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Timmins Remains A Few Weeks Away From Returning

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Josh Yohe of The Athletic is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry left their game last night against the Anaheim Ducks after being bumped in the back of the head by Adam Henrique and then having his mask dislodged. This was just the beginning for Jarry as he was then struck in his unprotected face by a Ryan Strome shot. NHL officials quickly signalled to the Penguins bench and Jarry was rushed off the ice and did not return.

Up to that point, Jarry had been solid for the Penguins making 21 consecutive stops to preserve a 1-0 Penguins lead late into the second period. With Jarry sidelined, the Penguins’ turned to their third-string netminder Magnus Hellberg who made 11 straight saves to maintain the rare two-goalie shutout.

No updates have been given yet on Jarry, but Yohe did report that he was present in the Penguins’ dressing room after the game, which is certainly an encouraging sign. Jarry has struggled to start the year after signing a massive five-year contract extension this summer that was heavily criticized for being too long and too expensive. The Penguins are already without backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic until later this month and can ill afford to lose Jarry for any length of time.

In other injury notes:

  • Times Herald Reporter Bill Hoppe is reporting that Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens is back at practice today sporting a full-face shield as he makes his return to the ice after missing two games with an upper-body injury. No specifics have been given about Cozens injury but given that he is sporting face protection and a large bandage on his nose, it would appear to be an injury to that region. Cozens was engaged in a fight with Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway back on November 3rd, a game the Sabres lost 5-1, and acknowledged that this incident was the cause of the ailment. Cozens has three goals and four assists in 11 games thus far this season.
  • David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins is unlikely to get back into the lineup for at least a couple of weeks. Alter spoke with Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe after Timmins practiced with the team this morning, Keefe told the reporter that Timmins will travel with the team to Sweden next week but is unlikely to play. However, the plan is to have him ramp up in practice and he could re-join the lineup after they return from the extended road trip. Timmins has been on LTIR since the beginning of the season after suffering a lower-body injury and has yet to play a game.

Jake McCabe Won't Return To Lineup Monday Against Lightning

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  • Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens is not practicing today as he remains sidelined with a suspected concussion, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports. Head coach Don Granato informed reporters that Cozens is trending in the right direction, however, and will likely rejoin the team for practice before the end of the week. Cozens, 22, has not skated with the team since leaving Friday’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers after fighting winger Garnet Hathaway with 1:56 left in regulation. The 2019 seventh-overall pick is off to a decent start, recording three goals and four assists for seven points in 11 games on the heels of a 31-goal campaign last season. The news doesn’t bode well for Cozens’ availability against the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow, meaning he could miss his second straight game after being absent for Saturday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe won’t return to the lineup tonight against Tampa Bay, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed to reporters (via Mark Masters of TSN). Simon Benoit will make his Toronto debut after a recent recall from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, Keefe said. Consequentially, Maxime Lajoie will serve as a scratch after playing just 4:54 in Toronto’s loss to Buffalo on Saturday. McCabe has missed the last four games with a groin injury sustained against Dallas on October 26, and the team has gone 0-2-2 in his absence.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Nick Robertson

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled top prospect Nicholas Robertson to the NHL lineup. This recall comes after Robertson’s red-hot start to the AHL season, where he’s scored 11 points in only nine games, good for a Top 20 spot in the league’s scoring.

Toronto is granted the roster spot to make this move thanks to the slew of injuries to their defense. They currently have four defensemen facing injuries, including Jake McCabe, who is the only one of the four to not be on injured reserve. Instead, he and fellow defenseman Maxime Lajoie have operated as the team’s two scratches. With so much roster attention needing to go to the defense, Toronto hasn’t been carrying an extra forward.

Robertson will seemingly step into that spot, although his hot start to the season could earn him a crack at the lineup. Robertson has played in 31 NHL games over the last three seasons, scoring three goals and seven points. Five of those points came in the 15 games he received last season; the most he’s played in a single NHL season. But injuries have proven detrimental to the 22-year-old winger, who missed most of the 2022-23 season with a shoulder injury. Now healthy once again, Robertson is looking to make up for lost time in his development curve and prove to the Leafs organization that he’s still the prospect that everyone was excited about following the 2019 NHL Draft.

Toronto is in need of some kind of spark. The team has 36 goals-for on the season, neatly ranking them 16th in the league. Nearly all of their scoring has come from the usual suspects, with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander being the only players to score over-10 points through the team’s first 11 games. Other than the star-studded quartet, four members of the Leafs’ bottom-six have fewer than two points – and two players have zero points – so far. Depth scoring has proven invaluable to recent Stanley Cup champions and will be a virtue that Toronto hopes Robertson can provide.

