Evening Notes: Tortorella, Fantilli, Jones, Vlasic
Despite their recent collapse, it doesn’t appear as though the Philadelphia Flyers are planning to make a coaching change to replace John Tortorella anytime soon. This news comes from TSN’s Darren Dreger who reports that Flyers sources have told him that “Torts is not leaving the bench.” The speculation around Tortorella’s job security makes sense given that the team is mired in a 1-6-3 streak in their last ten and are currently chasing a playoff spot after sitting comfortably in third place in the Metropolitan Division just a few short weeks ago.
The Flyers are winless in eight straight games and have looked lost the last month, particularly in their last three games where they have been outscored 19-7 by the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens. Last night’s 9-3 loss to Montreal was particularly difficult to watch as the Canadiens dominated the Flyers from start to finish which further added to speculation about Tortorella’s future.
In other evening notes:
- Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli won’t play again this season after suffering a lacerated calf against the Seattle Kraken back on January 28th. While that news isn’t overly surprising given that there are just a handful of games left on the NHL schedule, what is surprising to hear is that the 19-year-old rookie might play for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships if he is healthy a month from now. Fantilli played for Team Canada last year at the tournament and could return on May 10th if he is at 100 percent. Last year’s third-overall pick will finish his first NHL regular season with 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games.
- Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks defensemen Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic will suit up for Team U.S.A. at the IIHF World Championships. The 22-year-old Vlasic hasn’t represented the United States internationally for over five years, last suiting up for the Americans at the U18 World Championship in 2018-19. Jones last suited up internationally two years ago at the World Championships when he captained the Americans to a fourth-place finish.
Evening Notes: Hanifin, Nugent-Hopkins, Jones, Crevier
The Tampa Bay Lightning could be viewing Noah Hanifin as their replacement for Mikhail Sergachev, per TSN’s Chris Johnston on Insider Trading. Sergachev has had terrible injury luck this season, recently fracturing both bones in his lower left leg just 10 minutes into his return from a separate lower-body injury that held him out for two months. The 25-year-old defenseman has played just 34 games this season, scoring 19 points. He’s now out indefinitely and is currently on the team’s long-term injured reserve.
Hanifin would be a darling replacement for Sergachev and a major addition to a Tampa Bay blue line that’s been battered and bruised all season long. Hanifin has scored 30 points in 56 games this season, operating as Calgary’s clear-cut top defenseman and averaging over 23 minutes of ice time. His role in Tampa would likely be a bit easier and focus more on taking responsibility off of Victor Hedman’s shoulders. Hedman currently averages nearly 25 minutes of ice time each game, almost six minutes more than any other healthy Lightning defenseman.
Hanifin is on an expiring contract with a $4.95MM cap hit. He’s currently expected to test the open market, though any team that acquires him will get a head start in negotiating a new contract. Tampa Bay is expected to have $7.55MM in cap space available at the Trade Deadline but just $11.5MM available this off-season, with Steven Stamkos headlining their list of pending free agents. That likely limits their ability to give Hanifin the contract he’ll be asking for. All of these factors will undoubtedly come up in trade negotiations, as Tampa Bay looks to acquire one of the top names on the open market.
Other notes from around the league:
- Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is out with illness and is questionable to play in the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the Boston Bruins, per Sportsnet columnist Mark Spector. Nugent-Hopkins has had another productive season with the Oilers, scoring 49 points in 52 games this season. That puts him on pace for 77 points through 82 games, which would be both the second-most Nugent-Hopkins has ever scored and a notable step down from the 104 points he scored in 82 games last season. His absence would likely lead to Connor Brown stepping back into the lineup, as Edmonton doesn’t have any extra forwards currently on the NHL roster.
- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones is okay after taking a puck to the groin at the team’s Wednesday practice, while defenseman Louis Crevier is out with soreness after taking a puck to the face in the team’s last game, per team reporter Scott Powers. Crevier will be replaced by Isaak Phillips, who has six assists, 22 penalty minutes, and -22 through 29 games this season.
Blue Jackets Activate Adam Boqvist Off IR
The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to welcome back defenseman Adam Boqvist as they’ve activated him off of the injured reserve. The 23-year-old will re-join the team tonight when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning and should line up on the top defensive pairing alongside Zach Werenski. He will also likely see time on the team’s second power-play unit.
Boqvist suffered an upper-body injury on January 25th in a game against the Calgary Flames. While the injury was classified as upper-body, Boqvist suffered a head or facial injury after taking a puck to the face while sitting on the bench. The timing of the injury meant that the former eighth-overall pick only missed three games due to the All-Star break. It was the second time Boqvist has been sidelined this season as he missed four weeks of play in December due to a shoulder injury.
