Injury Ward: Kadri; Pastrnak; Doughty; Scheifele & More
Brennan Des
2022-04-13
Here's the latest injury news from across the NHL! If you're looking for information about a specific player and don't see their name in this article, there probably haven't been any significant updates about their progress since our last article. If you ever need injury updates for a specific player, shoot me a message on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza.
Matt Grzelcyk – Left Sunday's game against the Capitals because of an upper-body injury. He was feeling a little better on Tuesday, but didn't end up playing against the Blues. The Bruins are hoping to have Grzelcyk back for Thursday's game against the Senators.
David Pastrnak – Has been skating on his own recently but isn't progressing as quickly as coach Bruce Cassidy would have hoped. At this point, the undisclosed injury he's dealing with isn't believed to be a long-term issue, but it sounds like recovery is taking longer than the team originally anticipated. Based on this recent update, I don't think he'll be available for Thursday's game against Ottawa.
Hampus Lindholm – A lower-body injury has kept Lindholm out of Boston's last three games. He's been skating on his own recently, but isn't progressing as quickly as the team would have hoped. Although the recovery process is taking longer than expected, he isn't expected to be out long term.
Erik Gudbranson – Is dealing with an undisclosed injury but has been practicing with the team recently, so he shouldn't be sidelined for too much longer.
Oliver Kylington – After missing five games due to an upper-body injury, Kylington practiced with the team on Monday and declared he was ready to return to the lineup. He ultimately didn't play against the Kraken on Tuesday but based on his self-assessment, he should be back very soon. Perhaps we see him return against Vegas on Thursday?
Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Was skating with the team and taking contact during Tuesday's morning skate. Coach Rod Brind'Amour expects Kotkaniemi to return from a lower-body injury within the next week.
Calvin de Haan – Missed Tuesday's game against the Kings because he was resting some lower-body aches and pains.
Nazem Kadri – Has been skating on his own recently. On April 2nd, coach Jared Bednar said that an upper-body injury would keep Kadri out for "some time". Fortunately, Bednar was also confident his center would be back in time for the playoffs. Some reports indicate Kadri could be back in the lineup within the next week, but that hasn't been confirmed just yet. Kadri still hasn't participated in a full-contact practice with the team, so it's hard to project a date for his return right now.
Gabriel Landeskog – Although he hasn't started skating yet, coach Jared Bednar his hopeful that Landeskog will be back in time for the playoffs. Colorado's captain underwent knee surgery in mid-March.
Braden Holtby – On April 8th, we learned that the Stars netminder was doing off-ice rehab, but wasn't quite ready to start skating. Holtby has been sidelined with a lower-body injury for the past month.
Aaron Ekblad – Started skating recently and is on track to return in early May – so he should be back in time for the playoffs. Ekblad has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since March 18th. His official status is still week-to-week.
Drew Doughty – Underwent wrist surgery on Monday and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. He's expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2022-2023 campaign. Although Doughty's point production had been underwhelming in recent years, he posted an impressive 31 points through 39 games this year, showing us he still has more to give.
Matt Dumba – Last week, we discussed how Dumba sustained a shoulder injury, and that things didn't look good according to coach Dean Evason. Fortunately, more recent reports suggest the injury isn't as serious as initially feared. Although Dumba has been skating by himself recently, it doesn't sound like he's close to a return just yet.
Jordan Greenway – Sustained an upper-body injury during Tuesday's game against the Oilers and isn't expected to travel with the team for its upcoming road trip through Dallas and St. Louis.
Jake Allen – A groin injury will keep the Canadiens netminder sidelined for the rest of the 2021-2022 campaign. The Habs say Allen will be ready for training camp next season.
Jonathan Drouin – On Friday, the 27-year-old forward underwent surgery to repair a wrist injury, which had kept him sidelined for two separate stretches this season. He's expected to make a full recovery before next season's training camp.
