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Darren Helm

Injury Notes: Hall, Avalanche, Rangers

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With the playoffs beginning in just a handful of weeks, it appears an important piece of the Boston Bruins lineup is gearing up for a return from injury. Winger Taylor Hall was practicing in a non-contact jersey this morning, per The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.

The skilled winger has been out of action since the end of February with a knee injury, and the Bruins are currently using his $6MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve to stay cap compliant down the stretch. If Hall is ready to return before the start of the playoffs, April 17, Boston would need to operate with an extremely trim roster to stay compliant before the end of the regular season. That likely won’t matter much for their success, with the President’s Trophy all but clinched.

  • While Erik Johnson had already returned to skating in a normal jersey at Colorado Avalanche practice, two other injured players joined him today — Cale Makar and Darren Helm, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Helm, who’s appeared in just five games this year as he’s been sidelined with multiple injuries, is set to rejoin the lineup tonight, says The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. Makar had missed the team’s last game with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day.
  • Ryan Lindgren and Tyler Motte both had maintenance days for the New York Rangers today, per Larry Books of The New York Post. Lindgren is fresh off returning from an 11-game absence due to an upper-body injury, and the team is likely going to ease him back into a normal game and practice routine with health for the playoffs at the top of everyone’s mind. Motte missed two games with an upper-body injury earlier in the month but has skated in seven straight contests since then, looking no worse for wear with three goals and an assist.

Artturi Lehkonen Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

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The Colorado Avalanche have announced that Artturi Lehkonen will not return to tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens after leaving with an apparent upper-body injury.

It was quite an eventful night for Lehkonen who was playing in his first game back in Montreal since being traded to Colorado in March of 2022. Lehkonen received a video tribute and a standing ovation from the Montreal crowd, then followed it up by adding two goals and an assist in less than two periods of play. The injury puts a damper on what was an incredible return to Montreal for the former second round pick.

Lehkonen has been red hot as of late with seven points in his past five games. He’s been everything Colorado could have hoped for when they dealt a second-round pick and Justin Barron to Montreal for him just under a year ago. Lehkonen has flourished this season with a career high 49 points in 62 games. This after scoring 14 points in 20 games last postseason in Colorado’s magical run to the Stanley Cup.

Should Lehkonen miss any time it will be a big blow for an Avalanche team that has dealt with a multitude of injuries throughout this season. Colorado is already missing Josh Manson, Gabriel Landeskog, Darren Helm, Erik Johnson, and goaltender Pavel Francouz. Despite the injuries, Colorado has maintained stellar team defense this season as they rank seventh in the league in goals against. The Avalanche currently hold the final wild card spot in the west, but they have struggled as of late having dropped four of their last six games coming into tonight.

Colorado Avalanche Issue Multiple Injury Updates

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Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was busy with the media today, issuing multiple updates on the team’s swath of injured players.

Most notably, Bednar still has no timeline for a return on captain Gabriel Landeskog, who’s missed the entire season with a knee injury. Bednar called Landeskog’s recovery a “slow-moving process,” There remains no guarantee he will play at all this season.

There’s also the matter of veteran defenseman Erik Johnson, who’s been out for almost a month since sustaining a broken ankle in a game on February 11. His initial timeline for recovery was eight to 10 weeks, and although he remains on that timeline, Bednar said he was “startled” by Johnson’s quick recovery progress. Johnson skated today for the second time since sustaining the injury, and Bednar is hopeful his return will come closer to the eight-week mark, right at the end of the regular season.

Another tenured skater has missed most of the season for Colorado – two-time Stanley Cup champion Darren Helm has played just five games all year. Although he’s returned to skating at practice, Bednar’s only update was that he’s “cautiously optimistic” Helm will play again this season. Helm was an important fourth-line piece for Colorado last year, recording five points in 20 games en route to the Cup.

Defenseman Josh Manson is still dealing with a reaggravated lower-body injury that kept him out for 31 games earlier in the year, but Bednar sees his return is on the horizon. He remains hopeful Manson will return by the end of the month, giving him a chance to get his feet back under him before the playoffs start. An important defensive presence for Colorado, Manson has played just 27 games during the first season of a four-year, $4.5MM average annual value contract.

