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Cody Hodgson

Central Notes: Hakanpaa, Bowness, Hodgson

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Originally, Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa was listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.  However, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters yesterday including Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News that the blueliner isn’t skating and won’t be available in the near future as he has been undergoing tests to determine his status.  It’s the second time that the 31-year-old has been injured this season as he had an upper-body issue last month.  Hakanpaa doesn’t put up many points as he has just 12 in 64 games but leads the team in hits (196) with nearly twice as many as Mason Marchment who sits second (100) while he’s second on the team in blocks with 123 behind only Esa Lindell (133).

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Jets head coach Rick Bowness will not return to the team this weekend as Postmedia’s Scott Billeck relays that Bowness remains in Winnipeg while recovering from a minor medical procedure. Scott Arniel will continue to serve as the interim bench boss for their games against the Islanders and Capitals.
  • Center Cody Hodgson has inked a second PTO deal with the Predators’ AHL affiliate, per the AHL’s transactions log. Hodgson was forced into early retirement following the 2015-16 season due to malignant hyperthermia but has recovered well enough to attempt a comeback which started in January.  So far, the 34-year-old has done quite well in limited action, notching six goals and two assists in 12 games.  This second PTO is a 25-game one which would easily take Hodgson through the rest of the season.

Cody Hodgson Signs PTO With AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals

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2008 first-round pick Cody Hodgson’s comeback to professional hockey was made official this morning. He’s signed a professional tryout with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, per the league transactions log, and is now eligible to suit up with the Predators’ primary minor-league affiliate.

Hodgson, 33, last played organized hockey with the Admirals and Predators in the 2015-16 campaign. After reaching unrestricted free agency the following summer, he eventually announced his retirement due to a malignant hyperthermia diagnosis, which can cause muscle rigidity, fevers, elevated heart rate, and arrhythmia. While traditionally triggered by medications used to trigger general anesthesia, prolonged physical activity can also cause flare-ups.

Selected 10th overall by the Canucks, Hodgson was a decorated junior hockey talent and finished eighth in Calder Trophy voting during the 2011-12 campaign, split between the Canucks and Sabres thanks to a controversial midseason trade. When he finished second on the middling Sabres in scoring during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign (15-19–34 in 48 games), he looked like a budding long-term top-six center that could fill the role vacated by former number-one center Derek Roy when the Sabres dealt him to the Stars in the 2012 offseason.

Within two seasons, due in part to his malignant hyperthermia symptoms, his production cratered. After posting 6-7–13 in 78 games in 2014-15 while averaging under 13 minutes per game, the Sabres bought out the final four seasons of his six-year, $25.5MM contract, making him a UFA at 25 years old.

Hodgson signed with the Predators for the following campaign, but it didn’t go any better. He posted eight points in 39 games through the first half of the season before being assigned to AHL Milwaukee in January, where he remained for the rest of 2016.

It’s unlikely Hodgson’s second stint in Milwaukee will result in another NHL opportunity after so long away from the game, but it’s promising to see his health improve to the point where pro hockey can be a consideration.

Morning Notes: Kakko, Hodgson, Sobotka

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New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette has announced that winger Kaapo Kakko is set to make his return from a lower-body injury on Sunday. He has been out of the lineup since November 27th, missing 21 games. The Rangers placed Kakko on long-term injured reserve on November 28th, alongside linemate Filip Chytil, who is also progressing from an expected concussion.

Kakko was off to a slow start before his injury, managing just two goals and one assist in 20 games. He’s continuing to search for his groove in the NHL, scoring a career-high 40 points in 82 games last season. It was only the second time that Kakko has played in more than 50 games in a single season since making his debut in 2019-20.

The New York Rangers have also sent Jake Leschyshyn back to the minor leagues, after bringing him up on an emergency recall on Tuesday. He appeared in one game with the top club, setting a -1 in six minutes of ice time in New York’s Thursday night loss to the St. Louis Blues.

More notes from around the league:

  • 328-game veteran of the NHL Cody Hodgson is reportedly eyeing a return to professional hockey, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Hodgson had to step away from the game in 2016 after being diagnosed with malignant hyperthermia. But he’s returned to the ice, skating routinely in an effort to get back on the ice. The 33-year-old was drafted 10th overall in the 2008 NHL Draft – a part of a First Round that’s yielded 12 different players with 700 or more games played.
  • Long-time St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Sobotka has signed a one-year extension with HC Sparta Praha of the Czechia Extraliga. He’s a 528-game veteran of the NHL, recording 171 points, 362 penalty minutes, and a -22 over his career. Sobotka has been productive in Czechia, with 19 points in 27 games this season, bringing his totals up to 121 points in 148 games with Sparta Praha since joining the team in 2020-21.

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