Dylan Larkin is concerned for his safety considering how the NHL has allowed dangerous plays to go largely unpunished recently.

The Detroit Red Wings captain spoke to the media Tuesday for the first time since an incident against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 9 forced him to miss four games before he returned Monday night.

"The last week in the league has been pretty eye-opening," Larkin said, according to The Athletic's Max Bultman.

"It's been kind of a trend - this last week has been a highlight for player safety," Larkin continued. "As a player, I'm obviously closely attached because I just went through something, but I've talked to guys on our team, guys from other teams, and it's hard to feel safe out there. It's hard to know how to protect yourself."

Senators forward Mathieu Joseph punched Larkin in the back of the head but wasn't suspended. The only supplemental discipline stemming from the incident was a six-game suspension to David Perron of the Red Wings for retaliating.

Larkin laid motionless on the ice after Joseph punched him and Senators defenseman Artem Zub fell on his legs moments later. The Red Wings center was nearly taken off the ice on a stretcher. He left the game and didn't return.

"This instance, watching it back, I wasn't really doing anything," Larkin said. "I just was trying to make a play on the puck and just standing there, really. … How do you protect yourself? Who's protecting you? There's a lot of (unanswered questions) in our sport right now."

One night after the Larkin incident, Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Strome caught Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor with a knee-on-knee hit that forced the potent scorer out of the lineup for six-to-eight weeks. The officials in that game gave Strome a five-minute major and a game misconduct. However, the NHL Department of Player Safety didn't follow suit with a suspension.

Larkin and Connor are both 27-year-old stars from Michigan. They played together on the United States squad that claimed the gold medal in the 2014 Under-18 World Championship.

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Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Quinn will be in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, head coach Don Granato told WGR 550 before the matchup.

Quinn sustained an Achilles tendon injury while training in June and underwent surgery. He was expected to miss the start of this season and had a four-to-six month timetable based on the typical recovery time.

The 22-year-old collected 14 goals and 23 assists over 75 games as a rookie last season, as well as two tallies and five helpers in 10 games for Canada en route to the gold medal at the World Championship.

Quinn produced 26 goals and 35 assists across 45 contests with the Sabres' AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, in 2021-22.

The Sabres drafted him eighth overall in 2020.

Buffalo has taken a step back this season after a promising 2022-23 campaign in which the rebuilding club missed the playoffs by a single point. The Sabres entered Tuesday sitting second-last in the Atlantic Division at 13-16-3.

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The Ottawa Senators dismissed head coach D.J. Smith, the club announced Monday. Jacques Martin is taking over as interim bench boss, while Daniel Alfredsson joins the staff as an assistant coach.

Ottawa has lost four straight games and five of its last six, including a 6-3 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. The Sens sit in last place in the Atlantic Division with an 11-15-0 record.

Smith was in the midst of his fifth season coaching the club. Ottawa went 131-154-32 in that span, missing the playoffs in all five campaigns and finishing no higher than sixth in the division.

The Senators hired Martin as a senior advisor to the coaching staff earlier in December. He was their bench boss from 1995-96 through 2003-04 and has also guided the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, and Montreal Canadiens.

Martin won the Jack Adams Award with the Senators in 1998-99. He last held a full-time NHL head coaching job with Montreal in 2011-12. However, he has extensive experience as an assistant since then, working with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2013-20 in both coaching and executive capacities and as an assistant with the New York Rangers during the abbreviated 2021 campaign.

Martin took over the Blueshirts bench for six games when David Quinn was in COVID-19 protocol in 2021.

Alfredsson is Ottawa's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points. The Senators' longtime captain also ranks second in franchise history in games played, trailing Chris Phillips by one contest. In November, Alfredsson worked with the team's coaching staff on the bench for the club's two games in his homeland of Sweden. He wore the "C" for Ottawa from 1999-2000 through 2012-13.

Senators owner Michael Andlauer continues to overhaul the club's leadership group. He fired general manager Pierre Dorion on Nov. 2, appointing former NHLer Steve Staios to the role on an interim basis. Andlauer took over the team on Sept. 21.

