Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Jack Drury

Hurricanes’ Jack Drury To Undergo Hand Surgery

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Dec. 17: Drury’s hand surgery went well and will keep him out for at least four weeks, Brind’Amour told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.

Dec. 12: The Hurricanes will be without depth center Jack Drury for a while yet. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters Thursday that Drury has “has a broken something in his thumb” and will undergo surgery (via Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal). The team hasn’t yet issued a timeline for his return.

Drury left Tuesday’s win over the Sharks in the first period after blocking a shot with his hand. Brind’Amour said postgame that things weren’t looking promising for the 24-year-old, although he still needed to undergo a couple of imaging tests. Center Tyson Jost was recalled from AHL Chicago yesterday in the wake of Drury’s injury and will be on hand for tomorrow’s game against the Senators. In all likelihood, Jost will make his first appearance since Nov. 23 unless Carolina opts to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen and give Riley Stillman, who they summoned from the AHL this morning, his season debut.

A second-rounder back in 2018, Drury has slowly risen up the Hurricanes’ center depth chart over the past few years. This season, he was averaging a career-high 13:09 per game and was winning 56.4% of his draws, the highest among Carolina’s four regular centers. He had three goals and six assists for nine points through 28 games, on pace to roughly match the eight goals and 27 points he had in 74 games last year.

Now, after spending his seven games for the Canes last month suiting up on Drury’s wing, Jost will need to shift back to his natural center position for the foreseeable future. He had one goal while averaging 9:20 per game, not seeing any of Drury’s usual special teams usage.

The Hurricanes have carried as slim a roster as possible all season long, so Drury may not land on injured reserve in the coming days (or at all during his absence) unless other injuries strike and force Carolina to open up an additional roster spot. Assuming a usual recovery timeline for hand surgery, we likely won’t see Drury back in the lineup until late January.

East Notes: DeSimone, Wilson, Jost, Drury

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

According to a team release, Devils defenseman Nick DeSimone was assigned to AHL Utica on Wednesday. Aside from a couple of paper transactions, the 30-year-old has been on New Jersey’s roster for the past month but has yet to play an NHL contest this season. He’s been a healthy scratch on 17 occasions, never ranking higher than seventh on the Devils’ defense depth chart despite early-season injuries to Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce.

DeSimone has, however, remained on the roster for a longer stretch as veteran insurance, while younger names like Seamus Casey and Simon Nemec have headed to Utica for additional development. With New Jersey back in action tomorrow against the Kings, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them reverse the transaction and reinstate DeSimone to the active roster. Demoting him today allows them to accrue a small amount of additional cap space and delay the expiry of his temporary waiver exemption after he last cleared in October.

The New York native appeared in a career-high 34 NHL contests split between the Devils and Flames last season, recording seven points and a +3 rating while averaging 13:29 per contest. He’s struggled in limited action with Utica this season, posting two assists and a -10 rating in nine appearances.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Capitals mainstay Tom Wilson sustained a minor bone fracture in the sinus cavity area after taking a puck to the face in Saturday’s win over the Canadiens, he told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. The injury only caused him to leave the game momentarily, and he scored two goals after returning. He doesn’t expect to miss any additional time due to the injury, he confirmed, although he’ll be wearing a full face shield for the next four weeks at the instruction of team doctors. Wilson, 30, is on pace for a career-high 33 goals and 67 points this season – the first of a seven-year, $45.5MM extension.
  • The Hurricanes announced today that they’ve recalled forward Tyson Jost from AHL Chicago. Jost’s inclusion on the roster indicates that center Jack Drury will miss at least Friday’s game against the Senators after leaving last night’s win over the Sharks in the first period with an upper-body injury after blocking a shot from San Jose winger Klim Kostin. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters postgame that he anticipated Drury would miss a significant chunk of time. However, he didn’t disclose further details on the injury (per Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News). Jost, 26, had one goal in seven games during a recall last month, averaging 9:20 per contest. He has four goals and five assists for nine points in 14 AHL appearances this season.

