Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Chytil, Benson
The Columbus Blue Jackets shared today that Rick Nash has been promoted to Director of Player Personnel, and Chris Clark has been promoted to Assistant General Manager. The two former NHLers have spent several years with the franchise, dating back to the Jarmo Kekäläinen/John Tortorella era.
Upon the end of his 1,060 game, 805 point career, Nash returned to the Columbus organization in 2019, starting out as Special Assistant to the General Manager, before promotions to Director of Player Development and Director of Hockey Operations in the last few years.
With his #61 alone in the rafters of Nationwide Arena, the 41-year-old has made an immeasurable impact in Columbus, starting with his first overall selection back in 2002. Nash spent nine seasons carrying the Blue Jackets as they got off the ground as an expansion franchise, followed by making his mark as a Ranger, as well as a stint in Boston, officially retiring in six years ago.
Meanwhile, Clark has been with the organization since 2012, starting out as a development coach, before moving up in 2019 to Director of Player Personnel and General Manager of the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’ AHL affiliate. Under Clark, the Monsters have gradually improved year by year, making playoff runs in each of the last two seasons.
The 49-year-old Connecticut native was chosen by Calgary in the 1994 draft, going on to make 607 appearances in the NHL with the Flames, Capitals, and finally, the Blue Jackets, last skating at the highest level in 2010-11.
The franchise icon Nash, along with the highly respected Clark help round out General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Don Waddell’s top brass, the 67-year-old set to reach two years in the role this May. Currently below a Wild Card spot, the Blue Jackets have tremendously found their stride under new Head Coach Rick Bowness, winning eight of his first nine games. With a dynamic young core, the club figures to be on the cusp of another window in years to come, after reaching new heights as an organization in the late 2010s.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote told reporters, including Thomas Drance of The Athletic, that Filip Chytil will likely not return tomorrow in Vegas, which is the team’s last action before the Olympic break. The forward is dealing with migraines, concerning as he has struggled with concussions throughout his career, so far holding him back from breaking out as a legit top six forward. Chytil managed to return in late January from another concussion, skating in six games, but not recording a point. Limited to just 27 games as a Canuck, despite a trade from the Rangers which just reached one calendar year ago, unfortunately the 26-year-old is facing real questions about his long-term career in the NHL.
- Sabres forward Zach Benson won’t play tonight in Tampa Bay, as reported by Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News. The 20-year-old took a spill into the boards last night against the Panthers and did not return, due to an apparent upper-body injury which will require further evaluation. Buffalo has one more game before the Olympic Break, and will hope that Benson will not miss serious time. He has notched 26 points in 42 games, needing just five more to set a career high, making the most of a key top six role throughout the campaign.
Pacific Notes: Myers, Chytil, Sherwood
With the Canucks heading for another postseason miss, they’re a team that’s expected to move out more veterans before the March 6th trade deadline. But one veteran who doesn’t want to be on the move is defenseman Tyler Myers. He told reporters including Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province that there’s “no question” that he wants to stay in Vancouver. The 35-year-old is in his seventh season with the Canucks and has largely played on the second pairing during that time, a role he still holds now. With one year left on his deal at an affordable $3MM, Myers is someone that teams will undoubtedly be inquiring about. However, he does control his fate this season with a full no-move clause; that protection dips to a 12-team no-trade list in July, however.
More from the Pacific:
- Still with the Canucks, center Filip Chytil met with the media yesterday (video link) before his return to the lineup. One thing he wanted to set the record straight on is the number of concussions he’s had. While speculation has suggested the number could be as high as eight, Chytil stated that he hasn’t had quite that many, though he declined to set the record straight on just how many he has dealt with. Head injuries (concussion or otherwise) have been an issue for the 26-year-old, especially in recent years as he has been limited to just 73 games since the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
- After acquiring Kiefer Sherwood, the Sharks reached out about a contract extension but there’s apparently a sizable gap to bridge on that front. GM Mike Grier spoke to reporters earlier this week including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News and wouldn’t rule out the possibility of listening to offers on Sherwood. That said, he was quick to call the winger a targeted acquisition and he’s clearly someone that they envision fitting on the roster beyond this season. But Sherwood’s hot start offensively and his physical prowess could potentially push his next contract past the $5MM per season mark despite the 30-year-old only being a full-time NHL player for three years now. If he remains unsigned leading up to the deadline, it’s possible that Sherwood finds himself back in trade speculation.