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The Boston Bruins assigned Matthew Poitras to the Canadian squad for the upcoming World Junior Championship, the NHL club announced Monday.

Canada initially named only 12 forwards to its roster, leaving the door open in case the Bruins were willing to part with Poitras for the duration of the tournament - or likewise with the Buffalo Sabres and Zach Benson, who'll be staying with his club.

Poitras has five goals and eight assists while averaging 14:06 of ice time in 27 games as a rookie this season. He most recently centered Boston's third line between James van Riemsdyk and Trent Frederic.

Canada gets a big boost with the addition of Poitras. The 19-year-old racked up 16 goals and 79 assists over 63 games with the OHL's Guelph Storm in 2022-23.

Poitras will join a group of Canadian forwards that includes projected 2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini of Boston University, returning forward Owen Beck (a Montreal Canadiens prospect), and Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Jordan Dumais (16 goals in 21 games this season with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads), along with ninth overall picks Nate Danielson (Detroit Red Wings, 2023) and Matt Savoie (Sabres, 2022).

The Bruins chose Poitras 54th overall last year.

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Amid their ongoing woes in the crease, the Carolina Hurricanes inked veteran goaltender Aaron Dell to a professional tryout contract Sunday night, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Dell was an unrestricted free agent. The 34-year-old posted a .913 save percentage in four games for the San Jose Sharks in 2022-23. He also played in 38 contests for the team's AHL affiliate.

Over the last three campaigns, the veteran has suited up for just 23 NHL games, spending the previous two years with the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils. Dell played four seasons with the Sharks to begin his career, authoring a career-best .931 save percentage over 20 appearances as a rookie in his age-27 season of 2016-17.

The Hurricanes signed Jaroslav Halak to a pro tryout in early November when Frederik Andersen was diagnosed with a blood clotting issue that forced him out indefinitely. However, at the end of Halak's tryout, Carolina didn't tender him a contract.

Andersen hasn't played since Nov. 2 - only his sixth game of 2023-24 - due to his ailment. Antti Raanta has been abysmal in his stead, posting an .854 save percentage over 14 appearances. The Canes placed Raanta on waivers Saturday, and he went unclaimed.

Pyotr Kochetkov hasn't been much better, producing a .894 mark over 15 contests. Both the experienced netminder and the youngster have goals saved above expected and goals saved above average figures below zero at five-on-five, according to Evolving-Hockey.

The Hurricanes entered Monday with the third-worst team save percentage at five-on-five (.898) and the worst mark in the entire league in all situations (.875). The perennial contenders sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division in points percentage (.565), ahead of only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets in that regard.

The Jackets offered Dell a pro tryout in September but didn't sign him afterward.

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The NHL and NHLPA are looking into how Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki was left without care at a Dallas hospital for several hours after taking a slap shot to the mouth in November, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Valimaki and his wife were reportedly left to fend for themselves, along with a Coyotes employee, when he was dropped off at the emergency room by ambulance during an overtime loss to the Stars on Nov. 14.

After performing an initial CT scan, the hospital staff told Valimaki to book a local hotel room and return the next morning, sources told Seravalli. The staff made the suggestion because they couldn't perform surgery on Valimaki until two days later. They said they had to prioritize more critical patients like those suffering from gunshot wounds.

However, the Finnish rearguard required immediate attention given that he had significant internal bleeding, a hole in his mouth, and a bloodied face, sources said. He was reportedly unable to function.

Doctors later told Valimaki that he may have suffocated on his own blood had he taken the hospital's advice and left for a hotel.

The NHLPA helped arrange for him to get treatment five hours later, and he received 55 stitches in his mouth to seal the wound. Valimaki had a broken bone and also lost a few teeth.

His wife, Vilma, reached out to the players' union after her husband waited in the ER for an hour without receiving care. Two hours after that, his wound and his face were finally cleaned up. He underwent the proper surgery the next day.