Carey Price – Continues to practice with the team but there's still no concrete timetable for his return. He's with the team in Columbus, but won't play against the Blue Jackets on Wednesday. According to coach Martin St. Louis, Price will return when Price himself feels ready. It's worth mentioning that the Canadiens recently placed Drouin on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), giving them enough cap space to activate Carey Price.
Mackenzie Blackwood – On Tuesday, Blackwood faced a high volume of shots in his first team skate since mid-January. It's a big step forward in his recovery from a heel injury, which has kept him out for almost three months now.
Matt Murray – Continues to skate and face shots, but there's no timetable for his return.
Cam Atkinson – Left Tuesday's game against Washington because of a lower-body injury and is doubtful to play against the Rangers on Wednesday.
Carter Hart – Allowed three goals on 10 shots from the Capitals before leaving Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury. After the game, coach Mike Yeo was doubtful that Hart would be able to play against the Rangers on Wednesday.
Bryan Rust – Left Tuesday's game against the Islanders because of a non-COVID illness. It sounds like a bug is making its way through the Penguins roster, so don't be surprised if there are a lot of game-time decisions ahead of Thursday's rematch with New York.
Evan Rodrigues – A non-COVID illness caused Rodrigues to leave Tuesday's game against the Islanders.
Adin Hill – Although his health has been improving, the Sharks netminder hasn't been skating recently. Coach Bob Boughner is still hopeful Hill will be back this season, but we're obviously running out of time. Hill has been sidelined since March 12th – when he re-aggravated the same lower-body injury that had kept him out for about seven weeks, earlier in the year.
Ondrej Kase – Is dealing with a concussion and there's no timetable for his return. Kase took an elbow to the head on March 19th and hasn't played since.
Rasmus Sandin – The Leafs defenseman continues to skate on his own as he works his way back from a knee injury. Coach Sheldon Keefe said that if Sandin returns during the regular season, it would be in the last week.
Jake Muzzin – Is dealing with an injury that isn't related to his previous concussion. Although he practiced with the team on Monday, he wasn't feeling 100%, and ultimately didn't play against the Sabres on Tuesday. It sounds like he could be available for Thursday's clash with the Capitals, but we'll see what the team says on Wednesday.
Tanner Pearson – Has been skating recently but an upper-body injury will prevent him from playing this week.
Brock Boeser – Has been skating recently and coach Bruce Boudreau hopes Boeser will be able to return during the team's current homestand, which extends to April 19th and includes three more games. The Canucks forward is reportedly dealing with an arm injury.
Nolan Patrick – Was recently placed on LTIR, which comes with a mandatory absence of 10 games and 24 days. I believe the counter starts from his last appearance (March 24th). Since he's already missed seven games, he's only required to miss three more. Based on my math, he should be eligible to return against the Capitals on April 20th. I don't think Vegas currently has the cap space to activate Patrick from LTIR, but his eventual return date will also depend on when he's feeling 100%. On April 4th, coach Pete DeBoer said that Patrick was not close to a return.
Laurent Brossoit – Was recently placed on LTIR. Based on my understanding, Brossoit won't be eligible to return until April 18th when the Golden Knights host the Devils. We haven't heard much about his recovery from an undisclosed injury, so his eventual return may be delayed even further. Not to mention the fact that Vegas' lack of cap space may prevent them from activating Brossoit during the regular season.
Nicolas Hague – Isn't with the team on its road trip through Western Canada, so he definitely won't be available against the Flames on Thursday or the Oilers on Saturday. On March 29th, the Golden Knights announced that Hague was week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Dmitry Orlov – Missed Tuesday's game against the Flyers due to a lower-body injury. It sounds like he was a game-time decision, which suggests the injury isn't too serious.
Blake Wheeler – The Jets captain is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Since Winnipeg's game against the Kraken – originally scheduled for Wednesday – was postponed because of a blizzard, Wheeler will have a few extra days off before the team returns to action against Florida on Friday.
Mark Scheifele – Is being evaluated for an upper-body injury that's believed to be shoulder-related.Hopefully we get an update in the coming days, some time before the Jets return to action on Friday in Florida.