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East Notes: Pageau, Nylander, Forbort, Jensen, Sandin, Iorio

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The Islanders expect veteran center Jean-Gabriel Pageau back tonight as they try and even their first-round series against the Hurricanes at one apiece. He practiced today and took line rushes in his usual third-line role, per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner. After missing Game 1 with a lower-body injury sustained early in the final game of the regular season, the 31-year-old will center a line with captain Anders Lee and Pierre Engvall. Winger Hudson Fasching is projected to come out of the lineup after riding shotgun with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri on the second line on Saturday, while 22-year-old Simon Holmström will be reinstated into the top-six on his natural wing after suiting up at center over the weekend. Center Kyle MacLean, who scored the Isles’ only goal in the 3-1 loss, slides down to fourth-line duties with Pageau returning. The Ottawa native had 11 goals and 33 points in the regular season, skating in all 82 games.

Other updates ahead of a pair of Game 2s in the East tonight:

  • Maple Leafs winger William Nylander took a big step toward returning from an undisclosed injury today, participating in practice after participating in an optional skate yesterday. However, he didn’t take line rushes and will be a game-time decision against the Bruins tonight, head coach Sheldon Keefe said (via ESPN’s Kristen Shilton). If Nylander can’t go, no lineup changes are coming for Toronto, which dropped Game 1 Saturday 5-1 despite outshooting Boston 36-25. He skated nearly an hour today, a good sign for his availability when the series shifts back to Toronto for Game 3 on Wednesday.
  • The Bruins brought defenseman Derek Forbort back from his LTI conditioning loan to AHL Providence this morning, but he won’t be coming off long-term injured reserve just yet. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters today that the veteran isn’t an option for tonight’s contest but will travel with Boston north of the border (via The Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan). Even if healthy, it’s unclear whether he’ll draw into the lineup ahead of Andrew Peeke or Kevin Shattenkirk on the Bruins’ bottom pairing.
  • Capitals defensemen Nick Jensen and Rasmus Sandin remain in non-contact jerseys in today’s practice, NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports. It’s not a good sign for the pair’s availability for Game 2 against the Rangers tomorrow. Both have been sidelined for at least a few games with upper-body injuries, and the Caps have already been forced to dip deep into their defensive well by playing rookie Vincent Iorio and farmhand Dylan McIlrath in Game 1’s 4-1 loss. Iorio left that game with an injury as well, which may force yet another player from AHL Hershey to suit up in postseason action for Washington. He’s now listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and is questionable to play tomorrow, head coach Spencer Carbery said.

East Notes: Nylander, Jensen, Sandin, Iorio

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The Maple Leafs have been tight-lipped about the status of star winger William Nylander, who was absent from yesterday’s Game 1 loss to the Bruins with an undisclosed injury. It appears he’s nearing a return, though. He practiced with the team at an optional skate this morning – his first time on the ice since the last game of the regular season against the Lightning last Wednesday reports Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN.

Nylander played all 82 regular-season games for the second straight season, matching last year’s career high in goals (40) and setting a new one in points (98). He cooled off somewhat in the second half of the season, but a torrid start that included a 17-game point streak helped the 27-year-old avoid unrestricted free agency with an eight-year, $92MM extension. The return of Calle Järnkrok from a hand injury helped negate his absence somewhat last night, but Nylander’s third wave of attack behind the Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner/John Tavares-anchored lines may have helped reverse Toronto’s fortunes against a rock-solid Jeremy Swayman in net for Boston. Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe likely won’t confirm Nylander’s status before Game 2 tomorrow until he is or isn’t on the ice for warmups.

Moving over to the American capital:

  • The Capitals remain without a pair of defenders in today’s Game 1 against the Rangers, as Nick Jensen and Rasmus Sandin are absent. Jensen sustained an undisclosed injury last weekend after a scary hit from Lightning forward Michael Eyssimont required him to be stretchered off the ice, but he’s since returned to practice in a non-contact jersey and should be an option for Washington at some point in their first-round series. Before missing the final two games of the regular season, the 33-year-old had a goal and 14 points in 78 games with a -9 rating while averaging 19:38 per game. Sandin, 24, has also yet to graduate from a non-contact designation in practice after sustaining an upper-body injury against the Senators on April 7. Including today’s postseason tilt, he’s now missed six games with the injury, his second-longest absence of the season. The young Swede is in his first full campaign with the Caps after they picked him up from Toronto before last year’s trade deadline. He had three goals, 23 points, and a -13 rating in 68 regular-season games with Washington while averaging 21:07 per game, second among Caps defenders.
  • Things didn’t get any better for Washington on the injury front today, as rookie defenseman Vincent Iorio is questionable to return to the contest with an upper-body injury, per the team. He took a heavy hit from Rangers winger Alexis Lafrenière on the play that ended with Artemi Panarin putting the Blueshirts up 2-0 in the second period. Iorio, 21, was a second-round pick of the Caps two years ago and was playing in his first postseason game. He’s played most of the season with AHL Hershey, logging only six NHL appearances and averaging just 9:50 per game. He has one NHL assist to his name, which game during a three-game call-up last season.

