Nico Hischier Downgraded To Week-To-Week
Devils captain Nico Hischier‘s injury status has been downgraded to week-to-week, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Wednesday (including Gabriel Trevino of NJ.com). He has not played since sustaining an upper-body injury on a crosscheck from Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki last Saturday.
Keefe initially called Hischier day-to-day following the injury, which held him out of Monday’s loss to the Flyers. However, he left the team’s road trip to return to New Jersey to visit with team doctors for further evaluation. Evidently, it wasn’t positive news for the Swiss centerman, who will now miss another three games at minimum.
Past the halfway point of the season, Hischier leads the team in goals with 24 and has added 19 assists for 43 points in 51 games. He’s putting up career-highs in shooting percentage (17%) and average ice time (20:21), as well as winning 55.5% of his draws and logging a career-high 55.5 CF% at even strength. It’s been a dominant two-way campaign from the 2023 Selke Trophy finalist, one that could put him back in that conversation, assuming his absence doesn’t stretch out for too much longer.
It’s a difficult blow for the Devils, who are 4-5-3 since New Year’s and are already without starting goaltender Jacob Markström until around the trade deadline due to a sprained MCL. They’ve called to 28-18-6, decidedly third in the Metropolitan Division behind the Capitals and Hurricanes, and are now being chased by the red-hot Blue Jackets who are seven points back with two games in hand.
23-year-old Dawson Mercer shifts to center in Hischier’s absence with Erik Haula also on the shelf. The 2020 first-rounder has 23 points in 52 games, up only slightly from last year’s offensive pace.
Devils’ Nico Hischier Day-To-Day, Jack Hughes Banged Up
The New Jersey Devils could soon be without their two top forwards. Captain Nico Hischier left the team’s Saturday night matchup against the Montreal Canadiens in the second period, after receiving a slash from Canadiens center Nick Suzuki. No penalty was called on the play, and instead Suzuki skated up the ice and recorded the primary assist on Montreal’s second goal. Now, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe has shared that Hischier could be out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now.
Nichols also shared that Jack Hughes is, “less than 100 percent” due to a nagging finger injury. He suffered the injury partway through New Jersey’s Wednesday win over the Boston Bruins, exiting in the first period to get stitches in his finger but returning shortly after the start of the second. Hughes missed the team’s Friday practice to avoid risk of infection or further inflammation, but played in 20 minutes of New Jersey’s overtime win on Saturday. His status will be monitored closely as the Devils gear up for two weekday games against the Philadelphia Flyers.
There’s been no indication of whether or not the Devils top two centers will play on Monday. If they don’t, New Jersey will play their first game without the star duo in over two years. Despite routine injuries, one of the Devils’ star centers has found a way to stand at the top of the lineup – which would make matching absences incredibly tough to fill. Hughes and Hischier currently rank first and third on the Devils in scoring, with 57 and 43 points in 51 games respectively.
The only extra forward on New Jersey’s lineup is presently Kurtis MacDermid, who’s stepped into four games since the start of January. He doesn’t have any scoring through 19 games this season, which could force the Devils to look towards their minor leagues for meaningful fill-ins. Nolan Foote and Brian Halonen lead the AHL’s Utica Comets in scoring, with 25 points in 33 games and 24 points in 34 games respectively. Both players have served as injury fill-ins throughout the season, though neither has managed any NHL scoring in their spot starts. New Jersey could also turn towards Adam Beckman, who has 22 points in 29 AHL games and also managed two assists in 11 NHL games earlier this year. But none of those players bring natural center ability to the NHL lineup, likely meaning that any recall would need coupled with someone like Stefan Noesen, Ondrej Palat, or Dawson Mercer shifting into the middle-lane.
