New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes was shut down for the rest of the 2023-24 season with a shoulder injury, the team announced Tuesday.
Hughes will undergo surgery April 10. He's expected to recover in time for training camp.
There are three games remaining on New Jersey's schedule.
Hughes leads the Devils with 27 goals and ranks second on the team with 74 points in 62 outings. He sat out 11 games earlier this season with an upper-body injury, which caused him to miss the All-Star Game.
The 22-year-old was also sidelined for five contests in November following an awkward crash into the boards against the St. Louis Blues.
Hughes amassed a career-high 99 points in 78 outings in 2022-23. The young center was eager to become the first player in franchise history with a 100-point campaign.
The Devils currently sit in seventh place of the Metropolitan Division with a 37-36-5 record and virtually no chance of making the playoffs.
New Jersey appeared in the postseason last spring, putting an end to a four-year drought. The Devils beat the New York Rangers in the first round before getting bounced by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Scottsdale mayor David Ortega directly opposes the Arizona Coyotes' plans to purchase a plot of land in North Phoenix that would house a new arena and entertainment district.
"The prospect of a rookie developer attempting to buy Arizona State Trust Land with absolutely no infrastructure ... at the doorstep of Scottsdale is not feasible, or welcome," he wrote in the Arizona Digital Free Press.
Ortega added that the Coyotes' "fantasy" renderings for the new arena, released last week, were "presented without mention of market demand for a new entertainment venue disguised as a hockey arena, or congested highway access, or questionable arena-zoning entitlement."
The Coyotes' new district will be anchored by a multi-purpose sport and entertainment arena that will serve as the new permanent home for the team.
The organization is eyeing a 95-acre stretch of land within Phoenix's city limits, but it encroaches on the border of Scottsdale. The tract will be up for auction in late June with a starting price tag of $68.5 million.
The Coyotes announced their commitment to win the land auction last Thursday.
"Arizona is our home, and an incredible market where the Coyotes belong," team owner Alex Meruelo said in a statement. "This district would provide a beautiful home for the Arizona Coyotes for decades to come. Our loyal fans deserve this vibrant gathering place that would serve as a landmark to create lifelong memories."
The proposed arena would have 17,000 fixed seats, while the district itself would feature a new practice facility, a live music theater, retail and dining spaces, and just under 2,000 luxury residential units.
Ortega noted that the retail aspects of the Coyotes' plans would be "too close to the retail lions of Scottsdale." The mayor added that his city's water assets "are absolutely not available" for the proposed project.
This is the latest thorn in the side of the franchise's attempt to find a new home. The Coyotes' hopes of building an arena in Tempe were dashed last May after residents voted against building a $2.1-billion entertainment district in the area.
"As a Scottsdale councilman in 2000 and now as mayor, I have seen the inside dealings when the Coyotes suddenly left Scottsdale in 2002, and recently as they vacated their former home ice in Glendale in 2022," Ortega said.
The Coyotes are in the midst of their second season at Mullett Arena, a 5,000-seat venue at Arizona State University.
The Ottawa Senators had their show run by the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, and for captain Brady Tkachuk, the blowout loss came with a reminder that his team has a long way to go before becoming a contender.
"I mean, looking at the games we've played against them this year - 5-0, lose in overtime, and lose 6-0 - I guess you can say that's a team that you look at," he said. "Even missing one of their top guys (in Carter Verhaeghe), they just roll you over.
"All four lines, D, they're missing (Aaron Ekblad), too. Yeah, I guess it's something to look at ... and compare ourselves to. We have a lot more work to do."
Both Tkachuk and defenseman Jake Sanderson used the word "embarrassing" to describe the Senators' performance. The 17,653 fans in attendance at Canadian Tire Centre appeared to agree with their assessment, booing the team off the ice.
Ottawa was behind the eight ball almost immediately, surrendering two goals before the two-minute mark of the first period.
"This morning, we emphasized on having a good start," Sanderson said. "We knew they were gonna come out strong. We didn't match, and (it) kinda snowballed the rest of the game."
The Panthers ended up chasing Joonas Korpisalo with their fourth goal early in the second period. Florida outshot Ottawa 31-30 while controlling 72.2% of the high-danger chances and 63.7% of the expected goals at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. The Senators also went an abysmal 0-for-6 on the power play.
Florida was struggling heading into Thursday's clash, with just one regulation win in its last 10 games. Ottawa, meanwhile, had won five of its last six games.
Senators interim head coach Jacques Martin pushed back on the notion that it's hard for his team to stay motivated with a playoff berth more or less out of reach.
"I think there's a lot of guys that are playing for something," he said. "I think ... there's several players on this team that are playing for jobs. So I think there's always a purpose, and also, you've gotta have pride in your play."
Tkachuk echoed Martin's sentiment but added that the players need to think about more than just themselves with seven games remaining on their schedule.
"We're playing for the people that got us here, playing for the people who spend money to come watch us, and playing for all the support that people have in us through thick and thin," he said.
The Senators will square off against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
Jimmy Vesey and Curtis Lazar were also involved in the fracas and picked up major penalties on the play, but they were spared the door because their dust-up was considered the first fight of the massive tilt.
Both teams started their fourth lines, highlighted by MacDermid and Rempe.
Animosity has been building between the two players since mid-March, when Rempe was ejected for elbowing Devils rearguard Jonas Siegenthaler in the head. MacDermid attempted to go after Rempe in retaliation for the hit, but officials intervened.
MacDermid then called out Rempe after the game, saying he "lost quite a bit of respect for him" as a result of his actions.
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said he didn't expect the spicy start to Wednesday's action.
"Our guys were reacting to what was happening on the ice," he said postgame, per USA Today's Vince Z. Mercogliano. "I thought they did a fantastic job, all five of them."
The players weren't the only ones getting into it. Laviolette and Devils interim bench boss Travis Green were jawing at each other from their respective benches.
"I look over and he's yelling, talking to me," Green said of his shouting match with Laviolette. "I'm more than willing to go and talk to him. I have no idea why Peter was mad, to be honest. ... