Blues’ Robert Thomas Out Day-To-Day
After a few days to assess the injury, top St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas will indeed be forced to miss games with a day-to-day, upper-body injury sustained in Tuesday’s win over the Washington Capitals per NHL.com’s Lou Korac. Thomas was injured on a body-slam from Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois in the third period. Dubois was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure, while Thomas was removed from the game by concussion spotters. He cleared concussion protocol, per head coach Jim Montgomery, but has still missed St. Louis’ last two practices with a minor injury.
Injury ended a quiet night for Thomas on Tuesday. He has otherwise been red-hot as of late, with five goals and 13 points in 11 games since the start of March. Thomas has averaged 20 minutes of ice time and a 25.0 shooting percentage over that span. His performance has helped St. Louis drive to a 8-1-2 record in March. It is also an encouraging turnaround after Thomas’ name was mentioned in many rumors around the Trade Deadline. The 26 year old has assumed even more responsibility following the trade of Brayden Schenn.
Thomas missed the entire month of February, and 13 games in total, with an injury sustained on January 10th. In his absence, St. Louis leaned heavily on Pavel Buchnevich and Schenn to fill holes at the center position. Buchnevich scored five goals and 12 points in his move to the center role, though he only managed a 40.4 faceoff percentage. Jordan Kyrou led the team in scoring during Thomas’ previous injury, with 15 points. It will be those two veterans who have to step up once again with Thomas out. Buchnevich will likely shift back to center, while Pius Suter and Otto Stenberg continue to split reps filling Schenn’s third-line role.
St. Louis faces a shifting lineup as they approach mathchups with teams in similar spots. Both the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs have also struggled through points this season, which could support the Blues’ attempt to keep their hot streak rolling without their top center. They will need to lean on their proven scorers, and emerging goaltender Joel Hofer, to lift up the lineup until Thomas can return to his starring role.
Senators’ Thomas Chabot Undergoes Surgery, Out Six To Eight Weeks
Bad injury luck has struck at the worst time for the Ottawa Senators. Top defenseman Thomas Chabot will have to miss six-to-eight weeks after undergoing surgery to address a broken arm, per Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Citizen. Chabot suffered the injury on a cross-check from New York Rangers captain J.T. Miller in the first period of Monday’s game. A two-month timeline will likely keep Chabot out until at least the Eastern Conference final, if the Senators make it that far.
The Senators are also facing injuries to defensemen Lassi Thomson (day-to-day) and Dennis Gilbert (two to three weeks), per Garrioch. Thomson made his season debut in Monday’s game against New York but only played four minutes. Gilbert served a bottom-pair role through five games in mid-March but hasn’t played since Saturday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Senators will have a slight silver lining. Defenseman Jake Sanderson has returned to skating at practice and will join the Senators on their upcoming two-game road trip to Florida, per Garrioch. Sanderson has been out of the lineup since March 7th, missing nine games since. He routinely plays upwards of 24 or 25 minutes a night when fully healthy, a role that could increase as Ottawa looks to make up for Chabot’s absence. Sanderson leads the Senators’ blue line in scoring with 11 goals and 48 points in 62 games. It has been a career-year for the 23-year-old, who won an Olympic Gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in addition to scoring at the highest pace of his NHL career.
But even with Sanderson progressing towards a return, the Senators will be losing major firepower with Chabot on the shelf. The alternate captain was a focal point of the lineup after Sanderson was injured, even playing 31 minutes of ice time in Ottawa’s regulation win over the New York Islanders on Saturday. Chabot has nine points in his last 12 games, dating back to the last day of February. His hot streak has brought him to 31 points in 55 games this season, a scoring pace well on par with Chabot’s trend of 45-point seasons.
Chabot faced injury at multiple points this season, including missing 13 games between November and December. He has found his way back to consistent performance in the new year, netting 10 points in 16 January games, followed by nine points in 16 games since the start of February. It was a difficult season, capped off by a long-term injury at the worst time, but the year will support Chabot’s hold over a starring role on the Senators’ blue line leading into next season. He could also spur the bad luck with a quick recovery and a return to Ottawa’s playoff run, if the team can stay alive until he’s back.
Ottawa rotated its defense pairings with both of its star blue-liners out of Tuesday’s game against Detroit. Artem Zub and Jordan Spence filled the main play-driving roles, each receiving roughly 11 minutes of even-strength ice time in the process. The openings also made room for top defense prospect Carter Yakemchuk to make his NHL debut. He scored two points, a goal and an assist, in the effort. Yakemchuk could become a focal point of the Senators’ blue line until Sanderson is back to full health. He leads all AHL rookie defensemen in per-game scoring this season with 10 goals and 36 points in 50 games. Yakemchuk is well-known for his all-out style, focused on throwing big hits and driving the puck 200 feet.
Penguins Recall Avery Hayes, Joona Koppanen
The Pittsburgh Penguins have added two forwards to the roster ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Winger Avery Hayes and center Joona Koppanen have been recalled from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hayes’ recall will help the Penguins addresss a day-to-day injury for winger Anthony Mantha, while Koppanen will shore up the center depth per Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
Hayes could have the clearer path to a lineup role if Mantha need to miss Thursday’s game. The 23 year old scored two goals in his NHL debut in early February but has struggled to keep scoring on the other side of the NHL’s Olympic break. He has no points in 10 NHL games since, though he has scored nine points in his last seven AHL games. That minor-league scoring brings him up to 32 points in 38 AHL games this season, fourth on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in scoring.
The Penguins will hope Hayes can rediscover his spark as he steps up for Mantha, who has eight points in his last nine games. All of that scoring was managed over a six-game stretch in mid-March, bringing Mantha up to 26 goals and 53 points in 71 games this season – a new career-high in scoring.
Koppanen hasn’t been in the NHL since November, when he played through a 10-game stint on Pittsburgh’s third-line. He recorded one assist, two penalty minutes, and a minus-one in that span. He also won 12 of the 25 faceoffs he took. Koppanen has filled a stout center role in his minor league minutes, netting 19 points and a plus-14 in 37 games. He brings reliable, two-way depth to the lineup and could help the Penguins make up for an injury to veteran Blake Lizotte.
The Penguins have turned towards Connor Dewar to fill a center role in Lizotte’s absence. He is putting together a career-year on Pittsburgh’s bottom line, with 14 goals, 27 points, and a plus-10 in 71 games – all career highs. That production has kept Dewar in a nightly lineup role, though his role as a faceoff-taker is new. With Koppanen on the roster, Pittsburgh will have the option to move Dewar back to the wing, in place of Elmer Soderblom.
Sharks’ Ryan Reaves Out Week-To-Week
A top enforcer will be out of the San Jose Sharks lineup for the short-term. Winger Ryan Reaves is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Reaves only played 19 seconds of Saturday’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He injured his finger in a fight with Flyers winger Garrett Wilson just two minutes into the game, though it’s not clear if that is the injury he faces now, or what specifically went wrong.
Either way, the Sharks will move forward without one of the few remaining enforcers in the NHL. Reaves has racked up 37 penalty minutes in 50 games this season, including five fights. He also leads the Sharks in hits with 160.
Those numbers are well below the heights that Reaves reached through his 16-year NHL career. He posted a career-high 126 penalty minutes in 63 games of the 2013-14 NHL season, including 12 fights. His career-high in hits came in the 2019-20 season, when Reaves racked up 316 hits in 71 games with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Years later, Reaves continues to serve as a valuable fighter protecting a young Sharks roster. He has been sparingly used over the second-half of the season, with only five appearances since February started. He only averaged 7:15 in ice time in those appearances, excluding his early exit on Saturday.
San Jose will turn to Pavol Regenda to step back into the lineup for Reaves. Regenda has nine goals and 10 points in 21 NHL games, and 12 points in 28 AHL games, this season. At 6-foot-4, he brings the physical presence that Reaves leaves behind, though San Jose may also have to lean on Kiefer Sherwood to match Reaves’ hit totals. Meanwhile, Reaves will look to get back to full health in time to step into one of San Jose’s remaining 14 games this season.
Five Key Stories: 3/16/26 – 3/22/26
We’re barely a month removed from the Olympics but the next best-on-best competition is now on the books. That’s among our key stories from the past seven days.
World Cup Of Hockey Returns: The last time there was a World Cup of Hockey was back in 2016 when the tournament was held before the season began. Now, the event is slated to return in 2028 with a midseason event to be held during what would have been the All-Star break, similar to the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. Unlike that event, this one will feature eight different teams playing a total of 17 games. Calgary and Prague will host half of the round robin section of the tournament while Edmonton will host the medal round. The intention is to hold this every four years, meaning that there will be a best-on-best event every two years with the Olympics also being held every four years.
