Injury Updates: Kapanen, Roslovic, Pageau, Granlund
Recent reporting suggested that the Oilers could get winger Kasperi Kapanen back in their lineup in the near future after missing the last five-plus weeks with a lower-body injury. However, that may no longer be the case. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug noted (Twitter link) that the veteran appeared to injure himself at practice today; he left the ice and did not return. Kapanen has been limited to just six games this season where he has a pair of assists in a little more than 12 minutes a night of playing time. Kapanen is currently on LTIR so his activation was going to require some cap and roster movement but if this injury at practice stops him from being ready to play Saturday, they won’t have to do anything to accommodate his return just yet.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Still with the Oilers, winger Jack Roslovic didn’t take part in practice today after blocking a shot in their last game against Dallas, mentions Daily Faceoff’s Jason Gregor (Twitter link). Roslovic has been one of the best free agent signings in the early going this season as he has 10 goals and eight assists through 23 games, good for fourth on Edmonton in scoring. That’s certainly strong value for a $1.5MM price tag and a potential absence would certainly be a big blow to their offense. He’s listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Seattle.
- Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury but it appears that it should be too extended of an absence for him. The team announced Wednesday (Twitter link) that the veteran should return before the holiday break next month. Pageau has a dozen points in 22 games so far while winning nearly 60% of his faceoffs; if the Isles wind up selling by the deadline, Pageau and his expiring contract should be one of their better trade chips.
- Ducks center Mikael Granlund is making some progress as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays Derek Lee of The Hockey News (Twitter link). However, head coach Joel Quenneville suggested he’s still probably a week away from returning. Granlund, who was moved retroactively to injured reserve on Wednesday, has missed the last two weeks due to the injury. In his first season with Anaheim, the 33-year-old has done well when he has played, averaging a point per game but injuries have limited him to just nine appearances so far.
Mammoth Recall Kevin Rooney, Place Olli Maatta On IR
Kevin Rooney’s latest stint in the minors was short-lived. After being sent back down over the weekend, the Mammoth announced today (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the forward from AHL Tucson. In a corresponding move, defenseman Olli Maatta was placed on injured reserve.
Rooney signed a one-year, two-way deal with Utah at the end of the preseason and quickly cleared waivers, allowing him to start the season with the Roadrunners. In eight games with them, he has fared rather well offensively, collecting five goals and an assist. That performance has now earned him a third recall in less than five weeks although he’s still looking to make his official Mammoth debut.
The 32-year-old played in a career-high 70 games last season with Calgary where he had five goals and five assists. Over his career, he has 32 goals and 28 helpers in 330 NHL appearances. Rooney may have to wait a little while yet to add to that count as he projects to be their 14th forward for the time being.
As for Maatta, he missed last night’s game against Montreal due to an undisclosed injury which has now been revealed as an upper-body issue, one that will now keep him out for the next week. The 31-year-old is in his first full season with Utah and while he fared well last season after being acquired from Detroit in an early swap, things haven’t gone as well this season. Through 16 outings, Maatta has just one assist while his ice time is down below 12 minutes a night, well below his career ATOI of 18:18.
With the moves, Utah’s roster remains at the maximum of 23.
Evgenii Dadonov To Miss Some Time
It has been a tough season for Devils winger Evgenii Dadonov. He missed 17 games due to a hand injury sustained in his debut with the team last month, returning to the lineup last week. Now, he’s out of the lineup again as head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today (video link) that the veteran will be out “for a period of time” due to another injury. At this time, they are still doing testing so the timeline for his potential return is not yet known.
The 36-year-old is in his first season with the Devils after signing a one-year deal with them over the summer. He ultimately accepted a bonus-laden pact, one that carries a $1MM base salary plus an additional $2.25MM in performance bonuses. Some are tied to playoff performance and success but more than half are geared toward regular season outings, maxing out at 50. Another extended absence could put the ability to hit that mark out of reach.
The undisclosed injury occurred in Monday’s victory over Detroit and it appeared to worsen on Tuesday, leading to further testing and this announcement that he’ll be out for at least a bit. When healthy, Dadonov has been quiet offensively, being held off the scoresheet in his five outings while averaging a little over 11 minutes per night of playing time.
