Injury Notes: Zadina, Byram, Hornqvist, Chytil, Dahlin
After a major offseason overhaul rivaled only by the Ottawa Senators, expectations have been big for the Detroit Red Wings this season, however the team has gotten itself off to an up-and-down start. Sitting at 5-3-2 coming into today, the team would be faced with one of its tougher tasks of the young season this afternoon: a showdown with the New York Islanders, who were on a five-game winning streak. Detroit answered the call, shutting out the Islanders 3-0. That win appears to have come at a price, however. Forward Filip Zadina went down late in the third period after appearing to block a Ryan Pulock shot.
After the game, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, provided an update to the media, including Michigan Live’s Ansar Kahn. According to Lalonde, Zadina’s injury “doesn’t look good” and Detroit may not see the winger for a while, adding that the team would know more tomorrow. Soon to be 23-years-old, Zadina has yet to become the player Detroit hoped he would be when he was drafted sixth-overall in 2018, and has zero points through his first nine games this year, including today. But, with Detroit missing more than its fair share of forwards, including Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Oskar Sundqvist, and Robby Fabbri, losing Zadina for any period of time will surely be felt.
- For those who watched today’s NHL Global Series contest in Tampere, Finland between the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets, noticeably absent from Colorado’s blueline was Bowen Byram. The defenseman was replaced in the lineup by Jacob MacDonald, who was playing in just his fourth game of the season. Thus far, there is no word on the severity of Byram’s injury, however The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that it’s a lower-body injury. While no injury is good news, for Byram, who has dealt with a number of concussion-related issues in his past, having the injury apparently be unrelated to that is somewhat of a relief. The former fourth-overall pick is off to a strong start to the season, scoring two goals to go with three assists in 10 games to date.
- Florida Panthers winger Patric Hornqvist, who suffered an upper-body injury early in Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks, is considered day-to-day, head coach Paul Maurice told the media, including Bally Sports’ Katie Engleson. The veteran has just one goal through 11 games to start the season, but with Florida missing several key pieces from last year’s team, they will need a quick recovery from Hornqvist and renewed production to help supplement their offense going forward.
- New York Rangers center Filip Chytil expects to play in the team’s game tomorrow afternoon against the Red Wings. While Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant did not confirm that Chytil would be in the lineup, the forward did tell USA Today Sports’ Vince Mercogliano that he feels 100%. Still, Gallant is hopeful he can play Sunday. Chytil, who hasn’t played since October 23rd, was believed to be dealing with a concussion, said Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 23-year-old had three points in six games prior to the injury.
- Per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato confirmed that defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will miss tonight’s game in Tampa Bay against the Lightning with an upper-body injury. Granato declined to go into specifics on the injury but, Harrington says, it likely occurred during Friday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, when Dahlin was involved in a scuffle with Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Thankfully for Buffalo, Dahlin is listed as day-to-day, but his injury is yet another in a long line of defensemen going down in the Buffalo organization this season, whether that be at the NHL or AHL level. Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, who has missed the last four games with injury, draws back in tonight in place of Dahlin.
Injury Notes: Chytil, Danforth, Carlo
The New York Rangers will be without one of their young forwards for the next little while, telling reporters including Mollie Walker of the New York Post that Filip Chytil will be out for at least a week. While they called it an upper-body injury, Larry Brooks of the New York Post tweets that it is believed to be a concussion keeping Chytil off the ice.
The injury likely occurred on a hit from Cole Sillinger at the very beginning of yesterday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which left Chytil on the ice for several moments. The 23-year-old had been one of the team’s best players through the first part of the year, with Vince Mercogliano of USA Today noting that he is the only regular who hasn’t been on the ice for a goal against to this point.
- Justin Danforth is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, though there is also no clarification on his timeline. The Blue Jackets forward left Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins and missed yesterday’s tilt against the Rangers. The 29-year-old had two goals and three points in his first five games, even playing a whopping 20:23 in the second game of the year.
