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Nikolaj Ehlers

Injury Notes: Morrissey, Hedman, Ehlers

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Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey left Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights after playing just over a minute and did not return. According to John Lu of TSN, the news went from bad to worse for the Jets as Head Coach Rick Bowness announced the star defender will be out for the remainder of the series. He appeared to be hit with a knee as he delivered a body check and then blocked a shot early in the first period before being ruled out with a lower-body injury.

This is a huge blow for the Jets. Morrissey’s name was in the Norris Trophy conversation in a season where he scored 16 goals and 76 points in 78 games. Morrissey led the Jets in average ice time per game this season and is the quarterback of their star-studded power play. The Jets played almost all of Game 3 without him, and it resulted in their five other defenders having to play against tougher competition than they are used to facing every night. Neal Pionk  played over 41 minutes in a game that Winnipeg eventually lost in double overtime.

The Jets now trail the series 2-1 and will look to even it up at home in Game 4 on Monday. It is going to be a tall task for the group of Jets healthy defenders to shut down the Golden Knights deep offensive lineup.

  • Another star defenseman who is dealing with injury is Victor Hedman. Fortunately, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Tampa Bay Lightning defender returns to the lineup for Game 3. Hedman missed Game 2 and the team missed his presence as they fell 7-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs to even the series at 1-1. Hedman played just 6:35 in Game 1 before leaving with injury at the start of the second period.
  • Jeff Hamilton of The Winnipeg News reports Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets remains out of the lineup for Game 3. The 27-year-old winger scored 12 goals and 38 points in 45 games this season but battled a few injuries during the year. His most recent injury came when he was hit by Ryan Hartman of the Minnesota Wild late in the regular season on a play that was deemed interference since Ehlers had never touched the puck. The skilled winger is missed as the Jets try to upset the top-ranked Western Conference Vegas Golden Knights in a first round series.

Central Notes: Brown, Ehlers, Meyers

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When St. Louis picked up Logan Brown in 2021, the hope was that a change of scenery could help get the 2016 first-round pick going.  However, he has managed just six goals in 69 games since the swap and has been a frequent healthy scratch.  Accordingly, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders if the Blues will even bother tendering the 25-year-old a qualifying offer this summer.  He’s arbitration-eligible and while his offensive numbers aren’t great, he could still ask for a bit more than the minimum in a hearing which might be more than they can realistically afford with a likely tight salary cap situation coming in 2023-24.

More from the Central:

  • The Jets are hopeful that winger Nikolaj Ehlers will be available for today’s third game against Vegas, relays Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun. Ehlers, who last weekend declared that he expected to be ready to start the playoffs, hasn’t suited up in the first two games of the series.  He’d be a welcome addition to Winnipeg’s lineup as, when healthy, Ehlers was certainly productive this season, collecting 38 points in 45 games despite averaging a career-low 15:39 per contest.
  • The Avalanche have recalled center Ben Meyers from AHL Colorado, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old played in Tuesday’s series opener against Seattle but didn’t suit up two nights later, resulting in his assignment to the Eagles, one that turned out to be a very quick one.  Meyers played in 39 games with the Avs this season, picking up four goals but was much more productive in the minors with 24 points in 30 games.

Ryan Hartman Suspended One Game

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2:13 pm: Hartman has been suspended for one game as a result of the play, NHL Player Safety announced Wednesday afternoon.

9:07 am: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman will face a hearing today for interference against Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers during last night’s game.

The incident occurred with 8:30 left in a contentious game between the Central Division rivals. Hartman received two minor penalties on the hit, one for interference on Ehlers and one for roughing after the play. He laid an open-ice check on Ehlers after playing the puck, with Ehlers leaving the ice surface holding the back of his head. He did not return to the game.

This isn’t Hartman’s first time in hot water with the Department of Player Safety. The 28-year-old forward has been suspended once before, for a high hit in 2018 when he was playing for the Nashville Predators.

The Wild have nothing left to play for this season with one game remaining. A regulation loss last night and a Colorado overtime loss locked them into third place in the Central.

Still, a potential Hartman absence from the lineup harms the Wild at their most vulnerable position. With Joel Eriksson Ek already sidelined week-to-week and not expected to be ready for the beginning of the playoffs, the team could be involuntarily without their top two centers for their final game of the season against Nashville on Thursday.

