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...
Oilers Just Sent Trent Frederic A Message He Cant Ignore
Trent Frederic found himself on the outside looking in against the Carolina Hurricanes, a reminder that the Oilers are not interested in simply carrying passengers through the bottom six. Coach Mike Babcock said he wants more from that group in terms of hard work and consistent physical engagement, with a premium on puck battles and pressure below the topsix level.
Frederic has already been told the message is bigger than one night, and he said he understands what is being asked of him as he tries to win his way back into the lineup. The balancing act for Edmonton is familiar at this point: the team needs energy and edge from its depth forwards, but it also needs those shifts to turn into something more than isolated moments of toughness. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Just Missed On A Goalie Move Fans Will Feel
The goalie market has already turned into one of the more fascinating subplots around the league, and the Carolina Hurricanes were right in the middle of it. They made multiple attempts to pry Connor Hellebuyck out of Winnipeg, working through complicated trade proposals in hopes of landing a difference-maker in net, but the Jets asking price never came down enough to get a deal done. The New Jersey Devils were the club that ultimately finished the job, leaving Carolina to watch a move they clearly wanted slip away.
For Edmonton fans, it is the kind of near-miss that only sharpens the discussion about how aggressively contenders have to chase impact talent. The Oilers know the ripple effect these goalie decisions can have, especially when rivals are willing to keep pushing until a deal breaks their way. In this case, Carolina kept pressing, but the path to Hellebuyck ended with another team taking advantage of the opening. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Secondary Scoring Problem Could Push Them Toward A Familiar Fix
The Oilers keep running into the same issue when the scoring dries up behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and a recent loss to the Maple Leafs put that imbalance back in sharp focus. Edmonton has the elite finishers that make it dangerous every night, but when opponents can lean hard on those two, the rest of the forward group has to chip in more than it has lately.
One possible answer sits in free agency, where Vladimir Tarasenko remains available as a proven scoring winger who could help without forcing the club into a trade market. For Edmonton, that matters because adding offense this way would spare the front office from parting with draft picks or prospects, while still addressing a need that has become too obvious to ignore. [Read more 🡒]