List Of Players Getting Trade Protection On July 1st
In the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and NHLPA, the league players can procure three types of No-Move Clauses in their contracts. The only stipulations to these clauses are that the player in question must be 27 years of age or older and must have accrued seven years of service time at the NHL level. The three types of No-Move Clauses are as follows: No Movement Clause (NMC), No Trade Clause (NTC), and Modified NMC or NTC.
Per the current CBA, an NMC means that a player cannot be waived, assigned to minors, or traded without their consent, and they also must be protected in the event of an Expansion Draft. An NTC is straightforward — giving the player protection from being traded without their approval. Lastly, a modified NMC or NTC sets an arbitrary number of teams and a time frame when a player can use this protection. In just over a week, an assortment of players will receive trade protection on their current contracts, and CapFriendly has broken it down.
No Movement Clauses
D Charlie McAvoy (Boston)
F Sebastian Aho (Carolina)
D Devon Toews (Colorado)
F Roope Hintz (Dallas)
D Gustav Forsling (Florida)
F Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota)
F Joel Eriksson Ek (Minnesota)
F Jesper Bratt (New Jersey)
F Timo Meier (New Jersey)
G Ilya Sorokin (NY Islanders)
F Pierre-Luc Dubois (Washington)
No Trade Clauses
F Ross Colton (Colorado)
D Nick Seeler (Philadelphia)
D Vince Dunn (Seattle)
F Clayton Keller (Utah)
D Erik Cernak (Tampa Bay)
D Mikhail Sergachev (Tampa Bay)
Modified No Trade Clauses
F Jordan Greenway (Buffalo) – eight-team no-trade list
F Tage Thompson (Buffal0) – five-team no-trade list
D Rasmus Andersson (Calgary) – six-team no-trade list
D Samuel Girard (Colorado) – nine-team no-trade list
F Miles Wood (Colorado) – six-team no-trade list
F Alex DeBrincat (Detroit) – 16-team no-trade list
F Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles) – 10-team no-trade list
F Nico Hischier (New Jersey) – 10-team no-trade list
D John Marino (New Jersey) – eight-team no-trade list
D Jonas Siegenthaler (New Jersey) – 10-team no-trade list
F Mathew Barzal (NY Islanders) – 22-team no-trade list
D Thomas Chabot (Ottawa) – 10-team no-trade list
F Tanner Jeannot (Tampa Bay) – 16-team no-trade list
F Kyle Connor (Winnipeg) – 10-team no-trade list
Nico Hischier Activated Off IR, On The Ice For Warmups
The home crowd at Saturday night’s New Jersey Devils game was greeted with the surprise return of captain Nico Hischier, who has taken the ice for warmups. No announcement of Hischier’s return was made, although The Athletic’s James Nichols pointed out that he was noted as off of injured reserve on the NHL’s official website earlier today. The website also showed that forward Tomas Nosek was placed on injured reserve.
With no official announcement, it’s unclear if Hischier’s participation in warmups is a test for if he’s ready, or an official indication that he’s in the lineup. If he does play, he’ll be returning against the Buffalo Sabres. Hischier was hurt the last time that New Jersey faced Buffalo, taking a check to the head from Connor Clifton that earned Clifton a two-game suspension.
Hischier has faced a slew of injuries this season, only managing to appear in seven games this season. He’s scored two goals in those matchups, also tallying four penalty minutes and a -2. He’ll look to overcome his injury bug and right his season with a return to the lineup. The 24-year-old captain scored 80 points in 81 games last year.
Nosek’s appearance on injured reserve doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, as he’s missed the team’s last two games. He’ll miss his third on Saturday, as he fights his way back from an upper-body injury. Nosek has no points, four hits, and three blocked shots in six games this season. Nosek is in his first season with the Devils, after spending the last two years with the Boston Bruins, who he totaled 141 games and 35 points with.
Injury Notes: Zadina, Hischier, Martin
During tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, Max Miller of The Hockey News reported that San Jose Sharks’ forward, Filip Zadina, will not return to the game tonight. The injury sustained by Zadina is undisclosed at this time, but the forward did leave partway through the second period of the game after playing in just over four minutes.