Injury Notes: Wheeler, Kane, Gustavsson

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Cole Perfetti, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Nate Schmidt were all expected to jump back into the lineup soon for the Winnipeg Jets, but they had another nice surprise at practice today. Blake Wheeler was present in a full-contact sweater and practicing on the top line. All four players were taking regular turns, suggesting that the team is getting a huge group of reinforcements all at once. To make room, they will need to move at least one other player off the roster. Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet reports that Michael Eyssimont is not on the ice.

While it still leaves Mason Appleton, Logan Stanley, and Saku Maenalanen on injured reserve, getting Wheeler back is big news for the Jets. The 36-year-old seemed rejuvenated this season (like so many other Winnipeg players) and had 26 points through 29 games before going down to injury. Though he is seeing the lowest average ice time since his days with the Boston Bruins, Wheeler has been great and should be another big boost for a Jets team that is still within striking distance of the Central Division crown.

  • After leaving early on Tuesday night, Patrick Kane’s status was completely unclear. When he was absent as practice started for the Chicago Blackhawks today, alarm bells rang out. Luckily, it seems like he has avoided serious injury, as the Blackhawks listed it as a maintenance day. Andreas Athanasiou was also missing with a non-COVID illness. With so many fans expecting Kane to be the belle of the trade deadline ball this year, a serious injury could throw a wrench into the next few weeks. Hopefully, this will prove to be nothing more than a minor ailment that needs some rest.
  • During last night’s game, Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson was suddenly removed from the net. Head coach Dean Evason told reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic afterward that he didn’t know what was going on, only that Gustavsson “skated off and puked his brains out.” Michael Russo of The Athletic confirms today that it was an illness, not an injury, that caused the departure and that there is no recall anticipated by the Wild.

Injury Notes: Oshie, Fabbri, Jets

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The Washington Capitals are expected to get T.J. Oshie back in the lineup tonight, though he has been officially listed as a game-time decision. The veteran forward hasn’t played since December 17 and has just 22 appearances under his belt this season. Those have been relatively unsuccessful appearances, too, with Oshie registering just two points in the 11 games prior to the injury. He has just five goals and 11 points on the year.

Still, with Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, and Tom Wilson all returning relatively soon, the Capitals have several key veterans getting back for the second-half run. Whether that can result in legitimate Stanley Cup contention remains to be seen, but they’ve been doing just fine so far. Washington is 8-1-1 in their last ten and have closed the gap to just two points between them and the tail-spinning New Jersey Devils for second in the Metropolitan Division.

  • The Detroit Red Wings are expected to place someone on waivers today, given the imminent return of Robby Fabbri. Team reporter Daniella Bruce reports that Fabbri will be back in the lineup playing with Pius Suter and Oskar Sundqvist tomorrow when the Red Wings take on the Devils. The 26-year-old is coming off another ACL injury and will be making his season debut after scoring 17 goals and 30 points in 2021-22.
  • If it were the playoffs, Nate Schmidt, Cole Perfetti, and Nikolaj Ehlers would all be in the Winnipeg Jets lineup, according to head coach Rick Bowness, who spoke with reporters including Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun today. None of them will play, against the Calgary Flames but are on the verge of returning to the lineup. For Ehlers, a return would be his third appearance of the season and first game since October 17. Josh Morrissey, who has also missed practice recently, is expected to play.

Injury Notes: Rielly, Ehlers, Rodrigues

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Luke Fox of Sportsnet that Morgan Rielly’s return to the ice is “imminent,” though a return to game action is still quite a ways down the road. The veteran defenseman was ruled out in late November with an MCL sprain and placed on long-term injured reserve, which will hold him out through at least December 17.

In his absence, Toronto has actually had incredible defensive results, with Mark Giordano and Rasmus Sandin stepping into the vacated minutes on the left side. When he is able to return, it’s not clear exactly who will come out of the lineup, given Conor Timmins’ recent stretch of strong play as well. The Maple Leafs, who are expected to be without Jake Muzzin all year, suddenly seem to have quite a bit of defensive depth.

