Injury Notes: Saros, Blues, Kings
Nashville Predators star goaltender Juuse Saros will remain out of the lineup as the Predators look to avoid a sweep tomorrow, per head coach John Hynes. The team will likely continue to roll with Connor Ingram in the net with veteran David Rittich backing him up.
Hynes noted during his availability this morning that Saros is skating now as he recovers from a lower-body injury, but his activities are still limited. Ingram has performed admirably in a tough situation, putting up a .919 save percentage in two starts (three appearances). While Saros could likely amass somewhat better numbers, the Avalanche have hemmed the Predators at every turn and look to be the only team to sweep their way into the Second Round.
- The St. Louis Blues are dealing with a triple threat in terms of defense injuries today. Head coach Craig Berube says Torey Krug, Nick Leddy, and Robert Bortuzzo are all out for Game 4 in just a few minutes against the Wild. While the outlook on Krug is not positive, the Blues hope Leddy and Bortuzzo can return to the lineup as soon as possible to help reinforce a weary and inexperienced blueline. However, young defenseman Scott Perunovich took warmups and could play his first game since January 15.
- Viktor Arvidsson remains out for the Los Angeles Kings tonight, and he could be joined by fellow forward Carl Grundstrom. Head coach Todd McLellan said the Swede is a game-time decision for Game 4 as the Kings look to get a home win to even the series at two games apiece. Grundstrom had no points in two games already in this series.
Latest On St. Louis Blues Defensemen
After St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug left last night’s game midway through the first period with a lower-body injury, Blues head coach Craig Berube said today that he expected Krug to be out for “some time” (link). The loss of Krug is yet another in a growing list of St. Louis defensemen who are out with injury, joining Nick Leddy, Robert Bortuzzo, and rookie Scott Perunovich. Krug has been an important piece for a deep Blues team this season, playing a pivotal role on their powerplay while averaging 20:33 in time-on-ice in the regular season. No timetable, beyond Berube’s comments, has been given.
Looking at those other three names, returns for Leddy, Bortuzzo, and Perunovich could be fairly soon. According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who spoke with Berube, Perunovich is a possibility for Game Four against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday (link). Perunovich had been out since January 15th with a left wrist injury, which ultimately required surgery in March. The young defenseman’s regular season would end after just 19 NHL games, in which he tallied six assists.
A return for Leddy and Bortuzzo does not appear to be as imminent as that of Perunovich, however the pair did practice Saturday with St. Louis. Still, as Thomas reports, the team will have to wait and see on their status. Leddy, who played in Game One, missed games Two and Three against Minnesota with an upper-body injury. It’s unclear what exactly the nature of Leddy’s injury is, however he did take an awkward hit into the boards during Game One from the Wild’s Matt Boldy. Bortuzzo’s injury was more clear, having taken a puck to his face while attempting to block a shot during Game Two.
There was concern about Justin Faulk, as the defenseman did not practice with the team on Saturday. However, Thomas reports, Faulk’s absence was merely for rest, after playing heavy minutes in last night’s game. Faulk was not only one of the Blues’ best players this season, but one of the league’s best, recording 16 goals and 31 assists in 76 games along with a stellar plus-41 rating, all while averaging 23:12 time-on-ice.
West Notes: Gaudreau, Hynes, Perunovich
The Flames are facing an interesting cap crunch for next season. Matthew Tkachuk is owed a $9MM qualifying offer, Andrew Mangiapane’s 31 goals plus arbitration eligibility has him looking at a sizable raise, and top scorer Johnny Gaudreau is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen tried to peg where Gaudreau’s price tag should be on his next deal, suggesting an $8.5MM AAV could be the right fit for him and Calgary which would represent a $1.75MM jump on his current cap hit. The 28-year-old is in the middle of a career year that sees him with 101 points in 74 games but with only mild salary cap increases coming over the next couple of seasons, it’s possible that it limits Gaudreau’s leverage if he tries to aim closer to the $10MM mark.
More from the West:
- Discussions on a new contract for Predators head coach John Hynes won’t begin until the season is over, reports Adam Vingan of The Athletic (subscription link). Nashville has played to an 89-61-8 record since he took over partway through the 2019-20 season so there’s little reason to think a coaching change is on the horizon. The Preds have a team option for next season which would likely be exercised if the two sides are unable to reach an agreement on a longer-term deal.
- Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich has resumed skating, relays Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The youngster underwent wrist surgery in early March and is expected to be re-evaluated at the eight-week mark. We’re still a little more than two weeks away from that point so he’s still a long way from being cleared to return to the lineup for the playoffs. In 19 games this season, the rookie has six assists while averaging 15:27 of ice time per contest.