Canucks To Activate Filip Chytil
According to Jeff Paterson of Canucks Army, the Vancouver Canucks are expected to activate forward Filip Chytil for tomorrow’s contest against the New Jersey Devils. Nobody from the Canucks has confirmed the news, though head coach Adam Foote indicated that there’s a good chance he’ll return against New Jersey.
Chytil, 26, will return after missing more than three months of action. He has resumed skating over the last few days, with reports from a few days ago revealing that he was a full participant at Vancouver’s practice.
Still, there’s unfortunately no guarantee that he’ll remain healthy throughout the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign or beyond. In fact, it may be time to start asking whether or not Chytil should continue his NHL career for the sake of his long-term future.
By the time that Chytil had reached his sixth season as a full-time player for the New York Rangers, he had already suffered four concussions. The last one was endured during the 2023-24 campaign, when the former 21st overall pick was limited to 10 games. He returned for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, registering zero points in six appearances.
Heading into the 2024-25 campaign as healthy as he could be, Chytil had already lost his future with the Rangers. New York traded him to Vancouver later that season in the deal that brought J.T. Miller back to the Big Apple.
Unfortunately, his move to British Columbia didn’t alleviate any of his proclivity toward concussions. In a game against the Chicago Blackhawks in mid-March, Chytil suffered another concussion and missed the remainder of the regular season for the Canucks.
Finally looking to gain some consistency with his new organization, Chytil scored three goals in six games to begin the 2025-26 campaign. Once again, this time against the Washington Capitals, Chytil suffered another concussion, which has cost him over half the season. Despite being on the Canucks for nearly a year, Chytil has registered only four goals and nine points in 21 games.
Snapshots: Garland, Chytil, Blueger, Stamkos, Karlsson
Canucks winger Conor Garland has been generating several inquiries lately, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). While Vancouver has shifted into a rebuild of sorts, Pagnotta adds that Vancouver isn’t necessarily looking to move him but will listen to inquiries. The 29-year-old has seven goals and 15 assists in 37 games so far this season in the final season of his current deal that carries a $4.95MM cap charge. However, he has already signed a six-year, $36MM extension that will begin in 2026-27 so any interested teams would know they’ll need to take on that sizable commitment.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Still with the Canucks, they could be getting some good news soon on the injury front. Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma notes (Twitter link) that centers Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger were full participants at practice and are nearing returns. Chytil has only played in six games this season (where he has three goals) and has been sidelined with a concussion for the last three months. Blueger has been out just as long with a lower-body injury. After also being injured to start the year, he has only been able to play twice so far in 2025-26. A pending UFA, Blueger is a strong trade candidate if he’s able to stay healthy between now and the trade deadline in early March.
- The league announced that Predators forward Steven Stamkos has been fined $2.5K for unsportsmanlike conduct for an incident with Vegas defenseman Jeremy Lauzon during Saturday’s game. The fine money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
- Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson returned to practice today in a non-contact capacity, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 35-year-old has missed the last week with an undisclosed injury. While there is no change to his day-to-day status, Karlsson will accompany the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. Through 44 games this season, he has three goals and 30 assists and is averaging a little under 24 minutes of playing time.
Pacific Notes: Kraken, Carlsson, Kuemper, Chytil, Coghlan
The Seattle Kraken, who have been bitten by the injury bug as of late, may be returning a few high-end players soon. Earlier today, team producer Scott Malone reported that forward Jared McCann and defenseman Vince Dunn had returned to practice in regular jerseys.
There’s no indication either will return to the Kraken’s game tomorrow against the Philadelphia Flyers, though it is encouraging. McCann has been limited to 11 games with Seattle this season, scoring five goals and three points, with his last contest coming on December 10th.
Still, Dunn only missed the Kraken’s game on Tuesday due to an upper-body injury, and he’s not on the team’s injured reserve, unlike McCann. If there’s any silver lining to what’s shaping up to be another disappointing season for the Kraken, is that Dunn has been healthy for much of the season. Over the last two years, he had played in less than 75% of Seattle’s games due to injury. He has scored five goals and 19 points in 34 games this season.
