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Atlantic Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Bjorkstrand, Söderblom

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Sunday: Toronto head coach Craig Berube expects Oliver Ekman-Larsson to play tonight, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. In 77 games on the season, the defender produced 29 points and a plus-14 rating. He missed the final four games of the season with an upper-body injury.

Saturday: Defenseman Jani Hakanpää will be the only rostered player on the Toronto Maple Leafs who won’t be available for the team in their Round One matchup against the Ottawa Senators. In an article from Luke Fox of Sportsnet, Fox reports that defensemen Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and forwards David Kämpf and Max Pacioretty will be available for Toronto on Monday.

Given that the Maple Leafs have few issues scoring goals, McCabe and Ekman-Larsson are the most notable returnees, particularly concerning the team’s penalty kill. Despite finishing the year with a 77.87% success rate, Toronto’s kill average dropped to 75.00% throughout their final seven games without McCabe. The Maple Leafs’ penalty kill ranked just below the NHL average of 78.36%, which could be an avenue to success for Ottawa, given their capable 11th-ranked powerplay.

With respect to the Senators and their season, they arguably present Toronto with their best opportunity to reach Round Two of the postseason for the second time in nine years. After finishing the regular season on a 12-2-1 tear, having a wholly healthy roster for Round One will do nothing but help the Maple Leafs’ chances.

Other injury notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper confirmed that trade deadline acquisition Oliver Bjorkstrand won’t be available for the team’s Round One matchup against the Florida Panthers (Tweet Link). Bjorkstrand sustained a lower-body injury a few days ago, and his Round One availability was in doubt, given that his recovery timeline was designated as week-to-week. The Herning, Denmark native scored five goals and nine points in 18 games for the Lightning after being acquired from the Seattle Kraken before the trade deadline.
  • According to Rachel Hopmayer of CBS Detroit, Detroit Red Wings forward Elmer Söderblom is expected to join the team’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for the Calder Cup playoffs once his undisclosed injury has healed. In his first extended stay in the NHL since the 2022-23 season, Söderblom scored four goals and 11 points in 26 games for the Red Wings after being recalled in late January. His addition will boost the Griffins’ postseason chances, given Söderblom scored five goals and 17 points in 38 games with Grand Rapids earlier this season.

Atlantic Notes: Lindholm, Roy, McCabe, Ekman-Larsson, Puljujärvi

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Bruins center Elias Lindholm dealt with a back injury throughout his first season in Boston, he revealed to reporters at today’s exit meetings (via Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub). He sustained it in August, and it’s what caused him to miss most of training camp before playing all 82 games for the Bruins. It should offer some explanation for his continued offensive struggles, posting 17-30–47 for a 0.57 points per game rate after signing a massive seven-year, $54.25MM deal with Boston in free agency. This year marked Lindholm’s second straight campaign with less than 20 goals after he potted 42 for the Flames in 2021-22. He remains one of the league’s better faceoff-takers with a 55.2% win rate on nearly 1,400 draws, but that alone doesn’t justify his $7.75MM cap hit without increased offensive production. Boston will hope for a rebound next year to aid in their retooling.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Canadiens prospect Joshua Roy won’t be on their playoff roster, at least to start. The team announced that they’ve sent him to AHL Laval, which is on the verge of clinching the AHL’s regular-season title and is set to begin a playoff run themselves. The 21-year-old winger had been on Montreal’s roster since March 10 but was a healthy scratch in their final 11 games as they successfully chased a wild-card berth. A 2021 fifth-round pick, Roy ends his second NHL season with just two goals and a minus-six rating in 12 appearances. He’s been a continued first-line threat in Laval, where he scored 20-15–35 in 46 games before his most recent call-up.
  • The Maple Leafs expect defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe to be available for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Senators on Sunday, head coach Craig Berube said today (via David Alter of The Hockey News). Neither will dress in tonight’s season finale against the Red Wings. OEL will end up missing the final four games of the season with an upper-body injury, while McCabe will miss a seventh straight game with an undisclosed injury. Both have been invaluable pieces of Toronto’s blue line in 2024-25, averaging north of 21 minutes per game with some of the best two-way metrics on the team.
  • Panthers winger Jesse Puljujärvi was sent to AHL Charlotte yesterday ahead of the playoffs, but he won’t be available immediately if Florida decides to recall him during the postseason. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced they’ve suspended him for two games for an illegal check to the head of Lightning winger Mitchell Chaffee in Tuesday night’s game. It’s the first supplemental discipline of Puljujärvi’s eight-year career.

