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Metropolitan Notes: Miller, Islanders Injuries, Brindley

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With a big-ticket contract already given to Alexis Lafreniere and a hefty extension expected at some point for Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers are set to face a cap crunch next summer with several other players in need of pricey new deals as well.  Arthur Staple of The Athletic recently provided (subscription link) an overview of the situation while suggesting a creative way to potentially solve it by moving pending RFA defenseman K’Andre Miller.  The 24-year-old will be owed a $4.646MM qualifying offer in the summer but could conceivably push past $6MM on a longer-term deal.  With a couple of years of club control remaining, New York would undoubtedly have considerable interest in his services, allowing them to help alleviate that crunch while still getting a strong return in a trade.  Of course, losing him would be a big blow to their back end so it’s safe to say that’s not their preferred route at this point.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Islanders picked up the win in Buffalo on Friday night but it came as a price as Ethan Sears of the New York Post relays that defensemen Mike Reilly and Adam Pelech both left the game with injuries while Alexander Romanov, who just came back from injury, was also banged up. Reilly hit his head on the ice in the second period while Pelech was seen holding his jaw after the game.  The Isles only have seven blueliners on the active roster so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them recall someone from AHL Bridgeport, especially since they have a bit of short-term cap flexibility with Anthony Duclair on LTIR.
  • Blue Jackets forward Gavin Brindley has been skating as he continues his recovery from a broken finger sustained in the preseason, notes Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers (Twitter link). The 20-year-old made his NHL debut late last season after a dominant year at the University of Michigan that saw him put up 53 points in 40 games in his sophomore season.  However, despite that output in college and their injuries up front, it appears Columbus plans to have Brindley start in the AHL with Cleveland once he’s cleared to return.

Metropolitan Notes: Hughes, Svechnikov, Pelech, Pulock

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Devils center Jack Hughes practiced with the team in a non-contact jersey Monday, Amanda Stein of the team’s official site reports. Subsequently, head coach Lindy Ruff informed reporters that Hughes’ status had been upgraded to day-to-day, and he could return during the Devils’ three games this week.

Hughes was a part of Thursday’s festivities at All-Star Weekend in Toronto but could not play in the event due to his upper-body injury, which has kept him out since Jan. 5 against the Blackhawks. The 22-year-old is on injured reserve, but the Devils have an open roster spot and won’t need to make a corresponding transaction in order to activate him.

Separate injuries have limited Hughes to 32 games this season, but he’s managed to churn out a career-best 1.41 points-per-game pace and still sits second on the team in scoring with 45 points. He leads Devils forwards in average ice time (20:30) and has a career-high Corsi share of 58% at even strength.

Other updates from the Metropolitan Division to kick off the week:

  • Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov was not a full participant in practice today and likely remains out for Tuesday’s game against the Canucks, per Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal. Svechnikov missed the last four games before the All-Star break with an upper-body injury, his third multi-game absence of the season. He’s been electric when healthy, cracking the point-per-game plateau for the first time in his career with 11 goals and 19 assists in 29 games. The 2018 second-overall pick has missed 19 games this season due to multiple upper-body injuries, an illness, and continued recovery from knee surgery that ended his 2022-23 campaign last March.
  • The Islanders could be getting a pair of important blue-liners back tonight against the Maple Leafs as both Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock will be game-time decisions, head coach Patrick Roy told Newsday’s Andrew Gross. Pelech missed the final game before the All-Star break with an upper-body injury after he was on the receiving end of an elbow to the head from Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher on Jan. 25 that earned him a five-game suspension. Pulock, meanwhile, was activated from injured reserve over the weekend and missed nearly two months with a lower-body injury sustained Dec. 7 against the Blue Jackets. The Islanders’ longtime number-one pairing has been downgraded in minutes this season thanks to the two-way emergence of both Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov, who are both averaging over 22 minutes per game and have quietly been one of the league’s better pairings.

Islanders Move Casey Cizikas, Robert Bortuzzo To LTIR, Activate Ryan Pulock, Recall Two

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The New York Islanders are facing a multitude of injuries and a tight cap. Because of that, they’ve moved forward Casey Cizikas (lower-body) and defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (lower-body) to long-term injured reserve. Both players have been out of action since early January, already missing the required time with injury. That means both can be activated again whenever they are ready to return, though it’s uncertain what their exact timeline is. These moves were necessary for the team to create enough cap space to activate defenseman Ryan Pulock off of injured reserve. Pulock has been out of action since December 7th, missing the team’s last 24 games with a lower-body injury.