Injury Updates: Lightning, Barron, Sandin, Jensen

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Several injured Tampa Bay players appear to be nearing a return to the lineup.  Team reporter Chris Krenn notes (Twitter links) that forwards Tyler Motte and Luke Glendening along with defenseman Haydn Fleury all took part in a full practice today in advance on Sunday’s series opener against Florida.  Motte missed the final week of the season with a lower-body injury, Glendening was scratched for their regular season finale with an undisclosed injury, while Fleury has been out the last two weeks with an upper-body issue.  All three players play depth roles for the Lightning, the forwards on their fourth line and Fleury as a seventh defenseman; all should see action in the opening round at some point.

Meanwhile, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times adds (Twitter link) that blueliner Mikhail Sergachev also skated in a regular (full contact) jersey.  He has already been ruled out for the start of the playoffs since undergoing leg surgery back in February but this is certainly a key step toward potentially returning later in the opening round.  Sergachev logged over 22 minutes a night for the Lightning this season and his potential return down the road would undoubtedly give their back end a significant boost.

Other injury news heading into the opening games of the playoffs:

  • Jets center Morgan Barron won’t be available for their series opener against Colorado tomorrow, relays Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The 25-year-old left Tuesday’s win over Seattle in the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return.  Barron was a quality fourth liner for Winnipeg this season, chipping in with ten goals despite logging just 10:30 per night.  One of David Gustafsson and Cole Perfetti will likely take Barron’s spot in the lineup.
  • Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin practiced today in a non-contact jersey, notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury and with the non-contact designation, it seems unlikely he’ll be able to suit up in the series opener against the Rangers on Sunday.  Sandin was an important part of Washington’s back end this season, logging over 21 minutes a night while collecting 23 points in 68 games.
  • Sandin wasn’t the only injured Washington blueliner who took to the ice today as Gulitti adds (Twitter link) that Nick Jensen also practiced in a non-contact jersey. Jensen suffered an upper-body injury last week against Tampa Bay and was stretchered off the ice.  The 33-year-old spent a lot of time on the Capitals’ second pairing this season, picking up 13 points while averaging a little under 20 minutes a night.  Like Sandin, the non-contact designation likely means he won’t be available on Sunday either.

Injury Notes: Jensen, Sandin, Coleman, Hanley

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As expected, the Washington Capitals will be holding out defenseman Nick Jensen for the final two games of the regular season according to Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post. In a positive development, however, Johnson also reports that Jensen was at the team facility today, indicating that the injury sustained last night is not as serious as previously expected.

Joining Jensen in the press box for the final two games will be defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who has been out since April 8th with an upper-body injury. With their eyes on the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Capitals will have to defeat the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers without two of their top-four defensemen.

Now that both Lucas Johansen and Dylan McIlrath are on the roster due to two separate emergency loans, one of them will have to draw into the lineup for the final two games of the regular season. Johansen has already suited up in six games for the Capitals earlier this season but may opt to go with McIlrath on the right side to keep some continuity within their defensive pairings.

Other injury notes:

  • At the team’s skate this morning, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet reported that Calgary Flames defenseman Joel Hanley has returned to practice after missing the last five games due to an undisclosed injury. As expected, the Flames organization thinned out their defensive core at this year’s trade deadline, bringing in Hanley via waivers from the Dallas Stars to keep quality depth within their system. In 10 games since being claimed by Calgary, Hanley has scored one goal and two points in total, averaging 14:32 of ice time per night.
  • Staying in Calgary, in the same report from Steinberg, he reported that forward Blake Coleman also returned to the ice for practice, but not as a full participant. Coleman has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, and may not be able to hit the 30-goal threshold for the first time in his career. Nevertheless, Coleman has had an impressive offensive season based on his previous years, scoring 29 goals and 52 points over 77 games for the Flames this season.

