Brett Howden appears to have avoided a serious injury scare.
The Vegas Golden Knights forward is no longer in the hospital after being removed from Thursday's game on a stretcher, Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer said Friday, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.
DeBoer said Howden is sore but has no broken bones, adding that the center is "probably out for a while."
Howden had to be stretchered off the ice after colliding awkwardly with Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg. Howden was falling before he was hit and crashed against the boards headfirst.
The 23-year-old was in stable condition shortly after the incident but was taken to hospital for further testing.
Howden is in his first season with Vegas after playing his first three NHL campaigns with the New York Rangers.
Meanwhile, the injury-riddled Golden Knights got more bad news Friday. Max Pacioretty suffered a setback in his recovery and won't be available to play in the near future, DeBoer said. Pacioretty hasn't suited up since March 11 due to an undisclosed ailment.
Vegas currently has six players on IR, including Pacioretty, starting goaltender Robin Lehner, and star winger Mark Stone. The Golden Knights also have two players (Brayden McNabb and Michael Amadio) on the COVID-19 list.
The Montreal Canadiens will be without two key forwards for the foreseeable future.
Jonathan Drouin is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury for the second time this season and remains at home as a precaution after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. The Canadiens placed him on injured reserve Friday.
The winger, who'll turn 27 on Monday, missed Montreal's 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
Drouin has had horrible luck this season even before his latest concerns. He was also out indefinitely with an upper-body ailment in late January, missing 22 games before returning on March 19. In early November, an errant puck hit Drouin in the head, forcing him to sit out six contests.
Despite Drouin's numerous absences, he's produced 20 points (six goals and 14 assists) over 34 games this season.
Meanwhile, Brendan Gallagher will be out for another week due to a lower-body injury. The Canadiens will play four times in the next seven days. Gallagher has already missed the last three games. The 29-year-old has five goals and nine assists across 43 contests in 2021-22.
No one would blame Evgenii Dadonov for being upset at what he had to endure this week, but the Vegas Golden Knights forward said it's water under the bridge after scoring a goal in his first game back with the club.
After finding the back of the net in a 6-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, the veteran acknowledged the uncertainty and difficulty of the trade debacle.
"I would say it was a stressful couple of days," the veteran said postgame, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger. "(There was) nothing I could do. I was just waiting on the decision."
The 33-year-old was playing his first game with the Golden Knights since the NHL voided the trade Wednesday that sent him to the Anaheim Ducks two days earlier. Dadonov didn't suit up for the Ducks and missed Vegas' games on Monday and Tuesday while in limbo.
Dadonov reportedly had Anaheim on his no-trade list, but the league didn't have the list on record, mistakenly rubber-stamping the swap before reviewing and canceling it.
When asked postgame Thursday if he was upset that Vegas attempted to deal him, Dadonov replied, "I guess so," but then quickly expounded his feelings.
"I kind of try and be a pro," Dadonov said. "I’ve been around the league. I understand every decision, so I wasn’t really mad. I just have my right and just was waiting."
The fans at T-Mobile Arena cheered loudly for the winger ahead of puck drop Thursday and then again after the game when he was named second star.
Voted 2nd star of the night, but the first star in Golden Knights fans hearts tonight:
Dadonov finished Thursday's victory with three points after adding a pair of secondary assists on goals by Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo. The Russian is on a three-game goal streak with four markers in that span. He has five tallies and two assists in his last five contests.
Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said Sunday it's "probably fair to say" Ekblad is considered week-to-week, according to the Miami Herald's David Wilson.
Brunette added the club will know more once the swelling in the injured area decreases, according to team reporter Jameson Olive. He also said there's "nothing overly concerning long term" about the injury.
Ekblad had to be helped off the ice with an apparent leg injury after an awkward collision during the Panthers' win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Brunette said at the time that there was "nothing structural" about Ekblad's injury and that the diagnosis appeared "way better" than the team expected.
Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported Sunday that Florida will place Ekblad on long-term injured reserve and that he'll miss the rest of the regular season before returning "sometime during the first round" of the playoffs. If the Panthers go that route, Ekblad will only be required to sit out a minimum of 10 games and 24 days.
Florida has 20 regular-season games remaining. Its schedule runs until April 29 following the delayed start to the 2021-2022 season.
