Metropolitan Notes: Hischier, Glass, Ritchie, Cizikas, Fehervary
Already without their top center, Jack Hughes, tonight against Ottawa due to a lower-body injury, the Devils could also find themselves missing their captain. The team listed Nico Hischier as a game-time decision due to illness. Hischier is New Jersey’s top scorer this season, notching 18 goals and 23 assists in 54 games. He’s also averaging a career high in playing time (20:53 per game) and is winning more than 55% of his faceoffs for the third straight season. The Devils are already on the outside looking in at a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference and missing their top two pivots against a team they’re battling to stay ahead of in the race for the postseason would certainly be a big blow.
More from the Metropolitan:
- There is some good news on the injury front for the Devils, at least. From that same listing, Cody Glass will return to the lineup tonight after missing Thursday’s contest due to an undisclosed injury. The 26-year-old is in his first full season with New Jersey after being acquired before last year’s trade deadline and has given the Devils some decent depth scoring, chipping in with 13 goals in 42 games.
- Islanders winger Calum Ritchie has been shut down until after the Olympic break, relays Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News. The rookie is dealing with a lower-body injury sustained last weekend and tried to skate on his own on Friday but wasn’t doing well enough to realistically be considered as an option to return over the next few days. Ritchie has been eased into his first full season of NHL action and has seven goals and eight assists in 40 games this season while averaging a little over 12 minutes per night.
- Still with the Islanders, the team announced that veteran Casey Cizikas will return to the lineup tonight against Nashville after missing Thursday’s contest due to illness. The 34-year-old has 14 points and 108 hits in 53 games this season but his playing time has dropped to 11:34 per game, his lowest since the 2012-13 campaign. Cizikas will take Max Shabanov’s place in the lineup tonight.
- The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Martin Fehervary will miss today’s game against Carolina for personal reasons. The 26-year-old was the only Washington blueliner to play in every game, a run that will now come to an end. Through 55 games this season, Fehervary has 19 points and 115 blocks while averaging 19 minutes of playing time.
Capitals Announce Several Roster Moves
The Capitals will be without a key forward for the next little while. Head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters including Sammi Silber of The Hockey News that center Connor McMichael is out week-to-week due to an upper-body injury, keeping him out through next month’s Olympic break. The team subsequently announced that he has been placed on injured reserve and in a corresponding move, forward Bogdan Trineyev has been recalled from AHL Hershey. Additionally, goaltender Charlie Lindgren has also been placed on IR with netminder Garin Bjorklund also being recalled from Hershey.
The 25-year-old had played in all 55 games this season before today’s news. McMichael isn’t producing at the same level as he was last season when he had a career-best 26 goals and 57 points but he was on pace to set a new personal best in assists. Overall, he has eight goals and 23 assists while moving back to playing center regularly after spending most of last season on the wing.
This is certainly an important season for McMichael, who is in the final year of his bridge deal that carries a $2.1MM cap charge, a number that also serves as his qualifying offer. With arbitration rights for the first time, he’ll be looking to land a long-term contract so getting healthy and bouncing back for the stretch run will be crucial, especially with Washington on the outside looking in at a playoff spot.
Meanwhile, Silber also relays that defenseman Matt Roy remains listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He was also moved to injured reserve today, creating the roster opening to keep goaltender Clay Stevenson up with the team as they used their last 48-hour emergency goaltender exemption to bring him up on Thursday. Roy last suited up last Saturday, meaning that if the Caps backdated his placement, he’ll be eligible to be activated as soon as Tuesday when they’re set to take on the Islanders.
As for Trineyev, this is his third recall of the season. The 23-year-old got into two games with Washington during his first two stints and is still looking for his first career NHL point. However, he has done well with the Bears, notching nine goals and 12 assists in 32 games, putting him one point shy of last year’s total in 30 fewer games. That was enough to earn him a two-year extension from the Capitals earlier this month. Either he or Sonny Milano will take McMichael’s place in the lineup today versus Carolina.
When it comes to the goaltenders, Lindgren was able to get through Thursday’s game against Detroit but needed assistance to get off the ice following the shootout. While there’s no word on how long he’ll be out, the placement means he’ll be out until after the Olympic break. Through 18 games this season, Lindgren has struggled, putting up a 3.37 GAA along with a .884 SV%, both well below the league average.