Jake McCabe, Conor Timmins Set To Return To Practice

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  • David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman, Jake McCabe, will return to practice with the team today. The team could certainly benefit from the return of his defensive prowess, as the team has lost four straight games since McCabe went down with a groin injury. It remains to be seen whether or not he will return to game action this week, as Toronto has an upcoming four-game homestand.
  • Sticking with the Maple Leafs, similarly to McCabe, Mark Masters of TSN reports that Toronto defenseman, Conor Timmins, was seen skating today in practice. Working his way back from a lower-body injury, Timmins has been on long-term injured reserve since the beginning of the season. Although the Maple Leafs should have a full defensive unit upon his return, they could certainly improve upon the trio of Simon Benoit, William Lagesson, and Maxime Lajoie as their depth defenseman on the NHL roster.

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Maple Leafs Place Timothy Liljegren On LTIR, Recall Max Lajoie And Simon Benoit

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The Maple Leafs are dealing with another injury on their back end as they announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Timothy Liljegren has been placed on LTIR with a high-ankle sprain, meaning he’ll miss at least the next 10 games and 24 days.  Replacing him on the roster will be blueliners Max Lajoie and Simon Benoit who have been recalled from AHL Toronto.

Liljegren was injured on Thursday night late in the first period against Boston after being tripped by Bruins winger Brad Marchand.  Following the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that the early prognosis was that it wasn’t a short-term injury for the 24-year-old; this placement certainly cements that.  Liljegren is averaging around 18 minutes a night on Toronto’s back end through the first ten games, good for fourth among Toronto’s blueliners.  It’s a contract year for Liljegren who will be a restricted free agent next summer and an extended absence certainly wouldn’t help on that front.

The Maple Leafs are also without blueliners Jake McCabe and Conor Timmins.  David Alter of The Hockey News mentions (Twitter link) that both rearguards skated before practice today but that Timmins – who is on LTIR himself – is still a long way away from returning to the lineup.

As for the recalls, Lajoie is in his first season with Toronto after signing with them in free agency this past summer.  The 25-year-old has seen NHL action in each of the last five years, totaling 70 regular season games and a pair of playoff contests.  This season, he has been held off the scoresheet in seven games with the Marlies but had 45 points in 70 games with AHL Chicago in 2022-23.

Benoit, meanwhile, was recalled three times back in October but didn’t play with the Maple Leafs.  Going back and forth to and from the minors has also limited him to just two games so far with the Marlies.  Last season, the 25-year-old had 10 points in 78 games with Anaheim while logging over 19 minutes a night.

Injury Notes: Liljegren, Chytil, Senators

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have tweeted that defenseman Timothy Liljegren has left tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins and won’t be returning. It is the second time in less than a week that the 24-year-old has had to leave a game with an injury as he was forced to exit a game last week against the Nashville Predators with what was described as an upper body injury.

Liljegren’s injury tonight is being called a lower body injury, but it appears likely it is something in his foot or ankle. The injury happened in the dying moments of the first period as Liljegren and forward Brad Marchand of the Bruins were skating towards the corner and engaging in a puck battle. Marchand appears to give Liljegren the can opener before the Maple Leafs defenseman goes awkwardly into the boards. The move from Marchand was essentially a trip as he appeared to put his stick between Liljegren’s legs and force him to the ice. Liljegren’s skates then smashed into the end boards, likely causing his injury.

In other injury notes:

  • Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that New York Rangers forward Filip Chytil is done for tonight’s game after colliding with Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast in the first period of the matchup this evening. Chytil left with what is being described as an upper-body injury and was last seen on the Rangers bench in obvious pain before leaving the game. The 24-year-old center has six assists in nine games this season and has been working primarily as the team’s second-line center. Should he be out for any period it is likely that Vincent Trocheck was moved up to the second line in his absence.
  • The Ottawa Senators have tweeted that young forward Ridly Greig left tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings with a lower-body injury and did not return. The news was similar for Greig’s teammate Mark Kastelic who also suffered a lower-body injury and was unable to get back onto the ice. Senators coach D.J. Smith offered an update on both players that was covered by Murray Pam of Full Press Hockey. Smith said that he figures both Greig and Kastelic will miss a few games due to their ailments. Greig has been filling in admirably for the suspended Shane Pinto and has registered two goals and five assists in eight games while Kastelic has no points and 21 PIM in eight games this year. Given the Senators’ predicament, it does seem likely that the team will have to recall some players from the Belleville Senators of the AHL.

Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Hischier, Lindgren, Flames

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing opposing injury news, with defender Timothy Liljegren returning to the team’s practice but Jake McCabe still sitting out. Liljegren took practice reps alongside Mark Giordano, although no update about his availability was provided. Liljegren was announced as “doubtful” for the team’s October 28th game before missing the match; a tag that may carry over to their Tuesday night game.

Liljegren is playing more than ever through eight games this season, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time a game – a step up from the 18 minutes he averaged last season. It’s a continuation of the gradual increase in ice time that Liljegren has seen in each of the last three seasons, speaking to his growing prowess. But despite the increased role, Liljegren has only managed one point through his eight games this year. Scoring has never been his forte, with Liljegren only netting 18 points through 67 games last year.

Liljegren will look to add to those scoring totals with an eventual return to action, while Toronto continues to wait for news of McCabe’s outlook.

Other injury news:

AHL’s Toronto Marlies Sign Kieffer Bellows To PTO

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Former Islanders and Flyers forward Kieffer Bellows remained without a contract for 2023-24 after a failed PTO with the Hurricanes during this year’s training camp. He’ll now get another chance to earn a roster spot in North America, this time in the minors. The AHL’s Toronto Marlies have signed Bellows to a PTO, per a team announcement Monday.

Bellows, the Islanders’ 19th overall selection in 2016, had his stint with the team run out early last year. The Islanders waived him in late October 2022 after playing him in just one game, but he didn’t clear – the Flyers decided to pick him up as a reclamation project. Unfortunately, things once again didn’t pop off for Bellows. He notched just three goals in 27 games, averaging under ten minutes a game and cleared waivers two subsequent times throughout 2022-23. In the minors with AHL Lehigh Valley, he managed 10 points in 12 games.

Unsurprisingly, the Flyers did not tender Bellows at the end of the season, given his $1.2MM qualifying offer. Thus he hit the free agent market for the first time in his career, failing to land any guaranteed NHL offers.

The 25-year-old Minnesota product has appeared in 95 NHL games since turning pro in 2018, recording 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points. It amounts to solid fourth-line production, but inconsistency and extreme dry spells have prevented him from landing an everyday NHL job. He has struggled to make positive impacts defensively, posting a career Corsi share of 46.1% at even strength, 1.9% worse than his teammates.

The Marlies (and their NHL parent, the Maple Leafs) are no stranger to bringing in reclamation projects on both NHL and AHL deals – Alex Galchenyuk and Joshua Ho-Sang are a pair of recent examples that didn’t pay long-term dividends. With a whopping 18 forwards already on the Marlies’ roster, Bellows will need to make a significant impact at the minor-league level to land a deal. That shouldn’t be too tall a task, as aside from posting just 19 points in 73 games during his rookie season with AHL Bridgeport in 2018-19, he’s been an effective contributor in limited minor-league action.

Leafs’ Timothy Liljegren Leaves Game With Injury

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Sportsnet is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren left last night’s game against the Nashville Predators with an apparent upper-body injury. The injury appeared to happen when Yakov Trenin of the Predators finished his check on Liljegren after he had cleared the puck from behind the Leafs goal line. Liljegren skated to the bench in obvious discomfort where he appeared to talk to the trainer about his ailment.

The injury was initially reported as a lower-body injury before it was corrected later in the evening. At the moment, it isn’t clear how long the 24-year-old will be out of action, leaving it as a day-to-day situation for the time being. The Leafs can hardly afford to lose another defender as they are already without Jake McCabe and Conor Timmins who are both sidelined due to injury.

Liljegren has just one assist in eight games to start the season and has struggled early in the year with an elevated role due to the injuries in the Leafs defensive core. The native of Kristianstad, Sweden has seen increased ice time to start the year, playing an average of over 20 minutes a night and has also been forced to take substantially more defensive zone starts than he has at any point in his career. These variables have led to some of Liljegren’s struggles thus far.

While Liljegren will likely be re-evaluated in the coming days, the Maple Leafs will have to consider some call-ups before their next contest on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings as nearly half of their defensive core is sidelined due to injury. The Maple Leafs are fortunate to have the financial resources to keep NHL-caliber players in the AHL, however, they have already dipped into those resources with all the early season injuries and will have to further tap into them if Liljegren is on the shelf any length of time.

Toronto Receives Positive Results On McCabe MRI

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  • Although Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman, Jake McCabe, will not be on the ice with the team in their next upcoming matchup against the Nashville Predators due to a groin injury, Toronto apparently gathered very positive results from McCabe’s MRI report. David Alter of The Hockey News reports that McCabe won’t be out of the lineup ’too long’, and the MRI results were a best-case scenario for both the player and the team.

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