On a less positive note, backup goalie Pavel Francouz is recovering slower than expected from a lower-body injury that’s kept him out since mid-February. Francouz has now passed the expected recovery timeline of three weeks, but Bednar is hopeful he will return before the end of the season. Colorado has rotated backups in his place, recalling Keith Kinkaid, Jonas Johansson, and Justus Annunen at times.

Injury Notes: Tarasenko, Avalanche, Carrier

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Originally slated to be out for at least a month, St. Louis Blues star winger Vladimir Tarasenko could be back in the lineup sooner than expected. Lou Korac of NHL.com and Inside the Blues reports that Tarasenko was a full participant in Blues practice on Sunday morning, just two weeks after sustaining a hand injury on New Year’s Eve.

Now 31, Tarasenko is having another solid season after missing the majority of play between 2019 and 2021 with injuries. While he’s not on his point-per-game-plus pace from last season, he does have a respectable ten goals and 29 points in 34 games. The six-time 30-goal scorer could be important trade bait for the Blues in March if they continue to slip out of the playoff race.

  • While injury news for the Colorado Avalanche has been rather bleak, there was a tidbit of good news today when head coach Jared Bednar told reporters that Valeri Nichushkin is “potentially” an option tomorrow when they host the Detroit Red Wings. He’s been limited to 15 games this season but has played extraordinarily well when healthy, recording seven goals and 16 points. The news wasn’t so positive for Darren Helm, however, who’s re-injured the lower-body ailment that caused him to miss the start of the season. The team isn’t positive that Helm will return to play in 2022-23.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights will be without forward William Carrier tomorrow, as he has an upper-body injury that will keep him out against Dallas. Carrier seemed to sustain the injury late in yesterday’s tough loss against the Edmonton Oilers. He’s already set a career-high in goals, scoring 11 times in 43 games in largely a fourth-line role to provide important depth scoring.

Avalanche Recall Sampo Ranta

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With Darren Helm set to miss some time, it was expected that Colorado would need to bring up a forward to replace him.  They’ve done just that as Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Avs have brought up winger Sampo Ranta from AHL Colorado.  While they don’t have an open roster spot available, that can easily be covered by shifting Helm to injured reserve.

The 22-year-old has now been recalled six times this season although it hasn’t yielded much in the way of NHL playing opportunities.  Ranta has suited up in just five games for the Avalanche so far where he has been held off the scoresheet while averaging barely over seven minutes a night on the fourth line.  Ranta also played in ten games at the NHL level last season where he logged a little more than ten minutes a night while failing to record a point.

However, Ranta has had a bit of success offensively in the minors this season with five goals and five assists in 26 games, numbers that put him on pace to match the seven goals and seven helpers in 38 contests from a year ago.  If he gets into the lineup, he’ll likely be asked to see spot duty on the fourth line once more but it’s likelier at this point that he’ll serve as the 13th forward.

Colorado has had to dip into LTIR in recent weeks to cover for the long list of injuries that they have and they have ample space to fit in Ranta’s $925K AAV.  However, while they’re using LTIR, they aren’t able to bank cap space which will make adding at the trade deadline a little more difficult until they can get enough players healthy to avoid needing to use it.  Helm’s injury and Ranta’s recall will make that task a little harder.

Darren Helm Out Indefinitely

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It has been a tough season for Avalanche forward Darren Helm.  He missed the first 35 games of the season due to a hip injury but recently returned to the lineup.  However, that return wound up being short-lived as he suffered a lower-body injury last night against Chicago.  Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the injury is related to the one that kept him out of the start of the season and that he’s going to miss some time.  How long he’ll be out is not yet known.

Helm was brought in by Colorado last season in free agency and he fared well in a depth role, notching 15 points in 68 games during the regular season while playing in all 20 postseason contests as the Avs won the Stanley Cup.  That was good enough for the team to bring him back on a one-year $1.25MM contract in the summer but Helm’s hip troubles have limited him to just five appearances so far.