The Panthers added defensive depth Sunday, acquiring Robert Hagg from the Buffalo Sabres for a 2022 sixth-round pick. Florida also landed rearguard Ben Chiarot in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
Niederreiter struck Jonsson-Fjallby in the face with his stick while the Capitals rookie was sitting on the bench during the Capitals' shootout win over the Hurricanes on Friday night. The officials handed Niederreiter a minor penalty.
The league cited Niederreiter's lack of significant disciplinary history in its decision, adding that the suspension is not more severe because of the lack of force Niederreiter exerted.
Niederreiter, who's in his 10th full NHL season, has been fined once. This is the 29-year-old's first suspension.
Carey Price was back at practice with his teammates for the first time in 2021-22 after spending months recovering from offseason knee surgery. There's still no timeline for the goaltender's return to the lineup, which has been the case since he restarted the process in January.
Price had been occasionally skating on his own and did so for two consecutive days earlier in March. He spent one month in the NHL's player assistance program at the start of the season before beginning to work his way back from the knee procedure.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Drouin will play against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. The forward missed 22 games after sustaining an upper-body ailment in January. Drouin, who'll turn 27 on March 28, has 20 points over 32 games in 2021-22.
There's no shortage of star power in the rumor mill leading up to this NHL trade deadline, but there are also plenty of less-heralded players that could be more affordable than their big-ticket counterparts.
Montreal Canadiens forward Artturi Lehkonen would have been included in this list, but now that the club has traded away Ben Chiarot, Lehkonen is reportedly garnering "high interest" as the club decides whether to move him. Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg qualifies as relatively unheralded, too, but the team reportedly prefers to keep him through the deadline.
Here's a handful of under-the-radar players who contenders should target as we draw closer to Monday's 3 p.m. ET deadline:
Pavel Zacha
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Zacha was once considered a foundational piece of the New Jersey Devils' future, but with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer all proving more than capable of playing center, Zacha has become expendable. The Czechia-born pivot hasn't played since sustaining an injury earlier this week, but there haven't been any indications that it'll keep him out for an extended period of time.
The Devils drafted Zacha sixth overall in 2015, and he hasn't developed at the rate they undoubtedly hoped he would. However, Zacha is still relatively young, turning 25 on April 6. He's also posted favorable underlying numbers this season while playing for a subpar team, boasting expected goals for and scoring chances for percentages over 50%. Zacha's mostly been on the wing rather than at his preferred position down the middle, too.
Zacha likely wouldn't require a hefty return and wouldn't be a financial burden, either. His contract carries a measly $2.25-million cap hit. As a pending restricted free agent who's arbitration-eligible, he's due for a raise, but it likely won't be astronomical considering his pedestrian production. Zacha could make strides on the ice with a change of scenery and the right opportunity to carve out a larger role playing center - where he's more comfortable.
Mackenzie Blackwood
Rich Graessle / Getty Images Sport / Getty
While much of the focus has been on Marc-Andre Fleury, Braden Holtby, and Alexandar Georgiev, there are several other netminders that teams with postseason aspirations could consider. Another member of the Devils, Blackwood, is one of them.
Much like Zacha, Blackwood was once thought to be part of New Jersey's core, but times have changed. Nico Daws has suddenly snatched the team's starting job as Blackwood continues to work his way back from a heel injury that's bothered him since October. Blackwood's timetable is unclear, but he should be back before the end of the regular season. He's also signed through 2022-23.
Injury aside, Blackwood has more going for him than some of the other bargain-bin options in the crease. The 25-year-old is much younger than the likes of Jaroslav Halak (37 in May), Thomas Greiss (36), and Martin Jones (32), and he's two years younger than Joonas Korpisalo.
Blackwood posted save percentages of .918 and .915 in his first two NHL seasons, respectively, before declining over the last two campaigns. But goalies take longer to develop than skaters, and Blackwood still has his prime years ahead of him, not to mention a digestible $2.8-million cap hit when he comes off injured reserve.
Filip Zadina
Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / Getty
It would seem a tad premature for the Detroit Red Wings to give up on a 22-year-old who they drafted sixth overall in 2018, but that appears to be a possibility ahead of the deadline. Zadina hasn't produced consistently in his second full season at the NHL level, and if he truly isn't a part of the Red Wings' long-term plans, Zacha's countryman would be a worthwhile target.
Zadina has something else in common with Zacha in that he's also a pending RFA due for a raise from his current cap hit of around $900,000. But his bump in pay likely won't be too cap-constraining, either, despite his upside.
