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Injury Updates: Flyers, Barabanov, Maple Leafs, Murray

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Don’t expect the Flyers to get many – if any – reinforcements from their injured list over the final few games.  Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link) that the only player that might be able to return is defenseman Nick Seeler with interim head coach Mike Yeo admitting that even that “might be a bit of a long shot”.  This means the season has come to an end for wingers Cam Atkinson and Patrick Brown, defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen, Kevin Connauton, and Cam York, as well as goaltender Carter Hart.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Sharks winger Alexander Barabanov is listed as probable for tonight’s game against Chicago, notes Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury.  Barabanov has been one of the bright spots for San Jose this season, notching 37 points in 65 games, a very nice return on a $1MM AAV.  He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer and will be looking at a sizable raise on his next contract.
  • The Maple Leafs could have defenseman Jake Muzzin back in the lineup tomorrow against Washington, reports Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). The veteran has been held out of the last few games after struggling a bit after returning from a concussion.  Meanwhile, Fox adds that blueliner Rasmus Sandin is expected to start practicing with the team as he works his way back from a knee injury that landed him on LTIR last month.  Toronto has enough cap flexibility to activate him if he’s able to get into a game before the end of the season but if not, he should be ready for the playoffs.
  • Senators goaltender Matt Murray is hoping to get into a game or two by the end of the season but it doesn’t seem likely to happen, mentions Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The netminder has been out for the last six weeks with a neck injury and is a speculative candidate to play for Canada at next month’s World Championships.  An appearance or two in the final week for Ottawa would go a long way towards demonstrating that he’ll be able to play in that tournament.

Snapshots: Dzingel, Rask, Matteau

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After acquiring him from the Arizona Coyotes last night, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe announced that forward Ryan Dzingel will be placed on waivers today, reports David Alter of The Leafs Nation (Tweet). If he clears, Dzingel will be assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, adds Alter. Dzingel, who has four goals and three assists in 26 games this season for the Coyotes, was acquired last night along with defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin in exchange for a conditional draft pick and forward Nick Ritchie. While it may seem odd to acquire Dzingel to immediately waive him, the move allows the Leafs to potentially keep the forward in the minors, alleviating them of his $1.1MM cap hit, and retain him as a useful depth player down the stretch. Also out of Maple Leafs’ camp, defenseman Rasmus Sandin has been sent down, purely for salary cap flexibility, and is expected to be recalled and rejoin the team Monday, reports the Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (link to tweet).

  • Victor Rask, who cleared waivers for the Minnesota Wild yesterday, is expected to report to the AHL’s Iowa Wild in the coming days, reports the Athletic’s Michael Russo (link to tweet). Russo adds that while this process has been tough for Rask, he is expected to report to the AHL, and the Wild organization will give him several days. It’s been a difficult stretch for Rask, as this wasn’t his first time on waivers this season. The forward was placed on waivers and cleared in early January as well. Rask has five goals and eight assists in 29 games this season for Minnesota and is in the final year of a six-year, $24MM contract he signed in 2016, then with the Carolina Hurricanes. While Rask has not been terrible for Minnesota this season, placing his $4MM cap hit in the AHL could provide the Wild with flexibility heading into the trade deadline, where they are expected to be buyers on the market.
  • Also of note, forward Stefan Matteau has been activated off of long-term injured reserve and has been assigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The 27-year-old forward has played in just one game this season with the Colorado Avalanche back on October 16 before being placed on long-term injured reserve.

Rasmus Sandin, Mitch Marner Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a new look lineup tonight, as several roster moves were made this morning to deal with notable injuries. Rasmus Sandin and Mitch Marner were both placed on injured reserve, while Joey Anderson was sent back to the minor leagues. Alex Biega, Kristians Rubins and Alex Steeves have been recalled. At today’s morning skate, Travis Dermott was also absent, while Petr Mrazek was back with the NHL group after his short AHL conditioning stint.

Sandin faces a few weeks on the shelf thanks to a Neal Pionk hit that earned a two-game suspension yesterday. Chris Johnston explained on TSN radio yesterday that the young Maple Leafs defenseman is expected to miss two to three weeks, but it looks more like three to four now according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet. That’s probably a good outcome given how serious the injury appeared, but it will still throw off the strong season Sandin was having as a full-time player.

Marner meanwhile could be out a week or two, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The star forward collided with a teammate in practice a few days ago and has missed the last two games, both losses for the Maple Leafs. The team seemed a bit out of sorts without their top playmaker, who also logs big minutes on the powerplay and penalty kill. Marner had 21 points in 24 games before the injury. Both he and Sandin will need to miss at least seven days from when they last played.

