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Elvis Merzlikins

Snapshots: Merzlikins, Nurse, Atkinson, Puljujarvi

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The Columbus Blue Jackets will have to stick with alternative options in net as starter Elvis Merzlikins is not expected to be healthy for the team’s season finale on Thursday per NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Merzlikins has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury. He’s not far off from a return and has already returned to practice, should Columbus find a way to extend their season. To make the playoffs, the Blue Jackets will need to win their final game, and hope the Montreal Canadiens lose their finale against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Columbus has utilized red-hot goaltender Jet Greaves in the wake of Merzlikins’ injury. The 24-year-old fill-in has been stellar over his recent stretch, winning each of his last four games and recording two shutouts. In total, Greaves has posted a .975 save percentage over his last stretch. The performance has been a continuation of Greaves’ dominant season in the minor leagues, where he’s recorded a .920 save percentage in 40 appearances – sixth-highest in the NHL.

The Blue Jackets will face a tough decision should they break into the postseason. Merzlikins has a quaint .892 save percentage and 26-21-5 record on the season. That’s been enough to perform above backup Daniil Tarasov’s .881 save percentage, but it’s hardly been enough to boost the squad’s playoff odds. With Greaves having one of the hottest gloves in the hockey world over his last four games, Columbus could opt for the youngster as they pursue their first playoff bid since 2020.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse has been suspended for one game for cross-checking Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield, per an announcement from the Department of Player Safety. No details on if Byfield is injured have been released, though he was a scratch in Los Angeles’ final game of the season. Nurse will miss Edmonton’s season finale – an ultimately inconsequential game with the squad already locked into a First Round matchup with the Kings. As things stand, both Nurse and Byfield are expected to return for Game 1 of the postseason. Nurse will look to find a spark after netting 33 points in 76 games this season, while Byfield will continue his lead of the Kings’ lineup, after scoring 23 goals and 54 points in 80 games. Byfield ranks fourth on the Kings in scoring.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled veteran depth forward Cam Atkinson. The move comes after fourth-line forward Mitchell Chaffee was banged up in the team’s Tuesday win over the Florida Panthers. Atkinson has been assigned to the minors on multiple occasions but hasn’t played in any AHL contests. His only hockey this season has come from 38 games in the Tampa Bay lineup, where he’s recorded nine points, eleven penalty minutes, and a minus-four. Atkinson may need to fill Chaffee’s depth role in Tampa Bay’s Thursday finale against the New York Rangers. Chaffee has 12 goals and 18 points in 66 games this season.
  • Speaking of Chaffee, Florida Panthers winger Jesse Puljujarvi is set to have a DoPS hearing for an illegal check to the Lightning forward’s head on Tuesday. Puljujarvi hasn’t yet received any discipline from DoPS in his eight-year NHL career. He’s playing with his fourth NHL club in the last three years in Florida, and has one goal and 15 penalty minutes in five games. Puljujarvi earned his call-up to the Panthers lineup after recording 12 points in 20 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He’ll be one of many options the team has as they enter the postseason, though any lineup role would be minimal.

Examining The Blue Jackets Goaltending Situation

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The Columbus Blue Jackets shocked many folks this season as they remained in contention for a playoff spot for much of the season despite receiving goaltending that was well below average. Had Columbus received even league-average goaltending, they would have been in a solid spot to make the playoffs.

The Blue Jackets used three goaltenders this season, with Elvis Merzlikins dressing in 52 games, while Daniil Tarasov appeared 20 times, and Jet Greaves found his way into six NHL games. Greaves was the only goaltender of the three to post a positive goals saved above expected figure with a +0.9; Tarasov was a -4.4, and Merzlikins had a -9.1 (as per Money Puck). Now, it’s not fair to place all of the blame on the Blue Jackets’ goaltending for them likely missing the playoffs, but make no mistake, Columbus should be looking at improving their goaltending this summer.

If Columbus intends to improve in net, they likely won’t find much help on the free agent market as most pending UFA goaltenders have been locked up to long-term deals. With the best available options signed, the free agent market has nothing but career backups and projects available to sign.

