While Blue Jackets winger Gustav Nyquist has yet to suit up in the exhibition season, don’t interpret that as a setback in his return from a shoulder injury. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch notes that the veteran is cleared for contact and is on the second line in practice but clearly, they’re being cautious after the 32-year-old missed all of last season. Meanwhile, center Max Domi did some drills at practice on Friday as he works his way back from shoulder surgery of his own. He’s still expected to be out until November at the earliest but his participation in practice suggests his recovery could be on the shorter end of the five-to-six-month timeline.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Once viewed as one of the centerpieces of the trade return for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller, Rangers defenseman Libor Hajek’s time with New York could be in jeopardy, suggests Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 23-year-old has yet to lock down a full-time role and eventually settled for accepting his qualifying offer earlier this offseason. Hajek has to go through waivers if the Rangers try to send him down and with the potential he was viewed to have just a few years ago, it wouldn’t be surprising if another team put in a claim. That has him as a bubble player with a lot on the line the next week and a half as a result.
- With the Hurricanes not being able to send top prospect Seth Jarvis to the AHL due to his age, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer suggests that Carolina may opt to keep him with the big club to start the season. The 19-year-old could play up to nine NHL games before the first year of his entry-level deal would kick in while he wouldn’t accrue a season towards UFA eligibility until he was on the roster for 40 games. Going that route would allow them a bit more time to evaluate Jarvis’ readiness although the likeliest outcome at this time is an eventual return to Portland in the WHL which isn’t great from a development perspective considering how productive he has been there the last two years.