Other notes from the Pacific Division:
- In a positive update for the Anaheim Ducks, center Leo Carlsson‘s lower-body injury from earlier in the week will only cost him one game. In an article this morning, Derek Lee of The Hockey News confirmed that Carlsson would return to the lineup tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. Aside from an external addition, there truly couldn’t be better news for the Ducks, who are tied for the lead in the Pacific Division after several difficult seasons. Carlsson is leading that effort, scoring 17 goals and 41 points in 34 games as Anaheim’s leading scorer.
- On the flip side of tonight’s matchup, netminder Darcy Kuemper will miss a fifth consecutive game for the Kings due to an upper-body injury. Fortunately, that absence shouldn’t last too much longer. Team reporter Zach Dooley shared earlier that Kuemper had returned to practice for the Kings, joining the team for their morning skate.
- Moving to the Western portion of Canada, host of Rink Wide: Vancouver, Jeff Paterson, reported earlier that Filip Chytil had returned to practice for the Vancouver Canucks in a non-contact jersey. Chytil has not played since mid-October due to what is believed to be another concussion in his nine-year career. Unfortunately, despite the positive update that Chytil has returned to the ice, there’s no timeline for his return.
- On the transaction side, the Vegas Golden Knights quietly reassigned defenseman Dylan Coghlan to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. The Golden Knights exit the holiday break on a three-game homestand, so they likely have little need for a depth defenseman, unlike they would on a road trip. Coghlan didn’t feature in any games throughout the duration of his recall.
Canucks Notes: Garland, Kämpf, Chytil, Blueger
The Canucks’ injury woes this season continued in what was a surprisingly resurgent 6-2 win over the Lightning earlier this evening. Vancouver lost winger Conor Garland to an undisclosed injury early in the second period, and he didn’t return. There wasn’t an apparent injury that immediately preceded his departure, but he was involved in a fight with Tampa defender Darren Raddysh earlier in the game – one the 5’10” winger managed to win (video via B/R Open Ice). It didn’t seem like he took enough contact in that scrum to get hurt, but there should be more clarity before Vancouver finishes their back-to-back against the Panthers tomorrow. The 29-year-old Garland has been thrust into top-line duties this season with Evander Kane and Elias Pettersson and has fit the bill, registering a 5-8–13 scoring line in 16 outings while averaging a career-high 20:51 of ice time per game. For a team with five other roster players hurt at the moment and an already below-average offense, his potential for missed time is an especially damaging blow.
More out of Vancouver:
- Newly-signed center David Kämpf has joined the club on its road trip and could make his Canucks debut tomorrow, general manager Patrik Allvin told reporters today (including Ben Kuzma of Postmedia). Pending Garland’s status, he could be the replacement. It would be the 30-year-old’s first NHL game of the season after getting waived by the Maple Leafs during training camp and eventually having his contract mutually terminated, leading to his $1.1MM pact with Vancouver for the balance of the campaign. He had five goals and 13 points in 59 showings with Toronto last year, but had just one assist in four games with their AHL affiliate in October.
- Filip Chytil has resumed skating nearly a month after sustaining yet another suspected concussion, Allvin said, although he labeled the center’s progress as “slow.” Chytil, who has centered a line between Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser to begin the year and had three goals through six games, was rocked by the Capitals’ Tom Wilson on Oct. 19 and has been out since. They’re still likely looking at multiple weeks – if not months, given his history – before a return, adding to the list of reasons why Kämpf was brought in for added depth down the middle.
- Another banged-up center, Teddy Blueger, is also still listed as week-to-week, Allvin said. It’s been a longer-than-expected road to recovery for the Latvian, who got injured the same night as Chytil after scoring a goal. His recurring lower-body issue has limited him to just two appearances this year.
Canucks Issue Several Injury Updates
Following his acquisition of Lukas Reichel from Chicago on Friday, Canucks GM Patrik Allvin met with the media (video link). While the trade itself was the focus of the scrum, Allvin also provided several updates on the status of some of their injured players.
Center Filip Chytil has been making progress as he works through his upper-body injury. While the team won’t confirm it, Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province relays that the belief is that the 26-year-old has indeed suffered another concussion which is believed to be his sixth. Allvin noted that Chytil still has to go through protocol and hasn’t been cleared yet. That said, the fact they’re not talking about a possible extended absence – something he has endured multiple times – has to be considered a promising sign.