Juho Lammikko took Dadonov’s spot in the lineup tonight against St. Louis. With blueliners Brett Pesce and Johnathan Kovacevic on LTIR, New Jersey has several million in flexibility at the moment per PuckPedia, so a recall from AHL Utica is likely coming in the near future. Meanwhile, Dadonov joins those two along with center Jack Hughes and winger Zack MacEwen in New Jersey’s infirmary.
West Notes: Wedgewood, Brossoit, Mammoth, Canucks
Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood has been added to Canada’s list for potential Olympic participation, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). It has been a breakout season for the 33-year-old who took on the starting job when Mackenzie Blackwood was injured to start the season and he hasn’t relinquished it. Through 17 appearances, he has a 13-1-2 record with a 2.09 GAA and a .918 SV%. While his international experience is also rather limited (just a World Juniors appearance in 2011), Wedgewood has certainly done well enough to warrant late consideration, especially with Canada’s goaltending group still in some question.
More from out West:
- Laurent Brossoit’s tenure with the Blackhawks hasn’t gone as planned. Signed to a two-year deal in 2024, he hasn’t played a second of hockey since then thanks to multiple injuries. That should be changing soon, however. The netminder told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s actually ahead of schedule in his recovery from his most recent hip surgery which has him likely nearing a conditioning stint with AHL Rockford in the near future. Once cleared to do so, he can spend up to two weeks in the minors before needing to be added to Chicago’s roster or placed on waivers.
- While the trade market is still in the process of getting established this early in the season, several teams know they will be looking to buy when the opportunity arises. One team that hasn’t done a lot of that in-season lately is the Mammoth but it appears that will be changing. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes in his latest 32 Thoughts column that Utah is definitely looking to add to its current group. While they’ve scuffled a bit as of late in the win-loss column, they enter play tonight in a Wild Card spot and with them projecting to finish the year more than $5MM under the salary cap per PuckPedia, they have ample flexibility on that front to make a move along with one of the better prospect pools in the league.
- Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen could rejoin the team on their current road trip, relays Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre (Twitter link). It was announced yesterday that he was taking a leave for personal reasons but it appears that his absence will be a short-term one. Meanwhile, MacIntyre adds that their other netminder Thatcher Demko along with winger Nils Hoglander are expected in Los Angeles on Saturday to skate with the team, suggesting they’re nearing a return as well. Vancouver has been decimated with injuries in the early going this season but some help could be on the horizon.
Pacific Notes: Oilers, Walman, Poehling, Parekh
It has been a consistently inconsistent season for the Oilers who have shown flashes of dominance at times and have struggled mightily at others. The end result has been a middling 9-9-5 record to start the campaign. Despite that, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic suggests (Twitter link) that management isn’t quite ready to start making moves yet and would like to get closer to the 30-game mark which would allow them to ideally have a healthier roster to help them better assess what they need to do. More specifically, the better assessment might be what they can afford to do as they’ve been operating in LTIR all season and will have very limited cap space when the team is fully healthy, putting them in a money-in, money-out situation when it comes to the trade market.
More from the Pacific:
- Still with the Oilers, defenseman Jake Walman is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, notes team reporter Tony Brar (Twitter link). Head coach Kris Knoblauch suggested that the blueliner should be back within a week, meaning an IR placement is unlikely. Walman is in his first full season with Edmonton after being acquired near the trade deadline last season and has been impactful, collecting 10 points in 17 games while logging a little more than 20 minutes per night of ice time.
- Ducks center Ryan Poehling took to the ice today for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury a week and a half ago. However, it will still be a little while before he’s cleared to return as head coach Joel Quenneville told reporters, including Derek Lee of The Hockey News, that the earliest that Poehling could return is next weekend. The 26-year-old is in his first season with Anaheim and had a goal and five assists in 16 games prior to the injury.