With Pulock activated, the Islanders also had enough cap space to recall minor-league forwards Simon Holmstrom and Kyle MacLean. Holmstrom has been a frequent member of the Islanders lineup this season, appearing in 48 games and scoring 12 goals and 18 points, while MacLean has gone without a point in five NHL games this season.

New York could have instead placed Adam Pelech on LTIR, rather than Bortuzzo or Cizikas. But unlike the latter two, Pelech has only been out since January 25th, meaning he would have to miss at least nine more games before being eligible to be activated. Team reporter Stefen Rosner shares that Pelech may be dealing with a concussion, making his return trickier to gauge than other injuries – though the team is hopeful he’ll be able to return within the next nine games.

These moves bring a beat-up Islanders lineup a bit closer to normal. Holmstrom will slot in for Julien Gauthier, who recently cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL. MacLean will serve as the understudy to Hudson Fasching, who is facing a lower-body injury with an unknown timeline. And Pulock will likely return to his top role with the club. He’s averaged nearly 23 minutes per game through 25 games this season, scoring six points and recording a -6. The Islanders have provided more minutes to Alexander Romanov and Scott Mayfield in Pulock’s absence.

Injury Updates: Jarnkrok, Islanders, Red Wings, Amadio

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The Maple Leafs will be without Calle Jarnkrok for the foreseeable future as David Alter of The Hockey News mentions that the winger will be out week-to-week with a fractured knuckle.  The injury was sustained in practice on Friday.  Jarnkrok has been a valuable and versatile middle-six player this season, playing in a variety of roles while chipping in with ten goals and nine assists through 46 games.  Tyler Bertuzzi returns to the lineup after missing Thursday’s game due to the birth of his child while Ryan Reaves will play his first game in six weeks, replacing the injured Bobby McMann.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). He took an elbow to the head from Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher on Thursday, a hit that landed Gallagher a five-game suspension.  Injuries have limited the 29-year-old to just 29 of 48 games this season, where he has four assists and 42 blocked shots while logging over 19 minutes a night.  Gross adds that winger Hudson Fasching is also listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury.   The 28-year-old also left Thursday’s game early after less than three minutes of ice time.  After collecting 19 points in 49 games last season, Fasching hasn’t been able to put up similar numbers so far, notching just three goals and five helpers in 35 games.
  • Ben Chiarot’s upper-body injury will hold him out of Detroit’s lineup through the All-Star break, notes 97.1 The Ticket’s Daniella Bruce (Twitter link). The 32-year-old has missed the last week with an upper-body injury.  He’s in his second season with the Red Wings and has a dozen points in 45 games so far along with 93 blocks and 84 hits.  Meanwhile, Bruce adds that winger Patrick Kane could still suit up before the break against Ottawa on Wednesday.  Kane has missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury and has been a nice addition to Detroit’s lineup, collecting 16 points in his first 19 games.
  • Speaking with reporters postgame on Friday including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated that winger Michael Amadio has been cleared to return tonight against Detroit. The 27-year-old has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury.  Amadio has been one of the better waiver claims in recent years, becoming a capable depth producer for Vegas, notching 33 goals in 162 games; he has 17 points in 42 games so far this season.

Brendan Gallagher To Have Player Safety Hearing

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Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Friday for an illegal check to the head of Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech, the department said in a statement. The hearing will take place over the phone, not in person, limiting a suspension to five games or less.

The incident occurred at 11:52 of the third period in Thursday’s 4-3 win for Montreal. Immediately after Pelech exited the New York zone with the puck and made an outlet pass through the neutral zone, Gallagher cut across the ice and raised his elbow to hit Pelech in the head, making no discernable attempt to lay a body check. Officials assessed Gallagher a five-minute major for a check to the head and a match penalty for intent to injure on the play.

Pelech skated off the ice under his own power and entered concussion protocol. He did not return to the game, which the Islanders tied on the ensuing five-minute power play after being down 3-1 but conceded a late tiebreaker from Sean Monahan at even strength.

Given the severity of the hit, many expected an in-person hearing for Gallagher today with the possibility of a six-plus-game ban.