Crosby Returns: The Penguins got a significant boost to their lineup when captain Sidney Crosby was activated off injured reserve. Injured while playing for Canada at the Olympics, he was initially expected to miss a minimum of four weeks. Instead, he came back ahead of schedule, with Pittsburgh holding its own in his absence with a 5-3-3 record. Still, as the Penguins look to hold onto a playoff spot that few expected heading into the season, getting their leading scorer back will certainly help their chances in a tight Wild Card and Metropolitan Division battle. Crosby had three points in his first two games back in the lineup.
Oilers Down A Star: It has been a tough year for the Oilers. Viewed as a contender heading into the season, they instead find themselves in a dogfight to simply make the playoffs (though they’re within striking distance of the division lead as well, to be fair). However, their postseason push just got a lot harder with center Leon Draisaitl is dealing with a lower-body injury and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season. He was subsequently placed on LTIR, meaning a minimum absence of 10 games and 24 days. The 30-year-old was well on his way to his fifth straight 100-point season before the injury. His 2025-26 campaign ends with 35 goals and 62 assists in 65 games and he’ll now hope that his teammates can get to the playoffs so he’ll have a chance to return.
Two For Carcone: After not getting the types of offers he wanted after saying he’d leave Utah last summer, Michael Carcone ultimately re-signed with the Mammoth. That proved to be the right move as he’s had a bounce-back year, earning himself a two-year, $3.5MM extension for his efforts. The 29-year-old had a breakout campaign in 2023-24 with Arizona, tallying 21 goals but he struggled last season. However, he has played his way back into a full-time bottom-six role this season and has been productive, tallying 14 goals and 12 assists in 67 games. This will be the first time that Carcone will make more than $775K in a season.
Three For Greer: Earlier this week, George Parros met the media to discuss and defend some of the recent decisions from the Department of Player Safety. The department is back in the discussion once again following its decision to suspend Panthers forward A.J. Greer for three games for a hit on Calgary’s Connor Zary. Greer shoved Zary from behind toward the boards a fair distance away from the boards, resulting in an upper-body injury for the youngster. This is the second suspension of Greer’s career, and he will be eligible to return to Florida’s lineup next Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images.
Gabriel Landeskog To Return To Avalanche Lineup
Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog will return to the ice against the Washington Capitals, head coach Jared Bednar told the media (including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti) today. Landeskog has been out since March 6 with a lower-body injury, and has missed seven consecutive games.
Landeskog’s return will give the Avalanche a boost as they ready for what the team hopes (or even expects) is to be a deep playoff run starting next month. Landeskog, who missed nearly three full years of hockey recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent after winning the Stanley Cup in 2022, has returned to being a top-six player for the Avalanche.
While he hasn’t produced at the same level he was at when he was last a healthy NHL player (he scored 30 goals and 59 points in just 51 games in 2021-22), he’s still been a productive member of an Avalanche team that has been the class of the league in 2025-26. Through 47 games, he’s scored nine goals and 29 points, which is a 16-goal, 51-point 82-game scoring pace. He’s scored at that rate despite no longer being a staple on the team’s first power play unit.
With Landeskog injured, the Avalanche elevated veteran Valeri Nichushkin to Landeskog’s previous role, which was as the first-line left wing alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas.
Nichushkin is coming off of a game two days ago in which he scored a goal and added an assist in the team’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks, so it’s possible Bednar won’t want to separate that first line even with Landeskog returning. If that’s the case, he could find a landing spot on Colorado’s second line, which is currently a trio of three centers (Nazem Kadri, Brock Nelson, Nicolas Roy).
If anything, Landeskog’s return could provide better balance to the Avalanche lineup, as the team is currently staffing its bottom-six with players relatively short on NHL experience. In the team’s most recent game, their fourth line combined for 41 games of total NHL experience from before 2025-26.
NHL, CHL Nearing New AHL Loan Agreement
Last week, we covered reporting that indicated that the NHL was set to meet with the CHL to discuss potential changes to the league’s transfer agreement with the CHL, one that currently prevents NHL teams from, in most circumstances, loaning 19-year-old CHL players to their AHL affiliate. At the time, it appeared unclear what the exact nature of the rule change would be.
Yesterday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman provided some clarity in that area, reporting on the Saturday Headlines segment of the Hockey Night In Canada broadcast that the NHL, AHL, and CHL are nearing an agreement that would pave the way for 19-year-old CHLers to be eligible for the AHL, under specific circumstances.
Per Friedman, previously-ineligible 19-year-old CHLers drafted in the first round will be eligible to be loaned to the AHL, as soon as next season. There is no limit on how many players an organization can loan, the key stipulation is just that the player must be drafted in the first round. The agreement still needs to be approved by the NHLPA before it can be made official.