A native of Falun, Sweden, Boqvist has provided some offense from the backend as he has seven assists in 20 games this season. While his offensive numbers throughout his career have been decent, he has never been able to remain in the lineup for an entire season for a variety of reasons. Now in his fifth NHL season, Boqvist has yet to play more than 52 games in any one year.
Boqvist was one of the pieces acquired in the trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that sent Seth Jones to the Windy City and looked like he was turning the corner last season. But this season, injuries and healthy scratches have limited his playing time and he has had a hard time settling into a groove.
Central Notes: Foligno, Jones, Manson, Lehkonen, Scheifele
Blackhawks winger Nick Foligno is already on injured reserve with a fractured finger sustained last week against the Devils but has remained without a recovery timeline. Today, he told reporters (including the Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope) that doctors have informed him he’ll be on a week-to-week timeline.
The Blackhawks’ most veteran player, at 36 years old and 1,100-plus games played, is fresh off signing a two-year, $9MM extension. He’s seen heavy deployment with rookie Connor Bedard this season, although both are now sidelined due to separate injuries both sustained against the Devils. He’s been elevated back to first-line minutes for the first time since 2021, his last season as captain of the Blue Jackets, partly due to additional injuries to other Blackhawks forwards like Taylor Hall. With eight goals and 17 points through 39 games, he’s fourth on the team in points behind Bedard, Philipp Kurashev and Jason Dickinson.
More from the Central Division:
- Sticking with Chicago, number-one blueliner Seth Jones is officially back in the lineup tonight against the Stars after missing 15 games with a lower-body injury, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. Coming out to make room is veteran Jarred Tinordi, who had two points in his last three games. Jones, who has averaged over 25 minutes per game this year, returns to a top-pairing role with youngster Alex Vlasic to his left. Despite his injury, Jones and Vlasic have still seen the most ice time together of any Blackhawks defense pairing this season at 254 minutes in 25 games, per MoneyPuck. In 27 appearances on the year, Jones has 11 assists and a -5 rating.
- Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson has returned to the lineup tonight against the Maple Leafs, as initially reported by The Denver Post’s Corey Masisak. The 32-year-old, who’s no stranger to injuries, missed the last two contests for undisclosed reasons. He’s taken a major step forward defensively in his second full season with Colorado, posting a 53.4% Corsi share at even strength through 37 games this year. He’s supplemented that with five goals and 12 points, playing his best hockey since coming to Denver via trade from the Ducks at the 2022 trade deadline.
- Injured Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen is nearing a return from his neck injury that’s kept him out since the beginning of November, head coach Jared Bednar said earlier this week (via Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now). Bednar said Lehkonen could return during the Avs’ lengthy road trip, which has four games remaining after tonight and wraps up on January 20 in Philadelphia. The 28-year-old would be a huge boost to Colorado’s top six and had eight points in his first 12 contests. Now in the second season of a five-year, $22.5MM deal, he would presumably help anchor a second line that, at least tonight, currently features no players with over half a point per game this season with Valeri Nichushkin out with illness.
- Jets top-line center Mark Scheifele isn’t playing tonight against the Flyers with a lower-body injury sustained Thursday against Chicago, per the team. Captain Adam Lowry moves up to the first line in his absence to center Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabriel Vilardi. Scheifele’s 27 assists and 41 points through 41 games both lead the team, so it’s a sizable loss for a squad looking to extend their eight-game win streak. He’s in the final season of an eight-year, $49MM carrying a $6.125MM cap hit but is locked into a seven-year extension with an $8.5MM cap hit beginning next season.
West Notes: Oettinger, Jones, Emberson, Saville
The Stars welcomed back a key player tonight with the team announcing (Twitter link) that Jake Oettinger was getting the start against Nashville. The 25-year-old missed the last four weeks with a lower-body injury, forcing Scott Wedgewood to take on the interim starting role in his absence, a role Wedgewood had some success in. Oettinger had a career year last season with a 2.37 GAA and a .919 SV%, earning him a top-five spot in Vezina Trophy voting but hasn’t had quite the same success this season with those numbers checking in at 2.93 and .901 respectively heading into Friday’s action. If he can get back to being a top netminder in the second half, that could give Dallas a big lift as they jockey for seeding in the Central Division.
More from the Western Conference:
- Blackhawks blueliner Seth Jones was a full participant in practice today for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury just over a month ago, notes Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago. The original diagnosis was that he’d miss two weeks but further testing doubled that timeline. Jones, who has 11 points – all assists – in 27 games this season, is hoping to be cleared to return to Chicago’s lineup tomorrow against Dallas.
