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Artem Zub

Injury Notes: Zub, Miller, Vasilevskiy

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TSN 1200 out of Ottawa is reporting that Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith told reporters this morning in Sweden that defenseman Artem Zub is day-to-day and didn’t practice with the team. The 28-year-old only just returned from an injury on November 9th in a loss against the Vancouver Canucks. He then dressed in the Senators victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.

Smith said that Zub was more sore today and that was why he didn’t practice. He also added that the team would wait and see how he is for practice on Wednesday as tomorrow is a day off for the group.

Zub has dressed in just six games so far this season for Ottawa and has been very productive in that time with two goals and two assists. The expectations for Zub this season were quite high after he signed a four-year $18.4MM extension last December to remain with the club. Normally a defensive specialist, Zub is almost halfway to last season’s point total of ten in just six games.

In other injury notes:

  • New Jersey Devils reporter Amanda Stein is reporting that defenseman Colin Miller was a full participant in team practice this morning after being on the IR since October 19th with an undisclosed injury. Miller has yet to make his debut with the Devils after being acquired on July 1st from the Dallas Stars for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick. Miller practiced on the fourth defensive pairing alongside extra forward Maxwell Willman. No timetable for Miller’s return has been released yet.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning tweeted this morning that star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has returned to practice with the team. The news sparked curiosity as to when the former Vezina Trophy winner might return to the lineup. The Lightning have been without Vasilevskiy for the entire first six weeks of the season but have kept their heads above water going 6-5-4 in their first 15 games. The Lightning currently sit tied for fifth in the Atlantic Division but are just two points out of a playoff spot with a lot of season left.

East Notes: Laine, Jarry, Zub

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Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine has skated over the past couple of days as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, notes Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link).  The 25-year-old got off to a quiet start to his year with a goal and an assist in his first four games while also making the adjustment to playing down the middle on a regular basis.  Head coach Pascal Vincent noted that Laine responded well after today’s skate which could be a sign that he could be back sooner than later.  When that happens, Hedger notes that the team hasn’t decided if they will move Adam Fantilli back to the wing or if they’ll leave him in his natural center role and put Laine back in his natural wing position.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • It appears as if the Penguins will avoid being without their starting goalie for long. Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette relays that Tristan Jarry is currently listed as day-to-day after leaving yesterday’s game early against Anaheim.  As of yet, it’s worth noting that Pittsburgh hasn’t brought up one of their other AHL goaltenders, a sign that Jarry could be available to at least dress as the backup against Los Angeles.  The 28-year-old has a 2.51 GAA and a .907 SV% in nine starts so far this season.
  • Earlier today, Senators head coach D.J. Smith expressed optimism that defenseman Artem Zub would be back tonight against Toronto, he wound up being scratched for the seventh straight game, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). It’s the seventh straight game he has missed with a concussion.  With Ottawa also missing Thomas Chabot and Erik Brannstrom at the moment, getting Zub back will be a critical addition but they’ll have to wait a little longer for that to happen.

Atlantic Notes: Vasilevskiy, Cozens, Zub, McCabe

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Tampa Bay Lightning star netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy is a little ahead of schedule in his recovery from offseason back surgery, head coach Jon Cooper told the media Monday (via Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN).

The two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2019 Vezina Trophy winner skated with the team for the first time last week after undergoing a successful microdiscectomy to address a lumbar disc herniation on September 28. At the time, the Lightning announced they expected him to miss approximately the first two months of the regular season. That would mean a return around December 10. However, Cooper said today he’d be “disappointed if it’s early December” and expects Vasilevskiy to return to the fold closer to American Thanksgiving, a little over two weeks ahead of schedule.

