Afternoon Notes: Keller, Blackwood, Lyubushkin
Star Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller could be back soon, per general manager Bill Armstrong, who designated Keller as day-to-day with an upper-body injury suffered in the team’s February 25th game against the Winnipeg Jets. Keller will miss the team’s Sunday game against the Washington Capitals, marking his fourth absence with this injury.
Alexander Kerfoot has slotted into the team’s top-line center role in Keller’s absence, scoring two points in his last three games. That brings Kerfoot’s totals up to 35 points in 60 games – the second-most he’s scored in the last five years. But it pales in comparison to Keller, who leads the Coyotes in scoring by nine points, with 22 goals and 52 points in 56 games. He and winger Matias Maccelli are the team’s only players to break 40 points so far this season, through Arizona’s first 60 games.
Keller’s upgrade to a day-to-day designation is exciting progression for a Coyotes team that’s lost 16 of their last 19 games, getting outscored 49-to-76. Keller continues to be a major piece of Arizona’s offense, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time this season, and will likely slot immediately back into their top forward role when he’s healthy.
Other notes from around the league:
- San Jose Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood traveled with the team to face the Minnesota Wild and is trending towards making a return this week, per Sheng Peng with NBC Sports. Blackwood has been facing an undisclosed injury since the team’s Tuesday night loss to the New Jersey Devils, missing San Jose’s last two games. The injury earned Blackwood a spot on injured reserve on Wednesday, making San Jose’s upcoming Tuesday matchup against the Dallas Stars the earliest that he could return. He’s faced a string of injuries this season but has still operated as San Jose’s starter, recording nine wins and a .899 save percentage in 35 games.
- Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin has a head injury, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe, after receiving a hit to the head from New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe. Keefe had some choice words for Rempe’s hit, slamming the rookie winger for leaving his feet and taking a player out of the game. There is currently no timetable for Lyubushkin’s return. He was in his first game with the Leafs this season, after joining the team via trade from the Anaheim Ducks earlier in the week.
Atlantic Notes: Tkachuk, Gadjovich, Johnson, Liljegren
The Ottawa Senators have announced that team captain Brady Tkachuk will miss the team’s Saturday night game with an upper-body injury. This announcement came just over 20 minutes before game time. The nature of the injury isn’t clear, though Tkachuk did leave the team’s Friday night game early after colliding with Arizona Coyotes forward Liam O’Brien early in the third period. He managed roughly 19 minutes of ice time, six hits, and a +2 before exiting.
Tkachuk has been a major contributor this season, leading the team in goals with 26 and ranked third in points with 50. He’s also recorded 104 penalty minutes on the year – one of just three NHL players to cross the century mark in penalty minutes, with O’Brien leading the league in that category. Ottawa is not currently carrying an extra forward, likely meaning they’ll play Saturday down a player – which would make them eligible for an emergency call-up after the game. Rourke Chartier has served as the team’s de facto recall this season, playing in 34 NHL games and scoring three points, though he’s one of five different Belleville Senators forwards to play with Ottawa this season.
Other notes around the Division:
- Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich is expected to return when the team visits the New York Rangers on Monday, per the team’s Senior Digital Content Manager Jameson Olive. Olive describes Gadjovich’s injury as “minor”. Gadjovich also sat out of Florida’s Thursday night win over the Montreal Canadiens. He’s recorded four points, split evenly, and 90 penalty minutes in 31 games this season.
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson will continue to sit out of the lineup with illness, per Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. Johnson also missed Buffalo’s Thursday night game, after being a surprise absentee from the team’s practice. He’s appeared in 50 games this season, with three goals marking his only scoring. Johnson is in the 16th season of his career, totaling 970 games and 340 points in the league.
- Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren will be a game-time decision on Saturday, per TSN’s Mark Masters. The 24-year-old defenseman took part in the team’s practice on Saturday, making progress from an undisclosed injury that’s held him out of the team’s last two games. He has 16 points in 40 games this season.
Maple Leafs Assign Nicholas Robertson To AHL
With the Maple Leafs needing to make a move to open up a roster spot and free up the cap space to officially activate Calle Jarnkrok off LTIR, they’ve elected to send Nicholas Robertson down, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned the winger to AHL Toronto.