- Sharks defenseman Ty Emberson has returned to San Jose for further evaluation, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 23-year-old is dealing with an upper-body injury that has caused him to miss last night’s victory over Montreal, joining Matt Benning and Jacob MacDonald as blueliners currently out of the lineup. Emberson is currently considered as out week-to-week so he’ll likely land on injured reserve shortly, opening up a spot for Logan Couture whose return is getting closer.
- The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that they returned goaltender Isaiah Saville to AHL Henderson. The 23-year-old was recalled recently after Adin Hill was unable to dress for Thursday’s game due to an undisclosed injury. Saville has battled injuries himself this season and has been limited to seven games with the Silver Knights where he has a 2.52 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Injury Notes: Capitals, Sabres, Blackhawks
The Washington Capitals will be without both Rasmus Sandin and Tom Wilson, as both players have been designated as day-to-day with upper-body injuries. Wilson was on the receiving end of the butt-end of Alex Laferriere‘s stick in the team’s recent matchup against the Los Angeles Kings, leaving Wilson bloodied and forcing him out of action for a brief moment, though the winger returned before the final horn.
Both players have played extended time for the Capitals this season, with Sandin appearing in 36 games and Wilson one of only six players to appear in all 38 of the team’s games. Sandin’s 11 assists on the season rank fourth on the Capitals, though the 23-year-old defenseman has yet to score his first goal of the year. Washington brought in Sandin ahead of last season’s trade deadline, sending the Toronto Maple Leafs Erik Gustafsson and the 28th-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, which Toronto used to bring in Easton Cowan.
Sandin has averaged 22 minutes of ice time this season, ranked second among the team’s skaters, while Wilson has averaged roughly 18-and-a-half. Both players are core lineup pieces that the Capitals will want back as soon as possible.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- The Buffalo Sabres have opposing news about their ill players, with Jordan Greenway slated to return to the lineup but Victor Olofsson not expected to be ready just yet. Greenway has managed 10 points and 23 penalty minutes in 28 games this season, missing time with an upper-body injury earlier in the year. Olofsson has also missed time, battling injury and serving as a healthy scratch. The 28-year-old winger has 12 points in 31 games this season – a step down from the 28 goals and 40 points he managed last year.
- The Chicago Blackhawks had a slew of players return to practice on Tuesday, with Seth Jones (shoulder), Taylor Raddysh (groin), Joey Anderson (shoulder), and Rem Pitlick all making their way back to the ice. Unlike the former three, Pitlick isn’t returning from injury – instead being acquired via trade on Saturday, with the Hawks sending Pittsburgh a seventh-round pick for the forward. Pitlick’s arrival in Chicago was delayed by the snow storm currently moving through the Midwest.
Injury Updates: Jones, Lazar, Kuraly
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones has not dressed for a game in 17 days due to a shoulder injury, but according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, he could be getting closer to a return. He’s set to begin skating after the team’s five-game road trip concludes, and could see a return to game action relatively quickly after that point.
Jones is the Blackhawks’ most important defenseman and arguably the team’s most important player outside of rookie phenom Connor Bedard. Although he only has 11 points in 27 games this season, he’s averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per night and anchors both the team’s power play and penalty kill. Getting him back in the lineup would do wonders for the Blackhawks’ ability to remain competitive on a nightly basis.
Some more injury updates from across the NHL:
- New Jersey Devils forward Curtis Lazar is “a bit banged up” according to team reporter Amanda Stein, and head coach Lindy Ruff says he’s out day-to-day. A hard-working bottom-six winger for New Jersey, Lazar has scored 10 points in 30 games this season and plays a secondary role on the team’s penalty kill. With Lazar out the Devils appear to be slated to run seven defensemen, although the team could also opt to have veteran Chris Tierney fill Lazar’s role while Lazar is out.
- After a scary-looking abdominal injury, it appears veteran forward Sean Kuraly has avoided a significant absence. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that Kuraly would miss tonight’s game against the Devils, but that his status is considered day-to-day. That’s encouraging news for the penalty-killing specialist, as at first glance it seemed unlikely he would miss such a brief amount of time.
Central Notes: Makar, Cogliano, Jones, Vlasic, Kupari
As the Colorado Avalanche are set to take on the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, the team will still be without defenseman Cale Makar and forward Andrew Cogliano, according to Conor McGahey of Altitude Sports. On Makar specifically, with a relatively easy schedule to finish out the calendar year, the Avalanche may keep Makar out for several games for him to comfortably recover from his ongoing lower-body injury.