Metropolitan Notes: Dobson, Sandin, Nybeck

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The Islanders were without Noah Dobson for most of Thursday’s victory over Montreal and he will miss at least one more as the team announced (Twitter link) that the defenseman is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury; he wasn’t in uniform this afternoon against the Rangers.  Dobson is in the middle of a breakout year as he sits second on the team in scoring with 10 goals and 60 assists in 79 appearances; his assist total is tied for fifth among all NHL rearguards.  On top of the offensive production, the 24-year-old is also logging a career-high 24:31 per night so his absence is a crucial one with the Isles right in the thick of the battle for a playoff spot.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin didn’t skate on Friday due to his upper-body injury and it’s possible he won’t return before the end of the season next week, notes Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post (Twitter link). The 24-year-old was injured on Sunday against Ottawa.  Sandin has had a good first full season with the Caps, recording 23 points in 68 games while averaging a career-best 21:07 per night.  That helped earn Sandin a five-year, $23MM extension last month.
  • Hurricanes prospect Zion Nybeck has changed teams in Sweden as Oskarshamn in Sweden’s Allsvenskan announced that they’ve signed the forward to a one-year deal. The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick back in 2020 (115th overall) but the majority of his time professionally has been spent in the second division.  This past season, Nybeck had 17 goals and 27 assists in 52 games with AIK, good for second on the team in scoring.  Carolina has until June 1st to sign Nybeck and the fact he’s staying in Sweden suggests that the Hurricanes won’t be doing so.

Capitals Recall Lucas Johansen

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The Capitals have recalled defenseman Lucas Johansen from AHL Hershey, GM Brian MacLellan announced today. His recall comes after Rasmus Sandin sustained an upper-body injury yesterday against the Senators – he’s now been ruled out for their upcoming two-game road trip, head coach Spencer Carbery said (via Tom Gulitti of NHL.com). Carbery added that Sandin isn’t guaranteed to return by the end of the regular season.

Johansen, 26, remains in the Caps organization eight years after they selected him in the first round of the 2016 draft. He’s spent nearly all that time in the minors, only skating in nine NHL games.

A career-high six of them came earlier this season when he recorded an assist and a +1 rating while blocking seven shots and averaging 14:16 per game. The younger brother of injured Flyers center Ryan Johansen is still looking for his first NHL goal, a chance he could get if he draws into the lineup down the stretch and plays for the first time since November.

Johansen’s possession metrics when given NHL minutes have been quite poor, however, and have prevented him from having any chance of sticking in the lineup. He’s logged a 35.4 CF% and a 32.3 xGF%, the worst of any Caps skater to suit up this season. Injuries have taken him out of a solid chunk of action with Hershey this year, too, but he’s managed 12 points and a sky-high +18 rating in just 22 games when healthy.

He could draw into the lineup tomorrow in an essentially do-or-die game against the Red Wings. Without Johansen, the Caps would only have two left-shot defenders in the lineup, so he could dress if Carbery doesn’t want to play Trevor van Riemsdyk or rookie Vincent Iorio on their off-side. Washington’s playoff odds would drop to just 10% with a regulation loss to Detroit tomorrow after sitting third in the Metropolitan Division not too long ago, per MoneyPuck.

Losing Sandin at such a crucial point in the season is a tough break for Washington, losers of seven of their last 10 games. He’s the only other Caps defender to average over 20 minutes per game outside of John Carlson this season and has 23 points in 68 games with a -13 rating.

Injury Notes: Barabanov, Sandin, Kostin, Bryson

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Winger Alexander Barabanov has reportedly played his last game with the San Jose Sharks, with a lower-body injury expected to end his season and the Sharks not likely to re-sign him this summer, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Web link). Barabanov suffered the injury from a blocked shot on March 26th and hasn’t played since, missing San Jose’s last five games.