- Flames defenseman Zayne Parekh has resumed skating as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, relays Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike (Twitter link). He has missed the last couple of weeks due to the injury and even if he’s cleared to return sooner than later, he won’t be with the team for long as he has already been confirmed to be going to the World Juniors if healthy by then. Parekh is in his first full professional season after recently surpassing the nine-game threshold and has an assist in 11 outings so far while averaging a little less than 15 minutes per night of playing time.
Devils And Flyers Seeking Depth Centers
Considering that we’re basically just at the one-quarter mark of the season, the trade market hasn’t really materialized aside from a handful of smaller moves. But that doesn’t stop teams from setting their respective wish lists and determining what areas they’d like to add to their rosters.
As is often the case, help down the middle is an area that a lot of teams will be targeting. Among them are a pair of Metropolitan Division teams. Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports that while acquiring a top replacement for Jack Hughes is unlikely, they’d like to add a depth center to the mix. Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Flyers are also looking for an extra depth middleman.
New Jersey had been looking to add a center last season. However, when Hughes suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, they pivoted from looking to make a big addition to more of a depth one in Cody Glass. Speculatively, that’s the type of depth addition they’d likely want to make, one that would add to the roster without costing too much to acquire.
The other element in play is the player’s actual cost. The Devils are deep into LTIR with Johnathan Kovacevic and Brett Pesce currently on there while Hughes is eligible given that he’s out for the better part of two months. But eventually, when they’re all healthy, New Jersey is going to be right against the Upper Limit of the salary cap so if they go add someone to help at center, it ideally would be a lower-cost addition that’s easier to fit on their books.
As for the Flyers, they haven’t really replaced Jett Luchanko after he was assigned back to junior last month. Rodrigo Abols has been filling a role as a fourth-line center but the 29-year-old only has 36 career NHL games under his belt. In a perfect world, a more proven and impactful option would be a good way for them to go.
On the other hand, Philadelphia enters play today seventh in the Metropolitan Division and the expectation heading into the season was that they’d be a non-playoff team and a likely seller. Not enough has happened yet to change those expectations so taking a big swing on the trade front might not the prudent move. Instead, a smaller addition now that doesn’t cost a lot but could still help would make sense for GM Daniel Briere. Unlike the Devils, cap space isn’t a concern for the Flyers so they could have a bigger pool of players to potentially target.
The good news for these teams is that depth centers are a little easier to come by and the odd one finds their way onto the waiver wire as John Beecher did earlier this week. The bad news is that with the number of teams seeking center help, New Jersey and Philadelphia will likely be battling several suitors even for the types of depth upgrades it appears that they’re looking to make.
Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Dowd, Grebenkin
The Rangers will be without a key forward tonight against Utah as Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that center J.T. Miller is listed as out day-to-day due to an upper-body injury. In his first full season back with New York following a midseason trade in 2024-25, the 32-year-old is logging 20:41 per game and taking a regular turn on both special teams units. However, as has been the case for a lot of the team so far, offense has been hard to come by as he has just six goals and six assists in 22 games despite seeing a lot of ice time on the top line.
Meanwhile, Baugh also noted that defenseman William Borgen remains listed as day-to-day with his upper-body injury which suggests he’ll miss a second straight game. He has been a regular on the second pairing for the Rangers this season, picking up three points, 24 blocks, and 26 hits in 19 outings.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Capitals center Nic Dowd was a full participant in practice today but will miss his third straight game tonight, relays Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. The 35-year-old has missed the last two contests due to an upper-body injury. Dowd has a goal and four assists in 19 games so far this season while logging over 15 minutes per night of playing time. Sonny Milano has played the last two games in Dowd’s absence and is expected to stay in the lineup for their game tonight against Tampa Bay.
- The hope was that Flyers winger Nikita Grebenkin would be able to grab a hold of a full-time spot in the lineup this season. However, he has been scratched in seven of 19 games so far and has played just 9:35 per night in the dozen appearances he has made. However, Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer mentions that the organization is okay with how the 22-year-old has been handled, even with the limited action. Grebenkin is waiver-exempt so if it’s decided that he could benefit from a bigger role and more ice time, they will be able to assign him to AHL Lehigh Valley to get him that opportunity.
