Connor Murphy Stretchered Off Ice With Apparent Upper Body Injury
7:05 pm: The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus reports that Murphy will not return to the game, however he remains at the arena under the supervision of the team’s medical staff.
6:43 pm: Chicago Blackhawks’ defenseman Connor Murphy was taken off the ice by stretcher after a collision into the boards early in the first period of Chicago’s game against the Ottawa Senators Saturday night. The incident happened after Ottawa’s Parker Kelly landed a hit on Murphy that sent Murphy face-first into the boards. Kelly was assessed a five-minute major penalty for boarding Murphy.
After being down on the ice for several minutes, Murphy appeared to move his extremities and was then taken off the ice on a stretcher, giving a thumbs up. What makes the situation all the more concerning is that Murphy also missed time in December of this season with a concussion, having now apparently hit his head on the boards.
The 28-year-old Murphy has been a mainstay on Chicago’s blue line for the past five seasons, seeing his time-on-ice climb steadily for the Blackhawks as they have navigated a rebuild. It remains unclear the extent of Murphy’s injury or any timetable, however at this time, Murphy’s overall health is the primary concern.
Anaheim Ducks Activate Josh Manson, Place Sam Steel On Injured Reserve
The Anaheim Ducks announced that they have activated defenseman Josh Manson off of injured reserve, and in a corresponding move, have placed forward Sam Steel on injured reserve. Manson will immediately draw back into the lineup as the Ducks play tonight at the New Jersey Devils.
Getting Manson back in the lineup is an important step for the Ducks, who are openly interested in either re-signing or trading the defenseman at the trade deadline. While an injured Manson is certainly not a barrier to an extension, getting him healthy and playing again allows the Ducks to show that he is fully healthy and ready to help another team, as well as an opportunity to showcase his talent once more before the deadline. The free-agent-to-be currently has seven points in 43 games for the Ducks while averaging 19:44 time-on-ice per game.
As for Steel, this will be his first stint on IR of the season. The 24-year-old forward is in the middle of what appears to be the best season of his career, totaling 17 points in 51 games, however this injury will force him to hold-off on his development for a little while.
Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Drew O’Connor
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they have signed forward Drew O’Connor to a one-year, one-way contract extension. The contract keeps O’Connor with the team through the 2022-23 season and is worth $750,000.
O’Connor has been a nice find for the Penguins, who signed him out of Dartmouth College in March of 2020. After O’Connor initially signed, he did not get a chance to play a pro game, as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was just days away at that point. However, O’Connor did break out as a professional last season, splitting time between Pittsburgh and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the AHL. While O’Connor only had one point in 10 games in the NHL last year, he did have an impressive 19 points in 20 games in the AHL as a first-year pro.
O’Connor has continued his development nicely this season despite once again being moved up and down between the NHL and AHL rather consistently. The 23-year-old has handled the adversity well, scoring three goals to go with two assists in 22 games at the NHL level, along with seven goals and seven assists at the AHL level.
The contract represents strong value for the Penguins, who can retain a developing talent that should be able to stick in their lineup next season, while providing flexibility with a cap hit of just $750K. Being a one-way contract, O’Connor could hope to avoid the frequent trips between Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Pittsburgh.
Columbus Blue Jackets Place Boone Jenner On Injured Reserve
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they have placed forward Boone Jenner on injured reserve today. In a corresponding move, the team added winger Trey Fix-Wolansky from the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL on emergency recall. Jenner, the Blue Jackets’ captain, is considered week-to-week with a lower body injury.
Losing Jenner is certainly tough for the Blue Jackets, who sit 13 points back of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, but still consider themselves very much in the race. In addition to being their captain, Jenner also lines up as Columbus’ top center, and leads the team with 23 goals and 44 points in 59 games this season. The loss of Jenner also coincides with potential injuries to Patrik Laine and Jakub Voracek, reports The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Without them, Columbus loses its top three point producers, in addition to Alexandre Texier, who is currently on a leave of absence from the team.
Fix-Wolansky recently made his NHL debut for Columbus on February 8th, scoring his first NHL goal that game. The 22-year-old currently has two assists in five NHL games this year, along with an impressive 22 points in 32 games in the AHL this season. If Columbus hopes to stay in the playoff race, they will have to count on secondary options such as Fix-Wolansky.
Injury Notes: Barrie, Laughton, Fischer
The Edmonton Oilers announced that they have officially activated defenseman Tyson Barrie off of injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Barrie had been placed on IR on March 7th, retroactive to March 5th, missing the past three games. Adding Barrie back into the lineup will give the Oilers more of an offensive punch on their back end and deepen their defensive core once again.
