The Toronto Maple Leafs got a positive sign on Chris Tanev on Monday, while several other teams around the NHL were sorting through their own injury situations.
Tanev took part in his first full team skate since getting hurt, practicing with the Maple Leafs in Calgary. He was still wearing a red non-contact jersey, so he has not been cleared for full-contact work yet.
Even so, getting him back on the ice is a welcome step for Toronto, though there still isn’t a set timetable for his return to game action. There had been talk that the club might need to make a trade if he were going to miss a significant stretch.
In Edmonton, the Oilers made a roster move with their crease situation by placing Devon Levi on injured reserve, which will keep him out for at least one week. The team did not reveal what kind of injury Levi is dealing with, so the recovery picture remains cloudy. To help cover the gap, Edmonton recalled Matt Tomkins from the Bakersfield Condors on an emergency basis.
That depth is especially important with Tristan Jarry set to start again Monday after giving up six goals against the Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Mattias Ekholm is also still out, but there are signs he may not be far away.
He skated Monday as an extra and looked to be in good spirits after taking a hit and landing on the side of his head. He is working through concussion protocol, with hopes that he can return soon.
Carolina should get a boost of its own against Boston. Taylor Hall said he expects to be back in the lineup versus the Bruins after missing five games with an upper-body injury.
He was back at practice Monday in a regular jersey and told team reporter Walt Ruff that he was feeling good. If nothing changes, Hall should be available when the Hurricanes host Boston.
Philadelphia also offered a clearer picture on Rasmus Ristolainen, who is expected to miss about two weeks with an upper-body injury. The timeline could shift depending on how he responds to treatment. The update led to some fan discussion about whether the Flyers may have missed their chance to move him before he became unavailable.
Mats Zuccarello is dealing with an upper-body injury as well and will sit out his next game. He had been moving in the right direction and had appeared in three recent games, which suggested progress, but his status remains up in the air.
And in New Jersey, Connor Hellebuyck’s status looks promising. He was on the ice Monday and took shots from Devils players, with the sense being that he could be ready as soon as Tuesday night. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said, “We will take it from here and get a sense of how he feels getting through practice and getting on the flight to Dallas, and figure out the next steps,” on Hellebuyck potentially playing on this road trip.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Just Sent A Strong Early Message Against Boston
A tight, early-season measuring stick against Boston turned into another example of Carolina finding a way to close. The Hurricanes beat the Bruins 2-1 on the strength of first-period goals from Jackson Blake and Pavel Zacha, then leaned on Sebastian Aho to finish the job in the third period. Pyotr Kochetkov did the rest in net, turning aside 14 shots as Carolina kept its recent run going and extended its point streak to four games.
For a team that wants to set the tone against a familiar Atlantic Division opponent, this was the kind of win that carries a little extra weight. The game stayed razor-thin after the opening period, but Carolinas structure and patience held up late, and Aho once again supplied the decisive touch when the margin got small. The result did more than add two points to the standings - it also gave the Hurricanes a strong first look at where they stack up against a Bruins team they may see plenty more of. [Read more 🡒]
Eric Tulsky Just Clarified Carolinas Nikita Nikishin Contract Leverage
The wrinkle in Nikita Nikishins contract situation is less about cap math than the NHLs little-noticed 10.2(c) designation, a category that leaves certain young players without the usual restricted free agency leverage. For Carolina, that means the discussion around Nikishin is not the standard negotiation dance fans are used to seeing with most RFAs, because this is a different stage of the process entirely.
Eric Tulsky framed it in a way that makes the contrast easy to see, especially for anyone familiar with how these cases can play out in other sports. In the NFL, players in a similar spot often sign the qualifying offer, play out another year, and then move toward normal restricted free agency, but the NHL does not always give that same pathway, which is why teams and players can end up operating under very different rules than the headline suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Fans Should Pay Attention To Eric Tulskys Offer Sheet View
With the NHL rumor mill still churning, the Hurricanes have a little more reason than usual to pay attention to how the market could develop around trade targets and free agents. Nick Kypreos has suggested the Flyers are increasingly likely to move defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen this year if they keep pushing toward playoff contention, while Emily Kaplan reported that Patrik Laine intends to stay in the NHL rather than head to Europe. For a Carolina front office that is always scanning for ways to improve, those are the kinds of names and possibilities that can quickly shape the rest of the conversation.
Eric Tulsky also offered a useful reminder about how offer sheets fit into that landscape. His explanation framed them as a tool that can function much like a trade offer while also putting pressure on another team by changing the money involved, which makes salary cap space a central part of the equation on both sides. For a Hurricanes team that has long been active in roster-building discussions, that kind of perspective matters because the real question is not just who is available, but which teams can actually afford to play that game. [Read more 🡒]