Injuries have caused the Avalanche to dress 24 different forwards this season as they look to find some options for the fourth line.  The return of Helm was supposed to help in that regard but instead, that search for consistent depth forwards will continue as it appears that it will be at least a little while before the veteran is able to return.

Colorado also is without wingers Valeri Nichushkin, Gabriel Landeskog, and Denis Malgin plus defensemen Bowen Byram and Josh Manson.  None of them appear to be close to returning so the Avs will be trying to get back into the playoff picture with the roster that they currently have.

Central Notes: Jets, Johnson, Avalanche

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The Jets looked to be a team that had the cap space to make a splash in the second half of the season.  However, as Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press outlines, that’s no longer the case.  As a result of their injuries, Winnipeg has had to recall several players and in doing so, they’re at a spot where they’re going to need to dip in short-term LTIR if they have to bring anyone else up.  All of a sudden, any ideas of making a key addition in the near future will have to be shut down until most of their regulars return.  The good news for Winnipeg is that none of the injuries are season-ending but there aren’t many near-term recoveries on the horizon which isn’t ideal with nearly $25MM currently out of the lineup.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • While Blackhawks center Tyler Johnson returned to the lineup a little more than two weeks ago, he isn’t fully healthy yet. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the 32-year-old is still dealing with a left ankle injury, one that may not be fully recovered until the end of the season.  Despite still being banged up, Johnson has logged more than 15 minutes a night since returning and has three goals and five assists in 12 games so far this season.
  • The Avalanche could have Nathan MacKinnon back in the lineup on Saturday against Toronto, relays Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The star center has missed nearly four weeks due to an upper-body injury and while he took the skate in a non-contact jersey today, that won’t automatically preclude him from returning tomorrow.  Meanwhile, forward Darren Helm was a full participant in practice for the first time today but has not yet received the green light to suit up.  He has yet to play this season and underwent hip surgery last month.

Artturi Lehkonen Returning To Colorado Avalanche Lineup

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After suffering a concussion on December 3rd, Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen is expected back in the lineup for this afternoon’s contest on the road in St. Louis against the Blues, says Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Lehkonen was never placed on IR with the injury, missing three games and seven days total. At last report on Thursday, the veteran had been placed in concussion protocol. According to Durando, Lehkonen will skate on the top line this afternoon alongside Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin.

Colorado’s injury woes this season have been well reported, the consistent and significant injuries sending the reigning Stanley Cup Champions into a fight for a playoff position even at the one-third mark of the season. After losing Nichushkin for over a month, the team then found out they’d be without perennial Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon for four weeks, only compounding the issue. Beyond just their stars, which also includes Gabriel Landeskog, who has yet to play this season, Colorado has lost a number of secondary and depth options for small and large portions of the season.

Lehkonen has been one of the bright spots for the Avalanche so far this season, recording seven goals and 11 assists through 22 games, well on his way to a career-year. The team will need him to keep that scoring pace up in order to do their best to navigate other injuries, like MacKinnon’s, but it’s not yet known what sort of lingering effect, if any, will come with the concussion.

Staying on the injury front, Durando adds that Darren Helm and Evan Rodrigues are not yet ready to return to the lineup. Helm, who has yet to play this season, has been close to returning and was even a possibility to play this weekend, but will clearly need to wait a little bit longer to make his season debut. Rodrigues hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury against the Vancouver Canucks back on November 23rd, but had been a bright spot amid the injuries, with nine points in his first 18 games for Colorado.

Injury Notes: Avalanche, Rielly, Klingberg, Stone

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If the playoffs began today, the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche, would be on the outside looking in. Colorado’s fall isn’t for a lack of talent and granted, losing Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky to free agency wasn’t exactly helpful, but instead the primary issues seem to fall squarely on injuries. The team has lost more than it’s fair share of man games to injury as they approach the one-third mark of the season and just when things couldn’t seem to get worse, Nathan MacKinnon was ruled out for four weeks.