The 31-year-old is in the third season of a six-year, $6.5MM contract, during which he’s produced only 54 points in 141 games. He’s slipped to a bottom-six role, skating third-line minutes alongside Jake Evans and Tanner Pearson in last night’s win, and his -21 rating is the worst on the team. His 48.9% Corsi share at even strength still ranks near the top of the team, though, and a horribly unlucky on-ice shooting percentage of 5.7 has likely had a decent effect on his point production this season.

In 48 games this year, Gallagher has eight goals and eight assists for 16 points while averaging 14:11 per game, the lowest since his rookie season.

Metropolitan Notes: Kakko, Trouba, Pelech, Oshie

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Although there has been some recent speculation that New York Rangers’ forward, Kaapo Kakko, could be making his return soon, Larry Brooks of the New York Post states that is not the case. Unfortunately, Brooks notes that Kakko has still not been cleared to return to play, meaning the Rangers will have to call up a forward from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, before their game on Thursday.

Suffering from a lower-body injury in late November, Kakko has been on the team’s long-term injured reserve since November 28th. Although he has satisfied the LTIR requirements to return by a healthy amount, team doctors clearly do not think he is ready to return.  In what is shaping up to be yet another disappointing season for Kakko, he has skated in 20 games for the Rangers up to this point in the season, scoring two goals and three points all while averaging about 13 and a half minutes a night.

At the very least, Kakko is back on the ice skating, as Arthur Staple of The Athletic pointed out that Kakko was present at practice this morning in a non-contact jersey. Unfortunately, in a side note on the initial report, Staple indicated that New York captain, Jacob Trouba, was not at practice this morning due to personal reasons. The expectation is that Trouba will be available to the team as they take on the St.Louis Blues in a few days, depending on the severity of the personal reason keeping him out this morning.

Other Metropolitan notes:

  •  Heading a few miles east of the Rangers, the New York Islanders will see the reinforcement of Adam Pelech tonight, as Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports that the defenseman will make his return to the ice after missing the last 20 games. With additional injuries on the blue line, the addition of Pelech back into the lineup should give a major boost to the Islanders’ defensive core, as he has historically been one of the best defenders in the organization. Through 16 games so far this season, Pelech has tallied three assists, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game.
  • Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports that veteran forward for the Washington Capitals, T.J. Oshie, was back at practice this morning skating in a full-contact jersey. The entirety of the 2023-24 season up to this point has been mired by injuries for Oshie, who is currently experiencing one of the least productive seasons of his long career. In 21 games so far, he has scored two goals and four points, missing time in November, December, and now in January.

Metropolitan Notes: Flyers, Pelech, Varlamov

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced they will healthy scratching veteran forward Cam Atkinson tonight when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. The long-time former Blue Jacket had a terrific start to the year in Philadelphia and has eight goals and 10 assists on the season in 37 games. However, he has struggled as of late with just three assists in his last 17 games and no goals in his last 22 games.

The Flyers also announced that young center Morgan Frost will be a healthy scratch. Frost set career highs last season with 19 goals and 27 assists in 81 games but is on pace for just 33 points this season. The 24-year-old has been far less physical this season and has been somewhat sheltered as he’s seen over 70 percent of his shifts start in the offensive zone. Frost has run very hot and cold this season as he started the year pointless in his first six games before rallying for four points in his next three games. His season has been a cycle of putting up points in bunches and then disappearing from the scoresheet for an extended period.

Both players are unlikely to be held out of the lineup for too long as the club is likely being sent a message by head coach John Tortorella after dropping five of their last six games.

In other Metropolitan Notes:

  • Stefan Rosner of NHL.com is reporting that defenseman Adam Pelech of the New York Islanders is getting closer to returning from injury. Pelech has been out of the Islanders lineup since November 24th when he suffered an upper-body injury in a game against the Ottawa Senators. The Toronto, Ontario native struggled to start the year, registering just three assists in his first 16 games while struggling at 5 on 5. He started to put together a stretch of good games leading up to the injury, but unfortunately, he was forced out of the lineup just as he was trending upward.
  • Stefan Rosner is also reporting that Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov is dealing with a lower-body injury and will be out day-to-day. According to Rosner, Varlamov will remain with the team on the Islanders’ road trip but will likely not play in the coming days. Varlamov had been dealing with an undisclosed injury late in December and sat out a game on December 29th against the Washington Capitals.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: New York Islanders

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the New York Islanders.

