East Notes: Bjugstad, Spezza, Bobrovsky, Cizikas
The Penguins could be getting some more help from the infirmary. Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes that center Nick Bjugstad is on the verge of returning to the lineup and should be available to play on Thursday night against Buffalo where he’s likely to suit up on the third line. The 27-year-old has been out for more than three months due to a core muscle injury, one that caused him to miss some time in October as well. Bjugstad has since recovered from his surgery and while it would be difficult to expect him to contribute too much offensively after being out for so long, he should at least be able to provide a physical presence while he gets back up to speed.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 31 Thoughts that the Maple Leafs center Jason Spezza has yet to have discussions about a possible contract extension with the Leafs. He’s playing for the league minimum of $700K this season and will need to take a similar deal if he wants to have a chance to stay in Toronto given their contract structure despite producing relatively well given his low ice time with 25 points in 55 games while playing under 11 minutes a night.
- Although Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky wasn’t at practice today, he is still an option to play on Thursday, relays George Richards of The Athletic (Twitter link). He was a surprise scratch on Sunday due to a lower-body injury. If he can’t go, Chris Driedger is expected to be available after returning from his conditioning stint on Tuesday.
- Islanders center Casey Cizikas is getting closer to returning. GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters, including Arthur Staple of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the rugged forward is about a week away from getting back on the ice and likely two weeks from returning to the lineup. Cizikas has been out since suffering a lower-body injury against Philadelphia back on February 11th.
Snapshots: Three Stars, EBUG, Pittsburgh
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and a great story of redemption comes in at the top. Kevin Fiala, who was made a healthy scratch earlier in the year, had four multi-point games in one week and now sits at a career-high 49 points on the season. The 23-year old forward has always oozed talent, but would disappear for stretches during his time with the Nashville Predators. In eight games with new head coach Dean Evason, Fiala has six goals and 11 points.
Second place goes to a former teammate of Fiala in Ryan Ellis, whose return to the Predators lineup was a strong one after missing time with a concussion. The defenseman recorded seven points last week and now has 36 on the year. If you hadn’t realized just how well Pavel Francouz was playing for the Colorado Avalanche, how about a 3-0 week with a .946 save percentage to let the world know. The goaltender took home the third star after receiving the top honors last week.
- It is the first day of the GM meetings in Florida, and one of the topics of conversation was the emergency backup goaltender situation. Though there were some who have voiced concerns, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that there will be no changes to the protocol. Fans of Scott Foster and David Ayres will be relieved.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a terrible slump, but might be getting some reinforcements back soon. Brian Dumoulin, John Marino and Nick Bjugstad were all participating in full at practice today, though it is not clear exactly when they will return to action. With that news, the team has returned Zach Trotman to the minor leagues.
Injury Updates: Bjugstad, Wilson, Neal, Wolanin, Motte, Okposo
Prior to their bye week, Penguins winger Nick Bjugstad had been skating on his own and had even traveled with the team on its recent road trip, leading to some speculation that he was nearing a return. However, he hasn’t been skating since then, yet head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that Bjugstad hasn’t suffered a setback but declined to go into further detail. The initial timeline for his return was a minimum of eight weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery. This is week nine since then and even if this is just planned rest and not anything of concern, it certainly seems like Bjugstad is going to be out for a while longer.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- Avalanche winger Colin Wilson has missed nearly three months with a lower-body injury and it doesn’t sound like he’s coming back anytime soon. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports (Twitter link) that it looks doubtful that he will return to play this season. The 30-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and considering that he has only played in nine games in 2019-20, he’ll be hard-pressed to get his current $2.6MM salary on his next deal.
- Oilers winger James Neal was a late scratch on Friday due to a foot injury and is doubtful to play in Saturday’s rematch of the Battle of Alberta against Calgary, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. While his goal production has slipped as of late (he has scored in only one of Edmonton’s last 13 games – though that one game saw him record a hat trick), he still sits third on the team in goals with 19.
- Senators defenseman Christian Wolanin has been cleared for contact as he works his way back from shoulder surgery, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He was injured just before training camp got underway and has yet to play this season. Ottawa plans to assign him to Belleville of the AHL on Wednesday and should make his season debut a week or so after that. With the Sens likely to move a blueliner or two by the trade deadline, there’s a good chance that Wolanin’s AHL time will be limited.
- A difficult season for Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte is only getting worse. The team has announced that Motte, who has already missed 27 games this season with a broken foot, is now set to miss four-to-six weeks with a shoulder injury. When Motte returns in March, he likely will have missed another 15-20 games, meaning more than half of the 2019-20 season will have been lost to injury. Even when the young forward has been healthy, he has recorded just five points in 24 games. It’s been a year to forget for Motte.
- The same can be said for the Buffalo Sabres and forward Kyle Okposo. After being sidelined for ten games earlier this season due to a concussion, head coach Ralph Krueger told the media today that a new upper-body injury is likely to keep Okposo out “weeks”. The veteran forward left Thursday night’s game early and did not return and now it seems a return to the lineup is not imminent. As Buffalo continues to falter after a hot start, Okposo’s twelve points on the year and inability to stay in the lineup are not helping the cause.
Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Justin Schultz From IR
The Pittsburgh Penguins do not return to action for more than a week, when they square off with the rival Philadelphia Flyers on January 31st. However, fans now have even more to look forward to than just the return of their team. Joining them back on the ice will be defenseman Justin Schultz, who CapFriendly reports has been activated from the injured reserve.
This news comes just days after Schultz made his return to practice for the first time since his injury occurred back on December 17. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh wrote on Tuesday that Schultz was all but ready to return than night – also against the Flyers – after participating fully in practice, but the team had opted to exercise caution with the long break ahead. While Shultz has reportedly been activated today, it is nothing more than a paper move with the team disbanded for the All-Star Game and bye week. He will get extra rest during this time, with the hope being that he can hit the ground running in his return.
Schultz suffered his lower-body injury in mid-December as part of a rash of injuries for the Penguins. Captain Sidney Crosby has recently returned from the injury he suffered in November, but Pittsburgh still awaits the returns of Schultz, fellow defenseman Brian Dumoulin, and forward Nick Bjugstad, who has been out the longest with a core muscle injury. Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust have also missed substantial time due to injury this season, while Jake Guentzel saw his season ended by a shoulder injury not long after Schultz went down.
It has been a difficult season health-wise for the Penguins, but their absences have not been all that apparent. The team has had miraculous success given their numerous injuries, not only keeping pace in the competitive Metropolitan Division, but in fact making a play for the division lead. Pittsburgh sits just four point back of the Washington Capitals with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. If they are able to accomplish that with so many big names out the lineup, who knows how they might perform once everyone is healthy. There is hope that Dumoulin and Bjugstad will soon be healthy, but in the meantime the return of Schultz should make an immediate impact. The 29-year-old defenseman, who is in the final year of his contract, struggled with injuries last season as well, but when healthy has recorded 109 points in 215 games since arriving in Pittsburgh in 2015. Capable of playing big minutes and putting up big points, with a history of playing his best in the postseason, plus the additional motivation of a free agency payday, Schultz could be a game-changing asset for the Penguins in his return.
Pittsburgh Penguins Looking For Forward
Even though they seem ready to welcome back captain Sidney Crosby in the next few days, the Pittsburgh Penguins will still be without one of their most potent offensive weapons for the rest of the season. Jake Guentzel is facing a four to six month recovery time after his recent shoulder surgery, which according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, has the Penguins looking for help up front.
Earlier today, Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) also wrote that Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford is “ready to deal,” though suggested a bit of a different take. Custance listed Alex Galchenyuk and Nick Bjugstad—noted forwards—as players to watch on the trade market. If Rutherford is looking for a swap upfront, it wouldn’t be the first time. Just last year the Penguins traded away Carl Hagelin for Tanner Pearson when they needed a different look. Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan followed out the door when they were looking for a bit more punch up front, landing Bjugstad and Jared McCann in return. The following summer they traded Phil Kessel for Galchenyuk (after attempting to pry Jason Zucker out of Minnesota), and while that deal had a ton of factors, it still showed the willingness to try something different at the forward group around Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
That may be exactly what is happening now, especially with Guentzel—one of the only forwards on the team to find instant chemistry with basically anyone you put him with—on the sideline. The Penguins do have other assets, but it’s hard to know exactly what would be available in any trade to acquire real impact forwards. A lot has been written about the fact that Casey DeSmith is sitting in the minor leagues while Tristan Jarry runs away with an NHL job, but there is also little certainty in the goaltending position given Jarry and Matt Murray‘s contract status past this season (both are restricted free agents at season’s end).
At the very least, you can bet that Rutherford will be willing to take a swing at the fences and go for another Stanley Cup. The team has managed to stay in a divisional playoff spot even with their countless injuries and are now getting closer to having their superstar back at center ice. If there’s a GM to watch over the next few weeks—or really at any time during the year—it’s the one sitting in the Pittsburgh front office.
East Notes: Ekblad, Ryan, Bernier, Penguins
The Panthers will be without their top defenseman through the weekend. George Richards of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that Aaron Ekblad will miss at least the next two games with what is believed to be a shoulder injury. The good news for Florida is that he shouldn’t be out much longer as Richards adds that he could be back at some point during their upcoming four-game road trip. Ekblad is logging over 23 minutes per game for the third straight season while being on pace for a new career high in points.
Elsewhere in the East:
- Senators winger Bobby Ryan has returned to Ottawa and has resumed skating, reports Postmedia’s Ken Warren. He has been away from the team since entering the NHL/NHLPA Assistance Program on November 20th. When asked about when the veteran might return to the lineup, head coach D.J. Smith indicated that there’s no immediate timetable for his return and that they’ll provide an update when Ryan is closer to being ready to come back.
- Red Wings goaltender Jonathan Bernier could be ready to return on Sunday, the team announced (Twitter link). He is dealing with a groin injury that caused him to miss last Sunday’s game but it doesn’t appear as if it will hold him out for long. Once he’s cleared to return, Calvin Pickard will return to AHL Grand Rapids.