That potential is exactly why other teams should be looking at landing Zadina if the Red Wings are open to trading him. He scored twice during a six-game showcase on Detroit's top line in February and has frequently logged second-line minutes, proving he can contribute when given a solid opportunity. He may not be capable of sticking on another club's top forward unit right now, but he's worth pursuing given his age and affordability.
Dominik Kubalik
Richard Whittaker/Freestyle Photo / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Kubalik has flown under the radar the past two seasons because he hasn't kept up the torrid goal-scoring pace of his NHL arrival in 2019-20. The Chicago Blackhawks forward isn't going to match the 30 markers he netted that campaign this time around, but he's still a serviceable player.
Kubalik, who was named a Calder Trophy finalist after his standout season, collected 17 goals and 21 assists while playing all 56 games in the last campaign. That works out to 25 markers and 31 helpers over an 82-game span, which would've been comparable to his rookie numbers. His goal and point rates are down in 2021-22, but he's still on a 15-goal pace for a lackluster Blackhawks club.
The 26-year-old is still about three-and-a-half years away from when most players start to decline. Kubalik is a pending RFA with a $3.7-million cap hit. That may be a bit high considering his modest contributions this season, and he's arbitration-eligible as well, but Kubalik has proven in the past that he can produce. He could come close to replicating that rookie output on a better squad.
Brenden Dillon
Scott Rovak / National Hockey League / Getty
Dillon has been one of the NHL's most underrated defensemen for quite a while. He's also no stranger to the trade deadline, having been dealt six days beforehand in 2020. The Winnipeg Jets are underachieving this season, and their playoff chances are dwindling by the day.
If the club is looking to retool, it may want to consider cutting Dillon's $3.9-million cap hit through 2023-24. It's not a particularly hefty amount, but, coupled with the term, it's not the most ideal contract for a team that'll certainly look to make offseason changes.
Dillion is the oldest player on this list, but at 31, he should be able to provide true stability on the back end for at least another season and certainly can bolster a contender's blue line for this year's stretch run. Moreover, he could probably be had for a more buyer-friendly price than a similar rearguard in Chiarot, or certainly the biggest fish on the defenseman market, like Jakob Chychrun and Hampus Lindholm.
The Carolina Hurricanes aren't going to part with a significant asset to acquire a player they might lose in the offseason.
The club has told other teams it will not trade its 2023 first-round pick for a rental player - in other words, a pending unrestricted free agent - before the March 21 trade deadline, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Carolina sent its 2022 first-round and third-round selections to the Montreal Canadiens after Montreal chose not to match the Hurricanes' offer sheet for forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi in September.
The Hurricanes secured a separate 2022 third-rounder from the Chicago Blackhawks in July for a third-round pick in the 2021 draft, which took place later than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carolina currently has selections in each round of the 2023 and 2024 drafts.
The Hurricanes entered Saturday atop the Metropolitan Division and rank third in the NHL in points percentage.
Chicago sent Hagel and fourth-round picks in 2022 and 2024 to Tampa Bay in exchange for first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, plus forwards Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh.
Hagel is in the midst of a breakout season with 21 goals and 16 assists over 55 games. He's been on fire lately, racking up seven goals and three assists in his last nine contests, including four markers and two helpers in his last four.
The 23-year-old's production this campaign already far exceeds his output of nine goals and 15 assists across 52 games last season.
Hagel's contract carries a $1.5-million cap hit through 2023-24, after which he'd be a restricted free agent, according to CapFriendly.
One future Hockey Hall of Famer leapfrogged another on Tuesday night, as Alex Ovechkin scored the 767th goal of his career against the New York Islanders to move past Jaromir Jagr on the NHL's all-time goals list.
The Washington Capitals captain tied Jagr with a pair of goals, including an empty-netter, during a victory over the Calgary Flames last week. Ovechkin passed Jagr in 477 fewer games played.
Here's an updated list of the league's top scorers:
Rank
Player
Goals
Games Played
1
Wayne Gretzky
894
1487
2
Gordie Howe
801
1767
3
Alex Ovechkin
767
1256
4
Jaromir Jagr
766
1733
5
Brett Hull
741
1269
Jagr was one of the first to congratulate him, but he joked that he hasn't officially retired from hockey yet and might have to return to the NHL to start chasing Ovechkin. The 50-year-old has been playing professionally in his native Czech Republic since 2018.
A very special congratulations from Jaromir Jagr to Alex Ovechkin (plus a little surprise at the end). 😉 pic.twitter.com/HGgSlqRTaQ