  • The Winnipeg Jets are in a similar situation with their forward group, which is scoring plenty without the services of Nikolaj Ehlers. The team has put up at least five goals in seven of their last ten games, with Mark Scheifele now up to 18 tallies on the year. Ehlers, who is working his way back from sports hernia surgery, was on the ice yesterday and could potentially return in two to three weeks, according to Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun. The 26-year-old forward had three points in his first two games of the season before going under the knife.
  • Evan Rodrigues, who hasn’t played since November 23, is “ready to go” for tonight’s Colorado Avalanche game. The Avalanche have struggled with injuries throughout the year but are starting to get healthy again and have won two in a row. Rodrigues, who was brought in on a one-year deal in the offseason, had six goals and nine points in 18 games before getting forced out of the lineup.

Nikolaj Ehlers Undergoes Surgery

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Nov 23: Ehlers underwent surgery today in Detroit, according to Sean Reynolds of Sportsnet. Team reporter Sara Orlesky tweets that the expected recovery period is between six and eight weeks. Even that timeline seems optimistic, and sports hernia surgeries are notorious for affecting hockey performance long after a player is medically cleared.

Nov 19: It has been a tough year so far for Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers.  He suffered an injury in the second game of the season and hasn’t played since then, missing a month.  It’ll be quite a while before he’s back as head coach Rick Bowness told reporters, including Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun that Ehlers will undergo sports hernia surgery next week with no timetable for his return.  However, he is expected to return at some point this season.

The 26-year-old has been a key part of Winnipeg’s attack for several years now and was coming off arguably his best season in 2021-22 when he had 28 goals and 27 assists in 62 games.  He was even productive in his lone two appearances with a trio of assists this year.  Unsurprisingly, his absence has been a blow to the Jets’ offense this season as they enter play today sitting 28th in the league in goals scored although strong goaltending has helped lead them to a 10-4-1 record.  Ehlers had taken part in a skate with the team back on Wednesday in the hopes of returning but clearly, something didn’t go as planned.

Winnipeg is one of only nine teams with at least $1MM in cap space at the moment, per CapFriendly which gives them at least a little bit of flexibility to work with.  They’re currently carrying eight defensemen and could move out one of those to free up a bit more space to add a replacement forward beyond a recall from AHL Manitoba which is how they’ve managed so far even with forwards Morgan Barron and Mason Appleton out after undergoing wrist surgeries.  While GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was likely wanting to hold onto his cap space to maximize his options at the trade deadline, a prolonged absence for one of his top forwards might be enough to force his hand sooner than he’d have liked to.

Evening Notes: Quenneville, Warmups, Ehlers, DeMelo

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To describe the last year or so for the reigning President’s Trophy winners, in part, as a “coaching carousel” would certainly surprise those not following too closely along, but that is more or less a fair description for the Florida Panthers. It was just over a year ago that the then 7-0-0 Panthers fired head coach Joel Quenneville amidst the fallout of the Chicago Blackhawks scandal. Replacing Quenneville would be assistant coach Andrew Brunette, who lead the team to a 51-18-6 record under his watch, as well as a first round win over the Washington Capitals. Brunette would go on to be a Jack Adams Award finalist, but ultimately replaced by now head coach Paul Maurice. Brunette ultimately took an assistant job on Lindy Ruff’s staff with the New Jersey Devils, and many wondered if Quenneville might try to jump back into the mix, if he even could.

On today’s installment of TSN’s Insider Trading, Darren Dreger reported that Quenneville is hoping to return “sooner rather than later,” but how soon that could be is unclear. For one, Dreger says, the team hiring him would have to go through the Florida Panthers first. That may not be much of an issue, however Quenneville himself would also have to go through the NHL Commissioner’s Office to be cleared to coach in the league again. According to Dreger, some believe that might not happen until next season. Although that might be a while to wait for Quenneville, considering there had been speculation he may never return to the NHL, a return as soon as next season, just about two years after Florida let him go, may very well be a best case outcome for the coach.