- The Penguins are set to get some good news on the injury front as the team announced that they will activate winger Patric Hornqvist off IR in advance of tonight’s game against Nashville. The veteran had missed the past ten games due to a lower-body injury. Winger Thomas Di Pauli has been returned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to make room on the roster. Meanwhile, Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that forward Nick Bjugstad skated for the first time after sustaining a core muscle injury more than a month ago. He’s still likely a few weeks away from returning though.
Justin Schultz, Nick Bjugstad Out Long-Term
The Pittsburgh Penguins can’t catch a break. The team has announced that Nick Bjugstad underwent core muscle surgery and will be out at least eight weeks, after head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters it would be “longer-term” earlier this week. That’s exactly the way he has now also described the injury to Justin Schultz, who suffered a lower-body injury and will be out “longer-term.” If there is a sliver of good news to be had, Patric Hornqvist has been activated from injured reserve.
It’s been a disastrous season so far for the Penguins, who have now lost Hornqvist, Bjugstad, Schultz, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang for long stretches. That’s the core of their group, but somehow they’ve still managed to put up a 11-7-3 record.
While losing Bjugstad hurts, it’s likely not nearly as painful as seeing Schultz go out for any length of time. The 29-year old was hoping for a big bounce-back season after missing a huge part of 2018-19, and he was off to a good start. Schultz had eight points in 21 games and was logging nearly 21 minutes a night for the Penguins.
Nick Bjugstad Out “Longer-Term” With Lower-Body Injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins have suffered another injury. Head coach Mike Sullivan updated the media today and explained that though Nick Bjugstad was still being evaluated, he expects the big forward to be out “longer-term.” Bjugstad exited the game on Friday against the New Jersey Devils when he fell awkwardly into the boards.
Sullivan did announce that Patric Hornqvist is getting closer and that Kris Letang has resumed skating on his own, but isn’t ready for practice yet. The team is also still without Sidney Crosby as he recovers from his sports hernia surgery.
Bjugstad, 27, was already injured earlier this year and missed several games, limiting his impact for the team. In ten contests—two of which have been cut short by injury—he has just a single goal and zero assists. That’s a far cry from the nine goals and 14 points he registered in just 32 games for them following a trade from the Florida Panthers last season, and even further from the 24-goal campaign he put up as a 22-year old in 2014-15.
Selected 19th overall in 2010, Bjugstad has been something of a disappointment so far in his NHL career, dealing with injuries almost every season and not finding much consistency when he was on the ice. His absence will be missed however, given the other health concerns the team has at forward.
Penguins Activate Evgeni Malkin From Injured Reserve
The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to get their other superstar center back in action. The team has announced that Evgeni Malkin has been activated from the injured reserve. The expectation is that Malkin will be ready to suit up when the Penguins face the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Malkin has missed all but two games so far this season with an undisclosed leg injury and has just one point to show for the young campaign. The 33-year-old pivot’s 11-game absence has him on pace for a maximum 71 games this season, but it’s very likely that this will be another sub-70 game season for Malkin. Since 2012 he has only cracked the 70-game mark once, as injuries have been a consistent presence. In that one healthy season, Malkin recorded 98 points, the closest he has come to cracking 100 points as he did three times in his first six NHL seasons. Whereas his maximum point total in the other five seasons since 2012 has been 72 points. Malkin has still been one of the game’s more dominant offensive players for more than a decade now, but Penguins fans should probably temper their expectations of what to expect for the rest of the year from Malkin, who is likely in for another 70-odd point season at best.
With Malkin returning to the lineup, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Mike DeFabo writes that Dominik Kahun is the most likely candidate to take a seat. It’s amazing to think that the Penguins are now to the point that they are benching a capable, young trade acquisition when not long ago they were forced to play defenseman Juuso Riikola at forward due to an onslaught of injuries up front. Pittsburgh managed to go 7-4-0 without Malkin, while Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad, and Jared McCann were all among those who have missed time during that stretch as well. Back at full strength finally, the Penguins will face a tough decision each night as to who to play, with Kahun looking like the first casualty.
Penguins Activate Bryan Rust, Nick Bjugstad
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced several moves today, which included activating several of their players off of injured reserve. The team announced they activated forwards Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust (who was on long-term injured reserve) and both are expected to play in today’s lineup against Dallas.
The Penguins also changed the status of several players as Sam Lafferty, Adam Johnson and Joseph Blandisi all had their emergency recalls altered to regular recalls.
Rust has missed the entire season after blocking a shot in the preseason with his hand. The 27-year-old winger has also been a major missing piece in the Penguins’ lineup which also is missing Evgeni Malkin. The hope is that Rust can immediately supply the top-six with a prominent winger and add some offense to a suddenly struggling Pittsburgh squad. Rust scored a career-high 18 goals last season.
Bjugstad hasn’t appeared in a game since Oct. 5 after going down with a lower-body injury and should be a big addition to a team in need of some healthy veterans. The 27-year-old center has only appeared in two games this season, but scored nine goals and 13 points as a bottom-six center for the team in 32 games after the Penguins acquired him from Florida in February earlier this year.