Signing a one-year, $1.1MM contract with the Sharks over the summer, Zadina did not officially become a free agent until July 7th, after being placed on unconditional waivers by the Detroit Red Wings for the purpose of eliminating the final two years and $3.65MM left on his previous contract. After being drafted 6th overall by the Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Draft, Detroit had tried and failed for several years to unlock his offensive potential.
Now with access to much more playing time, Zadina is actually off to a better offensive start than he was last season, scoring three goals and two assists in the first 19 games of the season. With a limited amount of talent on San Jose’s roster, Zadina has also been used on a subpar Sharks powerplay as well.
Other injury notes:
- After being on the ice for practice yesterday, one of the notable missing pieces from the New Jersey Devils forward core tonight in the team’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets was captain Nico Hischier (X Link). The team does line up against the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night, but it remains to be seen whether or not Hischier can return to the lineup. Since his last game on October 27th, New Jersey has fallen dramatically in the standings with a 4-6-0 record.
- Andrew Gross of Newsday reports that Matt Martin did not travel with the rest of the New York Islanders to Ottawa as he is still suffering from an upper-body injury. This will mark the fourth consecutive game that Martin has missed, but he could return Saturday as the team returns to New York. In 14 games so far this season, strictly playing on the fourth line, Martin has scored one goal and one assist.
Metropolitan Notes: Kane, Hischier, Ristolainen
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported today on The Drop that unrestricted free agent forward Patrick Kane reportedly would like to make another run with the New York Rangers but at this point Rangers general manager Chris Drury has been apprehensive due to the team’s lack of cap space as well as the chemistry they’ve build under head coach Peter Laviolette.
Kane was unhappy with last season and his inability to be healthy due to his hip injury. According to Kaplan, Kane felt like he played most of the season on one leg and never had a chance to be an impact player.
Kaplan didn’t rule out the possibility of Kane returning to the Rangers but said that if he were to return it would be similar to last season when Kane essentially forced a trade to the Rangers. Obviously, this wouldn’t be a trade, but if Kane was willing to take a low salary, he could force the Rangers hand as the upside of signing the three-time cup winner might be too much for the Rangers to ignore.
In other Metropolitan notes:
- New Jersey Devils reporter Amanda Stein tweeted that center Nico Hischier will travel with the club but will not dress in tomorrow night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. The 24-year-old returned to practice yesterday signalling that his return could come soon as he battles his way back from an upper-body injury he suffered on October 27th in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. The Devils have struggled with Hischier out of the lineup, going 4-5 in his absence. The 2017 first-overall pick struggled to start the year with just two goals in seven games but had a career year last year with 80 points in 81 games.
- Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was in a regular jersey at practice today, indicating that he can take contact. Ristolainen’s return to a regular practice jersey signals that he is close to making his season debut for the Flyers as he has been on the shelf since suffering an undisclosed injury during training camp. When he is healthy enough to play, the Flyers will need to activate him off LTIR and make room available on their active roster which will likely mean a demotion for a player such as Louis Belpedio.
East Notes: Hischier, Meier, Nosek, Chabot, Kuznetsov
The Devils are inching back to full health among their complement of star forwards. Captain Nico Hischier, who remains sidelined with an upper-body injury, returned to practice today, per the team.
Hischier hasn’t played in over three weeks, last appearing in the team’s October 27 contest against the Sabres. He’s missed the following nine games due to injury and landed on injured reserve last week in order to create room on the Devils’ 23-man roster. This doesn’t confirm Hischier will return to game action in time for the Devils’ next game, a Wednesday contest against the Red Wings, although it is a good sign that he’s nearing a return. Hischier can be activated from IR at any time, given he’s missed more than seven days since the injury occurred. The Swiss center had just two goals and no assists in seven contests this season.
