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Chris Tanev

Injury Notes: Chychrun, Zadina, Tanev, Stone

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Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen is reporting that Jakob Chychrun of the Ottawa Senators is doubtful to play Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. Ottawa head coach DJ Smith was quoted by TSN’s Claire Hanna as saying that Chychrun, “tugged something there a little bit, we’ll see how he reacts to treatment here.”

Chychrun left Ottawa’s 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning yesterday after taking a hit in the third period. He was in obvious discomfort as he skated to the Senators bench before heading down the runway to the locker room. Smith said after the game that he didn’t believe it was an injury, but rather that it was cramping.

Since coming over to Ottawa in the March 1st trade, Chychrun has two goals and three assists in 12 games while averaging 21 minutes of ice time a game. Ottawa can ill afford to lose their prized trade deadline acquisition as they are running out of runway with just ten games left in the season. Ottawa sits five points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and will be in tough tomorrow as they do battle with the Devils in New Jersey.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • The Detroit Red Wings announced today that Filip Zadina is day-to-day with a lower body injury and will not be available for Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Zadina also missed over three months earlier this season with a lower body injury after blocking a shot in early November against the New York Islanders. It’s been a tough season for the former Halifax Moosehead, he has struggled to stay on the ice, and when he has played, he has been largely ineffective with just seven points in 30 games. The 23-year-old had a career year last season with 24 points in 74 games but has yet to live up to the expectations the Red Wings had for him when they took him sixth overall in 2018.
  • Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg is reporting that Chris Tanev didn’t practice with the Calgary Flames this morning after missing their previous two games with a lower body injury. The 33-year-old Toronto native has 13 points in 61 games this season and has averaged over 20 minutes a night in ice time. Calgary is a long shot to make the post season with just nine games remaining on the schedule. They sit six points back of Winnipeg for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference and would need to leapfrog Nashville who have 12 games remaining. Calgary can ill afford to lose Tanev’s defensive prowess as they battle down to the wire.
  • In a bit of good news for Calgary, injured defenseman Michael Stone has started skating on his own. Stone has missed the Flames last 17 games with a lower body injury that he suffered in late February. Stone has five goals and five assists in 46 games this season while averaging just over 13 minutes a night in ice time. He is hardly an option to replace Tanev should his injury be long term, but Stone could offer some additional depth for the Flames as they head into the final pivotal weeks of the season.

Calgary Flames Activate Chris Tanev

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The Calgary Flames have activated defenseman Chris Tanev, according to a team tweet. Tanev has been out with an injury since January 23rd, when he left early in a 4-3 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Flames now are left with eight defensemen on their active roster with this activation, thanks to the recent recall of Dennis Gilbert from the AHL. It’s possible Gilbert’s recall was made with the intention of him being a contingency plan in case Tanev wasn’t ready to go for tonight’s game against the New York Rangers, so he could be on the way back to the AHL should the team want to carry only seven defensemen and add another forward to the mix.

That being said, though, the Flames are on an East Coast road trip, meaning they also might prefer to keep Gilbert with the team for the rest of the trip rather than just send him home with zero games played. Worth noting is that the Flames do have veteran forward Kevin Rooney in the AHL, seemingly out of place there since the team so recently gave him a two-year, $1.3MM AAV guarantee.

The Flames get a major boost with Tanev’s return just as they enter a crucial stretch of their season. They’re looking to keep pace with other Western Conference contenders in the race for a playoff spot, and Tanev will undoubtedly help them in that pursuit. Long regarded as one of the league’s better stay-at-home defensemen, Tanev has been a crucially important defensive anchor for head coach Darryl Sutter.

Tanev is the centerpiece of the Flames’ penalty kill, skating nearly three minutes a night with the opponent on the man advantage. He’s blocked 85 shots this season as well, and beyond more traditional defensive counting stats, which have their limit in usefulness, public analytics models remain exceedingly high on Tanev’s work in the defensive zone.

While his return won’t solve the Flames’ lingering issues in net and with underperforming top forwards such as Jonathan Huberdeau, he will help the team close out games where they maintain a late lead.

For a club seeking to build momentum and return to the playoffs, getting a player like Tanev back to full health can mean the difference between picking up or leaving behind those few standings points that separate the playoff teams from the near-misses.