Atlantic Notes: Bruins, Power, Knies, McCabe, Thompson

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To the surprise of many, don’t expect any changes to the Boston Bruins’ front office this summer. According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Bruins will retain President Cam Neely and General Manager Don Sweeney to invent the next iteration of Boston’s roster.

It’ll be the first time Sweeney has had to engage in a retool during his tenure as General Manager. Sweeney took over as the team’s top decision-maker in 2015-16. He manufactured the roster that took the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 and the team that set the single-season win record in 2022-23.

Unfortunately, aside from their loss to the St. Louis Blues in 2019, Boston hasn’t appeared in the Eastern Conference Final in any other year under Sweeney’s regime. The Bruins have fallen to last place in the Eastern Conference since selling off at the trade deadline in March, while being projected to have a top-five pick since selecting Tyler Seguin second-overall in the 2010 NHL Draft.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • If the 2024-25 season couldn’t get any worse for the Buffalo Sabres, one of their top defenseman could be out longer-term with a leg injury. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported that defenseman Owen Power has a serious injury and may require surgery this summer. The injury in question took place in the Sabres’ second-to-last game against the Florida Panthers when Florida forward Carter Verhaeghe awkwardly fell on his leg.
  • In addition to their upcoming attempt to win the 14th Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, one of the main storylines off the ice for the Toronto Maple Leafs is their contract negotiations with forward Matthew Knies. According to a new report from The Fourth Period, there is no worry from either side that a new deal won’t be agreed upon, but there is a lengthy gap in the expected length of his next contract. The report indicates that the Maple Leafs prefer a six-to-eight-year deal, while Knies’ camp prefers a three-to-five-year agreement. Given that only a one-year gap exists between Toronto’s low end and Knies’s high end, it should make for a reasonable compromise between the sides. 
  • Unfortunately, there’s some negative news for the Maple Leafs as they prepare for a lengthy post-season. Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reported that there’s no guarantee defenseman Jake McCabe will be available for the team in their Round One matchup. McCabe hasn’t played since early April due to an undisclosed injury and would be a major missing piece for Toronto’s blue line in the playoffs. The 12-year veteran is second on the team in blocked shots (135) and seventh in expected +/- (6.6) through 66 games played.
  • For the first time in five years, Sabres forward Tage Thompson will play for Team USA in the World Championships (Twitter Link). After being excluded from the United States’ Four Nations Face-Off roster in February, this strikes as a move for Thompson to raise his Olympic profile for next season. He scored one goal and five points in eight games during his last appearance in the offseason tournament in 2021.

Evening Notes: Ferraro, Rutta, Sorensen, Ekman-Larsson, McCabe

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The San Jose Sharks will swap out a pair of injured defensemen through the end of the season. Top defender Mario Ferraro has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, while depth option Jan Rutta will be activated from injured reserve for Friday night’s game, per Jason Gregor of Sports-1440. Ferraro suffered a lower-body injury in Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild. Rutta was also facing a lower-body injury, and has missed San Jose’s last 27 games.

Ferraro’s season will come to a close on the heels of a streak of heavy utilization. He’s appeared in at least 24 minutes of play in six of his last 10 games. That mark raised his season-long average to 21:24 through 78 games. Ferraro recorded five goals, 17 points, and a minus-25 with those minutes. He also led the Sharks defense with 125 blocked shots and 150 hits on the year. His minus-25 was also Ferraro’s highest plus-minus since the 2021-22 seaosn. He had another year of a hard-fought role, and the defense will feel the weight of his absence through their final four games.