Who are the Islanders thankful for?

Bo Horvat.

The New York Islanders spent big money to acquire Bo Horvat last season, shelling out a first-round pick, a former first-round pick in Anthony Beauvillier, and second-round pick Aatu Raty. It was a high price to pay but Horvat is making it look like a great deal through his first full season with his new team. He’s been one of the team’s most consistent pieces, serving as a safeguard against the up-and-down struggles of some of his teammates. Horvat ranks second on the team in goals, with 14, and third in points, with 33, through 32 appearances this year. The 28-year-old centerman is also leading the Islanders in CF% (Corsi-For percentage) and ranks second in xGF% (expected goals-for percentage), showing that he’s earning his high scoring by making impacts all across the ice. Horvat’s strong play has let New York move Mathew Barzal to the wing, giving the star forward the fewest faceoffs of his career. The change has come to good effect, with Barzal leading the Islanders in scoring with 35 points in 32 games – on pace for 90 points through 82 games. Horvat is signed through the 2030-31 season, carrying a $8.5MM cap hit and some form of trade protection through all nine seasons. The Islanders placed a hefty amount of confidence in Horvat with the pricey trade and long-term extension and he’s returned the favor by quickly becoming a central pillar of their lineup.

What are the Islanders thankful for?

A stout crease.

The Islanders may be receiving the best goaltending in the league, which has come as a life-saver for a team facing injuries to three top defensemen. The effort has been spearheaded by Ilya Sorokin, who’s faced the second-most shots of any goalie in the league behind only Juuse Saros. Sorokin has continued his Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltending despite it, setting a .914 save percentage through 21 starts – good for 11th among NHL goalies with 12 or more starts. Sorokin is flanked by Semyon Varlamov, who has performed even better in his support role. Varlamov ranks sixth among all goalies with a .919 save percentage, continuing his trend of dominating in an Islanders jersey. The 35-year-old goalie is in his fifth season in New York and has recorded a save percentage higher than .910 in each of his four previous seasons, including the .929 he set in  36 games of the 2020-21 season which ranks as the 11th-highest save percentage over the last decade, among goalies with 35-or-more starts.

New York has played in more overtime games than any other team this year, largely thanks to their pair of former Vezina runner-ups standing tall enough to force extra time. They’ve been enough to back-up a fractured blue line and provides a comforting safeguard in a league where many different teams are searching for any sense of reliability in net.

What would the Islanders be even more thankful for?

Healthy defenders.

New York has suffered a string of injuries to their blue line that would be insurmountable for some teams. Three of their top-four defensemen are currently on injured reserve, including Adam Pelech who was placed on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He’s joined by Ryan Pulock, who was averaging over 22-minutes a night prior to his injury, and Scott Mayfield, who’s grown into a prominent role now in his 10th season with the club. The Islanders have had to get creative to fill in for these injuries, acquiring Robert Bortuzzo via trade and recalling Mike Reilly and Samuel Bolduc to serve in every-day roles. And while the blue line has performed serviceably, there’s no doubting that New York is missing a hardy boost thanks to their injuries – with Noah Dobson’s 34 points in 33 games representing the only blue-liner with more than 10 points this year. They’re expected to receive support soon enough, with Mayfield only designated as day-to-day, but no timeline has been provided for the return of Pulock or Pelech. The group looks formidable if, and hopefully when, the Islanders blue line is able to get full health, and there’s reason for optimism after the team’s performed so well with three reserves in the lineup.

What should be on the Islanders holiday wish list?

A new top-six winger.

New York seemingly have all of the defense and goaltending that a team could want but they’re still not receiving the depth scoring that could push them into the league’s top tier. Recent trade acquisition Pierre Engvall has done well in the top-six minutes that he’s received, scoring four goals and 13 points in 32 games, but getting a boost of scoring-upside could go a long way towards keeping the Islanders at the top of their division. There are no shortage of options on the open market, including goal-scoring wingers Anthony Duclair and Andrei Kuzmenko – two options on short-term contracts that could fit nicely into Islanders head coach Lane Lambert’s systems. Bringing in a new winger could give Lambert a newfound spark in the top-end of his lineup, and significantly more flexibility in the bottom-six.