- Brandon Carlo was back on the ice today practicing in a regular jersey, and head coach Jim Montgomery said he was “getting close” to a return. He also said that he’ll be cautious with the big defender though, as Carlo confirmed he suffered another concussion – his fifth since entering the NHL in 2016 – against the Arizona Coyotes last week. He’s been out since then, and the Bruins will do everything they can to make sure he is at no further risk before he re-enters the lineup.
Injury Notes: Canucks, Chytil, Blankenburg
These days, most news on the Vancouver Canucks relates to their early struggles to start the season. Given their 0-4-2 start after a tough 8-15-2 start last season, flanked by their extensions with Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller, but lack of extension with Bo Horvat, the team’s captain, the questions are fair and the storylines sensible. That said, Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau did provide a few updates to the media this afternoon, including The Athletic’s Harman Dayal, regarding the team’s injuries.
Defenseman Quinn Hughes, who missed last night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, a 5-1 loss in Vancouver’s home-opener, is still considered day-to-day as of right now, good news for one of the team’s best players, who is currently averaging 27:14 of time-on-ice per night, a career-high so far. No real update was given on defenseman Tucker Poolman, who has played in just three games this season, Boudreau calling it a “tough situation,” the 29-year-old having “good days and bad days.” It’s unclear exactly what is bothering Poolman, but he did miss a large chunk of last season while dealing with migraine issues. Defenseman Travis Dermott, who suffered a concussion in late September, has been progressing well, Boudreau said, but will not play this week.
- The New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets will each have to finish their game shorthanded this evening. For the Rangers, center Filip Chytil left the game with an upper-body injury and will not return, says The Athletic’s Arthur Staple. Chytil had been tripped up earlier in the game, crashing hard to the ice and slow to get up, presumably the cause of the injury.
- Also leaving that game is Columbus defenseman Nick Blankenburg, who suffered an upper-body injury, the team confirms. Blankenburg had been involved in an awkward collision earlier in the game, appearing to injure his left arm, writes Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. The defenseman attempted to play through the injury, but ultimately left the game early in the second period.
East Notes: Mikheyev, Chytil, Monahan
A few days ago, we covered reports stating that the Toronto Maple Leafs had made it clear to teams across the league that they would be open to trading the early negotiating rights to Ilya Mikheyev to any interested teams. Now, we have some more clarity on what those interested teams might look like. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, there look to be many. Johnston reports that “as many as half the teams” in the NHL are expected to hold at least some interest in acquiring Mikheyev this summer, and adds that Mikheyev is looking for a deal “in the $4MM range,” if not higher.
Such a vast level of interest in Mikheyev is not a complete surprise. The speedy, undrafted Russian winger scored 21 goals and 32 points in 53 games this season, bouncing back from an off 2020-21 where he only had seven goals and 17 points in 54 games. While not the largest reason for each team’s success, both the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning feature premium middle-of-the-lineup players, and it’s likely that the teams interested in him consider him a “premium” middle-sixer. The NHL is a “copycat” league, so it’s very possible that the playoff success of relatively comparable players such as Artturi Lehkonen or Nick Paul has grown Mikheyev’s market. The more teams that enter a bidding war for his services, the more likely Mikheyev is to earn the type of contract the desires. So if anything, Johnston’s reporting is great news for Mikheyev and his camp, and could also be an early sign of the type of players that will be in high demand on July 13th.
Now, for some other notes regarding Eastern Conference teams:
- The New York Rangers could lose both Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome this summer, two top-six players who were important pieces of the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Final. Those losses will likely leave a hole at the Rangers’ second-line center slot, and the Rangers will need to find a replacement this summer. One way the team can find a replacement is in the trade market, and according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple, that’s something they’re considering. (subscription link) Per Staple, two league sources noted that center Filip Chytil, the hero of the team’s second-round victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, is the “most talked-about” Ranger in GM Chris Drury‘s trade conversations, and that “the Rangers are willing to lose Chytil in order to acquire an older, more established top-six center.” Chytil, a 2017 first-round pick, is a veteran of over 250 NHL games despite being just 22 years old. He had 22 points in 67 games this season and his strong playoff performance could motivate the Rangers to “sell high” on him if they don’t view him as part of their long-term plans.
