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Erik Johnson

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.

Injury Notes: Canadiens, Greenway, Johnson

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The Montreal Canadiens have been absolutely ravaged by injuries yet again this season, missing key players for long stretches. While they have no playoff aspirations at this point in the season, there is still some promising news for the team health-wise. The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin reports that forwards Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, and Brendan Gallagher were all at practice today, albeit in non-contact jerseys.

All three have missed significant stretches of time this season, especially Gallagher, who’s played just 25 games with intermittent lower-body injuries. His latest absence has kept him out since January 3 and is past his original estimated return timeline of six weeks. Evans exited the lineup a few weeks later and was issued a 10-week recovery timeline from a knee injury. Dach has been out since the end of last month with a lower-body injury and has no timeline for a return.

All are important players to Montreal in their own right, but Dach has especially been impressive in his first season in Montreal. The third overall pick in 2019 has taken a significant step in his offensive development since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, adding an even brighter star to an already bright future for the Canadiens.

  • Buffalo Sabres winger Jordan Greenway is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to Bleacher Report contributor Joe Yerdon, adding to a bumpy season for him. The 26-year-old has just one goal in eight games since the Sabres acquired him at the trade deadline, and the team is quickly plummeting out of the Wild Card race.
  • On a positive note, The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando reports that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson practiced in a regular jersey today, signaling he’s close to a return. Johnson has missed over a month with a foot injury but could draw back into the lineup soon ahead of the playoffs. The 34-year-old has seven assists in 51 games this season.

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.

Central Notes: Stalock, Johnson, Dubois

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The Blackhawks were without goaltender Alex Stalock tonight against the Panthers as the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran is out due to illness.  The 35-year-old has been a bright spot for Chicago this season, posting an impressive .920 SV% in 17 games, a mark that would put him in a tie for fourth in the league if he had enough qualifying appearances.  With the decision being announced so late, the Blackhawks didn’t have time to recall someone from AHL Rockford so instead, they’ve signed Zach Andrews, Florida’s emergency goaltender, to an ATO agreement.  The 31-year-old had a 45-12-4 record in four seasons with UMass-Boston from 2012 through 2016 with a .906 SV% and a 2.66 GAA.

More from the Central:

  • Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now that defenseman Erik Johnson appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a broken ankle. The veteran has been out for a month with an expected recovery timeline of eight weeks.  He’s already skating so it’s quite possible that he’s able to return before another four weeks elapse.  Johnson has seven assists in 51 games this season and is not currently on LTIR so Colorado won’t have to make any roster moves to activate him when he’s ready to come back.
  • While the Jets were without Pierre-Luc Dubois last night against Minnesota with an upper-body injury, it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be out much longer. Postmedia’s Paul Friesen relays that Winnipeg expects the center to be back at some point on their road trip.  That trip begins Saturday in Florida and ends Tuesday in Carolina so it’s safe to say that Dubois should be back soon.  The 24-year-old has 24 goals and 31 assists in 61 games so far this season.

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.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Ben Meyers, Brad Hunt

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With Erik Johnson moving to injured reserve, the Colorado Avalanche have recalled Ben Meyers and Brad Hunt to give them a little more depth. The club had been carrying barely enough players to dress a full lineup and went with only 11 forwards over the weekend (plus Kurtis MacDermid, who plays both defense and forward).

Meyers, 24, has played in 28 games for the Avalanche this season but can’t seem to find his way onto the scoresheet. He has just one goal and has yet to record an assist in the NHL. During his time in the minor leagues, he had eight points in 14 games for the Colorado Eagles. The undrafted college free agent is still getting his feet wet in professional hockey and will get another chance with the Avalanche.

Hunt, meanwhile, has played 27 games for the Avalanche this season and 22 more for the Eagles, playing in the minor leagues for the first time since 2016-17. The depth defender can rack up points at will in the AHL, and has six on the year with the Avalanche so far. Now 34, he certainly isn’t the long-term answer for Colorado, but Hunt is a reliable veteran call-up that can play games without much risk.

Johnson suffered a lower-body injury over the weekend but no timeline has been given for his return yet.

Snapshots: Meier, Johnson, WHL Suspensions

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While the major news of the day from a trade deadline perspective revolves around Jakob Chychrun, San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier remains the top forward option on the market for many teams. We covered how teams would be potentially interested in Meier even as a rental forward, despite the fact that he has one year remaining of eligibility for restricted free agency — albeit with a pricey $10MM qualifying offer attached.

Today, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Sharks have not yet given permission to Meier and his agent, former NHLer Claude Lemieux, to negotiate the terms of a potential contract extension with interested teams. LeBrun did note, though, that “the expectation is that will happen closer to trade offers being firmed up.” But the fact that these talks have not yet occurred could be an indication that the Meier trade process isn’t quite as far along as the Chychrun saga seems to be, especially given today’s news of Chychrun being healthy scratched.