The NHLPA reportedly divulged details of the incident to the NHL, which then met with both the Coyotes and the Stars. It's unclear whether either team violated league protocol because it's not shared publicly.

The team employee who stayed with them at the hospital was high performance director Devan McConnell, according to Seravalli. McConnell maintained contact with Coyotes management, advocated for Valimaki to remain at the hospital to seek care, planned for a hotel and meals for Vilma, and flew back to Arizona with the Valimakis once Juuso's treatment at the hospital was finished.

Valimaki was reportedly pleased with how the Coyotes handled his situation.

He returned to the ice about two weeks later after missing six games. He's been wearing a full cage ever since and plans to do so until his injuries heal.

The 25-year-old has six assists with what would be a career-high average ice time of 18:22 across 22 contests this season. He's in his second campaign with the Coyotes after playing his first three with the Calgary Flames, who drafted him 16th overall in 2017.

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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine will likely be out for six weeks due to a clavicle fracture sustained in Thursday's win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, his club announced Friday.

Laine left the Jackets' 6-5 overtime victory in the second frame and didn't return. He opened the scoring in the first period with his sixth goal of the season.

The 25-year-old also has three assists across 18 games in 2023-24. He's endured numerous injuries in his career and hasn't played more than 68 contests in a campaign since 2018-19. The Finnish skater missed 10 games during the abbreviated 2021 season.

Laine is in his eighth NHL campaign and his third full season with Columbus. The Blue Jackets acquired him in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets in January 2021.

He's under contract through 2025-26 with an $8.7-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly. The Jackets signed him to a four-year pact in July 2022.

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Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor will miss six-to-eight weeks with the injury he sustained on a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Strome on Sunday, the Jets announced, according to team reporter Sara Orlesky.

The Jets placed Connor on injured reserve while recalling Dominic Toninato earlier Wednesday. Connor already missed Tuesday's game against the San Jose Sharks.

He ranks among the NHL leaders in goals with 17 and entered Wednesday tied with Mark Scheifele for the team lead with 28 points in 26 games.

Strome wasn't suspended for the hit. He got a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Connor left Sunday's contest and didn't return following the collision early in the second period.

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The Minnesota Wild had to play without Jared Spurgeon for the first month of this season due to injury, and now they'll have to overcome another setback on the blue line.

Jonas Brodin will miss significant time due to an ailment, reports The Athletic's Michael Russo. Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane hit Brodin from behind Friday night. The Wild rearguard left the game and didn't return.

The Wild consider him week-to-week for the time being, the club announced later Saturday.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety internally discussed whether to suspend Kane, but it ultimately determined Brodin shoulder-checked before the hit, which in the league's view left him defenseless as he skated toward the boards, according to Russo.

George Parros, the head of the department, reportedly issued Kane a warning that will be placed on his record. Parros spoke to Kane and Oilers GM Ken Holland on Saturday, per Russo.

Brodin's prolonged absence is a major blow to the Wild. He leads Minnesota in average ice time this season at 23:59 and has chipped in one goal and eight assists over 25 games.

The smooth-skating Swede boasts stellar underlying numbers as well. The Wild have controlled 56.26% of the expected goals and 55.38% of the scoring chances at five-on-five with Brodin on the ice in 2023-24, according to Natural Stat Trick.

He's in his 12th campaign with Minnesota, the club that drafted him 10th overall in 2011.

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The St. Louis Blues dealt defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to the New York Islanders for a 2024 seventh-round pick, the club announced Friday.

Bortuzzo, who turns 35 in March, had played for the Blues since 2014-15 when they acquired him in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Islanders needed defensive depth after placing blue-liner Ryan Pulock on injured reserve earlier Friday. They've also been without rearguards Adam Pelech and Sebastian Aho since Nov. 24 due to ailments of their own.

Bortuzzo largely fulfilled a supporting role in St. Louis, but he did help the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019. However, the veteran has been limited to four games this season due to injury.

He last played on Nov. 18, logging 12:59 of ice time in a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

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