- One player who could potentially fill the Rangers’ second-line center need is Calgary Flames pivot Sean Monahan. Per Staple, Monahan “has been discussed in trade talks” with the Rangers. Monahan, 27, has seen his career derailed due to injuries as of late, and was placed on long-term injured reserve following hip surgery. If the Rangers believe in Monahan’s ability to re-discover the form that saw him score between 20 and 30 goals for seven straight seasons, then the Rangers could acquire him at an asset cost that would likely be far lower than the cost it would take to acquire a more in-demand center.
Metropolitan Notes: Andersen, Snively, Rangers
After the Hurricanes got some good news when it came to goaltender Antti Raanta today, it appears things may be looking up even more on the injury front in Carolina. Sara Civian of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that goaltender Frederik Andersen should be good to go for the playoffs as well. The 32-year-old suffered an undisclosed injury a week and a half ago with little information revealed from there. While Civian notes that Andersen isn’t expected to dress for any of Carolina’s games this week, having both him and Raanta available for the postseason will certainly help their chances of a lengthy playoff run.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Capitals winger Joe Snively skated for the first time on Sunday after undergoing wrist surgery last month, relays Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. The 26-year-old did well in his first career NHL recall, picking up four goals and three assists before being injured in his 12th game at the end of February. Nevertheless, Snively did well enough to earn a two-year, one-way extension which he inked last month. It’s unlikely that Snively will be in Washington’s lineup to start the playoffs but if some injuries strike, he could be an option to suit up.
- The Rangers have listed forwards Andrew Copp, Kaapo Kakko, and Filip Chytil as game-time decisions for their game on Tuesday against Carolina as they look to stay in the mix for the top spot in the division, notes Ethan Sears of the New York Post. Copp (lower body) and Chytil (undisclosed) were both injured on Thursday while Kakko has been out for a week and a half with a lower-body injury and received a week-to-week designation at the time. Even if they don’t play on Tuesday, all three were full participants in practice which bodes well for their availability when the playoffs start next week.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Trocheck, Rangers
With Tristan Jarry injured with a broken bone in his foot, Pittsburgh’s decision to not upgrade their backup goaltending spot at the trade deadline has come into question. However, as Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette illustrates, doing so wasn’t a viable option for the Penguins on a couple of fronts. They only had enough money to add one piece – winger Rickard Rakell – with team president Brian Burke acknowledging they felt they needed to upgrade up front which made that the direction they took. On top of that, aside from Marc-Andre Fleury whose AAV was too expensive to fit in, there weren’t any realistic upgrades on Casey DeSmith that were readily available. DeSmith is now getting a prime opportunity to prove his value not only to Pittsburgh but around the rest of the league as he gets set to hit the open market in July.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck is having a nice season with 20 goals and 28 assists in 78 games, setting him up nicely to have plenty of interest in his first trip through unrestricted free agency this summer. However, he reiterated to Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin that his preference remains to stay in Carolina. The recent extension given to Jesperi Kotkaniemi could potentially complicate that plan as their intention is to move Kotkaniemi to his natural spot down the middle and Trocheck’s pending free agency is a logical way to do that. If the 28-year-old ultimately reaches the free agent market, Trocheck will have plenty of suitors to choose from in July.
- The Rangers won’t have forwards Andrew Copp (lower-body injury) and Filip Chytil (upper-body injury) in the lineup on Saturday against Boston, relays Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Both players were injured on Thursday (Copp’s came after scoring a natural hat trick in the first period) and are currently listed as day-to-day.