Without Vasilevskiy, the Lightning have managed to stay in the playoff picture with a 5-3-3 record, good enough for third place in the Atlantic Division. That’s mainly due to the impressive relief play of backup Jonas Johansson, who’s started nine of the Lightning’s 11 games while posting a .916 SV%, 2.87 GAA and two shutouts. Overall, he’s stopped 3.5 goals above average behind a Lightning team that’s struggled defensively, controlling less than 43% of high-danger chances at even strength.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens is not practicing today as he remains sidelined with a suspected concussion, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports. Head coach Don Granato informed reporters that Cozens is trending in the right direction, however, and will likely rejoin the team for practice before the end of the week. Cozens, 22, has not skated with the team since leaving Friday’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers after fighting winger Garnet Hathaway with 1:56 left in regulation. The 2019 seventh-overall pick is off to a decent start, recording three goals and four assists for seven points in 11 games on the heels of a 31-goal campaign last season. The news doesn’t bode well for Cozens’ availability against the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow, meaning he could miss his second straight game after being absent for Saturday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith expects defenseman Artem Zub to return to the lineup Wednesday against Toronto after a six-game absence, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia relays. Zub, 28, sustained a concussion in the team’s October 18 win over the Washington Capitals. The shutdown defender projects to return to the lineup in a top-pairing role alongside Jake Sanderson, considerably boosting the depth of a defense now missing Erik Brännström and Thomas Chabot due to injuries. Zub had one goal, two assists, and a +3 rating through four games this season before sustaining the concussion.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe won’t return to the lineup tonight against Tampa Bay, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed to reporters (via Mark Masters of TSN). Simon Benoit will make his Toronto debut after a recent recall from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, Keefe said. Consequentially, Maxime Lajoie will serve as a scratch after playing just 4:54 in Toronto’s loss to Buffalo on Saturday. McCabe has missed the last four games with a groin injury sustained against Dallas on October 26, and the team has gone 0-2-2 in his absence.

Atlantic Snapshots: McAvoy, Zub, Fischer, Harvey-Pinard, Brannstrom

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Last night, it was reported that Boston Bruins defenseman, Charlie McAvoy would appeal the suspension given to him by the league for an illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers defenseman, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Originally, the league determined that McAvoy would be issued a four-game suspension, and there are a few updates on the appeal process.

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN reports that the NHL and McAvoy have yet to schedule the appeal even through the day today and that McAvoy would ultimately like to see the suspension dropped to only three games. Nevertheless, Wyshynski also notes that from the side of the NHL, they are a bit surprised at the appeal decision given the ’cut and dry’ nature of the hit.

McAvoy did not play in last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs due to the suspension, as well as defensemen Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort due to injuries, severely limiting the depth of the Bruins blue line. Up to this point in the season, McAvoy has played in nine games for Boston, scoring two goals and six assists while averaging nearly 24 minutes of ice time per night.

Other snapshots:

  • Ottawa Senators defenseman, Artem Zub, has missed the team’s last five games due to a concussion and is unfortunately set to miss more time. TSN1200 reports that Zub has experienced some form of a setback in his recovery, and will miss the next couple of games for the team. In his absence, Ottawa has a 1-4-0 record, falling to last place in the Atlantic Division, and second-to-last place in the entire Eastern Conference.
  • One of many new additions to the offensive core of the Detroit Red Wings, the team has announced that Christian Fischer is considered day-to-day, and may not play in tomorrow night’s game against the Bruins. Fischer has primarily been employed in a fourth-line role for the team after being non-tendered by the Arizona Coyotes last summer and has provided one assist through 11 games to start the year.
  • In another small bit of injury news, the Montreal Canadiens have announced that forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard is also considered day-to-day due to a lower-body injury. After an impressive debut last season putting up 20 points in 34 games, Harvey-Pinard only has four assists in 10 games this year, averaging around 13 and a half minutes of ice time per night.
  • Back to Ottawa, the team has received some positive news, as they shared that defenseman, Erik Brannstrom, has returned to practice after missing the last two games. As one of the main pieces coming over from the Vegas Golden Knights that sent Mark Stone the other way, Brannstrom has yet to score this season in only seven games played.

Morning Notes: Pysyk, Clifton, Zub

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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL have signed defenseman Mark Pysyk to a professional try-out. Pysyk is a 521-game veteran of the NHL, most recently playing for the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021-22 season.

Pysyk scored 12 points in the 68 games he was awarded in 2021-22, six points shy of his career-high in scoring. He set that career-high with the 2019-20 Florida Panthers, reaching 18 points in 58 games. It speaks to the modest career that Pysyk had, with much of his value being provided on the defensive side of the puck. How Pysyk will be utilized on his newly-signed PTO is up in the air but if he plays AHL games, it will be his first experience in the league since 2015-16. It will also be his first time playing with a minor league club other than the Rochester Americans, whom Pysyk totaled 145 games with throughout the early stages of his career.