This is an abrupt and quiet end to what was a quiet season for Barabanov. He played in 46 games, scoring just four goals and 13 points – the lowest scoring rate of his career. It’s a disappointing follow-up to what seemed to be Barabanov’s breakout season last year, when he managed a career-high 15 goals and 47 points in just 68 games. He’ll now set his eyes on free agency – the 30-year-old’s first chance to play outside of San Jose since he became a full-time NHL player in 2021. While he’ll certainly have to take a price cut from his current $2.5MM cap hit, Barabanov could be an intriguing pick-up for teams needing more depth down the wings.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin left the team’s Sunday matchup against the Ottawa Senators with an upper-body injury, following a hit at the end of the first period (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has moved into an integral role for the Capitals, averaging 21:34 in ice time over his last 10 games. Rookie Vincent Iorio is currently Washington’s seventh defenseman. He could be poised for a crucial role, with Washington currently two points back of an Eastern Conference Wild Card with just six games to go.
  • The San Jose Sharks were without hot-streak winger Klim Kostin on Sunday due to illness, per Curtis Pashelka (Twitter link). Kostin has nine points through his first 14 games with the Sharks, averaging six more minutes of ice time than he did in 33 games with Detroit. The Sharks traded minor-league defenseman Radim Simek and a 2024 seventh-round pick for Kostin at the Deadline and have him signed through next season. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Collin Graf, getting his NHL debut just days after signing his first professional contract. Graf recorded one assist in the start.
  • Jacob Bryson suffered an upper-body injury in the Buffalo Sabres’ Sunday afternoon game, leaving after just nine minutes of play (Twitter link). Bryson has played in just 31 games this season – the fewest of his career. He’s recorded one goal and eight points in those appearances, extended his streak to four consecutive seasons with just one goal on the year. Buffalo will have to decide between Kale Clague and rookie Ryan Johnson, who is currently in the AHL, if Bryson has to miss any time.

East Notes: Shea, Rifai, Rielly, Johansson, Sandin

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The Penguins assigned defenseman Ryan Shea to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last night, per CapFriendly. The move ends his brief emergency loan, having come up on Friday after blue-liner Ryan Graves was diagnosed with a concussion. However, his services weren’t needed in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets, meaning he needed to be returned to the minors or converted to a standard recall. The 27-year-old has been up and down on multiple paper transactions over the last few months but hasn’t played an NHL game since Dec. 8. The 2015 fourth-round pick of the Blackhawks made his NHL debut this season after inking a one-year, one-way deal with Pittsburgh last summer, but failed to record a point and averaged 12:28 per game through 22 contests.

Other updates out of the Eastern Conference:

  • The Maple Leafs announced they’ve brought up defenseman Marshall Rifai from AHL Toronto for the second time in three days. It’s an emergency loan, per CapFriendly, indicating he’ll serve as injury insurance ahead of tonight’s game against the Panthers and will likely return to the minors tomorrow. The 26-year-old landed his first NHL deal last summer after spending 2022-23 on an AHL contract with Toronto and made his first two NHL appearances in February, logging a shot on goal, a block and four hits while averaging 11:40 per game. Rifai coming up to the active roster today confirms that Morgan Rielly, who’s already missed three games with an upper-body injury, isn’t ready to return. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters that Rielly is “close to 100 percent” and will practice tomorrow, meaning he could return for Wednesday’s key clash for playoff positioning against the Lightning (via David Alter of The Hockey News).
  • Lightning backup netminder Jonas Johansson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after missing practice today and is questionable to dress against the Red Wings tonight, Chris Krenn of the team’s official site relays. In the event Johansson is unable to go, they won’t make a recall from AHL Syracuse and will dress former Grand Valley State University netminder Kyle Konin as an emergency backup, per Krenn. The 26-year-old Rhode Island native resides in St. Petersburg, Florida, and has informally held the reserve role for the Lightning over the past few seasons, dressing once before as an emergency backup for the Blues when they visited Tampa in the 2021-22 season. Konin hasn’t played any significant level of hockey since ACHA III play in 2020.
  • Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin was on the ice for practice Monday after missing Saturday’s shootout loss to the Bruins with a lower-body injury, reports Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. He was a late scratch with the injury and wasn’t issued a timeline beyond day-to-day evaluation, suggesting his absence would be short-term. All signs point to the 24-year-old Swede reentering the lineup tomorrow against the Sabres as the Caps aim to pull away from the Flyers and secure third place in the Metropolitan Division. In his first full season in the nation’s capital, Sandin has 23 points in 64 games while playing 21:20 a night, second on the team behind John Carlson.