Also in New Jersey, NHL.com’s Mike Morreale relays that forwards Timo Meier and Tomáš Nosek are absent from practice today, both with injury concerns. Meier, 27, remains away from the team with a lower-body injury that’s kept him out of the last two games, and he remains listed as day-to-day. Meanwhile, Nosek left Saturday’s contest and did not return after taking a jarring hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. It appears to be an upper-body injury for the Czech depth forward, who’s played in just six of 15 contests this season due to injuries. He’s still looking for his first point as a Devil after signing a one-year, $1MM deal with the team in July.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference on this Monday morning:
- Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot has returned to practice in a non-contact jersey today, albeit for a skills session, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports. Chabot is in the third week of the four-to-six-week recovery timeline issued for his right-hand fracture sustained on October 26 against the Islanders and looks on track to return within the early portion of that frame. He has not met the requirements to be activated off LTIR yet, however. Chabot must miss two more games until he can return to the lineup, putting his earliest possible return on December 1 against the Blue Jackets – over a week and a half from today. The Senators have certainly missed their $8MM man on the blue line, who has three assists and a -1 rating in seven contests this season while averaging 24:19 per game.
- From one country’s capital to another, Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov returned to practice Monday morning, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. Kuznetsov was absent from the team’s Saturday game against the Blue Jackets and its preceding practice with an undisclosed illness. The Russian center is in the seventh season of an eight-year deal carrying a $7.8MM cap hit, and his offensive production is off to a mediocre start for a second straight season. Playing over 21 minutes per game, Kuznetsov has three goals and eight points in 14 contests in 2023-24.
Metro Notes: Devils, Carter, Rangers, Pelech, Shepard
Being outscored by a margin of six goals in their last four games, the New Jersey Devils have been without some of their top-quality players for the last several games. A reporter for the team, Amanda Stein, even went as far as to report that team captain, Nico Hischier, will not be joining the team on their upcoming road trip to take on the Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins. However, Stein did clarify that although he will not be in the lineup against the Jets, Jack Hughes could return against the Penguins.
Officially out with an upper-body injury, most consumers of the game could tell Hischier may have had a lingering injury issue headed into the season. Having only played in seven games up to this point in the year, Hischier has only mustered two goals, not generating nearly as much offense as New Jersey may have hoped to start an important year for the franchise.
Hughes, on the other hand, has been desperately missed by the Devils. Truly coming into his own as a former overall selection, Hughes got off to one of the hottest starts in the league, scoring five goals and 15 assists in the team’s first 10 games of the season. After taking a hard crash into the boards during the team’s regulation loss against the St.Louis Blues only 10 days ago, the Devils have performed at a 1-3-0 clip in his absence.
Other notes:
- Head coach of the Penguins, Mike Sullivan, announced to the media that forward Jeff Carter is dealing with an upper-body injury, and that is the reason behind him missing practice this afternoon (X Link). Over the last two weeks, Carter has been a healthy scratch in several games before the end of October, as Pittsburgh has been looking to strengthen its bottom six forward groupings. On the final year of a two-year, $6.25MM extension signed with Pittsburgh back in 2022, Carter has failed to score a point in his first 10 games this season.
- Arthur Staple of The Athletic issued several updates on the status of injured members of the New York Rangers today, indicating that Ryan Lindgren should be available for practice on Wednesday, while injured forward Filip Chytil will not be with the team. Lindgren has been dealing with a mild upper-body injury incurred during the team’s shootout win Sunday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, while Chytil has been out since the beginning of November, also with an upper-body injury.
- One of the most important defensemen for the New York Islanders, Adam Pelech, missed the team’s last game against the Washington Capitals just two days ago. In an update from Andrew Gross of Newsday, Pelech is officially listed as a game-time decision for their matchup against the Edmonton Oilers tonight but should be expected to play. Even though the Islanders have not gotten off to a terrific start to the season, Pelech still holds a 91.1% oiSV% in 10 games played on the year.