Other notes from around the league:

Senators’ Artem Zub Expected To Return This Week

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The Senators hope defenseman Artem Zub will be ready to return to the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Kings, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. Zub was on the ice for practice Monday after not playing since taking a puck to the jaw in an October 18 contest against the Capitals.

Zub is widely regarded as Ottawa’s best shutdown defenseman, and the numbers back that up ever since he signed with the team as a free agent out of Russia in 2020. The incident against the Capitals was Zub’s second jaw injury in as many seasons, and it’s caused him to miss the team’s last four games. They’ve gone 1-3-0 in his absence and now sit seventh in the Atlantic Division with a .500 record, another slow start for a team consistently plagued by early-season ineffectiveness.

Through four games this season, Zub had a goal and two assists in 17:57 of average ice time. His +3 rating still ranks first among Ottawa’s defenders thus far.

Head coach D.J. Smith did not initially expect Zub’s absence to be “long-term,” and while he was right, almost half a month is certainly longer than Ottawa would like to be without his services, especially given the circumstances. Later injuries have sidelined both Erik Brännström and number-one defenseman Thomas Chabot, decimating the team’s defensive depth and forcing veterans like Travis Hamonic into top-pairing minutes, albeit temporarily. Those injuries have necessitated recalls from AHL Belleville like Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo, who both played under ten minutes and took less than 15 shifts in Ottawa’s 5-2 win over the Penguins last Saturday.

Zub, 28, is in the first season of a four-year, $4.6MM AAV extension signed last December.

Injury Notes: Forbort, McDavid, Kostin, Zub

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Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort missed Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury and has been announced as day-to-day. Forbort has appeared in four games so far this season, recording two points and a +3. Fourth-year pro, Ian Mitchell, slotted into the NHL lineup in Forbort’s absence, recording one assist and two penalties in 10 minutes of ice time. Mitchell slotted in for an injured Kevin Shattenkirk on Saturday – earning his first two games of the season over the weekend.

Other injury notes from around the league:

  • Connor McDavid has been announced as out for one-to-two weeks with an upper-body injury. This comes at terrible timing, with Edmonton playing in the 2023 Heritage Classic on October 29th. In the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman was pessimistic that McDavid would play in the matchup, given the uncertainty of outdoor playing conditions. Friedman added that McDavid not appearing in the overtime period of Saturday night’s game is a sign of how serious the injury is being taken. There are few players in the league who impact a lineup more than McDavid, and there’s no doubt the league hoped he would play in the upcoming outdoor game, so all eyes will turn toward how this injury progresses.
  • Detroit Red Wings forward Klim Kostin also missed Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury and is considered day-to-day. He’s played in four games this season, failing to record a point and tallying seven penalty minutes. Jonatan Berggren slotted into Kostin’s lineup spot, only recording one shot on the stat line in 13-and-a-half minutes of ice time. Kostin is on a newly signed, two-year contract that carries an annual average value of $2.0MM.
  • Artem Zub is expected to be out for the Ottawa Senators’ next game. In response, Ottawa has recalled Jacob Bernard-Docker from the AHL. Zub has played in four games this season and recorded three points, a mark that ranks Zub in the top three of Senators’ defender scoring. Bernard-Docker has played a sole game for Ottawa this year; only his 33rd NHL game despite being around the league since 2020-21. Bernard-Docker is expected to slot into the NHL lineup again with Zub out, although the Senators are practicing with seven defenders.

Snapshots: Kane, Zub, Werenski

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In the most recent 32 Thoughts podcast episode, Elliotte Friedman added credence to the idea that star free agent Patrick Kane could sign with the Dallas Stars. Friedman says that a very reliable source shared the likelihood of Kane landing in Dallas, adding that the stylistic fit could be good for the aging veteran.

The Stars rapidly rise up the power rankings of teams likely to land Kane, leapfrogging the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, and Buffalo Sabres. Dallas has flexed a very deep forward group this season, providing nearly identical ice time to each of their top three lines. The only weak spot is likely 34-year-old winger Evgenii Dadonov, who’s spent the year alongside Wyatt Johnston and Jamie Benn. This could be the role that Kane takes over if he joins the Stars; bringing a little more mobility and finesse to the line.

Only three forwards in Dallas’ top nine have scored a goal at this point in the year: Joe Pavelski, Benn, and Roope Hintz. Kane’s all-out-offensive style may be enough to kickstart the Stars’ scorers.