Nevertheless, without Makar in the lineup since the team’s victory against the Buffalo Sabres on December 13th, Colorado struggled defensively in their game against the Winnipeg Jets only three nights later. Making his case for the best player in the organization, Makar has eight goals and 37 points in 27 games played up to this point, carrying an equally impressive 90.5% on-ice save percentage in all situations.
Cogliano, on the other hand, will be kept out of the lineup tonight after receiving a big hit in the team’s most recent game against the San Jose Sharks. Like Makar, Cogliano has also played in 27 games on the season, scoring three goals and nine points as a part of the forward core’s bottom six.
Other notes:
- Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago reported that while already on the team’s injured reserve, it is unlikely that defenseman Seth Jones will suit up for the Chicago Blackhawks before the Christmas break. With his injured reserve placement coming just three days ago, Jones would be eligible to return from his shoulder injury on December 23rd. Conversely, in the same report, Roumeliotis mentions that Alex Vlasic is much closer to a return, skating on his own this morning.
- In some positive news for the Winnipeg Jets, Rasmus Kupari was back at practice this morning in a non-contact jersey (X Link). Acquired in the same deal that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings over the summer, Kupari has been dealing with a shoulder injury, recording only one assist in 15 games for the Jets.
Blackhawks Place Seth Jones On IR, Recall Wyatt Kaiser
The Blackhawks have made a pair of moves on their back end leading up to tomorrow’s matchup against Vancouver. The team announced that defenseman Seth Jones has been placed on injured reserve. Taking his place on the roster is blueliner Wyatt Kaiser who has been recalled from AHL Rockford.
Jones is dealing with an upper-body injury and his placement is dated retroactive to December 10th. That means he’ll be eligible to be activated after missing Sunday’s game. Earlier today, head coach Luke Richardson told reporters including Scott Powers of The Athletic (Twitter link) that there is no timetable for how long his top blueliner will be out.
The 29-year-old is still looking for his first goal of the season but has 11 assists in 27 games along with 64 blocked shots. He’s also logging 25:25 per game, ranking fifth in the NHL in ATOI among all players so Richardson will have to get creative to try to fill those minutes.
As for Kaiser, the 21-year-old is in his first full professional year and has spent most of the year with Chicago, suiting up in 21 games where he has four assists along with 27 blocks while averaging 16:34 per night. Earlier this month, the Blackhawks opted to send him to Rockford to get him some more playing time; he got into five games with the IceHogs and was held off the scoresheet.
Injury Notes: Joseph, Benning, Martin, Jones, Merzlikins
Placing defenseman Dmitri Samorukov on waivers yesterday, after he cleared today, the Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and have subsequently activated Pierre-Olivier Joseph off of the injured reserve. Being placed on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury dating back to November 18th, Joseph has not played in a game since the team’s route against the San Jose Sharks on November 4th.
Given that he is returning from injury, Joseph will likely slot into the Penguins’ bottom-pairing alongside John Ludvig. Although he is a much better internal option on the blue line compared to Samorukov, Joseph will not be a factor in improving the team’s current offensive struggles on the powerplay.
Last season, in what has been his best to date, Joseph scored five goals and 21 points on the back end, also carrying an impressive oiSV% of 91.5%. With a 3-4-3 record in the last 10 games, the Penguins currently find themselves six points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and will need all hands on deck to get back into the playoff race.
Other injury notes:
- The San Jose Sharks announced today they have placed defenseman Matt Benning on the injured reserve. Dealing with a lower-body injury, Benning has been out of the lineup since the team’s game against the New York Rangers on December 3rd. Already starting the season with limited depth as an organization, Benning joins a growing list of Sharks on the injured reserve, making him the sixth player overall currently.
- Retroactive to December 2nd, the New York Islanders have placed depth forward Matt Martin on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. This will now be the third time this season that Martin has been placed on the IR, having missed stretches in both October and November. In only 14 games played this season, Martin has one goal and two points, only maintaining approximately eight and a half minutes of ice time per game.
- Already confirmed to be out of the lineup in tonight’s matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks’ defenseman, Seth Jones, received X-rays during the team’s game against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Although there has been no official update on the status of Jones, team doctors indicated that he was only feeling a ‘little sore’ and should be able to make it back to the lineup after the team’s road trip (X Link).
- Although he is still on the team’s injured reserve due to an illness, Brian Hedger for the Columbus Dispatch reports that goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Elvis Merzlikins returned to practice with the team today. Largely the most competent goalie on the Blue Jackets this season, Merzlikins holds a 6-8-4 record in 19 starts, carrying a .910 SV% and a 3.10 GAA.