For Barrie, this trip to the IR was his third absence from the Oilers roster in 2022, having previously spent time on IR in late January and early February, as well as time in COVID protocol in January. Barrie has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence to his career since joining Edmonton before the 2020-21 season and signing a three-year, $13.5MM contract with the Oilers this past July. The Oilers will certainly count on Barrie to remain healthy down the stretch, as the team will need all it can get to secure a playoff spot in the incredibly tight Western Conference.
- Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now reports that Philadelphia Flyers’ forward Scott Laughton is expected to remain out of the lineup indefinitely after suffering a concussion in the Flyers loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Losing Laughton is another tough blow to the Flyers, who have struggled with injuries the entire season. Particularly, as the team has struggled in the standings, Laughton has remained a steady force for the team, having a career year with 28 points in 54 games, and has also been a core piece in the locker room. No timetable has been given on Laughton’s return, however concussion related injuries can vary and considering the Flyers’ struggles, there is no reason to rush the forward back.
- Arizona Coyotes’ head coach Andre Tourigny told reporters, including PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, that forward Christian Fischer is day-to-day and is unlikely to play in tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins (Tweet). Tourigny also added that if Fischer does in fact sit, Hudson Fasching will play. Fischer has 10 points in 49 games this season for Arizona.
Gabriel Landeskog To Undergo Surgery, Samuel Girard To Miss A Month
While the Avalanche had some good news today when they extended Pavel Francouz, they also got some bad news as they will be without two key players for the next little while. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Gabriel Landeskog is set to undergo knee surgery on Monday. There is no firm timetable for his return but Colorado hopes to have him back for the stretch run which would take any thought of putting him on LTIR for the rest of the regular season to open up cap space off the table.
This isn’t a newly-suffered injury for Landeskog as he played in nearly 19 minutes on Thursday against Carolina before receiving a misconduct penalty in the dying seconds of regulation. Instead, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that this is an issue that has been nagging him for a little bit and they’ve decided to get it fixed before the playoffs. The knee problem hasn’t really held Landeskog back, however, as he has 30 goals and 29 assists in 51 games this season, good for fifth in team scoring.
Meanwhile, Peter Baugh of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that blueliner Samuel Girard will miss the next four weeks with a lower-body injury. While that makes him LTIR-eligible as well, that’s a recovery timeline that would easily have him back by the end of the season so Colorado, who doesn’t have a lot of cap space to work with at the upcoming trade deadline, won’t get much help on that front either.
Girard’s numbers are down slightly this season although he has still managed to pick up 27 points in 56 games while logging nearly 22 minutes a night. Kurtis MacDermid took Girard’s place in the lineup on Thursday and with the Avs having seven other blueliners on the active roster, they shouldn’t need to recall anyone from AHL Colorado to take his place on the roster. Such a move will likely need to be made for Landeskog, however, unless they decide to shift MacDermid to the wing and put Jack Johnson back in on defense. Either way, lineup changes are coming in advance of their game tomorrow against Calgary.
Meanwhile, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post relays that blueliner Bowen Byram participated in his first full practice today in more than two months. He has been dealing with post-concussion symptoms so the Avs will undoubtedly be cautious when it comes to working the 20-year-old back into the lineup but if he’s able to return soon, he’d certainly help absorb the blow of Girard’s absence.
Avalanche Sign Pavel Francouz To A Two-Year Extension
Colorado entered the season with both of their goaltenders slated to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer. That’s no longer the case as the team announced that Pavel Francouz has signed a two-year extension. Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the deal carries a $2MM AAV. GM Joe Sakic released the following statement on the signing:
Pavel is an important component to our goaltending tandem and someone we have full trust in to be a key piece of our team going forward. He has showed tremendous perseverance and dedication in overcoming the challenges and injuries he has faced.
Speaking of those challenges and injuries, the 31-year-old missed all of last season after undergoing double hip surgery and then missed the first 24 games of this season with an ankle injury. However, since returning, Francouz has done quite well, posting a 2.46 GAA along with a .921 SV% in 14 appearances (11 starts).
Francouz still has a limited track record in North America having only signed with Colorado in 2018; he has just 50 career NHL regular season contests under his belt including those appearances this season. That, coupled with his injury history, didn’t give him a lot of leverage when it came to his next contract which almost certainly played a role in him deciding to re-sign with the Avalanche for the same price tag as his current deal, a two-year, $4MM pact that was set to expire in July. His career numbers are close to his 2021-22 ones with a .923 SV% and a 2.42 GAA and if he’s able to maintain that and stay healthy, this has the potential to be quite a bargain for Colorado.
The deal allows Colorado to now shift their focus to starter Darcy Kuemper. Sakic paid a high price tag to acquire him from the Coyotes after Philipp Grubauer left for Seattle in free agency. His cap hit this season is $4.5MM (split between Colorado and Arizona) and it will cost more than that either to keep the 31-year-old or replace him with a new starter this summer. At least Sakic can now go into those discussions knowing that at least part of Colorado’s goaltending tandem will be intact for next season with Francouz’s deal now finalized.