Kaapo Kakko Out Another Month With Upper-Body Injury
The New York Rangers will be without young forward Kaapo Kakko for another month according to head coach Gerard Gallant, who spoke to reporters including Dan Rosen of NHL.com. He hasn’t played since January 21, missing the last several games before the break with the upper-body injury that’s keeping him out.
While he still hasn’t reached the level of offense that many expected from a second-overall pick, Kakko has been an excellent defensive presence for the Rangers this season. His average ice time is up to 16 minutes a night with outstanding possession numbers, and though he still isn’t a regular on the penalty kill, he’s at least seen some time shorthanded.
Unfortunately, he won’t get a chance to try and raise that offensive presence for a while. In 37 games he has 14 points, just seven shy of the 23 he had as a rookie. A month would take him out for another dozen games, after which he’d need to find his footing once again.
The team recalled Morgan Barron this morning but he may not be in the lineup for long. The 23-year-old has one point in nine games, playing fewer than ten minutes in five of his appearances, and could soon be replaced by Filip Chytil, who could return against the Boston Bruins when the Rangers come back from their long break next week.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Chytil, Raanta, Ovechkin
Pittsburgh’s recent recall of Louis Domingue may have raised some eyebrows as adding a third goaltender to the roster usually means there’s an injury. However, that’s not the case for the Penguins, reports Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Instead, starting goaltender Tristan Jarry didn’t travel with the team to Ottawa and won’t be in uniform against the Sens as they’ve elected to not have him travel to give him some extra rest but he’s expected to suit up for the Penguins tomorrow night in Washington. At that point, blueliners Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel will also be available to return after being re-added to COVID protocols yesterday for cross-border travel reasons, not another positive test.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Rangers center Filip Chytil is expected to miss his second straight game tonight versus Columbus as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, notes Mollie Walker of the New York Post. However, it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be out much longer as he skated for a half-hour before practice on Friday which suggests he’s close to returning. The 22-year-old has two goals and an assist in 12 games this season.
- Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta has resumed skating as he works his way back from a concussion, relays Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer (Twitter link). The veteran suffered the injury a week ago today against Florida in just his second game of the season.
- Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin’s goal last night against Columbus moved him into fourth all-time in NHL scoring with 742 tallies. Next up for him to catch is Jaromir Jagr who sits 24 ahead of Washington’s captain. Ovechkin is off to a hot start to his season with 12 goals and 12 assists in just 14 games.
New York Rangers Sign Filip Chytil
The New York Rangers have taken care of a little restricted free agent business, signing Filip Chytil to a two-year contract. Chytil was not eligible for salary arbitration. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the contract will carry an average annual value of $2.3MM.
Now several years into his NHL career, Chytil has become a valuable part of the Rangers forward group even if his offensive production still hasn’t quite risen to expected levels. He registered eight goals and 22 points in 42 games this season while playing just over 13 minutes a night, mostly alongside young wingers Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere. That trio, who are all 21-or-under, are an extremely important part of the future in New York but will all be expected to take a step forward this season.
In Chytil’s case specifically, the Rangers were not comfortable using him on the powerplay this season, which obviously limits his offensive potential. With Pavel Buchnevich gone, there may be more opportunity with the man-advantage, though it of course may not all go to Chytil. There is also the addition of a more traditional bottom-six option in Barclay Goodrow, one that may be able to take on heavy defensive minutes and allow players like Chytil to feast on weaker competition.