East Notes: Grzelcyk, Lundell, Islanders

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After being listed as day-to-day yesterday, Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk did not travel with the team on their current road trip and will likely miss all of the three-game swing, head coach Jim Montgomery said today (via Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald). Grzelcyk left Tuesday’s contest against the Wild with an upper-body injury after posting a -2 rating in 13:35 of ice time.

This will be Grzelcyk’s second multi-game absence of the season. The 29-year-old missed ten games in November with an upper-body injury. It’s unclear if the two injuries are related.

The Massachusetts-born defender is amidst the worst season of his NHL career, and it couldn’t come at a tougher time. Regarded as a high-end, complementary top-four defender with exquisite possession numbers since becoming a full-time big-leaguer in 2018, Grzelcyk is now in the final season of a four-year, $14.75MM contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Unfortunately, his game has cratered this year, posting just one goal and a -3 rating in 20 contests. He is averaging 17:04 per game, his lowest usage since averaging 16:44 per game in his rookie season in 2017-18. When healthy, he’s been stapled to a pairing with Charlie McAvoy this season, which has been the Bruins’ highest-event pairing at both ends of the rink. Grzelcyk’s -3 rating and 48% Corsi share at even strength are both career lows.

With Grzelcyk out of the lineup, rookie Mason Lohrei will skate on a pairing with McAvoy in tonight’s game against the Jets. Across multiple stints on the Bruins’ NHL roster this season, the 22-year-old Lohrei has two goals, three assists, and a -4 rating through his first 15 NHL games and is averaging 16:59 per contest.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference as the Christmas weekend draws near:

  • Panthers center Anton Lundell will be activated off injured reserve before tomorrow’s game against the Golden Knights as he “should be” ready to return from an illness, head coach Paul Maurice said Friday (via Panthers senior digital content manager Jameson Olive). Lundell was close to returning for last night’s 4-1 loss to the Blues but could not play. The 22-year-old has missed the last four games with an undisclosed illness that was serious enough to warrant an injured reserve placement, opening up a roster spot. The Panthers have an active roster of 22 players, so they won’t need to make a corresponding transaction to make room for Lundell once the holiday roster freeze lifts on December 28. Through 28 games, the third-year two-way center has two goals and ten assists for 12 points.
  • The Islanders will remain without three regular defensemen in the lineup against the Hurricanes tomorrow as Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock did not travel with the team, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports. Mayfield has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury and remains on injured reserve, although he’s eligible to be activated at any time. It’s unclear whether the veteran shutdown man will be ready to go for the Islanders’ first game after the holiday break, a home tilt against the Penguins next Wednesday. Pelech, 29, is on long-term injured reserve and, while he’s been out long enough to be activated at any time, has yet to resume skating and has no timeline for a return from an upper-body injury that’s kept him out since American Thanksgiving. Pulock is also on injured reserve and last played on December 7 against the Blue Jackets, missing the subsequent seven games with a lower-body injury. He has also yet to resume skating with the team and does not appear close to a return. The Islanders have gone 2-1-2 in their last five games without half of their regular defense corps.

New York Islanders Activate Matt Martin Off IR, Share Other Injury Updates

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The New York Islanders have activated Matt Martin from injured reserve. The forward hsan’t played since November 15th, battling an upper-body injury. He was formerly activated on November 28th but faced setbacks that required him to be placed back on IR. Martin appeared in 14 games before being moved to IR, scoring two points and recording seven penalty minutes. The 34-year-old is in his 15th NHL season, with all but two years coming with the New York Islanders. Martin ranks eighth all-time in games played for the Islanders franchise, joining a top 10 that also features long-time teammates Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, and Casey Cizikas.

The Islanders also shared that Julien Gauthier is set to miss the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the Washington Capitals with an upper-body injury. Oliver Wahlstrom is expected to fill in for Gauthier, after serving as a healthy scratch for the team’s last seven games. Wahlstrom has scored five points in the 17 appearances he’s made this season. Gauthier has also spent time as a healthy scratch this season, only appearing in 14 of the team’s 31 games. He’s tied Wahlstrom’s five points in his outings.

Finally, New York head coach Lane Lambert shared that none of Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, or Adam Pelech traveled with the team on their two-game road trip that takes them up to the league’s holiday break. All three defenseman are currently on injured reserve, with Pelech placed on long-term IR on November 25th. All three of the injured defenders have averaged 19-or-more minutes of ice time in the games they have appeared in, speaking to the impact that their absences makes on the Islanders lineup.

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