Other notes from around the league:

Morning Notes: Ovechkin, Zub, Avon

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It’s been a horrid start to the season for the Capitals, who sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with a 1-2-0 record and just four goals scored. Only the Kraken have potted less while playing in as many games. A fair bit of this poor performance has been precipitated by the unusual early-season struggles of captain Alex Ovechkin – as multiple people have pointed out over the last 12 hours, Ovechkin has now failed to record a shot on goal in back-to-back contests for the first time in his 19-season, 1,350-game NHL career.

Ovechkin had four shots on goal in the team’s season-opening loss to the Penguins last week, and it took him until Wednesday night’s 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Senators to record a point – a primary assist on John Carlson’s goal. While head coach Spencer Carbery shuffled around some lines ahead of the Ottawa game, Ovechkin had spent the first two games of the season on a line with Nicklas Bäckström and T.J. Oshie – one that expectedly lacked speed in the year 2023 and struggled heavily to limit defensive opportunities. Ovechkin does, however, lead the team in Corsi share at even strength with 54.5%, and he’s likely been a tad unlucky over the past few contests. Still, the scoring will need to kick into high gear soon for Ovechkin to resume his quest of becoming the NHL’s all-time goals leader.

Other items of interest this Thursday morning:

  • Senators head coach D.J. Smith does not believe defenseman Artem Zub will be out long-term after taking a puck to the jaw in last night’s win against the Capitals. Early in the third period, a shot close in from Ovechkin rocketed up Zub’s stick and hit him in the face, a concerning incident for a player who missed 12 games last season with a broken jaw. Zub has been outstanding in the early going, recording a goal and two assists in four contests and laying a team-high eight hits. The Sens are on a decisive three-game win streak, outscoring opponents by 11 goals in the process. Possession numbers suggest some team-wide regression may be incoming, but it’s a huge improvement over their poor starts to the past few campaigns, derailing hope and chemistry while trying to return to the playoff picture.
  • The Flyers have activated forward Jon-Randall Avon off season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, per CapFriendly. The 20-year-old center prospect sustained a PCL sprain while preparing for rookie camps that was expected to sideline him for four to six weeks, and he’s returned at the early end of that timeline. A free-agent signing of the Flyers almost immediately after going undrafted in 2021, Avon has put up over a point per game during his past two campaigns with OHL Peterborough and he’s beginning to look like a diamond-in-the-rough type pickup for the Flyers organization. He’ll report to the Phantoms for his first pro hockey experience.

Atlantic Notes: Toronto’s Trade Chips, Senators, Paul

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The Maple Leafs are certainly going to be looking to buy heading into next month’s trade deadline but as a result of the team making some splashes in recent years, their prospect pool and collection of draft picks isn’t the deepest to deal from.  Speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Kyle Dubas indicated that he can’t see the team dealing away their top chips, either their first-round pick or top prospect Matthew Knies.  He wouldn’t entirely rule out the idea of one of those pieces moving but for the time being, it appears that they’re not going to be in play.  Toronto has three other guaranteed selections plus potentially their own third-round pick depending on if Arizona opts to take it or a 2025 second-rounder as part of a previous swap.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with the Maple Leafs, while Knies has been speculated to be turning pro at the conclusion of his college season, he told TSN’s Mark Masters that he hasn’t decided which route to take yet and will wait until after Minnesota’s campaign comes to an end before considering his decision. The 20-year-old averaged a point per game in his rookie year last season and is ahead of that pace in 2022-23 with 17 goals and 13 assists in 28 contests.
  • Senators defenseman Artem Zub is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). He has been out for a little under a month with a lower-body injury, his third extended absence of the season which has limited him to just 21 games so far.  Meanwhile, Garrioch tweets that while goalie Cam Talbot also skated today, he won’t play this weekend.  The veteran is dealing with a lower-body issue of his own and with Ottawa potentially wanting to move him by next month’s deadline, they’ll want to be cautious and make sure he’s fully healthy before bringing him back.  Talbot has retroactively been moved to injured reserve but can be activated as soon as he’s ready to return.
  • Lightning winger Nick Paul was a late scratch before tonight’s game against Colorado with the team announcing (Twitter link) that he’s listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old has been a capable secondary scorer in his first season with the team, notching 16 goals with 10 assists in 50 games.  Notably, with less than $720K in LTIR room per CapFriendly, Tampa Bay does not have enough space to call up a replacement for him on the roster.

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