Devils forward Marcus Johansson has been diagnosed with a concussion, head coach John Hynes confirmed to reporters, including The Record’s Andrew Gross. The injury was sustained on Wednesday against the Oilers and there is no timetable for his return; the team is calling him out indefinitely. Johansson, New Jersey’s most prominent offseason acquisition, is off to a decent start with his new team, posting three goals and two assists through ten games.
The Devils do have some good news on the injury front, however, Winger Kyle Palmieri resumed skating on Thursday and also took to the ice on Friday as he continues to work towards a return from his lower-body injury. He’s currently on injured reserve but when he gets the green light to return, it’s likely that they’ll simply place Johansson on IR to free up the roster spot.
Elsewhere in the Metropolitan:
- While Islanders captain John Tavares has drawn all of the attention, the team is facing the prospect of another high-scoring forward hitting free agency this summer. Winger Josh Bailey is off to a flying start this season with 16 points through 13 games, good for a tie for seventh in league-wide scoring. While it doesn’t appear that there are ongoing talks of a new deal currently, GM Garth Snow noted on an appearance with Sirius XM NHL Radio (audio link) that they do intend to try to sign him to another long-term contract. Bailey is in the final year of a five-year, $16MM pact signed back in 2013 and is positioning himself well for a nice raise on his next deal.
- Capitals prospect Ilya Samsonov has been diagnosed with a concussion, notes J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington. The 20-year-old is widely considered to be one of the top goaltending prospects in the league after a strong showing in the KHL and at the World Juniors last season. His 2017-18 campaign isn’t off to as strong a start though as he has posted a 2.78 GAA and a .912 SV% through his first 16 games with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, well off the marks of 2.13 and .936 he played to last year.