The injury picture around the NHL keeps shifting, and a handful of teams are still waiting on clarity as they move through the week.
In Anaheim, Troy Terry is at least on the trip. Derek Lee reported that the Ducks forward is traveling with the club on its four-game road swing while continuing to recover from hip surgery.
Carolina is dealing with a busier update sheet. Mark Jankowski missed last night’s game because of a lower-body injury, and coach Rod Brind’Amour didn’t have much to add afterward.
Laurence Heinen relayed Brind’Amour’s comments: “I don’t really know what happened. We sent him home to get looked at, so I don’t know.
I don’t have any other update than that.”
The Hurricanes also learned that Taylor Hall is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. On the brighter side, Seth Jarvis is getting closer.
He underwent surgery in June to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder, and Brind’Amour said the team is hopeful he can return during its five-game road trip. Jarvis said the extra time has helped him build back toward game action.
“We’re doing pretty good right now,” Jarvis said. “Hopefully it feels better, get some more rehab in over the trip, more skates and see where it’s at.
“It’s tough because we haven’t really practiced, so I haven’t gotten a ton of team practices in. But with the extra skates, we’ve done a lot of battle drills, which is nice for me.
Just testing it out a little more. Everything feels good.
Hopefully I’m playing soon. It’s kind of what I’m holding out for.”
Minnesota’s status report is just as crowded. Dylan Loucks said goaltender Filip Gustavsson is skating on his own but remains about a month away.
Forwards Nick Foligno and Marcus Foligno, along with defenseman Olli Maatta, are not with the team to begin the trip. The Wild also placed defenseman Jared Spurgeon on injured reserve.
Philadelphia entered the day with several moving parts of its own. Tyson Foerster and Sean Couturier both missed practice yesterday and are game-time decisions today. Foerster blocked a shot with his hand in the last game, while Owen Tippett also sat out practice and is a game-time decision after missing the Flyers’ last game with an upper-body injury.
The Flyers added another name to IR as well, with Cam York now there after being out since October 8 with an upper-body injury. The club is already without Travis Konecny because of a lower-body injury and Rasmus Ristolainen because of an upper-body injury, and both remain on IR.
“We’re in that stretch right now where we’re getting injuries. It’s hard.
I don’t know if they’re playing tomorrow. It’s one of those things.
We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”
Toronto’s latest update lands with real weight. John Tavares is out week-to-week, and coach Jim Hiller made clear how much that stings given the team’s other absences.
“John was playing well. That’s a tough one for us just on the heels of (defenseman Chris) Tanev (being out) too.
Those are two veteran players, so you just have to find a way.”
In Other News...
Kings Road Trip Suddenly Comes With A Zuccarello Decision
Nikita Klepovs brief start with the Ducks has already turned into one of those early-season roster calls that can shape the rest of a young players year. The winger has appeared in two games for Anaheim, and the club is still sorting out whether he stays with the big club or goes back to junior hockey, the kind of decision that can hang around longer than anyone wants when a prospect is trying to establish himself.
The timing adds another layer, especially with the Ducks watching the rest of the division while the Kings road trip suddenly brings a Mats Zuccarello return into the picture. On a night when Anaheim is still weighing what to do with Klepov, nearby roster moves are already starting to settle elsewhere, including James Stefan being sent by Edmonton to Bakersfield after opening the season injured. For the Ducks, the immediate question is less about the standings and more about how long they want to keep a young forward in the NHL before making the next call. [Read more 🡒]