Remember, the Maple Leafs are also going to be down Jason Spezza after his in-person hearing with the Department of Player Safety is concluded this afternoon. Spezza retaliated for the Pionk hit by targeting the Winnipeg Jets defenseman with an ugly check of his own, and faces the possibility of a much longer suspension.

It appears as though both Rubins and Steeves will be making their NHL debuts this evening,

Maple Leafs Activate Frederik Andersen Off LTIR

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The Maple Leafs will have a third option between the pipes when the playoffs come around.  CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that Frederik Andersen has been activated off LTIR, paving the way for him to return to the lineup. He had been on a conditioning assignment with AHL Toronto, allowing six goals on 46 shots in a game and a half.

It has been a difficult season for the 31-year-old who has battled injuries over the second half of the season as well as some inconsistency.  The result has been a career-low .897 save percentage along with a 2.91 GAA, the highest of his career which is far from optimal considering he’s a pending unrestricted free agent.  As a result, Jack Campbell started to cut into his playing time and with the run he has been on lately, he likely will enter the playoffs as the starter.

Accordingly, Andersen’s goal at this point is likely to show that he’s ready to dress as the backup ahead of David Rittich who was brought in at the deadline as insurance with Andersen on the shelf.  The Maple Leafs have two games remaining in the regular season on Wednesday and Friday so he won’t have much time to show that he’s ready to go.

In corresponding moves to get back to cap compliance, Toronto has sent Rasmus Sandin back to the taxi squad and placed winger Zach Hyman on LTIR retroactive to April 18th.  While he technically is eligible to be activated at any time, their cap situation makes it quite unlikely that he’ll play in their final two regular season games.  However, with no salary cap in the playoffs, he should be available for the opener with the North Division playoffs expected to start on May 19th.

North Notes: Tkachuk, Batherson, Sandin, Oilers, Danault

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Senators winger Brady Tkachuk is leaning towards declining an invitation to play for Team USA at the upcoming World Championships, suggests Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  While he would undoubtedly be a key player for them, he is a pending restricted free agent, something that he acknowledged could be a factor in him taking a pass if he goes that route:

I haven’t made a full decision yet but it’s always an honour to represent your country and play for the guys who paved the way and USA Hockey. We’ll have to see but it’s definitely a different set of circumstances here, especially with the things going on this summer.

Tkachuk isn’t the only one leaning towards taking a pass for that reason either as Garrioch adds that winger Drake Batherson is doubtful to suit up for Canada with his restricted free agency on the horizon.  While Tkachuk is expected to land a substantial raise this summer no matter what, Batherson’s case is a bit murkier as while he has played well this year with 33 points in 53 games, it’s his only full NHL season thus far.

More from the North Division:

  • Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin isn’t expected to play in Toronto’s remaining three games for salary cap reasons, notes Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. By moving him back to the taxi squad, they would create enough cap room in order to activate Riley Nash from LTIR, allowing him to potentially get a game or two in before the end of the regular season to get him ready for the playoffs.  Nash was ruled out for the rest of the year while in Columbus but Toronto’s schedule runs nearly a week longer as a result of the COVID-related postponements.
  • While the Oilers look to be set in second place in the North, don’t expect them to rest anyone down the stretch, relays Postmedia’s Rob Tychkowski. Instead, head coach Dave Tippett wants to try to create some momentum over their final four games, something that could be more difficult with players rotating in and out of the lineup.
  • Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters today, including Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link), that center Phillip Danault has been diagnosed with a concussion. He had previously been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.  He had already been ruled out for tonight’s game against Toronto but with that diagnosis, he will likely miss the final two games against Edmonton as well.

Zach Bogosian Out Minimum Of Four Weeks

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The Toronto Maple Leafs had played the same six defensemen for nearly two months straight until recently but now may have to look for a new mix. Zach Bogosian went down with a shoulder injury in Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks and head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Kristen Shilton of TSN that after further evaluation, the veteran defender will miss a minimum of four weeks.

That means Bogosian will miss the rest of the regular season and could even be out of the picture for the first few games of the playoffs. Rasmus Sandin has played the last two games for the Maple Leafs after an early-season foot injury and last night paired with Travis Dermott on the third pair. Bogosian’s injury could mean a longer runway for the young Sandin, but it also could potentially open the door for trade deadline addition Ben Hutton.

This kind of injury is exactly why the Maple Leafs added Hutton, though losing Bogosian certainly isn’t an ideal situation. One of only two right-handed shots on the active roster, the 30-year-old had been strong in his limited role. Penalty killing and a physical presence are exactly why Toronto added the Stanley Cup champion, and Bogosian provided both while averaging under 15 minutes a night.

Interestingly, the Maple Leafs could now move Bogosian’s $1MM salary on long-term injured reserve retroactive to when he last played. Normally after the trade deadline that doesn’t provide a huge bonus, but there is still at least some thought that Frederik Andersen will be healthy enough to play before the end of the year. Activating him is tricky at the moment given how little cap space they have, but perhaps the team can find a creative way to get around that. If Bogosian is placed on LTIR he would have to miss a minimum of 10 games, meaning he would not be able to return before the end of the year.

It is incredible just how injury-prone Bogosian has been throughout his career. After playing 81 games in his sophomore season as a teenager, he hasn’t been able to total more than 71 in a single year. In fact, only once since that second season has he even played in more than 65, with just 689 total across his 13-year career.

Toronto Maple Leafs Willing To Trade Top Prospect

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Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas held his midseason availability today as the team enjoys a few off days in a row and was asked many questions about the upcoming trade deadline. Dubas admitted that most of his talks have been about forwards and that the Canadian quarantine protocols will push him to make a deal sooner rather than later, but one answer was quite clear. When asked if he was willing to trade a top prospect at this year’s deadline, Dubas flatly responded “yes” with no further explanation. For a manager that always seems to have time to expand on an answer, that was telling.

While there may be some debate as to which are considered “top prospects” in the Maple Leafs system, names like Nicholas Robertson, Rasmus Sandin, and Rodion Amirov are likely among them. It could also perhaps include Timothy Liljegren, the 17th overall pick from 2017, but his status in the Maple Leafs organization isn’t exactly clear as he continues to be denied many opportunities at the NHL level. Darren Dreger of TSN lists those four together and suggests they are in the same category as the team’s first-round pick this year, available for a “near perfect fit.”

Dubas, who has usually spoken out against the idea of acquiring rentals at the deadline, also mentioned that this season may be one that it is considered, thanks to a squeezed cap moving forward. The Maple Leafs are also obviously viewing themselves as contenders in the North Division and perhaps see this as a real opportunity to advance deep in the playoffs—something they haven’t been able to do for so long.

The team doesn’t have much cap flexibility to work with at this year’s deadline, though sending out some money could solve that problem. If they are willing to move a top prospect or high draft pick as well, Toronto will have to be considered on basically any of the high-end rentals this year. Just a few days ago our PHR community voted Taylor Hall as the top rental available, with names like Bobby Ryan, Eric Staal, and Kyle Palmieri all coming in on the next tier. Any of those forwards might have an impact for Toronto, though each come with their own complications.

Maple Leafs Confirm Broken Foot For Rasmus Sandin

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If the Toronto Maple Leafs were planning on recalling top prospect Rasmus Sandin at any point this season, it’ll have to wait. The young defenseman suffered a foot injury earlier this month and after further examination, the team has confirmed it is a fracture. Sandin will be re-evaluated in mid-March, according to the club, at which point they’ll provide a further update on his recovery timeline.

Sandin, 20, ended up playing just one game for the Maple Leafs and one (partial) game for the Toronto Marlies before his injury. He did record a point in his NHL appearance but played only five minutes in the game as one of seven defensemen dressed.

The Maple Leafs were hoping that Sandin could go to the minor leagues and play big minutes, continuing his development until a spot opened on the NHL club. Unfortunately, this injury means he’ll miss a good chunk of the shortened AHL season. It’ll be almost an entire year of lost development time (at least in terms of game action), since Sandin was injured at the time of the 2019-20 season suspension as well. Not ideal for a top prospect.

Injury Notes: Dubois, Lindholm, Sandin

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The Winnipeg Jets have officially moved Pierre-Luc Dubois to injured reserve, a disappointing outcome for a player that is having a season full of them. The young forward has played just two games since his trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets and just seven on the season thanks to a long quarantine. He was injured last week, though it’s still not exactly clear what happened or how long he’ll be out.

Dubois failed to record a shot in either of his games with the Jets and now has just one point on the season. When he does get back on the active roster, he’ll have to really push to get back to the top-line center he appeared to be in recent years.