- In what will go down as another ‘paper’ transaction on the season, the Capitals sent down goaltender Hunter Shepard and recalled him today in a separate transaction (X Link). Largely due to an injury to Charlie Lindgren, Shepard has played in two games for Washington this year, winning both, and posting a .915 SV% with a 2.50 GAA.
Metropolitan Division Notes: Hischier, Gudbranson, Hurricanes
New Jersey Devils reporter Amanda Stein tweeted today that Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald doesn’t think that center Nico Hischier will be travelling with the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. Fitzgerald has reportedly talked with New Jersey’s medical staff and Hischier is being evaluated on a day-to-day basis. The ailment is being called an upper-body issue at this time and could it keep Hischier out of action for the next four games. That would mean that his earliest return date would be November 10th against the Washington Capitals.
The former first-overall pick is off to a slow start this season with just two goals in his first seven games after putting up 31 goals and 49 assists in 81 games last season. His lack of offense hasn’t hurt the Devils thus far as the team is off to a 5-2-1 start and currently sits third in the Metropolitan Division. If Hischier is sidelined for some time it is possible that former NHL regular Chris Tierney could fill in during his absence.
In other Metropolitan notes:
- Columbus Dispatch reporter Brian Hedger tweeted today that Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson has again missed practice. This is the second day in a row that the Ottawa, Ontario native did not skate after playing in Monday night’s game against the Dallas Stars. The 31-year-old was questionable for that game after taking a puck to the foot against the New York Islanders on Saturday night but did play in the 5-3 loss. Gudbranson has no points in nine games thus far this season but has averaged over three blocked shots a game.
- Carolina Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff tweeted today that Vasily Ponomarev and Ryan Suzuki are both very close to returning to action and will likely be assigned to the AHL shortly after they do. Ponomarev suffered a knee injury in September and started the season on the injured reserve. Last season he played for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL posting 24 goals and 22 assists in 64 games. Suzuki on the other hand has been dealing with a shoulder injury that has kept him off the ice. He also spent last year with the Wolves in the AHL posting 13 goals and 19 assists in 50 games. Carolina doesn’t currently have an AHL affiliate now meaning that both players could find themselves on different teams once they are assigned to the AHL.
Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Hischier, Lindgren, Flames
The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing opposing injury news, with defender Timothy Liljegren returning to the team’s practice but Jake McCabe still sitting out. Liljegren took practice reps alongside Mark Giordano, although no update about his availability was provided. Liljegren was announced as “doubtful” for the team’s October 28th game before missing the match; a tag that may carry over to their Tuesday night game.
Liljegren is playing more than ever through eight games this season, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time a game – a step up from the 18 minutes he averaged last season. It’s a continuation of the gradual increase in ice time that Liljegren has seen in each of the last three seasons, speaking to his growing prowess. But despite the increased role, Liljegren has only managed one point through his eight games this year. Scoring has never been his forte, with Liljegren only netting 18 points through 67 games last year.
Liljegren will look to add to those scoring totals with an eventual return to action, while Toronto continues to wait for news of McCabe’s outlook.
Other injury news:
- Nico Hischier remains day-by-day with an upper-body injury after taking a high hit from Connor Clifton in New Jersey’s Friday night game. Clifton would receive a two-game suspension for the blindside hit. The team put added emphasis on calling Hischier, “day-by-day”, emphasizing their goal of staying patient with the recovery.
- Charlie Lindgren had an apparent injury during the Washington Capitals practice, leaving the ice to speak with a trainer after going down. Lindgren was assigned to injured reserve earlier in the season with an upper-body injury. Hunter Shepard operated as the team’s backup in Lindgren’s absence
- The Calgary Flames have sent Ilya Solovyov to the AHL. Solovyov appeared in two games for Calgary, going without a point and recording a -3. He’s appeared in four AHL games this season, netting two points and two penalty minutes.