Rutta has handled far less of a role through his healthy games this season. He’s recorded eight points, a minus-six, and 28 penalty minutes in 51 games while rotating through a role on San Jose’s bottom pair. His average of 16:57 in ice time is the fewest of any Sharks defender with more than 30 games played. Nonetheless, Rutta will slot back into a role on the Sharks’ bottom two pairings with Ferraro out.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Chicago Blackhawks head coach Anders Sorensen has been named an assistant coach for Team Sweden at the upcoming World Championship per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. It will be his first time coaching in an international tournament at any level. In fact, Sorensen didn’t play in any international tournaments during his short-lived playing career either – though his pro journey did span tenures in Sweden, France, and Norway. Sorensen has grown through the ranks of Chicago hockey, coaching prominent youth club the Chicago Mission for many years before graduating to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs’ head coaching role, then assuming Chicago’s head coach role this season. Sorensen has set a 15-30-8 record in 53 games behind the Blackhawks’ bench this season.
  • Johnston also reported that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will miss Saturday’s game with a day-to-day injury. The Leafs will also be without Jake McCabe per Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, though Siegel adds that McCabe is nearing a return. He has missed the last three games. Both defenders have served strong roles with the Leafs this season, and sit right next to each other across many stats. Ekman-Larsson has scored 29 points in 77 games, while McCabe has managed 23 points in 66 games. Both defenders average 21 minutes of ice time, and round out Toronto’s left-hand side alongside Morgan Rielly. The Leafs will watch for the return of both options closely as they prepare for a long playoff run, after clinching a spot on April 2nd.

East Notes: Sabres, Glass, McCabe

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The Sabres are hoping to have a pair of veterans return to the lineup before the end of the regular season.  Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald notes that center Josh Norris (mid-body) and winger Jordan Greenway (lower body) are both progressing in their recovery from their respective injuries and that the plan is for them to play before the season ends in a couple of weeks.  Norris has missed the last ten games and has only suited up three times for Buffalo after they acquired him from Ottawa at the trade deadline.  He has 21 goals and 14 assists in 56 games this season.  Greenway, meanwhile, has battled injury trouble throughout the year, limiting him to just 34 appearances where he has only eight points.  While that’s not the ideal platform year heading into free agency, the two sides agreed on a two-year, $8MM extension before last month’s trade deadline.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • The Devils will welcome back one of their newest forwards this afternoon against the Rangers. Team reporters Marc Ciampa and Sam Kasan relay that center Cody Glass will return to the lineup after missing the last week and a half due to a lower-body injury.  The 26-year-old was acquired from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline and has been much more impactful since then.  After notching just 15 points in 51 games with his former team, Glass has two goals and four assists through eight games with New Jersey.
  • Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe won’t play tonight against Columbus and could be out longer, suggests Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. The 31-year-old suffered an undisclosed injury late in Wednesday’s victory over Florida but while head coach Craig Berube listed him as day-to-day, he didn’t have any specifics about the injury including how it happened.  McCabe has been a key part of Toronto’s back end this season, notching 23 points, 135 blocks, and 118 hits in 66 games while averaging a career-high 21:31 per night of playing time.

Maple Leafs Reassign Marshall Rifai, Activate Jake McCabe

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Jan. 16: The Leafs announced they’ve activated McCabe as expected. Their active roster is full once again.

Jan. 15: The Maple Leafs reassigned defenseman Marshall Rifai to AHL Toronto on Wednesday, according to an announcement from the club. Toronto now has an open roster spot, which could be used to activate fellow blue-liner Jake McCabe from injured reserve before Thursday’s game against the Devils.

Rifai, 26, had been on Toronto’s roster since Jan. 6. Serving as an extra defender in McCabe’s absence, he was scratched for all four games on his recall.

The 6’2″, 213-lb lefty has been recalled from the AHL three times since clearing waivers during training camp, but they haven’t resulted in any game action. His only two career NHL appearances came with the Leafs last season, recording a plus-one rating and a shot on goal with four hits while averaging 11:40 of ice time.

Signed as an undrafted free agent to an AHL contract out of Harvard in 22, Rifai has slowly but surely worked his way up the organizational ladder over the past three years. The feisty defender’s continued development in the minors and strong training camp performances earned him a two-year, one-way extension worth $1.55MM in September, so while he hasn’t gotten any looks yet this season, the Leafs still envision him playing contests for them in the future.

Between call-ups, Rifai has two goals, two assists, four points, 24 PIMs, and a plus-eight rating in 26 AHL games. He’s serving as an alternate captain for the first time.

McCabe, 31, has missed four games with an upper-body injury he sustained on Jan. 5 against the Flyers when he hit his head on the ice following a fight with Garnet Hathaway. It’s his second upper-body injury, both suspected concussions, since the beginning of December.