Snapshots: Islanders, Tanev, Guzda

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The New York Islanders have now lost six in a row, scoring just 11 goals in the process. A group that was once expected to be serious buyers at the trade deadline have nearly fallen out of the playoff race entirely, making it a much different situation as February approaches.

When discussing the team’s deadline plans (as best as he can figure, with Lou Lamoriello at the helm), Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast that there was real interest in Jakob Chychrun at one point. Apparently, the Islanders balked at the asking price, something that Friedman understands, given their current position.

  • With Chris Tanev already ruled out through the All-Star break, the Calgary Flames have moved him to injured reserve. Brett Ritchie has been activated to fill his spot, and is expected to be in the lineup tonight when the team takes on the Seattle Kraken. Ritchie last played on New Year’s Eve, leaving the game after just six shifts.
  • The Florida Panthers will go with Alex Lyon in net again tonight, and are set to have Mack Guzda as the backup after recalling him this morning. To make room, Grigori Denisenko was returned to the minor leagues. Lyon has allowed 17 goals in four games so far, including seven on 49 shots Tuesday night.

Calgary Flames Recall Dennis Gilbert

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With Chris Tanev out for at least the next couple of games, the Calgary Flames have recalled Dennis Gilbert from the minor leagues.

It’s a nice reward for Gilbert, who was recently handed a two-game suspension by the AHL for an illegal check to the head. He already served the ban, but it wouldn’t have stopped him from being recalled to the NHL anyway.

Now, he’ll join the Flames ahead of their match against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, the first half of a back-to-back situation. Calgary is due to play in Seattle tomorrow, before heading into the All-Star break.

Gilbert has played in eight games so far, averaging just over ten minutes a game. That comes along with four fighting majors, a role he’ll likely step right back into for the Flames during this stretch.

Snapshots: Tanev, Jarry, Raty

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The Calgary Flames won’t have Chris Tanev back before the All-Star break, as head coach Darryl Sutter told reporters including Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet that the veteran defenseman will miss at least the next two games. Tanev left Monday’s game with an upper-body injury.

Now 33, Tanev has eight points in 40 games this season while playing his usual shutdown role for the Flames. With him out early against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nikita Zadorov ended up playing nearly 27 minutes, his second-highest total of the season.

  • Tristan Jarry will also be out through the break, after being a late scratch for the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. The netminder had only just recently returned from an injury suffered in the Winter Classic, and will miss at least the next two games. Pittsburgh recalled Dustin Tokarski but in the meantime, Casey DeSmith will have to carry the load.
  • Should Aatu Raty play another game for the New York Islanders, his contract will no longer be eligible to slide. The 20-year-old forward played his ninth game of the season on Monday, registering two hits and a shot in under ten minutes of action. Burning the first year of an entry-level deal isn’t the end of the world, and actually may end up giving the Islanders some extra leverage in contract talks down the road by limiting his offensive stats as a rookie. Raty would hit RFA status in 2025 if he play another NHL game this season.

Chris Tanev Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Calgary Flames are getting a key part of their defensive structure back, activating Chris Tanev from injured reserve after he missed the minimum of seven days. To make room on the roster, Radim Zohorna has been loaned back to the AHL.

Tanev, 33 (today!), was injured blocking a shot against the Montreal Canadiens last week and missed games against the Vancoouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, and San Jose Sharks. The scary situation saw him fall to the ice motionless when it struck him in the head, before eventually being taken to the hospital. After all of the following tests came back negative, he was cleared return to the team.

The Flames went 1-1-1 in the games he missed and will certainly welcome back their defensive rock to the lineup for the rematch against San Jose this evening.

The veteran hasn’t been quite the player he was last season when he set a career-high with 28 points and received Norris Trophy votes, but Tanev is still a huge part of what head coach Darryl Sutter tries to do. There is no one on the Flames that kills more penalty time than Tanev, who is averaging more than three minutes a night shorthanded.

Calgary’s penalty kill is still ranked ninth in the league but has dropped down without him, as opponents converted on three of the 11 opportunities since he was placed on injured reserve.