Ryan Pike of Flames Nation laid out a list of the 2007-born first-round picks who would be impacted by this rule, players who could be eligible for an AHL assignment if the rule is implemented before the 2026-27 season. There are thirteen players in total who would be impacted by this rule for next season, although some, such as Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, and Ben Kindel, figure to play next season in the NHL.
Where the rule change could have the most impact is with players who are not locks to be full-time NHLers next season. Two top centers drafted last year, Brady Martin and Caleb Desnoyers, could be prime candidates to benefit from an AHL assignment.
For organizations that have a strong track record of player development at the AHL level, this pending rule change will allow them to further lean into that competitive advantage. The Nashville Predators, for example, have a lengthy history of developing NHL players who first play with the Milwaukee Admirals. They have two players (Martin and No. 21 pick Cam Reid) who would be eligible to play in Milwaukee on a full-time basis under the new rule.
There are numerous players who, in the past, could have benefited from this rule change. 2022 No. 7 pick Kevin Korchinski is an example, as a young defenseman who played in 76 NHL games the year after he was drafted. The Blackhawks were unable to assign Korchinski to the AHL, and had to choose between the NHL and CHL.
The Blackhawks reportedly believed Korchinski did not stand to benefit much (developmentally) from a return to the CHL, given that he had won the WHL title the year prior and had already developed into an elite point-producing defenseman at that level. So, they kept him in the NHL for all of 2023-24, as they were not allowed to assign him to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
Korchinski struggled to keep his head above water as a rookie, and has played in just 20 NHL games since that year. He is, undoubtedly, an example of a top prospect who likely would have benefited from being able to start off his pro career in the AHL, rather than needing to start in the NHL because his options were limited by transfer restrictions.
With the rule change set to be implemented, it seems those days will be a thing of the past for first-round prospects. It’s also worth wondering whether teams targeting a specific CHL talent near the top of the second round of upcoming drafts might attempt to trade into the final few picks of the first round, just to make that player eligible for AHL assignment under this new rule.
There is a precedent for teams maneuvering in the draft in such a way – albeit in other professional sports leagues. Such a strategy would be similar to draft maneuvering that sometimes occurs in the NFL, where teams have traded for a late first-round pick in an effort to secure a fifth-year option on a targeted prospect’s rookie contract. The Baltimore Ravens famously did this in 2018 to secure a fifth year-option on the rookie deal of future MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
While it’s too early to tell the full impact of this NHL/AHL/CHL rule change, it’s possible the implications of this change could stretch into the draft process itself.
PHR Mailbag: Kings, Rangers, Raddysh, Lightning, Sabres, Red Wings, CBA
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include forecasting the next contract for the top-scoring pending UFA, Buffalo’s turnaround, and more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s column while we have one more mailbag to come from our latest call for questions.
bigalval: Does Ken Holland have any clue what he’s doing? Rob Blake was bad and Holland’s moves have been puzzling at best.
Holland has been around long enough that I’m confident in saying he knows what he’s doing; there is a plan in place. His moves over the offseason clearly signaled that he was leaning into the team playing a slower, more deliberate game and that after being unable to land a big fish, he leaned into building up their depth. You can quibble with some of the moves made (and I’d say you’re probably right to do so) but I understand the method to the madness.
Then there’s the Artemi Panarin move. If you’re thinking that moving a first-round prospect in Liam Greentree to get him with a two-year extension doesn’t make sense for a bubble team, I get that. The rebuild is probably coming at some point; it can only be stalled so long. And with Los Angeles struggling mightily offensively, this might not have been the right time to take a big swing. Clearly, Holland believes that this group could do some damage in a Pacific Division that’s up for grabs; they just have to get there first.
That belief I suspect also shaped the decision to make a coaching change, even if it came a lot later than most would have expected. The results have been middling since D.J. Smith took over (not unlike how they were before) but there’s still time to win a few and really lock down a playoff spot. I like the approach to go with an interim coach in case they want to pivot to a different option over the summer and perhaps change their system a little more drastically.
So far, things have largely looked like more of the same under Holland despite a much higher volume of moves. But there’s a plan in place; I’m just not sure it’s necessarily the right one as again, that rebuild is bound to happen at some point and it wouldn’t shock me if it’s sooner than later.
lgr34561: Do you think this recent hot streak with Gabriel Perreault and more specifically Alexis Lafreniere is legit and something Rangers fans should be seriously optimistic about or just assume it’s Lafreniere just going on a short streak then back to his old ways?
