Montreal Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot will likely be out for six-to-eight weeks after undergoing surgery on a fractured hand Monday, the club announced.
Chiarot suffered the injury during a win over the Vancouver Canucks last Wednesday. It appeared to occur during his fight with Canucks forward J.T. Miller in the first period, after which the Montreal blue-liner didn't return.
Chiarot missed the two subsequent games - a pair of losses to the Calgary Flames - as well.
The 29-year-old has collected five points in 25 games this season. He ranks third among Montreal skaters in average ice time behind Shea Weber and Jeff Petry.
Chiarot is in his second season in Montreal after signing with the team in July 2019. He spent his first five-plus campaigns with the Winnipeg Jets.
The Canadiens will presumably give rookie rearguard Alexander Romanov a larger role in the wake of Chiarot's injury.
Nashville currently sits seventh in the Central Division, 10 points back of a playoff spot. The Predators have qualified for the postseason each campaign since 2014, leaving Rinne with an unfamiliar feeling right now.
"For sure, I want to have success," he said. "I've been fortunate that we've been, for most of my career, doing pretty well. For the most part, we've never been sellers at the deadline. Obviously, I don't want to go through that. This is the team I want to retire (with)."
Rinne is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and the Predators will likely sell off some assets prior to the trade deadline as they stare down a potential rebuild.
The 38-year-old has been Nashville's No. 1 netminder since the 2008-09 season, and he was among the NHL's best goalies at his peak. Rinne has been a Vezina Trophy finalist four times, and he won the award in 2018. The veteran owns a career .917 save percentage across 678 games despite being below .900 in each of the past two seasons.
There's no NHL All-Star Game this season, but we want to recognize those who would've deserved a selection had this been a typical year.
We've kept the three-on-three tournament-based format the NHL has used since 2015-16. This means rosters will consist of seven forwards, two defensemen, and two goaltenders for each of the four divisions.
The selections are based on performance. Unlike the usual process involving fan voting (and an actual tournament played in front of spectators), popularity isn't a factor here.
We've also chosen not to employ the NHL's rule mandating at least one player from every team because the quota exists purely to placate fans, and it often results in better players being left out, even in a normal season. Lastly, the players are listed in order of their worthiness, and the picks were made with input from all of theScore's hockey editors.
Here's who we believe would warrant NHL All-Star selection in 2021 if the midseason event was being held:
Almost all of the North Division forward picks are no-brainers. McDavid has been the Hart Trophy front-runner for most of the season, Matthews has been the consensus runner-up, and Draisaitl and Marner are among the NHL's top point producers. Toffoli's done most of his damage against the Canucks (eight goals and five assists in seven games), but he's still produced seven markers in 20 contests against the other Canadian teams.
Petry leads all NHL rearguards in goals and sits within striking distance of the league lead in points at the position while producing more points than any other Canadiens skater. The Montreal blue-liner's also driving possession better than the other candidates, boasting a 55.52 expected goals for percentage,a 57.18 scoring chances for percentage,and a55.89 Corsi For percentage at five-on-five.
Hughes has also been a must-watch blue-liner in 2021, leading all Vancouver skaters in assists and outpacing all but two Canuck players in points. His underlying numbers aren't favorable, but chalk that up to his team's largely underwhelming performance. The 21-year-old has played more games than his counterparts this season and the sky's the limit for this star.
The top North Division goaltenders have largely underachieved and/or endured injuries this season. Jacob Markstrom has done both, as has Frederik Andersen, and Carey Price is clearly no longer the netminder he once was.
Given Hellebuyck's workload, no other goalie has played better for the Canadian teams. While the Jets puck-stopper's save percentage isn't otherworldly, it's better than all other No. 1 goalies in the North who've matched or even approached his 21 starts. He's also helped Winnipeg occupy second place despite the Jets being one of the NHL's worst teams in shots allowed per game.
Demko struggled to start the season but has seized the Canucks' No. 1 job and has dominated as of late. In his last six games, he's posted a .952 save percentage with five wins.
Kane and DeBrincat have been lights out for the surprisingly competitive Blackhawks, while another dynamic duo - Huberdeau and Barkov - are excelling for the resurgent Panthers. Forsberg would be on the fringes of the Hart Trophy race if his Predators were in a playoff spot with how much he's carried them.
