Metropolitan Notes: Horvat, Wolves, Gritsyuk
It appears that the Islanders have avoided the worst-case scenario when it comes to injured center Bo Horvat. Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News reports that the initial indication is that the veteran will miss one to three weeks with a lower-body injury but that there was no structural damage. The injury occurred in the second period of Thursday’s game against Anaheim; he left the game and did not return. Horvat is in the middle of a strong showing this season, potting 19 goals and 12 assists through 32 games. Only three players have more goals than he does but that list will certainly be longer by the time he returns.
More from the Metropolitan:
- The Hurricanes announced that they have relieved AHL Chicago head coach Cam Abbott of his duties, replacing him on an interim basis with assistant coach Spiros Anastas. Abbott was in his second season running the Wolves; they finished fourth in the Central in 2024-25 and sit third in the standings this season with a record of 11-7-4. As for Anastas, he’s also in his second year with the club and will be running an AHL bench for the first time. He has also been behind the bench for Greece at the Latam Cup in each of the last three years.
- The Devils announced (Twitter link) that winger Arseny Gritsyuk will miss both games this weekend due to an upper-body injury. The rookie later clarified on Telegram that he hasn’t fully been examined yet which suggests that a longer absence could be on the table. Gritsyuk is in his first season in North America and has been a quality secondary scorer for New Jersey, posting seven goals and nine assists in 31 games, putting him in a tie for fifth in NHL rookie scoring.
Hurricanes Name Cam Abbott AHL Head Coach
The Hurricanes announced Thursday that they’ve hired former Swedish Hockey League coach of the year Cam Abbott as the new head coach for their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Carolina, which spent last season without a dedicated minor-league affiliate, signed a three-year agreement to re-partner with the Wolves last month.
Abbott, 40, never played in the NHL but did have a lengthy professional career overseas after playing collegiate hockey at Cornell University. He appeared in six SHL/Elitserien seasons with Luleå HF and Rögle BK between 2008 and 2015, racking up 166 points in 276 games and winning the Champions Hockey League with Luleå in his final season as a player. Sweden remained his home as a coach, first as the bench boss for the Växjö Lakers’ junior club before being appointed Rögle’s head coach midway through the 2017-18 season.]
He remained behind the Rögle bench until he was relieved of his duties in December. In 2022, he coached a Rögle club that included Red Wings first-rounder Marco Kasper to a 27-11-5-9 record and a CHL title, earning him his aforementioned Coach of the Year honor.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Cam to our organization. He brings a long history of excellence in developing NHL stars,” said Hurricanes assistant GM Darren Yorke. “Cam’s meticulous attention to detail, clear communication and ability to inspire and motivate his teams to achieve success make him the perfect fit for our organization.”
Abbott succeeds Bob Nardella, who coached the Wolves to a 23-35-14 record last season in his lone campaign behind the bench. He’ll be the Wolves’ fourth head coach in the past four seasons, a list that includes new Sharks bench boss Ryan Warsofsky.