Head coach Craig Berube told reporters Monday that McCabe is “doing really well” after he skated on his own before practice (via Nick Barden of The Hockey News). The stalwart lefty has missed nine games in total due to injury this season but is averaging a career-high 20:52 per game when in the lineup.

Atlantic Notes: Ullmark, McCabe, Stolarz, Rifai, Savard

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The Senators got some good news on the injury front on Friday as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that goaltender Linus Ullmark was back on the ice on Friday for the first time since suffering a back injury before the holiday break.  Head coach Travis Green indicated that he’s hopeful that the veteran will be able to return to practice soon which is the next hurdle to clear before he can return.  After a slow start to his season, Ullmark has a 1.48 GAA with a .957 SV% in his last ten outings which helped briefly propel them into one of the Wild Card spots in the East.  But since he went down, the Sens have won just one of their last seven games, making his eventual return a top priority.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe skated today as he works his way back from an upper-body injury sustained in a fight last weekend, shares Nick Barden of The Hockey News (Twitter link). However, head coach Craig Berube noted that there’s no timeline for a return but that the veteran is doing well.  McCabe has 11 points, 68 blocks, and 72 hits in 36 games this season while his 20:52 ATOI – a career-high – sits third among Toronto defenders.
  • In a separate note from Barden (Twitter link), he relays that Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz could resume skating as soon as this week as he gets closer to returning from a knee injury. Stolarz underwent surgery last month and was given a timeline of four to six weeks to return.  Next week will mark the four-week mark so it appears he’s on track in his recovery.  The 30-year-old was off to quite a strong start before getting hurt as his .927 SV% through his first 17 starts still leads the league.
  • After papering him back to the Marlies on Thursday, the Maple Leafs have once again recalled defenseman Marshall Rifai, per the AHL’s transactions log. While banking cap space isn’t the goal here with Toronto, shuffling him down on non-game days delays his waiver clock.  Rifai played two games with the Maple Leafs last season, his only NHL action thus far.
  • The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that defenseman David Savard will return to the lineup tonight against Dallas. The veteran had missed the last four games with an upper-body injury.  A pending unrestricted free agent, Savard has 10 points, 90 blocks, and 31 hits in 35 games this season while logging 18:37 per night of playing time.

Maple Leafs Place Jake McCabe On IR, Recall Marshall Rifai

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Jake McCabe’s fight with Philadelphia Flyers’ Garnet Hathaway from Sunday night will have some lasting effects. McCabe won’t be in the lineup for the rematch tomorrow night as the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they’ve placed him on injured reserve and recalled defenseman Marshall Rifai in his stead.

The fight between McCabe and Hathaway ended with a scary sequence. As the pair were falling to the ice as the fight ended, Hathaway landed on McCabe’s head causing the injury. Toronto hasn’t offered an official diagnosis for McCabe’s injury but he did not return to game action.

It’ll be a sizeable loss for the Maple Leafs should McCabe miss significant time. He’s been a more than effective blue liner for Toronto since the organization acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2022-23 NHL season.

He has consistently averaged over 20 minutes per game in Toronto and was one of the team’s most physically imposing defensemen before they signed Chris Tanev this past summer. McCabe arguably had the best season of his career last year scoring eight goals and 28 points in 73 games while finishing second on the team with 219 hits.

The transaction is the second call-up this week for Rifai. He was originally recalled on New Year’s Eve to take the roster spot of the then-injured Auston Matthews and will now take the place of McCabe on the active roster.

He’ll likely become the team’s seventh defenseman giving the recently-extended Philippe Myers more time in the lineup. Despite the two call-ups, Rifai has only played for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this year, recording two goals and four points in 26 contests.

Snapshots: Predators, Haula, Hurricanes, McCabe

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The Predators have recalled defenseman Kevin Gravel from AHL Milwaukee, per the AHL’s transactions log.  He’ll take the place of Jeremy Lauzon on the active roster who has been moved back to injured reserve.  Gravel has an assist in three games with Nashville so far this season but is likely to be in the seventh defender role for the time being.  He also has five points in 25 games with the Admirals.  Lauzon, meanwhile, just returned from injured reserve midway through last month, getting into six games before being sidelined with a lower-body injury once again.  He has one assist and 127 hits in 28 games thus far in just under 18 minutes a night of playing time.

