Latest Injury Updates On Cole Perfetti, Adam Lowry, Dylan Samberg

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Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel spoke with the Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre today, issuing updates on the recovery timelines of three crucial Jets players who are each out with an injury.

According to Arniel, Cole Perfetti, who skated both today and yesterday, is “slightly ahead of schedule” in his recovery from an ankle sprain he suffered in a preseason game. Perfetti is reportedly aiming to return at some point in the middle of November.

Adam Lowry, the Jets’ captain, is reportedly “trending towards” a return close to the end of October or early November. Lowry is still completing his recovery from a hip surgery he underwent in May. Lowry returned to practice two days ago in a non-contact jersey, an undeniably positive sign for the likelihood that he’ll be able to return at some point next week, or the week after.

It was announced in September that defenseman Dylan Samberg would miss about six to eight weeks with a broken wrist, and Arniel’s update on Samberg’s status was less definitive, and less positive, than the other two players’. Per McIntyre, Samberg’s exact recovery timeline is at this point “still TBD.” It’s a difficult break for Samberg, who emerged last season as an important top-four anchor for the Jets. He scored 20 points in 60 games, averaged 21:08 time on ice per game (good for No. 4 among Jets blueliners) and played a massive role on the penalty kill, leading Jets players in shorthanded ice time per game during the team’s highly successful 2024-25 regular season.

Samberg, who is repped by Pete Rutili of Wasserman Hockey, signed a three-year $5.75MM AAV contract extension in July. As a result, this significant injury won’t impact Samberg’s earning potential, at least in the short to medium term, though it will cost him the chance to play in a full 82-game season for what would have been the first time in his career.

While Samberg has the security of a freshly signed contract, the same cannot be said for the other two injured Jets players. Lowry is currently slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and is likely to expect a sizable raise from the $3.25MM AAV he earned on his last deal. He’s firmly established himself as a valuable middle-six center in Winnipeg, and provides the team with significant all-around value both on and off the ice.

His injury does not appear to have changed where he stands in the minds of the Jets’ lead hockey operations decision-makers, though, as it was reported earlier this month that re-signing Lowry is one of the team’s top remaining priorities. It can take players some time to get back to their full on-ice ability after a significant hip surgery, so it will be interesting to see how quickly Lowry is able to regain his footing on the ice once he returns in the next few weeks.

Like Lowry, Perfetti is also a pending free agent, though he is a pending RFA, not a UFA. It’s unwise to speculate on how Perfetti’s ankle sprain might impact negotiations for his next deal, but it is worth mentioning that this absence has robbed him of an opportunity to build off of his solid 2024-25 season in the early portion of 2025-26. Perfetti’s most recent year went a long way in justifying the team’s investment of a top-10 pick to draft him, as he set a career high scoring 50 points in 82 games.

With the salary cap set to continue to rise, Perfetti is likely hoping to be able to earn a significant raise from the $3.25MM AAV on his most recent deal. If he can hit the ground running upon returning next month, a productive follow-up to his breakout 2024-25 will go a long way in convincing Jets decision-makers that he’s worth the additional investment.

Tampa Bay Lightning Reassign Conor Geekie, Recall Charle-Edouard D’Astous

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The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that forward Conor Geekie has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. In a corresponding move, the club recalled defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous.

Geekie lined up on Tampa’s second line for their most recent game, but has just one assist through six NHL games this season. It’s possible the club could view a stint in the AHL, where he has thus far been successful (20 points in 24 career games) as a way to help him regain some confidence. It’s also entirely possible Geekie is recalled before the club’s next game, which is on Thursday.

This recall of D’Astous comes as the Lightning manage an injury suffered by Maxwell Crozier, the player the Lightning entered the season with slotted in as their seventh defenseman. It was announced last week that Crozier would land on IR with an undisclosed injury, and no further update on his status has been provided. During Crozier’s absence, veteran Steven Santini had served as the club’s spare blueliner, but Santini was reassigned to Syracuse yesterday.

Since the Lightning don’t play until Thursday, meaning there’s still a decent runway for Crozier to return from IR in time for the club’s next game. But if he does not, this recall positions D’Astous as the team’s spare blueliner, giving him a chance to make his NHL debut.