The 22-year-old started the season in the minors with the Maple Leafs taking advantage of his waiver exemption. He fared quite well early on with the Marlies, picking up five goals and six assists in nine games with them, resulting in a recall back to the big club back in early November; he had been with the Leafs since then until now.
Robertson has played in 41 games at the NHL level so far this season, a career-high. He has put up reasonable offensive numbers with eight goals and 11 assists in those appearances while averaging a little over 11 minutes a night almost exclusively at five-on-five. He had been playing regularly as of late but once again, his waiver exemption likely worked against him.
Once the trade deadline passes, there are no more limits on roster sizes so depending on what Toronto’s salary cap situation looks like by then, it’s quite possible that Robertson is back with the Maple Leafs by this time a week from now if he is still with the organization at that point. If not, he’ll have an opportunity to play much bigger minutes with the Marlies which could help him heading into restricted free agency this summer.
Maple Leafs To Activate Calle Jarnkrok Off LTIR
The Maple Leafs will be welcoming back an important part of their forward group tonight as head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed to reporters including David Alter of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that winger Calle Jarnkrok will play tonight versus the Rangers. This means that they will be activating him off LTIR.
The 32-year-old has missed the last 13 games after sustaining a broken knuckle at practice in January. Jarnkrok’s versatility has come in handy for Toronto this season as he has played at all three forward positions while being shuffled around on various lines. Along the way, he has chipped in with ten goals and nine assists through 46 games while logging over 15 minutes a night.
In order to make the activation official, Toronto will have to get cap-compliant. They’ll need to clear around $654K in cap room and open up a roster spot before Jarnkrok can be added to the active roster. Toronto only has two waiver-exempt players (Matthew Knies and Nicholas Robertson) and it’s clear that Knies isn’t going anywhere. Assigning Robertson to AHL Toronto would be the simplest solution.
However, if they don’t want to do that, they can place a player on waivers later today and designate him as a non-roster player to open the roster spot. That said, if they do that, they will also need to make an LTIR placement, moving either Conor Timmins (mononucleosis) or Mark Giordano (concussion) to LTIR to open up the necessary cap space since the waived player would still count against the books. While it will take some roster juggling, it’s a change that will be worthwhile to get Jarnkrok back into their lineup.
Maple Leafs Notes: Trade Deadline, Giordano, Lyubushkin, Liljegren, Järnkrok
The Maple Leafs are willing to part with a first-round pick at the trade deadline for the right deal, GM Brad Treliving said Friday (via Jonas Siegel of The Athletic). That deal won’t take the form of a rental acquisition, as Treliving preached being “careful with first-round picks for short-term help,” which falls in line with the organization’s reported unwillingness to surrender one in a deal for former Flames blue-liner Chris Tanev, now traded to the Stars.
In terms of blue-line targets, that could include Capitals shutdown man Nick Jensen, who Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the Maple Leafs may have interest in on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast episode. He’s having a down year offensively, with eight assists in 56 games, but he logs top-four minutes consistently. He’s also controlled possession quality well over the past few seasons in shutdown-only usage.
Jensen’s $4.05MM cap hit through 2026 may be too much term for Treliving’s liking, though, especially if the Capitals are averse to retaining salary. With Jensen locked up for a few more years, there’s also little incentive for Washington to move him while they’re in the middle of a playoff race unless a significant offer is tabled.
Other updates from the Leafs:
- Veteran defenseman Mark Giordano sustained a concussion when he crashed into the boards during the first period of yesterday’s 4-2 win over the Coyotes, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed (via Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun). He has been designated for injured reserve before tomorrow’s game against the Rangers, opening the roster spot necessary for Ilya Lyubushkin after the team acquired him from the Ducks last night. The Leafs are hoping Lyubushkin can debut in his second stint with Toronto tomorrow if travel issues don’t pose any threats, Keefe said. If he makes it, he’s expected to be reunited with former partner Morgan Rielly. He would replace Giordano in the lineup and allow T.J. Brodie to slide back to his natural left side along with Jake McCabe on a shutdown second pairing.