Scott Perunovich To Undergo Surgery
Another disappointing outcome has been reached in the young career of St. Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich. The team has announced that Perunovich will undergo surgery on his left wrist in New York and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks.
Now 23, it’s been nearly two years since Perunovich won the Hobey Baker and signed with the Blues out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth. In that time, he’s played just 36 professional games, only 19 of those at the NHL level. He missed the entire 2020-21 season with a shoulder injury that eventually needed surgery, and now will see his entry-level contract expire with just a handful of regular season appearances.
Of course, eight weeks does leave the possibility of a playoff return, though the evaluation would obviously have to be quite positive. It seems more likely that the young defenseman will miss the rest of the season and head into a restricted free agency negotiation coming off a second major injury.
For the Blues, knowing that Perunovich might not be back at all at least will give them some certainty when it comes to the trade deadline. The team was recently linked to Jacob Middleton, and has been included in speculation about even more impactful defensemen in the past.
Injury Updates: Perunovich, Kassian, Karlsson, Rowney
Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich recently completed his five-game LTIR conditioning assignment with AHL Springfield where he had a goal and an assist. However, as Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic points out (Twitter link), the 23-year-old remains on LTIR and head coach Craig Berube indicated that Perunovich is still being evaluated. It’s unclear if this is a flare-up of his upper-body injury or something else entirely but it appears as if St. Louis will be without the young defenseman for a while yet. His continued presence on LTIR will make it that much harder for them to bank any cap space in an effort to give themselves any sort of wiggle room to try to add before the upcoming trade deadline.
More injury news from around the NHL:
- The Edmonton Oilers had Zack Kassian back on the ice today as he continues to recover from a broken jaw, according to Ryan Rishaug of TSN. The veteran forward hasn’t played since February 9, when he left a game against the Chicago Blackhawks after taking a puck to the face. Kassian was wearing a full cage to protect the injury and it is still not clear when he’ll actually be back in the Oilers’ lineup.
- The Sharks are hoping to have defenseman Erik Karlsson back in the lineup on Thursday, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. He has been out for the last six weeks with a shoulder injury that has been giving him trouble since the start of the season although it hasn’t held him back offensively as the 31-year-old has 26 points in 31 games. Pashelka adds that blueliner Jaycob Megna could also return on Thursday. The 29-year-old underwent surgery last month to repair a foot fracture, one that carried a recovery timeline of four-to-six weeks. It appears he’ll be on the short end of that range.
- Red Wings winger Carter Rowney left Friday’s game with what appeared to be a foot injury, notes Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. He had just come back from a lower-body injury that cost him 17 games, scoring in two straight before last night. Veteran penalty killing forwards are often something playoff teams look to add by the deadline but this injury may end any chance of Rowney being on the move by March 21st.
Scott Perunovich Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan
It’s been a month since Scott Perunovich suffered an injury in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs that landed him on long-term injured reserve, and since the St. Louis Blues are on the road in Canada, he’ll be headed back to the AHL to get his game legs back. Perunovich has been loaned to the Springfield Thunderbirds on a conditioning assignment.
If you wanted to chart out an easy transition from college to the professional ranks, it certainly wouldn’t look like what Perunovich has experienced over the past two years. After winning the Hobey Baker award in 2020 following his junior season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Perunovich missed all of 2020-21 because of shoulder surgery. He has dealt with COVID and injury absences this season as well, limiting him to 12 games with the Thunderbirds and 19 more with St. Louis.
In those games with Springfield, the 2018 second-round pick showed just how dominant he could be offensively. Perunovich racked up 20 points in those 12 games, controlling play every time he was on the ice. With this new conditioning loan, he’ll try to get back to that same level before rejoining the Blues at some point down the road.
Once he does return to full health and is ready to play, his addition to the St. Louis lineup could feel just like a trade deadline addition. In his short time in the NHL he recorded incredible possession numbers and racked up six points in 19 games, though was very sheltered when it came to deployment by head coach Craig Berube. Perhaps with a longer run he’ll earn some more trust from the coaching staff and help St. Louis secure their playoff position in the Western Conference.
Central Notes: Kubalik, Blues, MacDonald
Blackhawks winger Dominik Kubalik is one of the more interesting wingers that currently is in trade speculation. He’s only two years removed from a 30-goal campaign and still has another year of team control remaining through arbitration. However, he isn’t having a particularly strong year and that qualifying offer stands at $4MM, a high price for someone whose production is on pace for a 31-point season. Accordingly, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic pegs (subscription link) the 26-year-old as a deadline enigma. If Kubalik has his way, he’d like to stick around with Chicago and not be moved:
Chicago gave me an opportunity to be in the NHL and I love it there. So I’d love to stay.