Generally speaking, I try not to read too much into how players perform down the stretch when they’re on teams playing for nothing but pride. However, there’s still room for some optimism with how those two have performed as of late.
This month, Perreault has four goals and eight assists in 10 games. Perhaps more notably, he’s averaging over 18 minutes per game in March. Those are legitimate top-level reps that are going to help him beyond this season. The Rangers drafted Perreault with the hope that he can be an impactful top-six forward for them. I’m not sure he’s going to be fully ready to be that next season (a lot will depend on offseason moves as well) but this stretch suggests that he’s trending in the right direction to have that role.
As for Lafreniere, he has done this before, where he has a good stretch. However, he hasn’t followed that up by continuing it for an extended amount of time. He’s not going to have that chance here either with the season almost over. Don’t get me wrong, 14 points in 10 March games is nice to see but I’m not ready to think that this is the beginning of the long-awaited breakout. I think this But if GM Chris Drury is pondering trading the 24-year-old this summer, this performance certainly can’t hurt from a value standpoint.
FeeltheThunder: I already asked about Nikita Kucherov’s extension. Now, I must ask about Darren Raddysh. How do you think Tampa will approach the intriguing Raddysh conundrum? GM Julien BriseBois had recently stated he wants to keep Raddysh wearing a Bolts’ jersey after this season and Tampa will have an admirable amount of cap space this offseason ranging around $15 to $16 million. I feel Tampa will keep him, it’s just what is the final price and term going to be?
Also, Tampa didn’t get an extra RD at the trade deadline, so do you think they’ll search for an additional RD in the offseason of FA even with Raddysh, Cernak, and Crozier and if so, who might those prospects potentially be?
This might be the most fascinating contract of the offseason. Heading into the season, Raddysh looked like he was heading for a nice raise after back-to-back 30-plus-point years. Making $975K this season, if he landed in the $3.5MM range or so with his limited usage, that would have made sense for both sides.
But then this season happened. Raddysh doesn’t just lead all pending UFA defensemen in points but rather pending unrestricted free agents, period. He’s up to 60 points in as many games. And it’s not as if he’s still getting limited minutes either; he’s averaging close to 23 minutes per night and even seeing light penalty killing playing time. Being a right-shot defender with this type of output in a market where cap space exceeds the quality of players available and you have the perfect storm for a huge offer.
Given where things are, I could see a team, perhaps begrudgingly, offering $7.5MM per season for Raddysh, rationalizing that even if he winds up in the 45-50-point range next year, it could still age well. I don’t think Tampa Bay would be willing to go quite that high, even with their cap space and right-side situation. GM Julien BriseBois isn’t known for paying top dollar. I could see a long-term pact (six years or so) around $6MM or so being where the two sides ultimately settle where he leaves a bit on the table to stay but still gets life-changing money.
Assuming that they get Raddysh re-signed, I think they’ll be content enough with him and Cernak as their top two right-shot rearguards. I could see them looking for a third-pairing player that keeps Maxwell Crozier in a reserve role, however. Nick Jensen coming off an injury-riddled season is eligible for a one-year, bonus-laden deal. That feels like a good fit, giving him a soft landing spot to try to rebuild some value while possibly giving Tampa Bay some value for the role. A reunion with Luke Schenn could be a viable option as well.
FeeltheThunder: I want to add one more question here. I think Tampa should look for a new backup goaltender this offseason as Jonas Johansson is just way too hot and cold. I think if they bring in competition this offseason like a UFA in Matt Murray, for example, would be an improvement. Also, Tampa may need an AHL goaltender for Syracuse if they don’t bring back Brandon Halverson (which would be surprising) but they could have Johansson for that if so. What do you think of the whole situation?
For years now, the Lightning have been in a spot where they haven’t had a choice but to go with low-cost options. Some of that has been self-inflicted with their other moves but now, as you noted with your first question, they have a lot more cap flexibility this summer. I think they would benefit from upgrading on Johansson, it just comes down to how much more money they want to spend on the position. Murray is one who isn’t exactly the most consistent either but if they just wanted to bring in someone for competition (and waive the one who doesn’t make it), I could see that happening. And if so, that might push Halverson out.
Otherwise, I’d hope they’d aim a little higher and try to get someone who can maybe cover 25-30 games a season. With the increased minimum salary next season, they’d clear all but $25K of Johansson’s salary off the books with an AHL assignment so I think it’d be worth their while to explore it.