The best UFA option is New Jersey Devils backup Jake Allen, who has an incredible contract year, posting 19.5 GSAx (as per Money Puck) in 28 games with the Devils. The 34-year-old veteran of over 450 NHL games hasn’t been a full-time NHL starter since the 2018-19 season when he lost the starter role to Jordan Binnington, who led the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup. Allen is in the second year of a two-year $7.7MM contract, and given the lack of options in free agency, he could improve on his $3.85MM cap hit. The Blue Jackets could sign Allen in hopes of him being a solid 1B option to play alongside Merzlikins, but if they do, they could end up spending $10MM on a goaltending duo that is just okay.

Another UFA option could be Carolina’s Frederik Andersen, who once again posted fantastic numbers with the Hurricanes. The knock on the 35-year-old is that he hasn’t been able to remain healthy for long stretches, which could be problematic in Columbus if they envisioned him as a starter. Andersen has played more than 35 games just once since 2020 and, at this late stage of his career, is better suited to split time with another goalie.

The trade market is the likeliest place for the Blue Jackets to find help, and options are available depending on what avenue they hope to explore. If Columbus wanted to give Merzlikins a fresh start, they could swap him for any other high-priced goaltender looking for a new home. Tristan Jarry and Philipp Grubauer are two names that come to mind, as both men make north of $5MM annually and could use a blank slate with a new team.

Jarry is a two-time all-star who is young enough to rediscover his game. However, he would be an expensive gamble with three years left on his deal at $5.375MM per season. Jarry has obvious talent but, for whatever reason, has never been able to string solid seasons together, bouncing back and forth between a solid starter and a liability. Any team that opts to trade for the Surrey, British Columbia native will be betting that they are getting the solid starter and not a liability who was demoted twice this season and even passed through waivers.

Grubauer has a similar story to Jarry but is four years older and has had a much longer stretch of poor play. The 33-year-old has been a below-average NHL goaltender since signing with the Seattle Kraken in July 2021, and much like Jarry, he was demoted this season to the AHL. At this stage of his career, Grubauer doesn’t appear to be an NHL goalie and is unlikely to be someone Columbus would be willing to trade for.

Their respective teams may buy out one or both of Jarry and Grubauer and if they do, they could become good options for the Blue Jackets to consider as backups. However, Jarry would make more sense with their current cap hits than Grubauer. His game does come with warts, and there is no guarantee that he will improve Columbus’ abysmal goaltending next year.

If Columbus wanted to swing a trade for a bigger name, they could look to John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks. Gibson had a bounce-back season this year, posting his first positive GSAx since 2018-19 (as per Money Puck). The 31-year-old has struggled for half a decade but hasn’t had the benefit of playing behind a strong defensive team. Gibson has long been rumored to be on the move but has remained with the Ducks through a problematic rebuild. But now, with Lukas Dostal’s development, Gibson has been relegated to a backup and would benefit from a fresh start. Columbus would be a good fit for the Pittsburgh native. However, Columbus must fit Gibson’s considerable cap hit ($6.4MM) into their salary structure. With Gibson having a strong season, Anaheim will look to capitalize on his trade value and finally resolve this situation. There are so few options on the market that Gibson should be in demand, and the Blue Jackets could look to add the veteran to try and stabilize their goaltending.

Finally, one name who could be available is Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues. Binnington has developed a reputation as a big-game goalie, among other things. The 31-year-old had struggled the past few seasons before this one but has re-established himself since the 4 Nations Face-Off and has helped St. Louis into a playoff position. The Blues have Joel Hofer waiting to take over the starter’s role. However, he’s struggled this season, which could give St. Louis doubts about moving on from the veteran Binnington.

The goaltending market is fragile this summer, which is unfortunate timing for the Blue Jackets if they plan to upgrade their goaltending. However, as the Washington Capitals showed last summer, the minor moves for goaltenders can sometimes pay off significantly. Columbus will be hoping for the same good fortunes that the Capitals had when they traded for Logan Thompson last summer while shipping out the underperforming Darcy Kuemper.

Photo by Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Eastern Notes: Senators, Capitals, Tarasov

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The Ottawa Senators are making strides toward building a new arena, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. As Garrioch explains, Cyril Leeder, the National Hockey League club’s chief operating officer and president, told Senator season-ticket holders during a virtual chat that talks with the National Capital Commission were progressing.