Elsewhere from around the NHL:

  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that center Erik Haula is listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury and is set to undergo further testing. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now that the veteran is going to miss some time.  It has been a rough year for Haula thus far as he has just five goals and six assists in 42 games.  Even extrapolated for a full season, his projected output would be well below the 44, 41, and 35 points Haula had in the last three years.
  • Hurricanes winger William Carrier was a late scratch from their game against Pittsburgh. The team announced (Twitter link) that he’s dealing with a lower-body injury.  The 30-year-old is in his first season in Carolina after signing a six-year deal with them over the summer and has nine points along with a team-high 136 hits in 39 games.  In a corresponding move, winger Juha Jaaska was brought back up from AHL Chicago, per the AHL’s transactions log, after being sent down on Thursday.  He made his NHL debut on Wednesday, playing 8:21 against Florida.
  • The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Jake McCabe suffered an upper-body injury in tonight’s game against Philadelphia and won’t return. The injury occurred in a fight late in the opening period.  McCabe has been an important part of Toronto’s back end, logging over 21 minutes a night while chipping in with 11 points, 68 blocks, and 75 hits in his first 35 games this season.

Leafs Notes: McCabe, McMann, Kampf, Stolarz

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have activated defenseman Jake McCabe off of injured reserve, per the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan. McCabe was moved to IR on December 7th, and hasn’t played since suffering a wrist injury while blocking a shot from Nicklaus Perbix in Toronto’s November 30th win over Tampa Bay. McCabe returned to full practice just two days after his IR placement and is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday.

That’s great news for the Maple Leafs, who have leaned heavily on McCabe this season. He’s averaged 21:20 in ice time through 23 games this season, narrowly leading the team’s blue-line in average time on ice – just two seconds ahead of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and seven seconds more than Morgan Rielly. McCabe has recorded five assists, a +11, and 21 penalty minutes in his opportunities. More encouraging, McCabe also ranks third among Leafs defenders in goals-against per-60 (GA/60) with a 1.22 average – just narrowly behind bottom-pair defenders Simon Benoit (1.17) and Conor Timmins (0.98). Those results will return McCabe immediately back to his top-pair, defense-oriented role next to summer addition Chris Tanev.

Other notes out of Toronto:

  • Forward Bobby McMann is also nearing a return to the lineup, head coach Craig Berube told David Alter of The Hockey News. McMann suffered a lower-body injury on November 27th and has since missed six games. He returned to practice on December 6th and could return to the lineup within a week, shares Alter’s colleague Evan Doerfler. McMann has continued his dazzling goal-scoring into this season, with six goals and an 11.5 shooting percentage in 21 games. He played his first full year in the NHL last season, netting 15 goals and 24 points in 56 games. McMann has proven a reliable middle-six winger on and off of the puck, and should slot back into the middle-six as soon as he returns.
  • Berube also shared with Alter that center David Kampf is still a ways away from returning. Kampf was placed on IR with a lower-body injury on November 19th, and hasn’t played since November 16th. He recorded three assists in 18 games as Toronto’s third-line center prior to his injury. Kampf has 75 points in 260 games over the last four seasons with Toronto, largely comprised of 26-point and 27-point seasons across his first two years with the team. He’ll eye a return in 2025, and may need to fight to regain a spot in the team’s top-nine.
  • Top Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz left the team’s Thursday game against Anaheim with a lower-body injury, shares Sportsnet. He seemed to suffer the injury on Anaheim’s first goal of the game, appearing in pain after stretching to try and make a save. Stolarz has been tremendous for the Leafs early on. He leads all goaltenders in save percentage, maintaining a .928 through 16 games this season – narrowly ahead of Filip Gustavsson and Connor Hellebuyck who each have a .927. Stolarz has added a 9-5-2 record to boot, performing well enough to earn the Leafs’ starting role while Joseph Woll sorted out injuries. Stolarz is an eight-year veteran of the NHL. He’s tallied a 99-52-36 record and .916 save percentage through 124 career games. Leafs fans and management alike will hold their breath for an update on his long-term health, after an injury that didn’t appear to be severe.

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