At the end of this contract Chytil will still be a restricted free agent, but will also be arbitration-eligible. If he wants to cash in on a big-money deal, he’ll have to put up improved scoring stats over the next two seasons. Still just 21, the first-round pick certainly has the talent to be a legitimate middle-six contributor. Now he just has to prove he can do it on a consistent basis.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Rangers are more concerned with the latter than the former, with few impending UFAs of note but quite a few impact RFAs.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Pavel Buchnevich – Buchnevich is one of four of the Rangers’ top-twelve scoring forwards without a contract for next season, alongside Chytil, Gauthier, and Di Giuseppe, but is by far the most important. Buchnevich finished third in per-game scoring for New York this year, behind only stars Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. His 48 points were two more than his 2019-20 total, but in 14 fewer games. Buchnevich’s consistent scoring paired with his defensive improvements and success on both special teams units led to an increase in ice time to 18:44 per game, top line minutes again behind only Zibanejad and Panarin. Buchnevich timed this breakout year well; the 26-year-old forward is now a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. This is not an aberration either, as Buchnevich has shown steady improvement throughout his career and is firmly established as a top-six forward with 20-goal and 50-point regularity. The Rangers will have no choice but to pay up, short-term or long-term, with an unfavorable arbitration decision, not to mention the animosity created by the process, as a looming threat.
G Igor Shesterkin – The Rangers may have two young goaltenders in the pros and a multitude of talented prospects in the pipeline, but make no mistake: Shesterkin is invaluable. The 25-year-old netminder has only played in 47 games across two seasons since coming over from the KHL, but has been superb with a .921 save percentage, 2.59 GAA, and a .611 points percentage in his decisions for a team that has played at a .552 clip over the past two years. Shesterkin is the best of the bunch in net in New York and the Rangers need to lock him up on a multi-year deal, regardless of his lack of NHL experience. Shesterkin’s arbitration eligibility ensures that they will have to pay him fairly as well. Shesterkin is close to unrestricted free agency and the worst thing the team could do is sign what looks to be a solid NHL starter to a short-term deal (or settle for an arbitration decision) only to see him continue to perform or even improve and then price himself out of town.
Other RFAs: F Filip Chytil, D Brandon Crawley, F Gabriel Fontaine, F Julien Gauthier, F Tim Gettinger, D Libor Hajek, G Adam Huska, F Patrick Newell, F Ty Ronning, D Yegor Rykov
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Brendan Smith – It wasn’t long ago that Smith’s contract was one of the most criticized in the NHL as he was buried in the minors in the first season of a four-year, $17.4MM deal with the Rangers. In the years since, he has somewhat recovered to become a good albeit still overpaid depth defenseman for New York. Smith has played in over 80% of the Rangers’ games over the past three seasons since his abysmal debut season, providing physicality and defensive stability and, for the first time in 2020-21, more secure puck-handling and a hint more offense. With a deep stable of talented young defensemen, the Rangers don’t need Smith. However, they could do far worse than someone with versatility, checking ability, and veteran experience as a depth option. He would come much cheaper this time around as well, as Smith is unlikely to have a competitive market as a free agent.
F Phil Di Giuseppe – At 27 years old with only 201 career games and 53 career points, Di Giuseppe has not much more than a depth option during his time in the NHL and likely won’t be. However, he proved to be valuable in that role in two seasons with New York, playing a gritty checking game and contributing some modest offense. Di Giuseppe’s success as a plug-and-play bottom-six forward is not limited to his time with the Rangers either, as some of his best seasons were playing the same role with the Carolina Hurricanes. As an affordable extra man, Di Giuseppe has value to the Rangers as an extension candidate, but he may be on the lookout for more opportunity rather than staying on a New York roster that is deep in young players in need of ice time and hoping to add more veterans this off-season.
Other UFAs: D Jack Johnson, D Darren Raddysh
Projected Cap Space
While Buchnevich and Shesterkin will earn considerable deals this summer and Chytil is deserving of a sizeable raise as well, the Rangers remain in good shape with the salary cap. They currently project to have $22.89MM in cap space with 18 players on the NHL roster, but that includes third-string goaltender Keith Kinkaid and cap charge for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, who will be traded or at worst bought out in the off-season. A more accurate projection is closer to $25.5MM with 17 players on the roster. New deals for Gauthier, Hajek, and possibly Smith or Di Giuseppe (or replacements) should come cheap, leaving plenty of room to re-sign the key trio of RFA’s with room to spare to add another impact forward or two.
Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.