Some other notes from across the hockey world:

  • The Colorado Avalanche announced that veteran blueliner Erik Johnson would not return to tonight’s game due to a lower-body injury. Dater on Hockey’s Adrian Dater added that the “worry is it might be broken foot,” but no further information beyond that has been released. A broken foot would obviously be a massive blow for the Avalanche as they look to climb the standings down the stretch, so all involved will likely be hoping that what knocked Johnson out of the game ends up being only a minor obstacle.
  • The WHL announced that four Moose Jaw Warriors players have been indefinitely suspended pending an investigation into possible violations of team rules and the WHL’s Standard of Conduct policies. No further details beyond that were given in the league’s announcement. Of note is that one of the suspended players, Maximus Wanner, is an Edmonton Oilers 2021 seventh-round pick who signed his entry-level deal with the team in September.

Snapshots: Campbell, Kuemper, Johnson

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The Coachella Valley Firebirds have hired Jessica Campbell as an assistant coach, making her the first woman to hold that role at the AHL level. She joins Dan Bylsma’s staff after a year of coaching in Germany with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL. Campbell also served as an assistant coach for Germany at the recent men’s IIHF World Championship and medaled for Team Canada at the women’s tournament during her playing days.

Campbell and Bylsma will take the reins of a new AHL franchise in its first year, one that still has plenty of spots to fill. Because they are so new to the league, the Seattle Kraken have yet to populate the system with many draft picks and actually have just 23 players signed to NHL contracts in the entire organization. That’s obviously not enough to give the Firebirds a fighting chance, meaning plenty of work will be needed by Ron Francis and company in the coming weeks and months.

  • The Colorado Avalanche might not be looking for a new goaltender after all. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes that the Avalanche are working on extensions for Darcy Kuemper and Valeri Nichushkin, noting that there is a “decent chance” the netminder sticks around. If Kuemper does sign with Colorado, it would thin out a very shallow free agent goaltending pool even further, and potentially put even more pressure on the teams without legitimate starting options.
  • Friedman also notes that the idea Erik Johnson could retire to create some additional cap room won’t be happening. Peter Baugh of The Athletic even asked the veteran defenseman directly, who explained that he wants to play for a “lot longer.” The Stanley Cup champion is heading into the last season of his seven-year, $42MM deal and carries a cap hit of $6MM for 2022-23.

Erik Johnson Waives No-Movement Clause For Expansion Draft

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The Colorado Avalanche already may end up losing a good young defenseman, but it would have been even worse if they were forced to protect Erik Johnson. According to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, the veteran has officially waived his no-movement clause and will not require protection.

That does not mean that Johnson is exempt from selection, rather the opposite, but his high price tag of $6MM per season and his unclear injury situation will likely keep him away from Seattle. More specifically, the Avalanche will still likely have to expose a defenseman like Ryan Graves, who seems to be a much more appetizing selection given his relative youth and strong playoff performance. There is obviously still time to change things in order to protect Graves as well, but at least when it comes to expansion, the team won’t have to worry about Johnson’s NMC any longer.

Johnson, 33, played just four games this season and was held out most of the year with concussion symptoms. He was back skating with the team in the playoffs but never played, and it is now unclear where his future lies. If he’s unable to play again next season, that $6MM cap hit could be moved to long-term injured reserve, giving the Avalanche quite a bit more flexibility. There is also the possibility of a buyout, but the Avalanche would need to show that Johnson is healthy enough to continue playing, as injured players are ineligible.

Snapshots: Johnson, Benn, Haas

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Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson is expected to waive his no-move clause for the upcoming expansion draft, reports Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.  The 33-year-old was limited to just four games this season due to an upper-body injury, last suiting up in January.  Johnson has two years left on his deal with a $6MM AAV and considering that and how little he played this season, it’s extremely unlikely that he would be picked by Seattle.  Johnson waiving his protection would allow Colorado to protect all three of Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Samuel Girard.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Stars are expected to keep Jamie Benn at center next season, notes Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. Dallas moved him there out of necessity late in the season and the veteran did well, notching 17 points in the final 19 games.  Tyler Seguin should be ready to go for next season while Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz remain in the fold so either one of them is going to shift to the wing or they will be starting next season with an enviable group of centermen which would also allow them to run three scoring lines which would be useful for a team that hasn’t been in the top half of the league in goals scored since 2015-16.
  • While now-former Oilers forward Gaetan Haas signed a five-year deal in Switzerland earlier in the week, he could still be in the NHL next season. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal notes that Haas’ contract contains an out clause by August 15th if he’s able to secure an NHL deal that’s to his liking.  It’s hard to imagine he will receive a prominent enough offer to walk away from a half-decade of playing at home but he’ll have a couple of weeks in free agency to try to find one.

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