Meanwhile, winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki is expected to miss another two to three weeks with what is believed to be a shoulder injury. The 21-year-old made the team out of training camp after spending most of last season in the minors and had a goal in his first four games after putting up six points in his rookie year in 24 games.
Center Teddy Blueger was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Sunday to open up a roster spot for Reichel, who they hope to have available tonight against Montreal. However, while he’s eligible to return to the lineup as soon as Monday, Allvin relayed that the veteran is going to miss at least a couple of weeks with his undisclosed injury.
Meanwhile, there is also some bad news on the back end. Allvin indicated that defenseman Derek Forbort suffered a setback in his recovery from his undisclosed injury sustained in the second game of the season. Now, he’s listed as out week-to-week.
At the moment, Vancouver has a little over $1MM left in their LTIR pool, per PuckPedia. That doesn’t leave them much flexibility should they have anyone else get injured over the next couple of weeks before some of their injured players start to return to the lineup. Teams can rarely afford injuries but in the case of the Canucks, it’s especially true with no immediate help on the horizon.
Canucks Announce Multiple Roster Moves
4:15 p.m.: The Canucks have announced additional roster moves, reassigning Schuldt to Abbotsford and recalling defenseman Tom Willander and forward Nils Aman. The move adds an experienced center to the Canucks’ roster to help fill in for the loss of Chytil. Aman isn’t the caliber of player Chytil is, and won’t be able to bring the same level of offense, but he nonetheless has 130 games of NHL experience and offers some size and defensive reliability to head coach Adam Foote.
Willander, 20, appears to be a replacement for Mancini, as he is also a young right-shot blueliner. Willander was the 11th overall pick at the 2023 NHL draft and made his pro debut earlier this month with Abbotsford. He has spent the last two seasons playing college hockey at Boston University (scoring 49 points across 77 games) and with this recall is now eliigible to be dressed for an NHL game and has a chance to make his NHL debut.
11:11 a.m.: The Vancouver Canucks announced multiple roster moves, largely to maximize their LTIR capture. This morning, the Canucks shared that they’ve placed forwards Filip Chytil and Jonathan Lekkerimaki on the injured reserve (retroactive to October 19th), and have moved Nils Höglander to the LTIR (retroactive to October 7th).
Additionally, Vancouver has reassigned defenseman Victor Mancini to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, while recalling Joseph LaBate and Jimmy Schuldt in a corresponding roster move.
Unfortunately, the injury designation for Chytil was expected. The Canucks second-line center was on the receiving end of a massive hit from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson during yesterday’s contest, causing Chytil to leave the game prematurely. Although a major penalty was initally assessed, it was rescinded upon review, and no supplemental discipline is expected from the league’s Department of Player Safety.
Outside of losing a top-six center, there’s larger cause for concern with Chytil specifically. Throughout his time with the New York Rangers, Chytil suffered multiple concussions, limiting him to only 66 games from 2023 to 2025. Already dealing with a thin pool down the middle, Vancouver would struggle to put together a serviceable defensive core if Chytil is out long-term.
Meanwhile, Lekkerimaki also left last night’s game prematurely. Unlike Chytil, it was not as apparent what caused Lekkerimaki’s injury. Still, he was filling in for Brock Boeser, who missed the game for personal matters.
Lastly, Höglander’s move to the LTIR, as well as the roster moves, were purely based on financial reasons. The Canucks are already operating close to the upper limit of the salary cap, and they’ll maximize their LTIR capture via the move.
Hoglander is eligible to return after Vancouver’s October 26th matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, though it’s not apparent he’ll be ready to return at that point. Additionally, although he should be expected back on the roster relatively soon, Mancini must play in at least one AHL game before being eligible for recall, per the league’s new rules regarding paper transactions.
Pacific Notes: Chytil, Boeser, Stone, Kapanen
While it was a good day for the Canucks on the scoreboard, it was a tough one on the injury front. Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province relays that center Filip Chytil exited today’s game on a hit from Washington’s Tom Wilson and had to be helped off the ice. A major penalty was initially assessed on the play but was rescinded after review. The 26-year-old has a long documented history of concussion troubles with five already and while it’s unclear at this point if that’s something he may have or not, it’s something that will ensure the team errs on the side of caution. Chytil had three goals in his first five games to tie him for the team lead heading into today’s action. Meanwhile, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the Department of Player Safety will review the hit but no supplemental discipline is expected.