  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Anton Lindholm will be out for four to six weeks with a broken thumb, his AHL team announced today. Lindholm sustained the injury last Friday, meaning his season will be truncated by at least a month. The 26-year-old defenseman was part of the trade that saw Brandon Saad go to the Colorado Avalanche in the offseason but had yet to get into the NHL lineup with the Blackhawks. In 66 career games, he has five points.
  • Another minor-league defenseman, this time Rasmus Sandin, will also be out a while. The young defenseman suffered a foot injury and will be out for several weeks, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Sandin, one of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top prospects, played in one NHL game earlier this season and recorded a point. The 20-year-old is still waiting for his chance to crack the roster full-time and was supposed to get his game back up to speed in the minor leagues. Now, unfortunately, he’ll be sidelined instead.

AHL All-Star Game Makes Several Roster Changes

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Sunday: More changes are being made, even on the morning of the event. Toronto Marlies teamates Timothy Liljegren and Jeremy Bracco have been added to the North Division squad, the AHL announced. The duo will replace Bellevile Senators forward Drake Batherson, who was recalled by Ottawa, and Utica Comets forward Reid Boucher, who is unavailable due to an injury suffered this weekend.

Saturday: The AHL announced another change to the AHL All-Star roster as Belleville Senators forward Alex Formenton will replace teammate Josh Norris for the North Division.

Wednesday: The league has made another adjustment, selecting Cameron Gaunce from the Syracuse Crunch to replace Lawrence Pilut of the Rochester Americans. Pilut’s absence likely means he’ll be re-joining the Buffalo Sabres after the break.

Tuesday: The AHL All-Star Game is also just around the corner, but thanks to some midseason call-ups the rosters will have to change. Today the minor league announced five swaps for their upcoming event in Ontario, California. Vinni Lettieri (Hartford), Josh Norris (Belleville), Adam Clendening (Cleveland), Alex Nedeljkovic (Charlotte) and Vitek Vanacek (Hershey) have all been added to the game, while Nathan Gerbe (Cleveland), Michael Sgarbossa (Hershey), Rasmus Sandin (Toronto), Chris Driedger (Springfield) and Igor Shesterkin (Hartford) will all no longer be attending.

The full rosters are now as follows:

Atlantic Division:

Andrew Agozzino, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Sebastian Aho, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Jake Bean, Charlotte Checkers
Paul Carey, Providence Bruins
Morgan Frost, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Joey Keane, Hartford Wolf Pack
Vinni Lettieri, Hartford Wolf Pack
Matt Moulson, Hershey Bears (Captain)
Alex Nedeljkovic, Charlotte Checkers
Jack Studnicka, Providence Bruins
Owen Tippett, Springfield Thunderbirds
Vitek Vanacek, Hershey Bears

North Division:

Joey Anderson, Binghamton Devils
Rudolfs Balcers, Belleville Senators
Alex Barre-Boulet, Syracuse Crunch
Drake Batherson, Belleville Senators
Reid Boucher, Utica Comets
Adam Clendening, Cleveland Monsters
Charles Hudon, Laval Rocket
Jonas Johansson, Rochester Americans
Kasimir Kaskisuo, Toronto Marlies
Josh Norris, Belleville Senators
Lawrence Pilut, Rochester Americans
Brogan Rafferty, Utica Comets

Central Division:

Alexandre Carrier, Milwaukee Admirals
Lucas Elvenes, Chicago Wolves
Matthew Ford, Grand Rapids Griffins (Captain)
Jansen Harkins, Manitoba Moose
Connor Ingram, Milwaukee Admirals
Kevin Lankinen, Rockford IceHogs
Joel L’Esperance, Texas Stars
Gerald Mayhew, Iowa Wild
Brennan Menell, Iowa Wild
Derrick Pouliot, San Antonio Rampage
Chris Terry, Grand Rapids Griffins
Yakov Trenin, Milwaukee Admirals

Pacific Division:

Tyler Benson, Bakersfield Condors
Joachim Blichfeld, San Jose Barracuda
Brayden Burke, Tucson Roadrunners
Kyle Capobianco, Tucson Roadrunners
Kale Clague, Ontario Reign
Martin Frk, Ontario Reign
Glenn Gawdin, Stockton Heat
Lane Pederson, Tucson Roadrunners
Calvin Petersen, Ontario Reign
Anthony Stolarz, San Diego Gulls
T.J. Tynan, Colorado Eagles
Chris Wideman, San Diego Gulls

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