Snapshots: Mukhamadullin, Ehlers, Nyquist, Drury

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Sharks have recalled defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin from AHL San Jose, reports Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link).  The 22-year-old was the 20th overall pick by New Jersey back in 2020 and was a key piece of the Timo Meier trade three years later.  Mukhamadullin missed all of training camp with a lower-body injury, eliminating any chance he had of making the team.  He was cleared to return at the end of October and has been with the Barracuda since then, collecting six assists in 14 games.  To make room for him on the roster, Jack Thompson has been returned to the AHL; the 22-year-old has done well in limited action so far, picking up five points in 14 games with the Sharks while averaging a little over 16 minutes a night.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers skated today for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury late last month, relays Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The 28-year-old was off to a strong start before the injury, recording nine goals and 16 assists in 24 games to land him in the top four in team scoring.  Although Ehlers was back on the ice today, there remains no firm timetable for his return.
  • Predators winger Gustav Nyquist was a late scratch for tonight’s game against Calgary with the team announcing (Twitter link) that he’s listed as day-to-day with an illness. After a career year last season in his first year with Nashville that saw him record 23 goals and 52 assists in 81 games, the 35-year-old has struggled offensively this season.  Through his first 28 games, he has just six goals and four helpers despite logging nearly 18 minutes a night of playing time.
  • The Hurricanes announced (Twitter link) that center Jack Drury left tonight’s game against San Jose due to an upper-body injury and did not return. The 24-year-old is in his second full NHL season and after putting up 27 points in 74 games in 2023-24, he’s producing at a similar clip this year, picking up three goals and six assists in his first 27 outings.  Drury also has the highest faceoff rate of Carolina’s full-time middlemen, winning over 56% of his draws in the early going.

2024 Salary Arbitration Tracker

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It has been a quieter year on the salary arbitration front across the NHL.  After 23 players filed last summer, just 14 did this time around.  As expected, most have settled so far with a few hearings still pending.  Here’s a rundown of who has settled and who still needs to sign.

Updated 7/30/24, 1:07 p.m.

Contracts Settled

D Jake Christiansen (Blue Jackets) – one year, $775K (two-way agreement)
F Connor Dewar (Maple Leafs) – one year, $1.18MM
F Jack Drury (Hurricanes) – two years, $3.45MM
D Ty Emberson (Sharks) – one year, $950K
G Jet Greaves (Blue Jackets) – two years, $1.625MM (two-way in 2024-25, one-way in 2025-26)
F Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sabres) – five years, $23.75MM
F Beck Malenstyn (Sabres) – two years, $2.7MM
D J.J. Moser (Lightning) – two years, $6.75MM
F Joe Veleno (Red Wings) – two years, $4.55MM
F Oliver Wahlstrom (Islanders) – one year, $1MM
F Kirill Marchenko (Blue Jackets) – three years, $11.55MM
F Martin Necas (Hurricanes) – two years, $13MM
D Ryan Lindgren (Rangers) – one year, $4.5MM

Contracts Awarded

D Spencer Stastney (Predators) – two years, $1.675MM (two-way in 2024-25, one-way in 2025-26)

Scheduled Hearings

none

A reminder of some of the arbitration rules for the upcoming potential hearings:

  • A player and team can settle on a deal at any point before the hearing starts.
  • Once the hearing has taken place, the arbitration decision must be issued by email within 48 hours.
  • Arbitration awards can only be one or two years in length. (Players who are in their final year of restricted free agency are only entitled to a one-year agreement from an arbitrator.)
  • The team decides on the awarded term as these were all player-elected filings.
  • The team can walk away from the arbitration decision if a contract with an average annual value of more than $4.74MM is awarded.

Worth noting is that teams who have someone file for arbitration will receive a second buyout window three days after their final contract is settled or awarded.  The window lasts for 48 hours and the only eligible players to be bought out in this timeframe are those who have an AAV of $4MM or more and were on that team’s reserve list at the trade deadline back in March.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Jack Drury To Two-Year Contract

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Carolina Hurricanes and forward Jack Drury have agreed to a two-year, $3.45MM contract. The deal, first announced by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, will pay Drury a salary of $1.775MM in 2024-25, and a salary of $1.675MM in 2025-26 with an AAV of $1.725MM.

In a follow-up report, PuckPedia shares that upon expiration of this contract for Drury, he will be RFA-eligible with arbitration rights and will be one year away from unrestricted free agency. The Hurricanes will only be on the hook for a $1.675MM qualifying offer to Drury due to the lower salary in the second year of the contract.