The new proposed arena will be constructed in the LeBreton Flats section of Ottawa. Leeder noted many key steps remain, including the completion of the purchase, zoning and approvals, design of the building, financing, construction and, finally, the opening. While Leeder appeared optimistic about the project, he also didn’t want to commit to a completion date.

The Sens have played at the Canadian Tire Centre since 1996.

More in the Eastern Conference:

  • While goalie Elvis Merzlikins received the start tonight in Pittsburgh, the backup needed a change. With Daniil Tarasov out sick, Jet Greaves is backing up Merzlikins, per team reporter Jeff Svoboda. The lefty-catching Tarasov has struggled on the season, posting a .882 save percentage to go along with his 7-8-2 record. Through parts of four seasons in Columbus, the team’s third round selection in the 2017 draft has a .899 career save percentage. In limited action this season at the NHL-level, Greaves has fared better than Tarasov, posting a .905 save percentage and 2.83 GAA. He has added a .915 save percentage in 34 games in the AHL. With Tarasov set for restricted free agency this summer, it will be interesting to see what Columbus decides to do with their backup position moving forward.
  • Last night, the Washington Capitals became the first NHL team to officially qualified for the playoffs. What’s more, they became the first club to since 1979-80 to be the first to clinch after being the last to get in the previous season, per AP’s Stephen Whyno. Their turnaround this season has been aided by usual suspects like Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and John Carlson, but have also been sparked by career-years from players like Dylan Strome, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael. As Ovechkin nears the all-time goal mark, he’ll also set his sights on making a run at his second Stanley Cup.

Blue Jackets Notes: Greaves, Merzļikins, Christiansen, Gudbranson

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The Blue Jackets will start recently recalled netminder Jet Greaves in tonight’s key home game against the Devils, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports. Starter Elvis Merzļikins remains away from the team on personal leave as his wife is expecting a child, the team’s Jeff Svoboda confirmed over the weekend.

The 23-year-old Graves sat on the bench for Saturday’s shutout loss to the Rangers while watching Daniil Tarasov surrender three goals on 20 shots. The youngster temporarily supplanted Tarasov as Columbus’ No. 2 option behind Merzļikins earlier this year, earning a performance-based recall while the struggling Tarasov was sent to AHL Cleveland for conditioning.

Things have gone much better for Tarasov since the reset, although he still hasn’t gotten much playing time behind Merzļikins as the Jackets aim to grab a wild-card spot. His .850 SV% against the Blueshirts was his worst in his seven appearances since returning to the NHL squad. Greaves, who actually leads Columbus netminders with a .906 SV% and 2.98 GAA in five starts, will get the call instead as the Jackets look to end a three-game skid. A win against New Jersey puts them back into playoff position, knocking the Rangers down to ninth place in the East.

Here’s more on the Jackets:

  • As Svoboda relays from head coach Dean Evason, defenseman Jake Christiansen has been ruled out of tonight’s game and will miss his second straight contest with an upper-body injury. He remains day-to-day but practiced this morning, so he should be considered questionable to return Thursday against Florida. The 25-year-old has seen his minutes slashed recently, skating under 10 minutes on three occasions in nine games since the 4 Nations break. In his first season as an NHL full-timer, the 6’0″ lefty has 1-7–8 and a plus-eight rating in 65 games with underwhelming possession numbers and minimal special teams deployment.
  • Fellow rearguard Erik Gudbranson remains close to a return from shoulder surgery but also remains sidelined tonight, Svoboda said. Evason said last week the 33-year-old is on the verge of playing for the first time since October. His and Christiansen’s looming returns should help shore up a Columbus defense that’s allowing 33.6 shots per game since March 1, the worst in the NHL.

Metro Notes: Merzļikins, Greaves, Hughes, Pesce, Lafrenière

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The Columbus Blue Jackets took the ice this morning for practice before their matchup tomorrow night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Columbus notably had three goaltenders on the ice, and team reporter Jeff Svoboda confirmed that Elvis Merzļikins has resumed skating after nursing an upper-body injury.

It looks like Merzlikins is healthy enough to participate in tomorrow night’s contest with the team announcing they have returned netminder Jet Greaves to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, after serving on an emergency recall. Greaves suited up in two games for the Blue Jackets on the recall but spent the entire time on the bench with fellow goaltender Daniil Tarasov taking both starts.