The team remains just barely under the salary cap, meaning these short-term injuries can be quite difficult to deal with. Getting Tanev back so quickly was crucial, especially with Dennis Gilbert’s own injury taking him out of the lineup.

Snapshots: Canucks Direction, Tanev, Clutterbuck

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The Vancouver Canucks have been the center of significant attention early in this NHL season. They were the last team to earn their first win of the campaign, and they now sit 27th in the league standings with just three wins in a year where the franchise added Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko with the intention of making the playoffs. It could take longer for the Canucks to reach true contention than they may have believed it would this summer, and that fact has forced the team’s front office to ponder a possible change of course.

In conversation with Dan Riccio and Satiar Shah on Sportsnet 650, as relayed by Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff, Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford shed some more light on the organization’s current mindset. Rutherford mentioned that the team’s goal heading into next offseason would be to clear some major contracts off the team’s books in order to get the necessary cap space to make moves. That goal may be motivated by the Canucks’ desire to retain their captain Bo Horvat beyond this season. Horvat is a pending unrestricted free agent and could be seeking a contract in line with other top-six centers, meaning at or above a $7MM AAV.

For some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev has now missed three straight games with an injury, something that has concerned those who remember Tanev’s repeated struggles to remain fully healthy as a member of the Canucks. Tanev has been remarkably healthy as a member of the Flames, though, and it appears that Tanev’s injury may not be a major setback. Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson reports that Tanev’s injury is not related to the shoulder he had surgically repaired this summer, which is good news for the Flames, who rely on Tanev as a key defensive contributor.
  • New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck left tonight’s game against the Flames in the first period after taking a hit from Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Of note is the fact that Clutterbuck missed the Islanders’ Friday practice for maintenance. Clutterbuck has a goal in eleven games for the Islanders so far this season and his absence could pave the way for Ross Johnston to get some games in on the team’s fourth line.

Snapshots: Allen, Tanev, Andrae, Guay

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It appears that the key sticking point in extension discussions between the Canadiens and goaltender Jake Allen revolve around term, Arpon Basu and Marc-Antoine Godin of The Athletic report (subscription link).  To this point, Montreal is only comfortable offering a two-year deal and it appears that Allen’s camp is looking for more.  The 32-year-old is entering the final season of his contract that carries a $2.875MM cap hit and should be able to land a bit more than that on an extension.  However, while the Canadiens appear to want Allen to be a bridge to whoever their goalie of the future will be (whether that player is currently in the organization or is brought in via trade or free agency), their preference is to use him only as a short-term bridge, not someone that will be around for the foreseeable future.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Flames defenseman Chris Tanev should be ready to participate in training camp after undergoing labrum surgery in May, relays Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. The estimated timeline for recovery was up to six months so it’s clear that the 32-year-old is progressing a little ahead of schedule.  Tanev has logged over 20 minutes a night on Calgary’s back end in a key shutdown role so even with him expected to get a clean bill of health during medicals next week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran have a limited role in the preseason to ensure he’ll be fully ready for opening night.
  • Flyers prospect defenseman Emil Andrae was taken to the hospital after taking a puck to the face in an SHL preseason game today, notes HockeyNews’ Mattias Ek in Sweden. The 20-year-old had a strong showing at the World Juniors and should have an opportunity for a big season with HV71 in 2022-23 before coming to North America.  His availability for Saturday’s regular season opener is in question.
  • The Golden Knights have signed Patrick Guay to a two-year AHL contract per an announcement from their farm team in Henderson. The 20-year-old was selected in the fifth round back in July (145th overall) after a 104-point season and was expected to return to the QMJHL where his rights were traded to Blainville-Boisbriand back in July.  Instead, Vegas will get a look at them in their system.  The two-year term coincides with how long they have to sign him to an NHL deal as he’ll have to sign by June 1, 2024 or Guay will become an unrestricted free agent.