As for the AHL side, it feels like about a third of the veteran goalies bounce around from year to year. If Halverson leaves, there will be plenty of other AHL veterans to choose from so I wouldn’t worry too much about that situation. It actually wouldn’t surprise me if they look to an international goalie in free agency, a younger one that could see some time with the Crunch while trying to see if they can develop a future backup for a couple of years from now.
Flyers’ Sean Couturier, Denver Barkey, Luke Glendening Out
The Philadelphia Flyers will be without a forward for Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. Sean Couturier has been announced as out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, head coach Rick Tocchet told Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. Tocchet did not have an official timeline for Couturier’s injury, though said he doesn’t believe it will be long-term. Philadelphia was also without winger Denver Barkey due to an upper-body injury, and Luke Glendening to a lower-body injury. Both share Couturier’s day-to-day designation.
Couturier was on the ice for the Flyers’ opening goal in their 3-2 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. He appeared in just over 15 minutes of ice time in that matchup, sticking to the bottom-six role that he has spent much of the year’s second half in. Couturier has seven goals and 29 points in 66 games this season, his lowest scoring pace since the 2012-13 season – his second year in the NHL. He is also averaging his lowest ice time, 17 minutes a game, since that season.
Couturier’s slide into a smaller lineup role has coincided with handful of injuries over the last five seasons. He missed much of the second half of 2021-22, and all of the 2022-23 season, due to a string of injuries including back surgery. He has missed 12 games since returning to a full-time role in 2023-24 season.
Glendening has split a center role with Couturier since joining the team via waivers just after the NHL Trade Deadline. He has two points in five games and a 57.9 faceoff percentage on 38 faceoffs so far. That reliability has helped form an all-three-zones bottom line next to Couturier and Garnet Hathaway.
Rookie winger Barkey has also spent the majority of his time in Philadelphia’s bottom-six. He has three goals and 11 points in 32 NHL games this season, to go with 16 points in 26 AHL games.
The Flyers will have to look towards their extra forwards to fill Couturier’s lineup role. They currently carry two extra forwards: Carl Grundstrom and Garrett Wilson. Grundstrom has been the de facto option this season, stepping into 37 games and scoring 12 points on the year. The hard-nosed winger could again slot into a fourth-line role, while the top of Philadelphia’s lineup remains unchanged.
Wilson played in 84 NHL games between 2013 and 2019, recording eight points and 42 penalty minutes. He has spent the last seven seasons in a full-time, AHL role where his grinder presence stands tall. Wilson leads the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with 101 penalty minutes in 54 games this season. He racked up 134 PIMs in 63 games last season and a career-high 216 PIMs in 59 games in the year prior. The grinder made his Flyers debut filling in for the trio of injuries on Thursday.
Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov Out Day-To-Day
The Minnesota Wild won’t have their superstar winger on Thursday night. Kirill Kaprizov is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained in the team’s last game against the Chicago Blackhawks per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Specifically, Kaprizov’s injury was sustained on a check from Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato, per Russo, and his absence from the lineup is a precaution after Kaprizov skated in full at Thursday morning’s practice. In-season trade acquisition Quinn Hughes will serve as an alternative captain in Kaprizov’s spot.
Minnesota will struggle to make up for Kaprizov’s absence. He brings a nightly impact, including recording one assist and a team-high six shots on goal in Tuesday’s overtime win over the Blackhawks despite getting injured. He leads the Wild with 38 goals and 80 points in 69 games this season. Kaprizov was also one of only four Wild skaters – alongside Brock Faber, Yakov Trenin, and Jared Spurgeon – to appear in every game this season. That streak will come to an end on Thursday, forcing Minnesota to find a replacement for their star winger on top of replacing injured center Joel Eriksson Ek.
Centerman Hunter Haight will step into the lineup for Kaprizov. This will be the rookie’s first NHL game since a three-game stint in the lineup in mid-January. He has no points and a minus-four in five NHL games, and 23 points in 43 AHL games, this season. Haight should assume a bottom-line role, while speedy winger Bobby Brink joins Matt Boldy and Danila Yurov on Minnesota’s top line. Brink scored one goal in three games with the Wild after being acquired at the Trade Deadline, and before going down with an injury that’s held him out of the last nine days. He’ll return to the lineup in a big way, with Minnesota seeking additional scoring in lieu of Kaprizov. Brink could be fighting to stick in the top-nine after Kaprizov returns with this spot start next to one of Minnesota’s top scorers.