It’s anyone’s guess who the Blue Jackets will choose to start tomorrow night’s contest with Merzlikins and Tarasov producing similar numbers to start the 2024-25 regular season. According to Hockey Reference, the two have combined for a 2-3-0 record through five games with a .869 save percentage and a -4.0 goals save above average. The deciding factor may hinge on Merzlikins’ health summary tomorrow morning.

Other Metro notes:

  • The New Jersey Devils sent defenseman Seamus Casey to AHL Utica this morning in exchange for Daniil Misyul despite the former scoring three goals and four points in his first eight NHL contests. Team reporter Amanda Stein revealed additional content for the move mentioning that although defensemen Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce won’t suit up tomorrow night, their return “is imminent”. The two undoubtedly will improve New Jersey’s chances of returning to the NHL playoffs next spring as they currently sit ninth in the NHL in points percentage through eight games.
  • Mollie Walker of the New York Post reported mild injury news for the New York Rangers sharing forward Alexis Lafrenière is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Lafrenière has been one of the team’s best forwards out of the gate with three goals and six points in five games while averaging 17:45 of ice time per night. With it being the last game of the team’s current three-game road trip, he may be on the shelf tomorrow against the Montreal Canadiens depending on the injury’s severity.

Blue Jackets Not Expected To Move Elvis Merzlikins

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It’s been an offseason of delayed change for the Blue Jackets, who took until late May to appoint Don Waddell as their next general manager and until this week to fire head coach Pascal Vincent. With the coaching change being Waddell’s first real mark on the franchise, many wondered if he may have some other moves up his sleeve in the coming days.

He still may, but moving on from goaltender Elvis Merzļikins won’t be one of them. Waddell told The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline that the team won’t buy out the final three seasons of the Latvian netminder’s contract and dismissed the possibility of a trade, saying the organization will put “all the resources we can” into helping Merzļikins rebound from a tough couple of campaigns.

“Let’s be honest, nobody is going to trade for that contract. Nobody,” Waddell told Portzline. “People say, ‘Well, why don’t you buy out the contract?’ It’s a six-year buyout, and there are years three, four, five and six when you might need that cap space. So you’ve eliminated those two options.”

The contract Waddell is referring to involves a $5.4MM cap hit for Merzļikins through 2027, a tough deal to move when there are far more attractive options in the net available for trade this summer. Merzļikins improved from a nightmarish 2022-23 season this year but still struggled with a .897 SV%, 3.45 GAA and 13-17-8 record in 41 appearances. He also frequently entered and exited the lineup due to a variety of illnesses and injuries, including a lower-body ailment that sidelined him for seven of their final eight games. Those numbers were still below average considering the Blue Jackets’ poor defense, saving -6.3 goals above expected, but it was a massive improvement on his -25.9 GSAx figure the year before in just 30 games (MoneyPuck).

It’s all a far cry from his rookie season five years ago when Merzļikins arrived in Columbus with a .923 SV% in 33 games and finished fifth in 2020 Vezina Trophy voting. In fact, he was overall one of the better netminders in the league with a .913 SV% in 120 games between 2019-20 and 2021-22, but his past two seasons have brought him down to a much more pedestrian .904 SV% for his career.

Back in January, the 30-year-old told media he’d requested a trade but later walked back his statement. He did have some interest from the Devils before the trade deadline, but they ended up going with Jake Allen as a stopgap option before making a big swing to acquire Jacob Markström from the Flames yesterday.

Next season, he’ll face stiff competition for starts from 24-year-old Daniil Tarasov, who ended the season on a high note after struggling with injuries early on. The 2017 third-round pick made a career-high 24 appearances, logging an 8-11-3 record with a respectable .908 SV% and 3.18 GAA that worked out to 3.9 goals saved above average. Pending restricted free agent Jet Greaves is also pushing for NHL time after posting a .926 SV% in 13 playoff games with AHL Cleveland and recording a 30-win regular season.

Blue Jackets Issue Multiple Injury Updates

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Blue Jackets defenseman Jake Bean has an upper-body injury that will keep him out for their six remaining games this season, head coach Pascal Vincent said Friday (via Jeff Svoboda of the team’s official site). The 25-year-old exited last night’s 4-2 loss to the Islanders after taking a shot to the hand late in the game, which the team later confirmed resulted in a break. It’s unclear if he’ll require surgery to repair the break or if rehabilitation over the offseason is sufficient to address it.

