Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, head coach Jared Bednar said on Altitude Sports Radio, according to team play-by-play announcer Marc Moser.
An Avs spokesperson confirmed to TSN's Pierre LeBrun that Kadri is considered week-to-week.
Kadri went down awkwardly during Sunday's game against the Minnesota Wild.
The 29-year-old was enjoying a stellar first season with the Avalanche after arriving in an offseason trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He's provided Colorado with some valuable secondary scoring, ranking second on the team with 19 goals and fifth with 36 points.
The injury could potentially alter the Avalanche's deadline plans, though Jean-Gabriel Pageau of the Ottawa Senators is the only notable center expected to be made available.
The Avalanche sit second in the Central Division with 70 points.
The trade deadline is one of the trickiest times of the year for NHL general managers.
Should contenders trust their current roster, or bring in reinforcements? And should bubble teams try to compete with the top dogs?
Last year, the Columbus Blue Jackets went all-in, acquiring Ryan Dzingel and Matt Duchene to take a run at the Stanley Cup. They went on to squeeze into the playoffs and shockingly sweep the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, but then bowed out in the second. The St. Louis Blues, meanwhile, took home the Cup after making just one minor deal on deadline day to bring in Michael Del Zotto, who didn't appear in a single game during the playoffs.
Let's take a look at the likely buyers and sellers, and which teams are facing tough decisions.
Big spenders
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Tampa Bay Lightning
Top prospects: Cal Foote, Nolan Foote, Alexander Volkov, Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, Alex Barre-Boulet, Mathieu Joseph
Draft pick situation: The Lightning are missing just their fifth-round selection in the upcoming draft. They'll get an additional first-round pick in 2020 if the Canucks make the playoffs, and that selection transfers to next year if Vancouver misses the posteason. Tampa also owns the Red Wings' fourth-round selection and the Senators' sixth-round pick in this year's draft.
The Lightning will get two first-round picks either this year or in 2021. Few top contenders possess that sort of draft capital, so Tampa should use it to reinforce an already deep team. After a historic campaign and an embarrassing sweep in the first round last year, the Lightning will be back with a vengeance this postseason.
Boston Bruins
Top prospects: Jack Studnicka, Zach Senyshyn, Urho Vaakanainen, Anders Bjork, Trent Frederic, John Beecher, Axel Andersson
Draft pick situation: The Bruins sent away their fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft.
Once again sitting atop the league's standings, Boston will surely be looking to add some secondary scoring to help one of the league's top lines.
Colorado Avalanche
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Top prospects: Bowen Byram, Shane Bowers, Conor Timmins, Alex Newhook, Martin Kaut
Draft pick situation: The Avalanche don't have their second-round pick in the upcoming draft. However, their picks from the Maple Leafs and Panthers make up for the team not owning its selections in the third and sixth rounds.
With a lot of cap space, Colorado can take on almost anybody's cap hit. General manager Joe Sakic can use one of the league's best prospect groups to mortgage a bit of his team's future while grabbing a title now and still remaining a top contender for years to come.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Top prospects: Samuel Poulin, Filip Hallander, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Kasper Bjorqvist, Nathan Legare
Draft pick situation: Pittsburgh is missing its first-, second- and seventh-round selections in the upcoming draft.
With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin entering the twilight of their careers, it's almost now or never for them to win another Cup. The Penguins made a big splash Monday, dealing away a first-round pick, Calen Adisson, and Alex Galchenyuk to bring in Jason Zucker from the Minnesota Wild. General manager Jim Rutherford may be content with just the single move, but there's still a chance he looks to add even more depth.
The Devils took a big swing this past summer, bringing in Simmonds, Subban, and Nikita Gusev, and selecting Jack Hughes first overall. It didn't work out, but there was still a dedicated home-run effort.
The team shipped out Taylor Hall earlier this season, and there's now a young core in New Jersey to build upon. Selling off some veteran players at the deadline can go a long way for the Devils' rebuild.
The Senators' roster turnover has been stunning, with just a handful of players left from their team that made it within one goal of the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.
It looks like Ottawa will have two lottery picks, one via the San Jose Sharks, and three second-round selections in this year's draft. The Senators would be wise to bring in even more assets, adding to their young core that includes Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot.
The Kings are hoping to quickly rebuild because Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty aren't getting younger. Destined for a top-five pick in this year's draft, Los Angeles will need to add more talent to fast-track the process.
Bubble teams facing tough decisions
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Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs' core is set for the next several years, but there aren't many draft picks at their disposal. With just a few players set to hit free agency this summer and the recent emergence of blue-liners Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren, general manager Kyle Dubas needs to decide whether he should trust his group and ride out the season, or bring in another body or two.
Facing a tight playoff race in the East, there's no guarantee the Leafs will even make the postseason.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have the misfortune of playing in one of the league's toughest divisions, and they're sitting in the second wild-card spot in the East despite earning 67 points.