Ryan Dzingel Clears Waivers
Saturday: Dzingel has cleared waivers, Friedman reports. He’s now eligible to be sent to the Barracuda of the AHL.
Friday: After finding himself a healthy scratch again recently, Ryan Dzingel is now on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Because he was claimed by the San Jose Sharks themselves, the Toronto Maple Leafs now have an opportunity to potentially claim him and send him directly to the minor leagues. They’ll only be able to do that if they are the only team that puts in a claim though, so his future isn’t yet clear.
It’s been an odd year for Dzingel, who signed a one-year, $1.1MM contract with the Arizona Coyotes in the offseason. After playing in 26 games and not really finding his footing with the Coyotes, he was included in a trade that saw Ilya Lyubushkin head to Toronto. Before even getting on a plane, the 30-year-old forward was put on waivers, where the Sharks claimed him as they dealt with some forward injuries. Now, after just six games with the Sharks, he’s available to the whole league once again.
In this case, that $1.1MM cap hit actually works against him, as teams won’t want to carry the extra money if he’s not a regular in the lineup. If he’s claimed tomorrow he’ll have to stay on the active roster, at least for anyone but the Maple Leafs. For Toronto, who were open about the fact that they hoped to slip him through waivers and stash him in the minor leagues after the trade, he could be a valuable injury replacement option.
Still, it’s a far fall for a player who scored 49 goals over a two-season stretch just a few years ago and was traded for Anthony Duclair and two second-round picks in 2019. Dzingel has struggled ever since, and has just five goals and eight points in 32 total games this season.
Senators Give Victor Mete Permission To Seek A Trade
Senators defenseman Victor Mete has been a healthy scratch somewhat routinely as of late and as a result, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the team has given his agent Darren Ferris permission to speak to teams in an effort to facilitate a trade.
The 23-year-old was claimed off waivers from Montreal near the trade deadline last season and played a largely regular role for them down the stretch. That paved the way for the Sens to avoid arbitration with Mete as they agreed to a one-year, $1.2MM contract back in August.
However, things haven’t gone as well this year. Outside of a four-game stint in COVID protocol, Mete has been healthy all season but has played in just 31 of 57 games in 2021-22. When he has been in the lineup, he has basically been entrenched as a sixth defenseman and accordingly, his 14:56 ATOI is a career low. With a $1.2MM qualifying offer owed with salary arbitration eligibility again this summer, Mete currently stands as a possible non-tender candidate.
Despite his struggles, Dreger reports that there is some interest in Mete’s services, likely in the form of a draft pick coming the other way. If Ottawa was willing to retain half of his contract, that would lower the AAV for an acquiring team to just $600K or less than the league minimum. For cap-strapped teams wanting to add some low-cost depth, such a move would certainly make sense if Ferris is able to help facilitate a move between now and the March 21st trade deadline.
Atlantic Notes: Toronto’s Goaltending, Batherson, Pinto, Allen, Grzelcyk
To say Toronto’s goaltending has struggled as of late would be an understatement. Now, Jack Campbell is on injured reserve and Petr Mrazek didn’t exactly fare any better in his first game as the short-term starter. However, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun cautions that the Maple Leafs making a trade for a goalie wouldn’t necessarily be worth doing. Most of the goaltenders that are believed to be available aren’t sure-fire upgrades over Campbell and Mrazek and it’s quite possible that Campbell would still be the starter for the playoffs. Considering that Toronto has limited cap space to work with (since Jake Muzzin is expected to return before the season ends), would that be better off being used on a player who will play in every game over one that would more or less be a short-term goalie stopgap that isn’t necessarily an improvement over their current options?
More from the Atlantic:
- Although Senators winger Drake Batherson has returned to practice, he won’t play in Ottawa’s current five-game homestand, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 23-year-old has averaged over a point per game this season with 34 points in 31 games but hasn’t played since late January when he suffered a high ankle sprain. Meanwhile, Ottawa expects to find out in the next couple of weeks if center Shane Pinto will be able to return at some point this season. The rookie was expected to be a big part of their lineup this season but a shoulder injury has limited him to just five games so far.
- While Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen has resumed skating, he won’t suit up in either of Montreal’s games this weekend, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 31-year-old is having a tough year like many are in Montreal and has a .901 SV% in 24 starts this season but has come up as a speculative trade candidate if he’s able to show that he has fully recovered from the lower-body injury that has kept him out for the last two months and get into game action before the March 21st trade deadline.
- The Bruins announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Matt Grzelcyk will return tonight against Arizona after missing the last two games – one due to an upper-body injury and the other to illness. The 28-year-old sits second in scoring among Boston defenders with 19 points in 51 games. Jack Ahcan, who scored his first career NHL goal while taking Grzelcyk’s place in the lineup, will be a healthy scratch.