Bean’s third season in Columbus was much better than his second, when a November 2022 shoulder injury resulted in surgery that ended his season. He’s been a fixture in the Blue Jackets lineup for the most part, only being scratched on a handful of occasions. The 2016 first-round pick wasn’t able to rise above a third-pairing role, however, recording four goals and 13 points in 72 contests while averaging 16:20 per game. His pairing with Erik Gudbranson was Vincent’s most used, logging nearly 600 minutes together across 62 games. They were also the worst of Columbus’ six most-iced pairings at maintaining possession quality, controlling 45.1% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. Bean’s individual possession numbers weren’t any better away from Gudbranson at 5-on-5, posting an on-ice xG% of 44.9.

Bean was the WHL’s leading goal-scorer among defensemen in 2016 and won Best Defenseman honors in the AHL in 2020, but his NHL ceiling is crashing down as he passes through his mid-20s. While his junior and minor league production still suggests there’s significant upside in his game, it won’t come buried on the depth chart on one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

He’ll be an RFA this summer upon completion of his three-year, $7MM contract, the last time he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency. With younger, high-ceiling defenders like David Jiricek vying for bigger roles in Columbus and multiple exemplary young defense prospects on the way, Bean could find himself on the open market this summer if Columbus opts not to issue him a qualifying offer and risk being taken to arbitration.

Extra blue-liner Adam Boqvist is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury and won’t be cleared to play before tomorrow’s contest against the Flyers, so the Blue Jackets will need to recall a defenseman from AHL Cleveland. That will likely be Jake Christiansen, who’s got two assists in 12 NHL games this season and was returned to the minors Tuesday after a weeks-long stint in Columbus.

On a shorter-term horizon, Vincent also said neither center Sean Kuraly nor goaltender Elvis Merzļikins will be available against Philadelphia. Both are out with lower-body injuries. Kuraly has returned to practice and is nearing a return after a three-week absence, while Merzļikins hasn’t played since getting banged up in a win over the Penguins on March 30. Backup Daniil Tarasov also sustained an upper-body injury in last night’s loss to the Islanders, so they’ll need to bring fourth-string netminder Malcolm Subban up from Cleveland if he’s unable to dress tomorrow. 23-year-old Jet Greaves will likely get the start in any event, posting an exemplary .917 SV% in limited NHL action this year. Subban hasn’t played a major league game in over two years, last appearing with the Sabres in January 2022.

A rare bit of good news for Columbus is that top winger Johnny Gaudreau will return against Philly after sitting out last night’s loss with an illness, Vincent told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. It’s been a disappointing season for the $9.75MM man, only potting 11 goals, but he still leads the club in scoring with 56 points in 75 games.

Blue Jackets Notes: Jenner, Merzlikins, Danforth

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Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner will remain out of the lineup tonight against the Avalanche, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports. He was unavailable for Saturday’s shootout win over the Penguins as well due to illness. That necessitated the emergency recall of 21-year-old forward Cameron Butler from AHL Cleveland, who made his NHL debut but was stapled to the bench for most of it, taking a lone 54-second shift. Butler was returned to Cleveland yesterday. Jenner has eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the third straight season, sitting third on Columbus in scoring with 22 goals and 35 points in 58 games, trailing only Johnny Gaudreau and Zach Werenski. Now in his 11th season in Columbus, the 30-year-old has two seasons remaining on his contract at a bargain-bin $3.75MM cap hit.