Predators Activate Roman Josi Off Injured Reserve
With the Predators sitting at a 6-10-4 record through their first 20 games, it’s fair to say that things haven’t gotten off to a good start this season. There is some good news coming today, however, as the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Roman Josi will return to the lineup tonight against Colorado and has been activated off injured reserve. The team had two open roster spots so corresponding moves were needed to activate him.
The 35-year-old has missed the last dozen games due to an upper-body injury sustained just under a month ago against Vancouver. He was off to a nice start as well, chipping in with five points and 15 blocked shots in his first eight outings while averaging a team-high 24:05 per night of playing time.
When healthy, Josi remains a legitimate top-pairing defender although staying healthy has been a challenge as of late. He missed the final 25 games last season and was later diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome but was cleared to return for training camp.
Arguably, Nashville’s biggest move over the offseason was the trade acquisition and subsequent signing of blueliner Nicolas Hague with the hopes that he and Josi could form the new top pairing. However, Hague missed the first eight games of the season with an upper-body injury of his own and his first game back was the first one that Josi missed. Now, more than six weeks later than expected, the Preds will get a chance to see that duo in action as they were paired together at today’s morning skate.
Rangers Loan Talyn Boyko To Finnish League
The Rangers have seven goaltenders under contract following the recent signing of Spencer Martin to a two-year, one-way contract. When everyone’s healthy, that means someone is going to be a third-stringer which isn’t an ideal situation.
For now, at least, the Rangers have found a solution. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have loaned netminder Talyn Boyko to KalPa in Finland. It wasn’t specified if this is a rest-of-season loan or something more short-term with an eye on getting him some game action.
The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by New York back in 2021, going 112th overall. At the time, he was the backup with WHL Tri-City but a move to Kelowna the following season put him into the clear starting role, one he held for two seasons before turning pro in 2023-24.
Over his first two professional campaigns, Boyko played primarily at the ECHL level with Cincinnati in his rookie year and Tulsa last season, Anaheim’s affiliate. He posted a solid 2.66 GAA and a .913 SV% in 33 games with them, earning himself a five-game look with AHL Hartford.
This season, Boyko started off the campaign as the backup goalie with the Wolf Pack, playing behind Dylan Garand. He has made five appearances, putting up a 3.10 GAA and a .894 SV% but now with Martin in the fold (though he has yet to play since signing), he was set to be relegated to third-string status.
Instead of loaning him to a different AHL or ECHL affiliate (Callum Tung and Hugo Ollas comprise the tandem with ECHL Bloomington), the Rangers have found a different opportunity for Boyko with a look in Finland. A pending restricted free agent, it doesn’t seem likely that Boyko will be tendered a qualifying offer as things stand so this may be a chance for him to make a case for a contract overseas for 2026-27.
Senators Activate Thomas Chabot, Assign Lassi Thomson To AHL
The Senators have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against San Jose. First, the team announced that defenseman Lassi Thomson has been sent back to AHL Belleville. That opened up a roster spot which will be filled by blueliner Thomas Chabot who has been activated off injured reserve, per the NHL’s Media site.
Chabot has missed a week and a half due to an upper-body injury sustained against Dallas. Before the injury, the 28-year-old was his usual two-way self on the back end, picking up two goals and eight assists in 17 games while blocking 35 shots and averaging a little under 22 minutes per game of playing time, second only to fellow blueliner Jake Sanderson.
Chabot will likely play on the second pairing in his return and it would make sense for Nick Jensen to move back into the other spot on that duo, a pairing that has played a lot together in the early going. Whose spot Chabot takes in the lineup isn’t as certain though as Nikolas Matinpalo left Thursday’s game due to an injury. If he can’t play, then Chabot will take his place but if Matinpalo is available, it could be him or Jordan Spence being scratched.
As for Thomson, the 25-year-old was brought up earlier this week as injury insurance for the first leg of Ottawa’s road trip but didn’t see any game action. He last played in the NHL in the 2022-23 campaign and has five assists in 18 career NHL appearances. In 15 games with Belleville, he has three goals and an assist.