Hedman is far and away the best blue-liner in the Central Division, and, as usual, his numbers prove it. Ekblad has also put himself in the Norris Trophy conversation with a stellar first half.
Much like the Central rearguards, there's no debate regarding the netminders. Vasilevskiy is the Vezina Trophy front-runner, while Lankinen has emerged as a Calder Trophy candidate since coming out of nowhere to become the Blackhawks' unquestioned No. 1 goalie.
It would be shocking if Ovechkin didn't earn a spot in any other season, but he doesn't warrant selection here since we're basing it solely on performance. The Capitals superstar hasn't been his typically prolific self in 2021, and his underlying numbers are similarly unflattering.
Conversely, all three members of the Bruins' vaunted top line deserve to crack the list. Pastrnak missed time at the start of the campaign due to injury but has been lights out since returning, and Bergeron, as always, has been proficient at both ends.
McAvoy is a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate and has been indispensable to a Bruins squad that lost Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara in the offseason. Carlson - the 2019-20 runner-up for that award - has been productive as usual in 2021. He helped the Capitals remain competitive when they were without a quartet of key players for an extended period.
A pair of Russian netminders playing for New York-based clubs have separated themselves from the East pack. Varlamov has ceded some starts lately to another countryman, Ilya Sorokin, but the veteran is still the Islanders' clear No. 1 and has been the division's best puck-stopper in 2021. Shesterkin has a mild injury that's considered day-to-day, so he keeps his spot.
Tuukka Rask has a winning record because he plays for the Bruins, but he's been subpar for much of the season, posting a .906 save percentage and minus-0.18 goals saved above average in all situations. He has a respectable 0.98 goals saved above expected (according to Evolving Hockey), but Varlamov and Shesterkin are outperforming him in that department, too.
Kaprizov leads all rookies in goals, assists, and points while pacing all first-year forwards in average ice time by a wide margin. The 23-year-old has looked like a seasoned pro while dazzling at times in his first NHL campaign. O'Reilly does so much for the Blues, and Perron has been an All-Star caliber player for St. Louis in his own right.
Makar hasn't played since late February due to an injury, but he was the Norris Trophy front-runner before being forced out of the lineup and remains day-to-day. Either fellow Avalanche blue-liner Girard or Chychrun would be worthy replacements, but considering Makar isn't expected to be unavailable for the long term, he has to be the West Division's top blue-liner here.
Doughty is enjoying a bounce-back year for the surprisingly better-than-awful Kings, ranking near the top of the NHL in average ice time and sitting among the league leaders in points by a rearguard.
Kahkonen has outperformed Grubauer in terms of save percentage and goals saved above average at five-on-five. The Wild netminder has also won a larger percentage of his starts than his Colorado counterpart. While Grubauer has notched four shutouts, three of them came against either the San Jose Sharks (two) or Kings.
Few pleasantries are exchanged in the Battle of Alberta, but Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter won't deny Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid his well-earned status as the world's top talent.
"Bottom line, he's head and shoulders the best player in the league," Sutter said Sunday, according to NHL.com's Tracey Myers. "I don't think there's one player who stops Connor McDavid. He's a tough guy to stop. You just try to slow him down within the rules, limit his chances."
McDavid, 24, is on pace to collect his third career Art Ross Trophy over just six seasons. He leads all players in points (52) and assists (35) while sitting second in goals (17) through 30 games.
The franchise pivot has enjoyed matching up against the Flames throughout his career. McDavid has tallied a career-best 20 goals against Calgary along with 32 points, including 10 in four outings this season.
However, Sutter says McDavid is impactful regardless of the opponent, and it takes a team effort to limit him.
"I don't think he's singled out the Calgary Flames as his main target," Sutter said. "I've watched him lots, I live 80 miles from Edmonton, so I've watched Edmonton as much as Calgary and Vancouver.
"Obviously, they have a great power play and he pretty much dominates that part of the game, too. It's on everybody to slow Connor McDavid down."
McDavid has amassed a remarkable 179 goals and 521 points over 381 games since the Oilers selected him first overall in 2015.
The Oilers and Flames begin a two-game set in Calgary on Monday.