The 27-year-old has been on quite the hockey journey to reach this point. He finished his junior career as a star in the QMJHL for the Rimouski Oceanic, serving as the top-scoring blueliner and captain for a team that featured 2020 No. 1 pick Alexis Lafreniere.

Despite winning QMJHL Defenseman of the Year honors in his final year of junior hockey (and CHL Humanitarian of the Year for his work with local charities in Rimouski), D’Astous didn’t receive NHL interest. He signed a two-year AHL contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and failed to make their AHL squad out of training camp. He spent almost his entire first season as a pro in the ECHL, scoring 22 points in 46 games.

His encouraging progress in the ECHL earned him a late-season three-game cameo with Grand Rapids (where he would score his first AHL goal), but his progress slowed to a halt in 2020-21, as the COVID-19 pandemic greatly limited the number of games able to be played in the minor leagues.

D’Astous became a free agent at the end of his contract, and signed a one-year, two-way AHL/ECHL deal with the Colorado Eagles. While he only played in the AHL for one month of the season, D’Astous was stellar in the ECHL. He had a breakout season, scoring 57 points in 52 regular-season games and a whopping 30 points in 18 playoff games, winning ECHL Defender of the Year honors.

For many skaters, success in the ECHL isn’t a realistic path right to the NHL. But for the league’s best players, success in the ECHL presents a very realistic path to getting an opportunity to sign a contract in a high-level European league. Those opportunities often offer higher pay and a more comfortable playing experience than a player might find in the ECHL. The European path is the one D’Astous took, cashing in on his stellar ECHL season to sign a contract with KooKoo in the Finnish Liiga.

Just like his experience in the ECHL, it took D’Astous a year to adjust to the European pro game. But by 2023-24, he had found his groove. He scored 17 goals and 46 points in just 54 Liiga games for KooKoo in his second season there, leading the entire Liiga in time-on-ice per game and winning the league’s Defenseman of the Year honors.

His success in Finland earned him a two-year deal with SHL’s Brynas IF, and there, no adjustment period was needed. D’Astous was once again excellent, scoring 39 points in 49 games and winning the SHL’s Defenseman of the Year honors.

In a period of just four seasons, D’Astous had captured the Defenseman of the Year honors in three separate professional leagues. That undeniable track record of success finally earned D’Astous the NHL contract he’d been seeking, as the Lightning signed him to a one-year deal carrying a $775K NHL salary, $150K AHL salary, and $200K guarantee.

Now back in North America, D’Astous has picked up where he left off. He’s currently playing in a number-one defenseman role for the Crunch, playing a heavy workload in all situations through four games and leading his team in scoring by a blueliner with a goal and two assists.

Even if he doesn’t end up getting to play in the NHL on this current recall, the transaction is nonetheless a tangible reward for a player who has worked tirelessly to climb up the ladder of pro hockey.

Ottawa Senators Reassign Arthur Kaliyev

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10/20/2025: The Senators announced Monday that they reassigned Kaliyev back to Belleville. He got into two games for the Senators during his recall, a victory over the Seattle Kraken and a loss to the New York Islanders.

Kaliyev lined up on the Senators’ fourth line for the first game of his recall, and ultimately saw himself elevated to the team’s first line for his second game. He registered an assist on David Perron’s power play marker against the Islanders, but it appears his performance was not enough for him to retain his spot on the team’s NHL roster. He’s been a difference-maker at the AHL level with Belleville so far this season, scoring two assists in two games played.

10/16/2025:  The Ottawa Senators have recalled forward Arthur Kaliyev from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, the team announced today. The move comes as the team grapples with the loss of Brady Tkachuk, who will miss at least a month with a wrist injury. He’s landed on injured reserve as the corresponding transaction, per the league’s media site.

The Florida Panthers’ claim of defenseman Donovan Sebrango yesterday cleared a roster spot for Ottawa (something that would have also happened had Sebrango cleared waivers and been reassigned to Belleville, which was likely the team’s preferred outcome) and they’ve filled it with this recall of Kaliyev.

While Kaliyev certainly won’t be able to replace, or likely even come close to replacing, the on-ice and off-ice impact brought by Tkachuk, he does nonetheless bring quite a bit of NHL experience. The 24-year-old, who was signed to a one-year, two-way $775K/$425K contract this past summer, has played in over 200 NHL games and scored 38 goals and 75 points. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the 2019 draft, with most public-facing scouts rating him as a potential high-upside scorer with some very real risk to his projection.