Other notes ahead of Monday’s matchup against Colorado:

  • Netminder Elvis Merzļikins has officially been ruled out of tonight’s contest with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day, per Dave Maetzold of Bally Sports Ohio. Columbus recalled prospect Jet Greaves under emergency conditions yesterday after Merzļikins missed practice with what head coach Pascal Vincent termed as a maintenance day. Greaves will back up while Daniil Tarasov makes his 22nd start of the season, a career-high. For Merzļikins, it’s another small blip in what’s otherwise been an improved but still underwhelming campaign. His .897 SV% and 3.45 GAA are vast improvements on last year’s totals (.876 SV%, 4.23 GAA) when he was one of the worst netminders in the league, but he’s still conceded more goals than expected – 6.4 to be exact, per MoneyPuck – for the second straight year. He’s largely managed to stay healthy, though, a major issue for him last season. He’s crossed 40 starts this season for only the second time since coming to North America in 2019.
  • Forward Justin Danforth returns to the lineup tonight after missing 11 games with a concussion, per the team. The 31-year-old had played in all 63 Blue Jackets games before exiting the lineup on March 9, scoring 10 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. He’s averaged 14:16 per game, a career-high. An undrafted free agent signing out of the KHL in 2021, the Ontario-born forward has cycled between center and wing for Columbus and lands on the former tonight, holding down a line between AHL call-ups James Malatesta and Carson Meyer.

Blue Jackets Recall Jet Greaves On Emergency Loan

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The Blue Jackets added goalie prospect Jet Greaves from AHL Cleveland on an emergency recall Sunday, per a team release. He could back up Daniil Tarasov in tomorrow’s contest against the Avalanche if starter Elvis Merzļikins, who head coach Pascal Vincent said missed practice today for maintenance purposes, cannot dress.

This is the fourth recall of the season for the 23-year-old Greaves. All four have come under emergency conditions and lasted only a few days, filling in whenever Merzļikins or Tarasov were unavailable. Over his three NHL showings this year, all starts, he has a 1-2-0 record with a decent .907 SV% and 3.38 GAA. Behind the Blue Jackets’ porous defense, that’s been good enough for a remarkable 5.0 goals saved above expected in his short stint, per MoneyPuck. He’s performed similarly well in the minors, recording a .907 SV% and 27-12-4 record with one shutout in 43 appearances for Cleveland.

Greaves, undrafted, landed his first NHL deal with the Blue Jackets in February 2022 after beginning the year on a minor-league pact with Cleveland. He’s now in the final season of that entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $758K. The Cambridge, Ontario native will remain waiver-exempt through 2025-26 and is slated for restricted free agency this summer.

Metropolitan Notes: Merzlikins, Gustafsson, Lindgren

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Some players on non-playoff teams still have the chance to play meaningful games over the next couple of months by representing their national teams at the 2024 Men’s World Championship in Czechia. One will be Blue Jackets starter Elvis Merzļikins, who confirmed to Latvian reporter Ulvis Brože that he’ll represent his country at the tournament. The Riga-born netminder will make his sixth appearance at the tournament, although only his second since joining Columbus in 2019. He’s done quite well at the tournament, posting a .917 SV%, 2.51 GAA, and three shutouts in 27 appearances despite playing behind one of the historically weaker rosters at the tournament. A leg injury stopped him from joining Latvia at last year’s event, which paved the way for Canucks prospect Arturs Silovs to put together a .921 SV%, 2.20 GAA, and 7-3-0 record in 10 games as the squad upset their way to a bronze medal.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Heading to the Big Apple, the Rangers were without defenseman Erik Gustafsson at Monday’s practice due to an upper-body injury. The 32-year-old Swede is listed as day-to-day but has not been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Flyers. He’s provided great value for the Blueshirts on a one-year, $825K deal, crossing the 30-point plateau in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career. The offensive-minded blue-liner has also posted solid possession metrics, boasting a 54.0 CF% at even strength along with a +7.2 expected rating. While averaging 17:15 on the season, he’s been promoted to a top-four role in recent days, with Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba both absent due to lower-body injuries.
  • Speaking of Lindgren, the top-pairing fixture is inching toward a return as he took to the ice in a non-contact jersey at today’s practice for the first time since sustaining his injury against the Islanders on March 17, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today reports. He sustained an apparent severe knee injury after falling awkwardly into the boards during a collision with Isles center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, but a return to the ice just over a week later suggests he’s avoided the worst. The Minnesota native has battled through multiple injuries this season, though, influencing some unusually poor possession numbers despite being stapled to number-one defenseman Adam Fox when in the lineup. Averaging 19:13 per game, he’s posted a 47.1 CF% at even strength and a -3.5 expected rating, both serving as the worst numbers since his rookie season. Still, it’s promising he’ll likely have a chance to return to the lineup and regain comfort with his game before the postseason begins.

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