Carolina holds a few picks in the upcoming draft, including an extra selection in each of the first three rounds. If general manager Don Wadell decides he wants to make a splash at the deadline, there's more than enough ammunition for him to work with.
Florida Panthers
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In a major move this past summer, the Panthers paid Sergei Bobrovsky big bucks. Florida could now use some help defensively to support its high-octane group of forwards.
With the team in a close race against the Maple Leafs for the third spot in the Atlantic Division, there's also no guarantee the Panthers will make the playoffs. Bobrovsky took some time to settle into the crease in the Sunshine State, so perhaps general manager Dale Tallon decides to take a mulligan on the year.
Nashville Predators
David Poile seems to never sit still at the trade deadline. As usual, the Central Division is competitive, with Nashville eight points behind the Dallas Stars for third place. Thankfully, the Pacific Division has struggled all season long, leaving the wild-card spots in the West wide open.
Poile will need to decide whether it's worth being aggressive, especially if Nashville seems destined to be a wild-card team.
Vegas Golden Knights
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There seems to be a new Pacific Division leader daily. Just four points separate the top five teams in the division, and the Golden Knights can easily end up taking the crown.
With a healthy amount of picks in the upcoming two drafts and a bitter taste in their mouth from last year's postseason result, the Golden Knights may look to bolster their roster. Last season, their acquisition of Mark Stone was the biggest trade at the deadline.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets have been in dire need of a defenseman all season long, and they may be wise to add one while close to a playoff spot. Now that they know Dustin Byfuglien won't be returning this season, it could be time to act. If Winnipeg can catch fire at the right time, the club will be one of the toughest outs in the playoffs.
Edmonton Oilers
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Boasting the league's top two scorers in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers should have no reason not to be a playoff team. Still, with the Pacific Division wide open, there is a chance they wind up missing the postseason. Given the elite level at which Draisaitl and McDavid are playing, failing to add some secondary scoring to help them would constitute a huge opportunity wasted. Ahead of his first trade deadline with the Oilers, Ken Holland has a number of tough decisions to mull over.
That's essentially been Jim Rutherford's philosophy since he became general manager of the Penguins in June 2014. And, based on Monday's transaction, it appears the trade-happy executive isn't reversing course anytime soon.
Rutherford sent a first-round pick, forward Alex Galchenyuk, and defenseman prospect Calen Addison to Wild GM Bill Guerin - his old assistant GM - for veteran forward Jason Zucker. The pick, which is currently earmarked for the 2020 draft, carries a condition: If Pittsburgh doesn't make the playoffs, Rutherford can kick the first-rounder down the road to 2021.
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Let's assume for a moment the Penguins make the postseason. That would set up a scenario in which the 2020 draft marks the fifth time in seven years the club doesn't pick in the opening round. The craziest part: Rutherford dealt one of his rare first-round selections (Kasperi Kapanen, 2014), leaving Samuel Poulin (21st in 2019) as the lone first-round pick still with the organization. There's "selling the farm," and then there's the Penguins.
On the surface, Rutherford seems impatient and out of control. In reality, though, trading high-quality assets has been his way of squeezing every ounce out of the golden era in Pittsburgh. The guy simply loves to go for it, and seeing as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin - aged 32 and 33, respectively - aren't young anymore, it's a sensible strategy. This championship window, which has been open for more than a decade and produced three Stanley Cups, will indeed close at some point. But it hasn't yet, and that's all that matters to Rutherford and the fan base.
As for the trade itself, there are a few layers to unpack. Let's start with Zucker.
The 28-year-old's fast, hard-nosed, and can finish. He may not be enjoying his finest offensive season, but Zucker's still managed to pitch 29 points in 45 games for a mediocre Wild team. He matches well with Pittsburgh's system, and might even find a home on Crosby's left wing. Rutherford has long coveted Zucker - remember last year's aborted Phil Kessel trade? - so you know he won't be wasted one bit in coach Mike Sullivan's lineup.
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Timing is key here. Zucker, who carries an annual salary-cap hit of $5.5 million through the 2022-23 season, provides a major boost to a depleted forward group. Jake Guentzel, Dominik Kahun, and Nick Bjugstad are all out indefinitely as the 34-15-5 squad tries to chase down the Capitals for the division title. Getting Zucker now, two weeks before the deadline, is huge.
All of this talk about potential brings us to Galchenyuk, whose eight-year NHL career has not gone as planned. The Wild will be the 2014 third overall pick's fourth team, and third in the past 20 months. He's gone from Montreal, to Arizona, to Pittsburgh, to Minnesota. In the first trade, Galchenyuk was swapped for Max Domi, one for one. This time around, he's merely an add-on in a four-piece deal. Those extremes illustrate how far his stock has fallen.
A pending unrestricted free agent, Galchenyuk will be afforded a short audition in front of Guerin. Yet, the usual post-trade narrative attached to a struggling player - that he just needs a change of scenery - doesn't necessarily apply. Galchenyuk, who turns 26 on Wednesday, is what he is at this point - a middle-six winger who can't stay in one place for long.