Evening Notes: Cernak, Sandin, Walker

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The Lightning were without defenseman Erik Černák in tonight’s match against the Islanders after he missed a team meeting, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. He’s been healthy scratched as a result, as is common practice. His absence paved the way for Haydn Fleury, who’s missed six games with a lower-body injury, to return to the lineup in a second-pairing role alongside trade deadline pickup Mathew Dumba. Černák, 26, has remained solidly in a top-four role and has been leaned on heavily this season in the absence of Mikhail Sergachev, who’s been limited to 34 games with multiple significant injuries. In the first season of an eight-year, $41.6MM extension signed back in July 2022, the Slovak blue-liner has 11 points and is averaging 19:21 per game through 60 appearances. It’s been a down season defensively for the normally steady shutdown man, posting a career-worst 47.1 CF% at even strength and a -4.7 expected rating.

More updates as we head into the weekend:

  • Another Eastern Conference wild-card hopeful is short a defenseman tonight. The Capitals didn’t have Rasmus Sandin available against the Bruins tonight due to a lower-body injury, per the team. As a result, 21-year-old Vincent Iorio made his season debut after being recalled from AHL Hershey on Wednesday. Sandin, 24, had a difficult stretch to begin the season but has improved as the campaign progresses, now up to 20 assists and 23 points in 64 games while averaging over 21 minutes a night. While his possession numbers have been rather pedestrian, and he won’t reach last year’s career-high 35 points, this is his first season in an everyday top-four role, and some growing pains were to be expected. Washington inked the 2018 first-round pick of the Maple Leafs to a five-year, $23MM extension earlier this month.
  • Avalanche blue-liner Sean Walker sustained an upper-body injury in tonight’s comeback win over the Predators, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters postgame (via Ryan Boulding of NHL.com). The 29-year-old came over from the Flyers via trade earlier this month, with Ryan Johansen and a first-round pick heading the other way. He’s been promising through nine games in Colorado, scoring three goals and adding an assist while continuing to control possession quality well at even strength. Expected to anchor the Avs’ third pairing in the postseason behind Cale Makar and Samuel Girard, an extended absence while he grows chemistry with his new teammates isn’t ideal. It’s unclear how long Colorado expects him out of the lineup, if at all.

Capitals Sign Rasmus Sandin To Five-Year Extension

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The Capitals have re-signed pending RFA defenseman Rasmus Sandin to a five-year extension, the team announced Wednesday. His contract carries an average annual value and cap hit of $4.6MM, earning him $23MM over the life of the deal. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report Washington and Sandin were nearing an extension.

Sandin, 23, would have been eligible for salary arbitration if he reached restricted free agency this summer. He’ll be a UFA at the end of his new deal, which expires after the 2028-29 season.

The 2018 first-round pick has logged major minutes for Washington since they acquired him from the Maple Leafs for Erik Gustafsson and a first-round pick before last season’s trade deadline. With Martin Fehérváry missing a significant chunk of the season with injuries, Sandin has often slid into a top-pairing role alongside John Carlson and is averaging a career-high 21:19 per game.

That pairing has struggled defensively, conceding 2.97 expected goals against per 60 minutes, according to MoneyPuck. He’s fared considerably better in slightly less usage alongside Trevor van Riemsdyk, who have a 50.4% expected goals share (and only 2.19 expected goals against per 60 minutes) when paired together.

His production is down slightly from last year’s seven-goal, 35-point campaign, but he still has a respectable 20 points in 52 games and has plenty of room to grow as he enters his mid-20s. Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic pegs the deal as an immediate slight overpay but a long-term bargain, with Sandin’s average market value projected at $5.3MM per season over the contract’s duration.

The contract does not include any trade protection, per CapFriendly. $7MM of the $23MM total, approximately 30%, will be paid in signing bonuses.

Washington has their blue line set for next season with only Joel Edmundson on an expiring contract. If he’s not dealt by Friday’s trade deadline, he’s unlikely to be re-signed. Carlson, Fehérváry, van Riemsdyk, Alexander Alexeyev, Ethan Bear, and Nick Jensen are all signed to one-way deals through next season, giving the Caps a full complement of seven defensemen.

However, the signing does leave Washington in a cap crunch that GM Brian MacLellan will need to get creative to navigate. With pay bumps for Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson kicking in next season, the Capitals are down to $4.17MM in projected cap space with a roster size of 16, per CapFriendly. That figure accounts for buried center Evgeny Kuznetsov, whose cap hit is reduced slightly to $6.65MM while on assignment to AHL Hershey, remaining in the minors.

Sandin was in the final season of a two-year, $2.8MM deal he signed after holding out for most of the 2022 offseason.

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