  • Also from today’s Insider Trading, TSN’s Chris Johnston broke the news of an interesting new rule change: effective immediately, players must wear their helmets during warmups. The rule does come with a grandfather clause, allowing any player who made their debut prior to the 2019-20 season to continue to make that decision for themselves, however all players who debuted in that season or later, and all future players, must abide by the rule. Johnston adds that this rule was a recommendation from the NHL/NHLPA Committee on Concussions. While warmups are far from an injury magnet, it’s not unheard of for players to get hurt.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have been off to an impressive start this season, going 9-4-1 early on. However, behind the success have been some troubling injury concerns. Star winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who was originally expected to only miss a few games, is still not an option for the team, and surgery is a possibility, added Dreger on Insider Trading. Dreger cautioned that nothing was decided yet, but Ehlers had had a few consultations with different doctors and that surgery could possibly be an option. That wouldn’t necessarily be a devastating blow to Winnipeg or Ehlers, depending on the circumstances behind it, but is far removed from the short-term injury it appeared to be at first. Dreger adds that Winnipeg, who is without forwards Mason Appleton, Morgan Barron, and Ehlers, are hoping to fill the gaps internally, but could be considering some trade options.
  • Sticking with those Winnipeg Jets, defenseman Dylan DeMelo did not take warmups tonight and was instead replaced in the lineup by Kyle Capobianco. Swapping out one player for another is usually no big deal, but Scott Billeck of The Winnipeg Sun adds that while the circumstances are unknown, DeMelo is not playing nor is he healthy scratch tonight. That doesn’t necessarily guarantee DeMelo is hurt, but it is a point of concern worth following.

Central Notes: Greenway, Girard, Ehlers

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After making his return to the lineup on Tuesday, Wild winger Jordan Greenway was scratched for a second straight game last night against Seattle.  Head coach Dean Evason told reporters including Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press that Greenway has suffered a setback that will keep him out of the lineup a little longer.  Greenway started the year injured, then was reinjured in his season debut last month, and now is banged up once more.  Fortunately, Evason clarified that this setback isn’t as serious as last time and he is skating at least.  There’s no timeline yet for when he might be able to return.

More from the Central:

  • The Avalanche hope that blueliner Samuel Girard can resume skating today as he works his way back from a lower-body injury sustained earlier this week, relays Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has had a bit more limited usage than he has been accustomed to this season as his ATOI is down more than two and a half minutes from last year although he’s still logging over 19 minutes a night.  With Bowen Byram also out of the lineup, the depth on Colorado’s back end is getting tested.
  • While the Jets were hoping to have winger Nikolaj Ehlers back by now, he hasn’t started skating yet. Head coach Rick Bowness told Postmedia’s Paul Friesen that the 26-year-old hasn’t suffered a setback in his recovery but rather that it’s simply an abundance of caution from the medical staff.  Ehlers has been one of Winnipeg’s top offensive performers over the last several years and his return would be a welcome addition to a team that sits 25th in the NHL in goals scored so far this season.  However, it appears as if that return is still a little while away.

West Notes: Poile, Kraken, Ehlers

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Today’s game is a milestone one for Predators GM David Poile as NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika notes that their contest against Philadelphia will be Poile’s 3,000th as an NHL general manager.  He is the first to ever get to that milestone.  The 72-year-old has been at the helm in Nashville since 1997, joining the team a year before their inaugural season in 1998-99.  Poile acknowledged that he has been going year-to-year on contracts for more than a decade now and isn’t sure how much longer he’ll be staying in his current role.  Whenever he does step aside, he’s going to be the record-holder in games managed for a very long time.

More from the West:

  • While the Kraken parted ways with veteran defenseman Michal Kempny after he cleared unconditional waivers yesterday, GM Ron Francis told Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that it’s not a priority to bring in another veteran defender to fill Kempny’s spot on the depth chart. Kempny played in two games this season with Coachella Valley of the AHL and was viewed as one of their first recall options if injuries arise.  Seattle only has four non-NHL defensemen under contract at the moment so it wouldn’t be surprising to see someone added at some point even if it isn’t a top priority for Francis.
  • Although the Jets placed Nikolaj Ehlers on IR yesterday, the news is pretty good when it comes to the winger. Head coach Rick Bowness (who has returned from COVID protocol) told reporters, including Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun (Twitter link), that Ehlers is expected to miss somewhere between seven and ten days.  An IR placement is a minimum of seven days and it appears the 26-year-old won’t miss much more time than that.  He has three assists in two games so far this season.

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