It is a reasonable price for Carolina and Drury as the latter projects to be a middle-six option with the organization next year. It took a few years for the Harvard University alum to make it to the NHL after being selected with the 42nd overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, but Drury has become a solid contributor.

This past season marked his first full NHL campaign with the young center scoring eight goals and 27 points in 74 games. Drury primarily played on a line with Martin Necas during the regular season with Michael Bunting or Stefan Noesen flanking him as the other wing. He deserves a lot of the credit for the possession metrics produced by his line as Drury achieved a 55.3% success rate in the faceoff dot with 63.6% of his starts coming in the offensive zone.

After averaging 11:51 of ice time per night with the Hurricanes over the past three years, the team could get aggressive with his deployment in the 2024-25 season. The team may end up keeping Necas after a summer full of trade rumors, and Drury could continue playing next to him on the team’s second line. Carolina could then use newcomer Jack Roslovic as the second-line left wing while moving Jesperi Kotkaniemi back to center on the team’s fourth line.

14 Players Elect For Salary Arbitration

at CDT | by 10 Comments

Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and originally produced by the National Hockey Leaguer Players’ Association, 14 players have elected for salary arbitration this summer. The deadline for team-elected arbitration is tomorrow. Friedman also notes the arbitration hearings will happen between July 20th and August 4th. To add context, not every one of these players will appear for a hearing with their respective teams as they may continue to negotiate on a new contract. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet. Here is a list of the players that have elected for arbitration:

F Beck Malenstyn (Buffalo Sabres)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo Sabres)
F Martin Necas (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Jack Drury (Carolina Hurricanes)
D Jake Christiansen (Columbus Blue Jackets)
G Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Joe Veleno (Detroit Red Wings)
D Spencer Stastney (Nashville Predators)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (New York Islanders)
D Ryan Lindgren (New York Rangers)
D Ty Emberson (San Jose Sharks)
D J.J. Moser (Tampa Bay Lightning)
F Connor Dewar (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Metropolitan Notes: Chytil, Fast, Martin, Seeley

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Rangers will be joined by centerman Filip Chytil when they travel to Washington D.C. for Games Three and Four, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post (Twitter link). It’s another substantial step in Chytil’s storied return from a November 2nd concussion. The 24-year-old hasn’t played a game since and took time away from the team around the holidays to recover in his native Czechia. He returned to New York in late January and received clearance to return to practice just two games before the end of the regular season.

Chytil has since worked his way out of a no-contact jersey, and back to full conditioning, even serving in Alexander Wennberg’s slot as the fourth-line center during the team’s Thursday morning practice while Wennberg took a maintenance day. There has been no indication of Chytil’s game availability, but his traveling is certainly an encouraging step. He’s been out of the lineup for six months and 74 games, ending his season with six assists in 10 games.

Other notes from the Metro Division:

  • Forward Jesper Fast will remain out of the Carolina Hurricanes lineup in Game Three, shares team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). Fast hasn’t skated since exiting the team’s season-finale with an upper-body injury, missing the last two games. He was a steadfast piece of Carolina’s fourth line this season, recording 19 points in 73 games while averaging roughly 12-and-a-half minutes of ice time. His absence has made way for Jack Drury to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, after playing in 13 games in last year’s postseason. Drury has recorded two assists in two games but is still searching for the first postseason goal of his career.
  • New York Islanders veteran Matt Martin sustained an undisclosed injury and will be a game-time decision for Game Three, head coach Patrick Roy shared with The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (Twitter link). Martin has averaged just north of 10 minutes of ice time through the first two games of the series, recording 16 penalty minutes, five hits, and two blocked shots. Forwards Ruslan Iskhakov and Oliver Wahlstrom will likely contend for the open spot should Martin sit. Iskhakov was impressive when he received his NHL debut in the team’s season finale, recording an assist and seeming well-adjusted. He’d be an interesting change-of-pace option if the Islanders are looking for a spark, though Wahlstrom’s 32 NHL games this season could earn him the edge. The Islanders are currently down 2-0 in their First Round matchup with the Hurricanes.
  • Carolina has recalled defenseman Ronan Seeley as a black ace, shares Walt Ruff (Twitter link). Seeley has yet to make his NHL debut, though he did record 14 points in 58 AHL games this season. He’s in his second pro season, after being drafted in the seventh-round of the 2020 NHL Draft. Seeley is one of four extra defenders on Carolina’s roster, alongside Scott Morrow, Dylan Coghlan, and the injured Brett Pesce.