Calgary Notes: Tkachuk, Injury Updates, Monahan

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After the conclusion of the Calgary Flames’ season on Thursday, the team took some time to digest and spoke to the media today in their end-of-season media availability, touching primarily on injury news, some known and some not, as well as topics for this offseason. One of those offseason topics comes with the status of superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is a RFA after finishing a three-year, $21MM contract this season. Tkachuk impressed over the life of the contract, capping it off with an incredible 42 goals and 62 assists in 82 games this season. Keeping the forward in the fold long-term is absolutely a priority for the Flames, however they also have to focus on re-signing superstar Johnny Gaudreau, who is a pending UFA, and give fairly significant raises to forward Andrew Mangiapane and defenseman Oliver Kylington.

Calgary did seem to clear one hurdle today, as Tkachuk himself told the media, when asked about an extension, that he would love to sign a long-term deal with the Flames, expressing his love for the team, the city, and the fanbase. Tkachuk’s sentiment is no small feat for the Flames considering the league has seen a number of superstar players depart their teams in free agency in recent years. Though a RFA, Tkachuk could opt for a shorter-term bridge deal and hit the unrestricted free agent market sooner than later, which would put Calgary in a tough spot, with forwards Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Backlund, and Elias Lindholm, as well as defensemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev all set to become UFAs after the 2023-24 season. All of that before considering what an extension with Gaudreau would include. Keeping Tkachuk long-term won’t ease the burden of his cap hit, but will provide Calgary with the security of knowing a superstar is staying put for a certain salary while they navigate that predictably difficult 2024 offseason and the future of the franchise.

  • Sportsnet’s Eric Francis provided injury updates on several Flames players, including Tkachuck, Mangiapane, Tanev, Milan Lucic, and Nikita Zadorov. Lucic, who had struggled to just one assist in 12 playoff games has an AC sprain. Tkachuck had an injured hand and Mangipane a bad wrist. Perhaps most notably, Zadorov, who had done an excellent job shutting down both Edmonton and the Dallas Stars, did so in some part with two broken ribs. Despite the number of injuries for Calgary, it appears that Tanev, who has a torn labrum, separated shoulder, and sprained neck, will be the only one having surgery (link).
  • More from the injury front, as The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian also provided an update on forward Sean Monahan, who had hip surgery in the first week of April. Flames GM Brad Treliving told Salvian that Monahan’s recovery was about 5-6 weeks ahead of schedule as compared to where he was with his hip surgery last offseason, and the forward should resume skating in the coming weeks. With opening night over four months away, we will have to wait a while to see Monahan back in the Calgary lineup at full strength. However, the update on Monahan, who has struggled more and more over the past three seasons while dealing with injury, is absolutely encouraging, and getting him back to the form that saw him hit a career-high 82 points in 2018-19 could work as a “free” addition for the Flames, who are currently at-risk of losing Gaudreau in free agency this offseason.

Pacific Notes: Megna, Chiasson, Tanev

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Prior to their semi-final game against Finland today, the United States found themselves down another defenseman as it was revealed by Daily Faceoff’s Chris Peters (Twitter link) that Sharks defenseman Jaycob Megna had left the team to tend to a family emergency.  That left the Americans with just four healthy defensemen for the game while the team is out of available roster slots which meant they weren’t able to add Montreal blueliner Jordan Harris – who has skated with the team as an extra all tournament – to the roster.  Sam Lafferty and Riley Barber, both forwards, comprised the third pairing and will likely do so again on Sunday when they battle Czechia for the bronze while Finland and Canada go for gold.

More from the Pacific:

  • Earlier this week, a report surfaced that Canucks winger Alex Chiasson would be heading to Switzerland for next season. However, his agent Pat Morris told Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic (Twitter link) that the pending UFA has no intention of signing in Switzerland and intends to pursue an NHL contract this season with his first choice being to re-sign with Vancouver.  Chiasson will have to wait a while for that option to present itself as team president Jim Rutherford recently indicated that they won’t decide on whether or not to keep the 31-year-old until after free agency.  Chiasson had 13 goals and nine assists in 67 games this season.
  • On Friday, the extent of the injuries for Flames defenseman Chris Tanev was revealed – including a torn labrum and a dislocated shoulder. Today, the veteran told reporters, including Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link) that the recovery time for the labrum surgery he’ll be undergoing next week carries a recovery time of four to six months.  If things go well, the 32-year-old would be ready around the start of training camp but if the recovery time is towards the back end of that range, he could miss more than a month of the regular season.

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