Every week, theScore offers a fantasy hockey column detailing a handful of moves you should make. This edition focuses on Week 9. Roster percentages and position eligibility are courtesy of Yahoo.
Trade for Nathan MacKinnon
Team: Avalanche Position: C Rostered: 100%
MacKinnon isn't having a bad year by any stretch - he entered Sunday with 23 points in 21 games - but he's definitely not living up to the hype of a surefire top-five pick in most fantasy leagues.
The Avalanche superstar could be in for a massive second half, though, considering how unlucky he's been so far. MacKinnon is shooting just 6.6%, nearly half of his 11.9 shooting percentage from the past three years, but he's also generating a career-high 1.25 individual expected goals per 60 minutes.
Trading for MacKinnon will obviously not be easy but don't be afraid to consider giving up a fellow superstar such as Auston Matthews, for example. Matthews' wrist injury is affecting his shooting ability, and he has four fewer games remaining this season. Plus, you'd probably be able to get something else out of the swap.
Stash Jack Campbell
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Team: Maple Leafs Position: G Rostered: 15%
Campbell is worth adding if you have an open IR+ spot. The goaltender, who is currently day-to-day with a lower-body injury, has played just three games this season - only one since January. Campbell's performed well in that small sample size, though, sporting a .951 save percentage and a 1.33 goals-against average.
Considering Frederik Andersen's mediocre play for the Maple Leafs this season (.899 save percentage), there's a realistic chance Campbell can play his way into - at the very minimum - a 50-50 timeshare. That alone would make the 29-year-old a valuable fantasy asset, considering Toronto's improved defensive play and the goal support the team offers.
Add Alex Killorn
Team: Lightning Position: LW/RW Rostered: 32%
The Lightning play five games this week, so adding any Tampa Bay player would be beneficial. Killorn likely offers the most upside of those available, as he has seven points in his last six games while averaging 19:33 per contest and also plays on the top power-play unit.
The Penguins also play a league-high five games this week. But unlike the Lightning, which boast multiple fantasy options, Kapanen is likely the only player worth adding from the Pens. The speedy winger has eight points in his last seven games and skates on a line with the red-hot Evgeni Malkin.
Drop Zach Hyman
Team: Maple Leafs Position: C/LW Rostered: 65%
The Leafs play just two games this week and two games the following week. Only the team's elite fantasy producers are worth keeping during this stretch, and Hyman is not one of them - he's tallied just one point in his last five games.
The Islanders ruled Lee out indefinitely Friday after he left Thursday's win over the New Jersey Devils with a lower-body injury.
Players on LTIR must miss a minimum of 10 games or 24 days, according to CapFriendly. This allows teams to exceed the salary cap and spend an amount equal to the injured player's cap hit while he remains out of the lineup.
Lee's cap hit is $7 million.
After placing Anders Lee on LTIR (retroactive to March 11), the #Islanders total Salary Pool relief now sits at $13,000,000.
Lee leads the Islanders with 12 goals and ranks second on the club with 19 points across 27 games in 2021.
The 30-year-old is in his ninth season with the Islanders, who drafted him 152nd overall in 2009. New York named him captain in 2018-19 following John Tavares' departure.
The Ottawa Senators and their fans are taking their love for the "Sickos" meme to a new level.
While no spectators are currently allowed to attend Senators home games, the team started accepting cutout submissions earlier this week, according to NHL.com's Pat Pickens. Fans seized on the opportunity.
SENS SICKO that will fit the SENS cardboard cutout template...
Feel free to download and upload...! Enjoy! Not sure how I can get everyone a hi-res version, but here it is.
The team's official customizable cutouts cost about $75 each, and one of the three templates is inspired by the meme.
Twitter user @brochenski is credited with starting the "Sens Sickos" movement, having shared memes incorporating the popular cartoon for more than a year, according to The Athletic's Ian Mendes.
The original "Sickos" image comes from a drawing by Ward Sutton, a.k.a. Stan Kelly. It was published in The Onion in 2015 and has since gained widespread appeal online.
Senators fans adopted the meme in February 2020 as many rooted for the lottery-bound team to lose. It's taken on new life this season, particularly after Ottawa's stunning comeback win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 15 and the Montreal Canadiens' firing of head coach Claude Julien following consecutive losses to the Senators later in the month.