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Now, by no means did the Wild lose this trade. They actually made out quite well. Don't forget, when Guerin took over in Minnesota in the offseason, he inherited an old, slow roster in need of a serious overhaul. By trading Zucker, he's freed up cap space in future years, acquired a first-round pick, and brought in a 19-year-old believed to be on his way to a lengthy career.
Addison, the 53rd overall pick in the 2018 draft and a member of Team Canada at the recent world junior tournament, is a smooth-skating, point-producing blue-liner. He's amassed 43 points in 39 WHL games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes, and although he is isn't considered a can't-miss prospect, his ceiling is fairly high. The Wild are getting a future NHLer.
According to NHL prospects writer Scott Wheeler, Addison "has the chance to be a competent second-pairing right-shot defenseman at even strength ... who can quarterback a power play." In Wheeler's recent evaluation of Pittsburgh's pipeline for The Athletic, Addison ranked as the organization's No. 1 prospect.
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Once you peel back the layers and think about this trade from each GM's perspective, it makes plenty of sense. Not all trades need a winner and loser.
Guerin's team is younger, stocked with another promising teen, and is now the proud owner of a second first-rounder.
As for Rutherford, well, he's doing his usual all-in thing. And why the hell not?
The NHL remains hesitant in permitting its players to compete at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
Despite a report suggesting the IOC and IIHF indicated a willingness to address the issues the league has raised over participating in the Beijing Games, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly assured that talks remain preliminary.
"We aren’t there yet. In fact, we aren’t even close to being there," Daly wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Monday, according to ESPN. "At this point in time, we continue to believe that the negatives outweigh the positives."
The setbacks come one week after NHL and NHLPA officials met in New York. At the meeting, the IIHF provided mostly verbal assurances, rather than written, in addressing many of the concerns that resulted in the NHL missing the 2018 games in South Korea.
The longstanding roadblocks addressed by IIHF chief Rene Fasel include payment for players' travel and insurance costs. Another issue was allowing the league and union access to video and images in order to market its players. All of which have the backing of the NHLPA.
Daly acknowledged the meeting was positive but said the league continues to hold reservations over shutting down its season for two weeks and having its schedule disrupted for Olympic participation.
No firm deadline has been set when it comes to the NHL potentially sending players in 2022, but NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr hopes an agreement can be met well before Fasel's term as IIHF chief expires in September.
The first-round pick is protected if the Penguins miss the playoffs, Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford told Michael Russo of The Athletic via text message. The first-rounder can be deferred to 2021 should the Penguins fail to qualify, according to CapFriendly.
Pittsburgh has long pursued Zucker, who was believed to be the centerpiece of the Penguins' return in the offseason trade that Phil Kessel ultimately nixed. It's understood a deal sending Zucker from the Wild to the Calgary Flames fell apart in the final hours leading up to last year's trade deadline.
Zucker represents a significant boost to the Penguins' forward corps with Jake Guentzel out for the season. The 28-year-old winger has notched 29 points in 49 games this season and is under contract for three more years at $5.5 million per season.
The Penguins acquired Galchenyuk from the Arizona Coyotes in their eventual deal for Kessel. The 25-year-old never managed to get it going in Pittsburgh, registering just five goals and 12 assists in 45 contests. He's a pending unrestricted free agent, and the Wild will be his fourth NHL team since the Montreal Canadiens drafted him third overall in 2012.
Addison, 19, was considered one of the Penguins' top prospects. Selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the right-shooting defenseman has 43 points in 39 games for the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes this season. He was also a member of Canada's gold medal-winning squad at this year's world juniors.
The first-round pick is protected if the Penguins miss the playoffs, Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford told Michael Russo of The Athletic via text message. The first-rounder can be deferred to 2021 should the Penguins fail to qualify, according to CapFriendly.
Pittsburgh has long pursued Zucker, who was believed to be the centerpiece of the Penguins' return in the offseason trade that Phil Kessel ultimately nixed. It's understood a deal sending Zucker from the Wild to the Calgary Flames fell apart in the final hours leading up to last year's trade deadline.
Zucker represents a significant boost to the Penguins' forward corps with Jake Guentzel out for the season. The 28-year-old winger has notched 29 points in 49 games this season and is under contract for three more years at $5.5 million per season.
The Penguins acquired Galchenyuk from the Arizona Coyotes in their eventual deal for Kessel. The 25-year-old never managed to get it going in Pittsburgh, registering just five goals and 12 assists in 45 contests. He's a pending unrestricted free agent, and the Wild will be his fourth NHL team since the Montreal Canadiens drafted him third overall in 2012.
Addison, 19, was considered one of the Penguins' top prospects. Selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the right-shooting defenseman has 43 points in 39 games for the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes this season. He was also a member of Canada's gold medal-winning squad at this year's world juniors.