With Logan Thompson’s availability for tonight also in question, Bjorklund will serve as insurance if Thompson is unable to suit up. The 23-year-old has split his season between Hershey and ECHL South Carolina. In 11 games with the former, he has a 3.43 GAA and a .879 SV%. However, his numbers in seven contests with the Stingrays are much better, checking in at 2.37 and .929, respectively.
Following these five roster moves, Washington’s roster now stands at the maximum of 23.
Blues Activate Pius Suter, Assign Matt Luff To AHL
It appears that the Blues will welcome back a veteran center to the lineup tonight against Columbus. The team announced that they have activated Pius Suter off injured reserve. In a corresponding move, winger Matt Luff has been assigned to AHL Springfield.
Suter is in his first season in St. Louis after signing a two-year, $8.25MM contract last summer on the heels on a breakout year in Vancouver. Last season, he had career highs in goals (25) and points (46) while holding down a top-six role for most of the year.
He hasn’t been called on to play as high in the lineup as often this season and his offensive numbers have suffered as a result. Through 37 games, Suter has seven goals and seven assists while averaging a little over 16 minutes per night. He had been sidelined for a little more than a month due to a right ankle injury.
As for Luff, his time on the roster was short-lived as he was recalled on an emergency basis just yesterday. He has been shuffled back and forth a few times this season and has gotten into five games with St. Louis where he has one goal and eight hits in a little over nine minutes per night of playing time. With the Thunderbirds, he has been quite productive, notching 13 goals and 20 assists in 33 games, meaning he’ll likely get another chance with the Blues before too long.
Rangers Claim Vincent Iorio Off Waivers From Sharks, Assign Brett Berard To AHL
After moving out Carson Soucy earlier this week, the Rangers have added some young defensive depth. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that New York has claimed defenceman Vincent Iorio off waivers from the Sharks. To make room on the roster, the Rangers announced (Twitter link) that forward Brett Berard has been sent down to AHL Hartford.
The 23-year-old started the season as a depth defenseman with Washington, the team he was originally drafted by in the second round back in 2021. After playing primarily at the AHL level over his first three seasons (with a total of nine NHL appearances during that time), the Capitals rostered him to start this year in a reserve role, worried about losing him on waivers. Sure enough, that’s what happened soon after as San Jose scooped him up in mid-October amidst some injuries to their back end.
Iorio was in and out of the lineup with the Sharks. He played regularly after being claimed but after a couple of weeks, he was in the press box. Eventually, he agreed to a conditioning stint in the minors with the Barracuda and was productive, tallying seven assists in just six games with them. Upon being recalled in late November, Iorio returned to somewhat of a regular role until recently as he has been scratched for the last two weeks. Overall, Iorio has played in 21 games this season with San Jose, notching three assists and 32 blocked shots while averaging 16:30 per night of playing time.
While the Sharks likely would have liked to have kept Iorio around, a roster crunch forced their hand. With the pending returns of Philipp Kurashev and Shakir Mukhamadullin today following their IR activations per a team announcement (plus Kiefer Sherwood not too far behind), San Jose needed a roster spot and Iorio was the one who lost his. Once Sherwood is activated, another spot will need to be cleared up as well.
Meanwhile, with the Rangers embarking on some form of retool in the coming weeks, they will be moving out more pieces before the trade deadline in March. This claim will allow them to get a look at a young defender in Iorio to assess if he can be part of their plans moving forward while also giving them insurance should any other blueliners be moved. He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract, one that carries a cap hit of just over $814K, and will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
As for Berard, he was only recalled on Tuesday and got into one game while up with the big club, bringing his season total to 13. He’s still looking for his first point of the season, however. The 23-year-old has six goals and a dozen assists in 30 games with the Wolf Pack and will get a chance to return to a bigger role with them after averaging just 10:33 per night with the Rangers.
Senators Assign Xavier Bourgault To AHL
Xavier Bourgault’s latest stint with Ottawa was short-lived. After being brought up earlier this week, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that the center has been sent back to AHL Belleville. With the move, Ottawa now has one open roster spot.
Bourgault played in one game on this recall, bringing his season count to two although he’s still looking for his first point at the top level. The 23-year-old has been a strong performer in the minors this season though, notching 14 goals and 23 assists in 43 games with Belleville, already surpassing his previous career-high in points at that level. That hasn’t landed him an extended look with Ottawa just yet, however, or even more than sparing minutes as he’s played less than 12 minutes combined in his two NHL appearances.