There could be some help coming soon though, reports Brennan Vogt of Colorado Hockey Now, who spoke with Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar during his media availability earlier today. According to Bednar, forwards Darren Helm and Valeri Nichushkin could be available to play in tomorrow’s game. Nichushkin, one of the team’s premier players, was off to a blistering start with 12 points in seven games before an injury sidelined him for 17 games. Helm, a veteran utility player, has yet to suit up for Colorado this year, but given the injuries the team has dealt with, getting his versatile presence back in the lineup could pay bigger dividends than it might seem. Also of note, Bednar disclosed that forward Artturi Lehkonen, who was injured in Colorado’s game on Saturday, is currently going through concussion protocol.

  • During today’s Leafs Lunch radio program on TSN Radio, Sports Illustrated’s David Alter called in to discuss a number of Toronto Maple Leafs notes, including the status of injured defenseman Morgan Rielly. Alter acknowledged an earlier report by TSN’s Darren Dreger, who believed Rielly’s timeline to be somewhere around four-to-six weeks, but added that when he caught up with Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas recently, Toronto’s timeline was only to the extent of the LTIR minimum duration: 24 days and 10 games. Alter adds that Rielly, who has been working out with the team, has not yet resumed skating and thus the earliest return date from LTIR, which would be on December 17th, seems very unlikely. Rielly has been dealing with an MCL injury suffered in a collision with New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri, who was also injured on the play, back on November 21st.
  • The Athletic’s Eric Stephens writes that Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Klingberg will return to the lineup tomorrow after missing the previous seven games with a lower-body injury. Much like his Ducks, Klingberg has struggled to start this year. The offensive-minded defenseman has recorded just eight points in 20 games thus far to go with a -12 rating, which itself isn’t too out-of-line compared to his recent seasons. Klingberg had signed a one-year, $7MM deal with Anaheim this offseason with the idea that he could be dealt to a contender at the trade deadline perhaps, and test the free agent market again next summer, two things which are still on the table most likely.
  • Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone was notably absent from practice today, however as Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports, this was simply a maintenance day. These sorts of absences are normal throughout the NHL, especially for veterans and players who are recently back from injury or dealing with a nagging issue, but given the extent of Stone’s recent injuries and his unrelenting style of play, it makes sense that an absence even like this one would sound an alarm for some. Since returning full-time for Vegas, Stone is back to his old ways, chipping in 21 points in 28 games to go with stellar defense.

Injury Notes: Teravainen, Grant, Helm, Bowers

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After moving Frederik Andersen to injured reserve earlier today, the Carolina Hurricanes are facing some more injury troubles. Team reporter Walt Ruff reports that forward Teuvo Teravainen will not travel with the team on their upcoming two-day road trip due to an upper-body injury suffered last night in the team’s 7-2 trouncing of the Edmonton Oilers.

While the Hurricanes have been hot, Teravainen has not. The 28-year-old Finn is off to a slow start, having yet to score 14 games into the season. He has logged seven assists, though, which is tied for third on the team. Depth scoring has been a concerning issue for the Hurricanes to start the year (outside of leading point-getter Martin Necas), a trend that will need to quickly reverse in order to account for Teravainen’s absence over at least the next two games. Either Necas or Seth Jarvis could likely get re-elevated to a top-line role in Teravainen’s absence.

  • The Anaheim Ducks announced via a team release Friday that forward Derek Grant has been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to November 3. Grant has missed the team’s past three games with an upper-body injury and is still classified as day-to-day. Given he’s already missed more than the week required by the injured reserve placement, this is purely a paper transaction for roster purposes and he is eligible to return at any time. The corresponding roster transaction was an AHL recall, bringing defenseman Austin Strand up from the San Diego Gulls.
  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters today, including Jesse Montano of DNVR Sports, that forward Darren Helm had another surgery (reported to be a hip abductor muscle procedure) and is “on the mend.” Helm, 35, has yet to play this season after suffering an abdominal injury during last year’s Stanley Cup run. He has now been moved to LTIR, giving the team roughly $500,000 in cap space to work with as injuries pile up.
  • One of the forwards that were serving in a depth role to replace help is also on the injured list. After making his NHL debut last night, 2017 first-round pick Shane Bowers is undergoing an MRI, according to Bednar. Bowers played just 1:46 before leaving the game. After a pair of tough AHL campaigns, Bowers looked like his development may be back on track with six points in 10 games to start the season in AHL Colorado.

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