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Hurricanes, Rogers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche remains in the mix for the vacant Penguins GM position.  Darche received consideration for the opening in Montreal last season that later went to Kent Hughes.  He has been with Tampa Bay for the last four seasons but this is only his first one with the AGM title.  Friedman adds that former Toronto GM Kyle Dubas is their desired candidate and they’re prepared to wait a little bit to give him some time to decide if he wants the job but if he doesn’t, it could be Darche getting his first opportunity at running a team.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer examines a trio of Hurricanes forwards that he thinks could be on the move this summer. Teuvo Teravainen has one year left on his contract at a $5.4MM AAV but will be seeking more for 2024-25.  If Carolina doesn’t think they can extend him or they don’t want to pay his asking price, it’s possible he could move.  DeCock also wonders if the team might opt to sell high on RFA center Martin Necas who’s coming off a career year or Jack Drury who has done well in the minors but hasn’t put it together yet in the NHL; at 23, he’s still young enough that a rebuilding team might have some interest.
  • The Capitals have invited forward Jack Rogers to their development camp this summer, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 20-year-old played his freshman year at St. Cloud State this season, picking up three goals and five assists in 34 games.  Rogers is a year removed from a 30-goal campaign with Steinbach of the MJHL.  Washington almost certainly won’t be signing Rogers but they’ll get some information on him should they decide to pursue him later in his college career.

Aleksander Barkov Leaves Game 3, Not Expected Out Long-Term

at CDT | by 2 Comments

May 23, 9:25 am: This morning, head coach Paul Maurice offered more clarity on the situation, saying the Panthers were hopeful for his return during the contest, and the team remains optimistic their captain will make a swift recovery and be back in the lineup soon, with the injury not expected to be long-term, as he told Miami radio station WQAM.

May 22, 8:58 pm: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov left in the first period of game 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals and is questionable to return. Barkov took an innocent looking hit from Jack Drury and missed the final 7:04 of the first period. David Pagnotta of the NHL Network tweeted that Barkov is battling a lower-body injury, and it is still unclear if he will return.

The Panthers captain didn’t come out for the start of the second period, and little is known about his status at this time. Should the former second-overall pick miss any time, it could be a huge blow to the Cinderella story that is the Panthers’ playoff run. Barkov had three points in the first two games of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes, including a goal that Wayne Gretzky called one of the greatest moves he’s seen in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Barkov’s regular season numbers dipped a bit this year, but the 27-year-old center still had 23 goals and 55 assists in 68 games and has 12 points in 14 playoff games thus far.

The timing of the Barkov injury is interesting, given that head coach Paul Maurice mentioned to reporters this morning that the two of the Panthers’ best games this season occurred when Barkov and Sam Bennett were out of the team’s lineup. The Sportsnet broadcast crew brought up this Maurice quote from an interview that now seems ominous given the situation Barkov and Florida are now facing.

East Injury Notes: Meier, Kane, Drury

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The New Jersey Devils are entering Game 1 on the road tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes with the status of their main trade deadline acquisition uncertain. Winger Timo Meier is a game-time decision after taking a hard hit from New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba in the team’s Game 7 win on Monday, per head coach Lindy Ruff.

Meier hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations yet, especially with no points in the team’s series victory over New York. He did have nine goals in 21 games for New Jersey down the stretch, however, and has shown to be a valuable offensive weapon in playoffs past with San Jose. If he’s unable to play, one of Curtis Lazar or Jesper Boqvist will draw into the New Jersey lineup.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Now-pending UFA winger Patrick Kane told reporters at the Rangers’ end-of-season availability today that he was never 100 percent healthy after the trade to New York, but praised the team’s training staff for trying to get him there. Kane did not rule out off-season surgery for the lower-body injury that plagued him the entire 2022-23 season. Kane recorded one goal in seven playoff games for the Rangers and posted a career-low 57 points in the regular season (in a full season).
  • Carolina Hurricanes winger Jack Drury is expected to return from an upper-body injury tonight when they host New Jersey to start their second-round series. Drury, 23, has slotted into Carolina’s top six with injuries to multiple key wingers. He’ll look to register his first point of the playoffs tonight, expected to flank Jordan Staal and Martin Necas on the team’s second line.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top