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...
Flyers Suddenly Face A Cam York Problem On Defense
Cam Yorks absence has quickly become a real lineup issue for the Flyers, who had to adjust their blue line after the defenseman landed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 8. York was hurt in the game against the Ottawa Senators, and the move leaves Philadelphia shuffling its defense while trying to keep some stability early in the schedule.
To cover the gap, the Flyers brought up Hunter McDonald from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and made corresponding moves with Jack Studnicka and Helge Grans, sending both back to the AHL affiliate. For a team still sorting out its defensive mix, the next question is how long it can manage without York and what the ripple effect will be on the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Linked To Proven Scorer But The Price Could Sting
The Flyers have a winger in Owen Tippett who naturally draws attention when teams start hunting for proven scoring help, and Montreal is one of the clubs being mentioned as a possible fit. Shaun Starr and Marco DAmico have been discussing the Canadiens' interest, pointing to Tippetts ability to finish chances and the way his age lines up with where Montreal is trying to go.
What makes the idea more complicated is the cost. Any move for a scorer with Tippetts profile would almost certainly require real assets coming back the other way, and that is where the conversation starts to get tricky for a team trying to build thoughtfully rather than chase a quick fix. For now, it remains only a speculative link, but it is the kind of rumor that keeps a Flyers name in the center of the market. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Win Eases One Problem While A Bigger Roster Concern Grows
The Flyers got a needed lift in their win over the Senators, and some of the credit went to the young talent that has been pushing harder for a bigger role. Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone helped drive the offense, a reminder that even amid a messy stretch, the organization has some promising options bubbling up as it tries to steady the lineup.
Still, one win does not clear the larger roster issue hanging over the club. Philadelphia is dealing with being shorthanded and may need more movement to patch the depth chart, even after already bringing Hunter McDonald up to help the blue line. With trade chatter still hovering, including the possibility of Travis Konecny being moved at some point, the Flyers remain in the familiar spot of trying to balance immediate survival with longer-term decisions. [Read more 🡒]