Kaliyev scored goals at an extremely high rate in his junior hockey days in the OHL (where current Senators GM Steve Staios was his team’s president) but has not been able to translate that goal-scoring prowess to the pro ranks.

He started off pretty well, scoring 14 goals and 27 points in 80 games during his 2021-22 rookie season, and followed that up by scoring 13 goals and 28 points in just 56 games in 2022-23, which is a 19-goal, 41-point 82-game scoring pace.

But despite showing some signs of offensive proficiency, Kaliyev struggled to make an all-around impact. He managed just seven goals and 15 points in 2023-24, and got into just 14 NHL games last season, all coming with the New York Rangers after they claimed him off of waivers.

2025-26 has been widely viewed as a make-or-break year for Kaliyev’s hopes of having a long-term future as an NHL player, and while he didn’t make the Senators out of training camp and cleared waivers in the preseason, it appears this Tkachuk injury will give him the opportunity to play in NHL games once more. The Senators elevated forward Michael Amadio to the first-line left wing spot on Tim Stutzle’s line that Tkachuk vacated, but the team had a nightmare game falling 8-4 to the Buffalo Sabres, with Amadio failing to register a point.

While that doesn’t mean the team will give Kaliyev a run in that coveted lineup spot next to Stutzle, it does indicate that the team’s solution for managing Tkachuk’s absence is far from settled. In that, there is opportunity. Kaliyev may begin his NHL tenure with the Senators as a healthy scratch, but even if that’s the case, this recall still presents a major opportunity for Kaliyev.

Even if he fails to make the most of that opportunity, this recall will at the very least give him a nice financial boost, as he’ll make the pro-rated portion of his NHL salary of $775K for as long as he can spend on the Senators’ NHL roster.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Canucks Announce Multiple Roster Moves

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4:15 p.m.: The Canucks have announced additional roster moves, reassigning Schuldt to Abbotsford and recalling defenseman Tom Willander and forward Nils Aman. The move adds an experienced center to the Canucks’ roster to help fill in for the loss of Chytil. Aman isn’t the caliber of player Chytil is, and won’t be able to bring the same level of offense, but he nonetheless has 130 games of NHL experience and offers some size and defensive reliability to head coach Adam Foote.

Willander, 20, appears to be a replacement for Mancini, as he is also a young right-shot blueliner. Willander was the 11th overall pick at the 2023 NHL draft and made his pro debut earlier this month with Abbotsford. He has spent the last two seasons playing college hockey at Boston University (scoring 49 points across 77 games) and with this recall is now eliigible to be dressed for an NHL game and has a chance to make his NHL debut.

11:11 a.m.: The Vancouver Canucks announced multiple roster moves, largely to maximize their LTIR capture. This morning, the Canucks shared that they’ve placed forwards Filip Chytil and Jonathan Lekkerimaki on the injured reserve (retroactive to October 19th), and have moved Nils Höglander to the LTIR (retroactive to October 7th).

Additionally, Vancouver has reassigned defenseman Victor Mancini to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, while recalling Joseph LaBate and Jimmy Schuldt in a corresponding roster move.

Unfortunately, the injury designation for Chytil was expected. The Canucks second-line center was on the receiving end of a massive hit from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson during yesterday’s contest, causing Chytil to leave the game prematurely. Although a major penalty was initally assessed, it was rescinded upon review, and no supplemental discipline is expected from the league’s Department of Player Safety.

Outside of losing a top-six center, there’s larger cause for concern with Chytil specifically. Throughout his time with the New York Rangers, Chytil suffered multiple concussions, limiting him to only 66 games from 2023 to 2025. Already dealing with a thin pool down the middle, Vancouver would struggle to put together a serviceable defensive core if Chytil is out long-term.

Meanwhile, Lekkerimaki also left last night’s game prematurely. Unlike Chytil, it was not as apparent what caused Lekkerimaki’s injury. Still, he was filling in for Brock Boeser, who missed the game for personal matters.

Lastly, Höglander’s move to the LTIR, as well as the roster moves, were purely based on financial reasons. The Canucks are already operating close to the upper limit of the salary cap, and they’ll maximize their LTIR capture via the move.