The question for Blackhawks interim GM Kyle Davidson will be figuring out where the line is between opting for what would probably be an underwhelming trade return (relative to how he played a couple of years ago as a rookie) and where the smarter play would be to keep and qualify him this summer to give him one more chance. In the meantime, Kubalik will have another month to try to up his value both on the trade and contract front.
More from the Central Division:
- Blues defenseman Marco Scandella traveled with the team on their road trip and could play at some point in this four-game stretch, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The veteran is dealing with a lower-body injury and missed his first game of the season over the weekend. Meanwhile, the same can’t be said for fellow blueliner Scott Perunovich as Timmermann notes the youngster won’t be on the trip as he continues to battle an upper-body injury. At this point, with Perunovich already being out for a month, a short-term stint in the minors seems likely when he is cleared to return.
- Avalanche blueliner Jacob MacDonald has been cleared for contact as he works his way back from an injury that has kept him out of the lineup for more than two months, relays Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 28-year-old has been limited to just seven games this season and is currently on LTIR. Even with this step, MacDonald is still likely at least a couple of weeks away from returning.
Central Notes: Buchnevich, Wheeler, Wild, Kuemper
Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich has been cleared from COVID protocol, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As a result, St. Louis – who has had 21 different players unavailable due to positive tests in recent weeks – now doesn’t have anyone missing for that reason (though defenseman Scott Perunovich is out with an unspecified injury). Buchnevich will be a welcome addition back to the lineup for the Blues as he sits tied for second in team scoring with 14 goals and 21 assists in 34 games. St. Louis had an open roster spot so they didn’t need to make any corresponding roster move to bring him back onto the active roster.
More from the Central:
- Jets winger Blake Wheeler could return to the lineup this weekend, reports Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe. The captain has missed nine straight games with a knee injury, an amount that could have been much higher had it not been for the COVID-related postponements. Wheeler has only scored once in 22 games this season but had 16 assists which is still tied for third on Winnipeg despite missing more than a month.
- Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin has resumed skating as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link). He was injured blocking a shot a week and a half ago. His pending return will be welcome with Jared Spurgeon expected to be eased back into the lineup; McLellan adds that it’s unlikely that the captain – who is working his way back from a lower-body injury – will play both ends of the upcoming home-and-home with Chicago.
- While Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper left Monday’s game against Minnesota with an injury, he isn’t expected to miss any time, mentions Mike Chambers of the Denver Post (Twitter link). He’ll serve as the backup goaltender tonight and is slated to start on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Blues Place Tarasenko, Perunovich, Walman In COVID Protocol
After icing a nearly fully healthy team last night against Pittsburgh for what felt like the first time in forever, the St. Louis Blues got hit with bad news today. The team released a statement Thursday saying they’ve placed forward Vladimir Tarasenko and defensemen Scott Perunovich and Jake Walman in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
These are large absences for this team, especially Tarasenko. He’s been a somewhat unexpectedly huge contributor to the lineup after requesting a trade this past offseason, potting 14 goals and 20 assists in 34 games, seemingly fully recovered from years of shoulder issues.
Perunovich and Walman have been valuable depth pieces on defense, especially Perunovich. The young 23-year-old has impressed during his first NHL stint, scoring six assists in 18 games and averaging 15:33 per game. The 45th overall pick in 2018 will have to wait a little longer to score his first NHL goal, however.
Walman, through 18 games, has a goal and two assists in 12:06 of ice time per game.
Kyle Clifford Placed On Waivers
Nov 16: Clifford has cleared waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He can now be assigned to the AHL.
Nov 15: The St. Louis Blues have placed Kyle Clifford on waivers, according to Jeff Marek of Sportsnet. With Scott Perunovich‘s recall, the team needed to clear more than $900K in cap space if they wanted to activate Oskar Sundqvist from injured reserve. Clifford, who makes $1MM this season, could be loaned to the minor leagues should he clear waivers, completely burying his cap hit.
Clifford, 30, has only played two games for the Blues this season, spending nearly two weeks in the COVID protocol. The fourth-line forward did register a point in one of those two matches, but has very limited offensive upside. That, added to the fact that he makes more than league minimum, makes him an unlikely claim candidate, though perhaps a team believes he can add some extra toughness to their bottom-six. There’s certainly a case for the experience factor, as Clifford has played in more than 700 NHL games and won the Stanley Cup twice with the Los Angeles Kings.
Sundqvist is a much more useful player though, and given Perunovich’s incredible start in the minor leagues, it was hard to justify keeping him down any longer. Making room for the young defenseman could potentially cost them Clifford, but with the team on a three-game losing streak and falling behind in the Central Division race, something needed to be changed.