More from the Pacific:
- Still with the Canucks, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Brock Boeser missed today’s game for personal reasons; no further details were provided by the club. The 28-year-old had gotten off to a decent start to the season with three goals in five games while also seeing some playing time on the penalty kill, a role he hasn’t filled in a while. Jonathan Lekkerimaki took his place in the lineup but he, too, left today’s game early with an undisclosed injury.
- Golden Knights winger Mark Stone left last night’s game with what looked to be a wrist injury. Head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters postgame including Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there was no immediate update and that they were hoping to know more information about the injury by Monday. The captain has had a great start to the season, leading the league in assists with 11 through his first six games.
- Oilers winger Kasperi Kapanen left today’s game against Detroit in the second period with an undisclosed injury, the team announced. The veteran has been a regular in Edmonton’s bottom six through the first six games of the season where he has two assists. Notably, the team does not have enough accrued cap space to recall anyone from AHL Bakersfield (even with LTIR) as things stand which could be something to keep an eye on if he’s set to miss any more time.
West Notes: Chytil, Cooley, Mailloux
The Vancouver Canucks are off to a somewhat slow start to 2025-26, going 1-2-0 in three games. After scoring five goals in their season-opening victory, the team scored just three across its next two games, and while sample sizes are still quite small, there are some notable trends emerging in terms of how first-year head coach Adam Foote is deploying his forwards. The Athletic’s Harman Dayal wrote today that through the first three games of the season, Foote “has been deploying” Filip Chytil “more like a No. 1 centre than” Elias Pettersson, the team’s star pivot. Dayal noted that Chytil currently ranks 14th in the NHL in five-on-five ice time per game, while Pettersson ranks 264th, and that Chytil is averaging nearly a full minute more of ice time per game than Pettersson at all situations.
Chytil has registered two goals this season playing alongside Evander Kane and Conor Garland, while Pettersson has posted one assist playing between Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk. What’s notable about this early-season deployment is that it’s somewhat surprising to see the pair of 2017 first-rounders deployed this way. Pettersson, who scored 102 points in 2022-23, has long been seen as the team’s star center, and is making $11.6MM against the cap through 2031-32, while Chytil has a career high of 45 points (also from 2022-23) and makes $4.437MM against the cap. Pettersson’s sub-par performance last season (just 45 points in 64 games) was one of the defining storylines of the team’s disappointing 2024-25 campaign, and through three games this season, signs are beginning to emerge that the talented but enigmatic 26-year-old may not have put those on-ice struggles entirely behind him.
More notes from the Western Conference:
- We previously covered how Wednesday’s start was a crucial game in the pro career of netminder Devin Cooley, and now that the contest has come and gone, it’s clear Cooley made the most of his opportunity. It was reported that the Flames were monitoring potential outside acquisitions to replace Cooley as the team’s backup netminder, but not before giving the 28-year-old veteran his chance to earn the role. Although the Flames fell 3-1 to the Utah Mammoth in Cooley’s first start of the season, Cooley put forth an impressive performance, saving 29 of 31 shots. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis wrote that yesterday’s game “could easily have gotten out of hand” without Cooley’s heroics, and head coach Ryan Huska told the media that he felt Cooley’s first start “was excellent.” While one brilliant start doesn’t necessarily mean the Flames are now sold with Cooley as their go-to option behind starter Dustin Wolf, it certainly doesn’t hurt Cooley’s chances.
- The offseason swap of 2021 first rounders, St. Louis Blues forward Zachary Bolduc for Montreal Canadiens defenseman Logan Mailloux, was one of this past offseason’s most intriguing trades. Trades of players who are each valuable, promising young talents in their own right are relatively rare. As a result, tracking how each player performs in their new environment is one of the more intriguing storylines to follow in 2025-26. Thus far, things are working out for Bolduc in Montreal but it’s a different story for Mailloux in St. Louis. The talented defenseman struggled quite a bit in the team’s Wednesday loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, has not registered a point through four games, and has a minus-seven rating. Of course, it’s still far too early in the process to even begin contemplating final judgments on the trade, and it’s important to note that young defensemen in many cases take longer to develop in the NHL than forwards. The Hockey News’ Lou Korac wrote that “the Blues believe in Mailloux” and “understand this is going to take time,” and teammate Colton Parayko said after the loss that Mailloux is “a great player” and has his “full faith.”