Hoglander is eligible to return after Vancouver’s October 26th matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, though it’s not apparent he’ll be ready to return at that point. Additionally, although he should be expected back on the roster relatively soon, Mancini must play in at least one AHL game before being eligible for recall, per the league’s new rules regarding paper transactions.

Oilers Activate Jake Walman From IR

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The Edmonton Oilers have activated defenseman Jake Walman from injured reserve. He missed the start of the season due to an undisclosed injury that landed him on injured reserve one day into the regular season.

Walman joined the Oilers at the 2025 Trade Deadline, with a 2026 first-round pick and forward prospect Carl Berglund headed back to the San Jose Sharks. He played through 15 games and racked up a productive eight points through the end of Edmonton’s regular season. That earned him a core role in the team’s postseason lineup, setting him up to deliver 10 points in 22 games through the Oilers’ push to a Stanley Cup Final loss.

Walman only managed to appear in one preseason game before sustaining his latest injury. That gives the Oilers a 38-game sample of what the puck-moving defender can offer the team. He averaged over 21 minutes of ice time in his limited sample with the Oilers last season – a light respite after he averaged 23 minutes of ice time through 50 games with San Jose to start the year. It was the first season that Walman averaged north of 20 minutes of ice time, though he came close to that mark with the Detroit Red Wings in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Small sample size aside, there seems to be little doubting that Walman will soon slot back into his role alongside Darnell Nurse. The duo outscored opponents eight-to-two through the end of the 2024-25 season. Nurse has spent the start of this season rotating between minutes with Troy Stecher, Alec Regula, and Brett Kulak. Despite the heap of change, none of Nurse’s pairings have been on the ice for an even-strength goal yet. That has left a heavy load for Edmonton’s other D-pairings – a load that the team should be able to mitigate with the return of Walman.

The Oilers have lose their last three games, after starting the year 2-0-1. Much of that struggle can be attributed to their measly 1.6 goals-for-per-60 average – fourth-worst in the NHL so far. With an average of 12 goals and 34 points per 82 games played since 2023, Walman could be the exact piece Edmonton needs to turn their fates around. Walman is expected to make his season debut in Tuesday’s matchup against the Ottawa Senators.

Marco Rossi, Zach Bogosian Out For The Wild

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The Minnesota Wild will be without forward Marco Rossi and defenseman Zach Bogosian in Monday night’s game against the New York Rangers, head coach John Hynes told Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Both players suffered lower-body injuries as the result of blocked shots – Bogosian sustaining his on Friday, and Rossi getting hurt on Saturday.

This news will bring an end to Rossi’s team-leading iron-man streak. He has played in a consecutive 173 games, dating back to April 2023. That tally is the 30th-longest streak in the NHL, and the fourth-longest among players 24 or younger. With Rossi’s streak ending, Minnesota’s new team-leader will be Matt Boldy, who has played in 161 consecutive games – 33rd-most in the league and sixth among U24 players.

More than ending a team-leading streak, Minnesota will be losing one of their top forwards with Rossi’s absence. He has served as the team’s top-line center between star wingers Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov. That trio is one of only two Wild lines to score multiple even-strength goals this season – though they’ve still been outscored by opponents two-to-three, despite winning the expected-goals race with 2.1-to-1.7. Rossi himself has scored five points in six games, putting him on pace to exceed the career-high 60 points he potted in 82 games last year.

Joel Eriksson Ek will move to the top-line in Rossi’s place, while Ben Jones steps into a fourth-line center role. This swap will also promote rookie Danila Yurov into the top-nine, providing a stronger platform for him to find his first career point after going scoreless in his first four NHL games.

Minnesota will also lose the reliable Bogosian, who has served as a stout veteran presence on the team’s bottom-pair for the last three seasons. His ice time has dwindled every year in Minnesota, falling to just 14 minutes on average through five games this season. He’s posted a plus-three in the muted role, but otherwise has yet to manage any notable stat changes this season. David Jiříček will stick in the lineup in Bogosian’s absence. Jiříček recorded one shot on goal in a relief role on Saturday. It was his second NHL game of the season.

Rangers Assign Scott Morrow To AHL

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According to a team announcement, the New York Rangers have reassigned Scott Morrow to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. The news indirectly confirms that defenseman Carson Soucy will be activated from the injured reserve this evening against the Minnesota Wild.