Bourgault’s demotion is a good sign for center Stephen Halliday. Sidelined for the past few days with an upper-body injury, the 23-year-old was on the fourth line in the morning skate today and it appears that he will return to the lineup against New Jersey. Halliday has 10 points in 21 games with Ottawa this season, an impressive point total considering that he’s only averaging 8:23 per game of playing time.
Kris Letang Out At Least Four Weeks With Fractured Foot
As the Penguins head toward next week’s Olympic break, they’ll be without one of their key defensemen. The team announced (Twitter link) that Kris Letang will miss at least the next four weeks due to a fracture in his foot. He has been placed on injured reserve as a result.
The 38-year-old has bounced back a bit offensively this season, picking up 25 points in 50 games after managing just 30 in 74 contests in 2024-25. Of course, that’s still a far cry from the routine showings of 40-plus points that Letang has had for the majority of his career but his point total is still good enough to sit second among Pittsburgh defenders behind only Erik Karlsson.
On top of still being one of their more productive players from the back end, Letang is also one of their top minute-munchers, logging over 22 minutes per contests for the 16th straight season while taking a regular turn on both special teams units. That also ranks second behind Karlsson.
This is the second injury of note on Pittsburgh’s back end this week. The team is also without Jack St. Ivany for the next couple of months after he recently underwent hand surgery. Now, with Letang on injured reserve, the Penguins only have six healthy blueliners on their active roster so a roster move to bring someone up from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton seems likely. In the interim, Connor Clifton will return to the lineup after being a scratch for the past week.
This injury comes on the heels of Letang missing a pair of games last week due to an undisclosed injury. Head coach Dan Muse told reporters including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link) that the injury from last week is unrelated to this one.
If there was ever a good time for a player to miss four weeks with an injury, this is it. With the NHL shutting down for more than three weeks for the Olympics, Letang is only slated to miss the next five games. Of course, if the fracture doesn’t heal as quickly as expected, he’ll miss more time than that but as things stand, they shouldn’t be without one of their top blueliners for too long overall.
Kings Activate Anze Kopitar, Place Alex Turcotte On IR
The Kings have made a pair of roster moves heading into today’s matinee against Philadelphia. The team announced that they’ve activated center Anze Kopitar off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, center Alex Turcotte has been placed on IR.
Kopitar’s return will certainly be a welcome one for a Los Angeles team that scuffled in his absence, having lost seven of the 11 games they played while he was sidelined with a lower-body injury. As a result, they’ve slipped to sixth in the Pacific Division and are on the outside looking in at a playoff spot.
In his final NHL season, the 38-year-old has been quieter than usual offensively, being limited to six goals and 15 assists in 37 games. However, Kopitar continues to be elite at the faceoff dot and plays a regular role on both special teams units while holding down a top-six role at five-on-five. With his absence and Phillip Danault’s trade to Montreal last month, the Kings had been pretty thin down the middle in recent weeks.
As for Turcotte, he last played on January 24th due to an upper-body injury. Assuming that they backdate his placement, he’ll have already served the seven days after today, making him eligible to be activated at any time. That said, he has already been ruled out for Sunday’s road trip finale in Carolina and will likely be reevaluated after that time.
Turcotte has played in 49 games with the Kings this season and had been pressed into third-line action recently in Kopitar’s absence. He has three goals and nine assists on the campaign along with a solid 55.7% success rate on draws while averaging just under 11 minutes per night.
Injury Updates: Maple Leafs, Greenway, Blues, Hedman, Ristolainen
The Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Dakota Joshua and defenseman Chris Tanev on LTIR, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link). Joshua is dealing with a lacerated kidney that has kept him out for the last month and while he has started light skating, he’s not expected to return until after the Olympic break. Tanev, meanwhile, has missed the last month with a groin issue. There’s no timeline for his return but he has already missed the required 10 games and 24 days so if he returns – something that is in the air with him reportedly uncertain about surgery – so he’s eligible to be activated at any time.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Sabres winger Jordan Greenway has been limited this season after undergoing two sports hernia surgeries over the last 13 months. He doesn’t play in back-to-backs and practice time has been limited. Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald mentions that the veteran is expected to meet with doctors on Thursday to determine if what he’s dealing with in terms of discomfort is something that can be fixed or if it’s something he just has to keep playing through. If any sort of procedure is needed, now would be a good time with the three-week break coming up which would limit the amount of time Greenway would miss.