- Another question mark for tomorrow is the health of Timothy Liljegren, who did not practice today but hasn’t been ruled out against the Rangers, Keefe said. Liljegren, 24, has now missed two games with an undisclosed injury but would provide the Leafs with two right-shot options if he and Lyubushkin are both okay to play. His return would push William Lagesson to the press box, and he would likely replace McCabe on the second pairing alongside Brodie. That duo was quite effective during Rielly’s recent five-game suspension, dominating possession play while shouldering top-pairing minutes. McCabe would then form a third pairing with Simon Benoit, giving Toronto perhaps their most well-rounded defense lineup of the season.
- Someone who could force an additional roster move is winger Calle Järnkrok, who practiced today and is nearing a return from a knuckle fracture that’s kept him out since late January. Keefe did not rule him out for tomorrow’s game, although he seems unlikely to return just yet. The Leafs will need to open a spot on the roster for his return, which could result in placing recent frequent healthy scratch Noah Gregor on waivers or demoting their lone waiver-exempt depth forward, Nicholas Robertson, to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Järnkrok replaced Robertson’s role in the lineup during line rushes at this morning’s practice, skating alongside Bobby McMann and captain John Tavares in his new third-line role.
Maple Leafs Were Finalists For Chris Tanev
Among the finalists for Tanev were the Avalanche, Canucks, Maple Leafs, and Oilers, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said on Thursday’s episode of “Insider Trading.” Toronto was in conversations later than other teams, as LeBrun reports Leafs GM Brad Treliving had discussions with the Flames’ front office as late as hours before Tanev was dealt to Dallas.
Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Ilya Lyubushkin From Anaheim
The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks. The deal formally sent Lyubushkin from Anaheim, who retained 50 percent of his cap hit, to the Carolina Hurricanes, who retained another 25 percent, and then to the Leafs. Lyubushkin carries a $2.75MM cap hit, meaning that Toronto is only due $687,500 against their cap – less than a league-minimum contract.
In return, Toronto sent Anaheim a 2025 third-round draft pick and Carolina a 2024 sixth-round pick. The trade broke after Lyubushkin was surprisingly absent from Anaheim’s Thursday night game against the San Jose Sharks.
This marks the second time that Toronto has traded for Lyubushkin, with the previous coming during the 2021-22 season when they sent Nick Ritchie and a 2025 second-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for Ryan Dzingel and Lyubushkin. Lyubushkin would go on to play in 31 games for the Leafs, recording six points and 25 penalty minutes. He signed with the Buffalo Sabres in the following summer and was traded to Anaheim from Buffalo last season. The formerly undrafted defenseman has totaled 334 games across his journeyman career, adding 43 points and 181 penalty minutes. He joined the league in the 2018-19 season, making his debut with the Arizona Coyotes after four seasons with the KHL’s Yaroslavl Lokomotiv.
Toronto has also received the rights to Kirill Slepets from Carolina, to facilitate their retention of Lyubushkin’s cap hit. Slepets has played in the KHL since the 2018-19 season, growing up through Russia’s juniors league. He remains unsigned in the NHL. Carolina originally drafted him in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
Timothy Liljegren Remains Out Thursday
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen will hopefully return within the next week, per Hurricanes general manager and president Don Waddell. Andersen has been out since November 2nd, battling a deep-vein thrombosis with a subsequent pulmonary embolism. Andersen was cleared to resume skating on January 31st. Now nearly a month later, Andersen is progressing back to game readiness – a sigh of relief for a Carolina team that’s leaned on five different goalies this season.
Andersen played in six games this season before stepping away, recording four wins and a .894 save percentage. He served as Carolina’s most frequently used goalie last season, playing in 34 games and recording a .903 save percentage. It was a step down from the 2021-22 season, his first year in Carolina, when he managed an impressive 35 wins and a .922 save percentage in 52 games. The 34-year-old Andersen is signed through the end of the 2024-25 season, carrying a $3.4MM cap hit.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Ottawa Senators are expecting to miss forward Joshua Norris for an extended time, per the team’s head coach Jacques Martin. Norris recently underwent an MRI to assess the severity of an upper-body injury. He sustained the injury in Ottawa’s Tuesday night game against the Nashville Predators, crashing hard into the boards. The collision seemed to come close to Norris’ left shoulder, which was surgically-repaired after the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championship. This news could make Norris a candidate for long-term injured reserve, which would provide Ottawa with enough cap space to recall extra bodies to fill in for Norris.