Despite being on the roster for the last five days, Morrow never drew into a game with the Rangers. Considering the strong play of Matthew Robertson who’s scored one goal in the last four games with a 93.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength while averaging 17:17 of ice time, there was no reason to get Morrow into the lineup.

New York acquired Morrow this past summer in the trade that sent K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately, he didn’t crack the team’s lineup out of training camp, and has already skated in one game for the Wolf Pack this season.

Prior to his time in the Rangers organization, Morrow spent the last two years with the Hurricanes after his finishing his collegiate career at the University of Massachussetts. Througout his time with Carolina, he scored one goal and six points in 16 NHL contests, with another 13 goals and 39 points in 52 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

Although he’s playing in all seven games for the Rangers up to this point in the season, Robertson’s strong play of late likely spells the end of Urho Vaakanainen’s tenure in the lineup for the time being. Per line rushes at this morning’s practice, Soucy is expected to play on the left side next to Braden Schneider on the team’s second defensive unit, while Robertson will retain his role next to William Borgen on the team’s bottom pairing.

Monday Night Hockey Broadcasts EXCLUSIVELY on Amazon Prime! (Sponsored)

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With hockey season in full swing, there’s no better way to experience the thrill of the game than with Amazon Prime’s exclusive Monday Night Hockey broadcasts. If you’re a fan of fast-paced action, nail-biting moments, and electrifying goals, you won’t want to miss what Prime has lined up this season.

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Premier Matchups (all times EST):

Oct. 20 – Sabres vs. Canadiens (7:30 p.m.)
Two of the league’s youngest rosters clash in an early-season measuring stick. Buffalo’s high-flying offense takes on Montreal’s disciplined rebuild, making this a showcase of future Eastern Conference stars.

Oct. 27 – Bruins vs. Senators (7:30 p.m.)
A fierce Atlantic Division rivalry renewed — Boston’s veteran core against Ottawa’s talented youth. Expect intensity as the Senators try to prove they can finally hang with the perennial
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Nov. 3 – Penguins vs. Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m.)
Sidney Crosby and Auston Matthews headline a marquee matchup between two elite offenses. It’s a battle of eras — Pittsburgh’s seasoned stars versus Toronto’s prime-age scoring machine.

Nov. 10 – Blue Jackets vs. Oilers (8:30 p.m.)
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl face off against a scrappy Columbus squad eager to upset one of the NHL’s most explosive teams. It’s a true test of whether the Blue Jackets’ youth can
slow down Edmonton’s superstars.

Nov. 17 – Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets (7:30 p.m.)
Two rebuilding teams with promising young cores meet in a game that could be more competitive than the records suggest. Both Montreal and Columbus are hungry to establish momentum before the season’s midpoint.

Nov. 24 – Senators vs. Kings (9 p.m.)
A cross-conference matchup featuring two teams on the rise — Ottawa’s offensive flair versus Los Angeles’ structured, veteran-heavy approach. It’s a showcase of East-West contrasts and
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Dec. 1 – Jets vs. Sabres (7:30 p.m.)
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Dec. 8 – Lightning vs. Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m.)
A modern rivalry that always delivers drama — these Atlantic foes have met in multiple playoff thrillers. With both teams loaded with offensive stars, expect end-to-end action and playoff-
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Dec. 15 – Senators vs. Jets (7:30 p.m.)
The Senators’ young guns face off against Winnipeg’s balanced, veteran-led lineup. Ottawa’s speed and skill will be tested by the Jets’ physicality and goaltending strength.

Dec. 22 – Canucks vs. Flyers (7:30 p.m.)
Vancouver’s West Coast talent collides with Philadelphia’s blue-collar identity. Both teams are unpredictable, which makes this late-December matchup a potential sleeper hit.

Dec. 29 – Oilers vs. Jets (7:30 p.m.)
An all-Canadian showdown featuring some of the league’s biggest names. Edmonton’s offensive firepower goes head-to-head with Winnipeg’s elite goaltending — a possible playoff preview and
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Metro Injury Notes: Romanov, Gudbranson, Soucy

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Alexander Romanov missed the New York Islanders most recent game against the Ottawa Senators due to an upper-body injury. He’s not expected to miss any more time. According to Andrew Gross of Newsday, Romanov is fully particpating in this morning’s practice, indicating he’ll return tomorrow.