- The Blues announced (Twitter link) that wingers Jordan Kyrou (upper body) and Jake Neighbours (lower body) are listed as day-to-day after undergoing further evaluations on their respective injuries. Head coach Jim Montgomery was unsure if either player would be available for Thursday’s game against Florida. Both Kyrou and Neighbours left Tuesday’s loss to Dallas but it appears it’s the best-case scenario for both of them.
- Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman took part in practice today for the first time since being sidelined with an elbow injury nearly seven weeks ago, relays Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. The 35-year-old has missed 33 of the last 36 games and has a dozen assists in 18 games this season while averaging just over 21 minutes per game. Hedman has long been targeting a return that would allow him to play in the Olympics and it appears he’s on track to do so. Notably, head coach Jon Cooper didn’t rule out the possibility of the captain returning for Sunday’s Stadium Series game.
- The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen left tonight’s game against Columbus due to a lower-body injury. He played 1:01 over two shifts before exiting. The 31-year-old missed more than two months to start the season due to a triceps injury, then missed six more this month to an upper-body issue, one that he just returned from on Monday. Ristolainen has been limited to just three assists and 25 blocks in 15 games when he has been in the lineup. Notably, he’s set to play for Finland in the Olympics so if this injury is set to keep him out for more than a couple of weeks, that could cause him to miss the event.
Islanders Open To Moving A First-Round Pick
The Islanders were busy in the first round of the draft last season, adding Matthew Schaefer first overall while making back-to-back selections in the middle of the round as part of the trade return for Noah Dobson. Thanks to the Brock Nelson trade last season, they have an extra pick on the opening night of the draft again this season.
But it appears that their goal might be to turn one of those selections into some win-now help. Speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Mathieu Darche indicated that the team is open to moving one of their first-round selections.
Darche has been busy in recent days, utilizing his LTIR space to add defenseman Carson Soucy and winger Ondrej Palat (plus two draft picks). They effectively serve as replacements for Alexander Romanov and Kyle Palmieri. However, Pierre Engvall is also out for the year and on LTIR while Semyon Varlamov hasn’t played at all this season and a return is unlikely. He’s also on LTIR and if the team knows he’s not returning, his LTIR room can be used. Combined, the team has around $6MM in space, per PuckPedia. That gives Darche lots of flexibility to work with.
A willingness to part with a first-round pick should only pique the interest of rebuilding teams or those who decide to become sellers in the coming weeks. Speculatively, Darche’s preference would be to move Colorado’s selection rather than their own since the former will be in the back few selections of the round while New York’s at the moment is closer to the late teens or low 20s.
Every year, several buyers move out a first-round selection and that pick can often yield an impact performer. With the Islanders being willing to part with one of those picks, they could be shopping in a higher tier of the market than their last two moves.
Pacific Notes: Coleman, Terry, Masse
The Flames will be without one of their better forwards (and potential trade chips) for a while yet. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Blake Coleman won’t return until after the Olympic break. The 34-year-old has missed the last eight games with an upper-body injury. Coleman had been skating for the last week in a non-contact jersey but head coach Ryan Huska indicated that they’ve now decided to shut him down for the time being, meaning that his first possible game back will be four weeks from now. Coleman was Calgary’s team leader in goals before being sidelined, collecting 13 while adding eight assists in 44 games.
More from the Pacific Division:
- Ducks winger Troy Terry has rejoined the team on its road trip and took part in practice today, reports Patrick Present of The Hockey News. The veteran has missed the last ten games with an upper-body injury. Terry was quite productive before being sidelined, picking up 13 goals and 29 assists in 43 games and has been among Anaheim’s scoring leaders all season. Considering that Thursday is the final game of the road trip, it stands to reason that Terry will be activated for that contest as otherwise, he’d have had no need to fly to Vancouver simply to take part in a practice.
- Still with Anaheim, prospect winger Maxim Masse is electing to go to the NCAA next season. He announced on his Instagram page that he will go to UMass starting in 2026-27. Drafted 66th overall by the Ducks back in 2024, Masse is in the middle of a strong season with QMJHL Chicoutimi where he has 35 goals and 28 assists in just 43 games. With this announcement, Masse’s signing rights will be extended instead of being set to expire on June 1st.