- Timothy Liljegren is continuing to carry a day-to-day injury designation and won’t play in the team’s Thursday night game against Arizona, per head coach Sheldon Keefe. Liljegren has been out since February 4th, battling an undisclosed injury. He’s recorded 16 points in 40 appearances this season.
Maple Leafs Activate Joseph Woll, Loan Maxime Lajoie To AHL
The Toronto Maple Leafs have activated goaltender Joseph Woll off of long-term injured reserve. He’s missed the team’s last 35 games, sitting out since December 7th with an ankle injury. Toronto also loaned defenseman Maxime Lajoie to the minor leagues, in order to make space for Woll’s return.
Woll is expected to start for Toronto when they take on the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night. He’s now one of three goalies on the Leafs’ active roster, alongside Martin Jones and Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov is expected to back up Woll on Thursday, though the Leafs are planning to continue carrying three goaltenders for the foreseeable future, head coach Sheldon Keefe shares.
This list could grow quickly, though, as veteran netminder Matt Murray is progressing from bilateral hip surgery, and rookie Dennis Hildeby is continuing to post strong numbers in the minor leagues. While Murray hasn’t played any games this season, and Hildeby has yet to make his NHL debut, both goalies could quickly challenge the security of Toronto’s crease.
But a goalie race could be good for the Maple Leafs, who boast impressive young talents in Woll and Hildeby, serviceable veterans in Samsonov and Murray, and a reliable pro in 34-year-old Jones. It’s Woll that seemingly has a leg up on his competition, recording an impressive eight wins and .916 save percentage in the 15 games he’s been healthy for this season. He and Jones are the only Leafs goalies carrying a save percentage above .900 this season, though Murray posted a .903 in 26 games last year. He’s recovering from a similar surgery to Jesse Puljujarvi, who is still fighting his way back into an everyday NHL role. Answering how quickly Woll can return to form after two months out, and how limited Murray will be after intense surgery, will go far in helping Toronto identify the goalie that will lead them into the postseason.
Afternoon Notes: Tanev, Islanders, Granato, Keefe
The newest Dallas Stars defenseman, Chris Tanev, isn’t expected to slot into Dallas’ lineup immediately, per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. Francis added that Tanev will stay in Calgary for a few days while he secures a visa. The Stars acquired Tanev from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, sending two draft picks and defensive prospect Artem Grushnikov back to the Flames. Dallas also sent a fourth-round pick to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for the Devils retaining 50 percent of Tanev’s cap hit.
Tanev, 34, was arguably the top name on the trade market, with a long list of teams interested in adding his defensive prowess. He only has 14 points in 56 games this season, but he led active Flames defensemen in both CF% (Corsi-For Percentage) and xGF% (expected goals-for percentage), speaking to his ability to control possession and scoring opportunities. Tanev has been in the league since the 2010-11 season, when he debuted with the Vancouver Canucks, who signed him as an undrafted free agent ahead of the season. He’s played in the NHL every season since, totaling 185 points and 773 games in the league. Dallas will mark the third team of Tanev’s career, after 10 years in Vancouver and four in Calgary.
Other notes from around the league:
- New York Islanders defenseman Robert Bortuzzo is still not skating, shares Ethan Sears of the New York Post. Bortuzzo rehabbing a lower-body injury that’s earned him a place on the team’s long-term injured reserve. He hasn’t played since January 2nd, forcing the Islanders to once again test their defensive depth. Sears also shared that the Islanders are expected to recall Hudson Fasching from his AHL conditioning stint, though he won’t be immediately activated off of LTIR. Fasching has one goal in three AHL games this season.
- The NHL has fined both Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato and Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe for unprofessional conduct directed at officials. Each coach was docked $25K. Keefe received a game misconduct for arguing with the refs about a Mitch Marner tripping call, continuing to question the refs even after Toronto had killed off the penalty. Granato received a bench penalty for arguing a Zach Benson tripping penalty, with the opposing Florida Panthers scoring the game-winning goal on the resulting five-on-three power-play. These fines follow a precedent set by the league that aims to reduce abuse of officials.