After the Islanders traded Noah Dobson this summer, they were expecting Romanov to shoulder more responsibility on the blueline. The team showed that expectation financially, signing Romanov to an eight-year, $50MM extension, making him their highest-paid defenseman.

Unfortunately, even before the injury, Romanov hasn’t looked like the defensemen the Islanders need him to be. He’s gone scoreless through his first four contests with a -3 rating, averaging 18:12 of ice time per game. He’s shown some early progression in his possession metrics, though his isolated defensive play has been subpar at best with a 85.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength. Still, there’s plenty of time left in the season for Romanov to correct his play, and hopefully being healthy will aid in that effort.

Other injury notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets could be returning a veteran presence to their blueline relatively soon. Team reporter Jeff Svoboda reported this morning that defenseman Erik Gudbranson is skating with the team this morning, the first time he’s skated since going down with an concussion on October 11th. Still, there may not be much hope he’ll have a lot of staying power in the Blue Jackets lineup. Gudbranson has faced numerous injuries recently, playing only 16 games with Columbus last season.
  • According to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic, defenseman Carson Soucy shed his no-contact jersey at the New York Rangers’ practice this morning, indicating he’ll be activated off the IR relatively soon. Although he’s eligible to be activated from the IR today, Mercogliano wouldn’t go as far to confirm those are the Rangers intentions. Soucy suffered his injury in the team’s October 11th game against the Pittsburgh Penguins as he awkwardly flew into the boards after attempting to hit Rickard Rakell.

Red Wings’ Emmitt Finnie Off To Impressive Start

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Missing the playoffs for the last nine years, the Detroit Red Wings have had several top-15 overall picks in the first round and have several above-average prospects remaining in their pipeline. That’s what has made Emmitt Finnie’s emergence all the more inspiring.

Given that the team has had so many higher-end selections in the first round, Finnie had been treated somewhat as an afterthought in Detroit’s system, since he was drafted in the seventh round only two years ago. He had a relatively unimpressive year with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, scoring nine goals and 35 points in 64 games with a +11 rating.

He followed up his draft year with a productive campaign, scoring 19 goals and 59 points in 62 games. Still, it wasn’t enough at the time for Finnie to even chart on most Red Wings’ prospect boards, given that forwards scoring lower than a point-per-game average in the Canadian Major Junior system aren’t usually close to being NHL-caliber talents.

In his final year with the Blazers, and as the team’s captain, Finnie put it together on offense. Unfortunately, the team didn’t qualify for the WHL playoffs, but Finnie led the way on offense, scoring 37 goals and 84 points in 55 games. He finished the campaign with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, scoring one goal and five points in 10 games with a -4 rating.

At the beginning of training camp, few would have believed that he had a legitimate opportunity to crack the Red Wings’ roster. Still, as the team continued their search for a linemate next to Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, Finnie’s work ethic stood out amongst the pack. General Manager Steve Yzerman has been criticized in recent years for not promoting more youngsters to the roster from camp. However, many Detroit fans recognize this as being the mantra of the franchise for the past several generations.

As the preseason progressed, Finnie remained on the roster, leading to unexpected optimism that he might stay with the team for the regular season. He finished Detroit’s preseason action with two goals and four points in seven games with a 16.7% shooting percentage, averaging 14:28 of action per game.

He has already surpassed those scoring totals in fewer games in the regular season.

At the time of writing, the 20-year-old is tied for third on the Red Wings in scoring, with two goals and five points in six games with a +7 rating, with both of those goals coming in yesterday’s win over the two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. Still, there’s an argument to be made that anybody with a pulse may be able to engineer points at a relatively easy pace next to Larkin and Raymond.

That’s true to some degree, with Finnie only averaging a 43.4% CorsiFor% at even strength and his -0.7 Expected +/-. However, he’s tied for first on the team in hits (21), and has an excellent 96.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength, which is even more remarkable considering he begins nearly 2/3 of his shifts in the defensive zone.

There are few arguments this early in the season that Finnie is a bona fide top-six winger, nor is there any hope of him driving his own line anytime soon. However, he’s showing a degree of fearlessness that hasn’t been seen from a Detroit prospect in some time, and the team is better off for it.

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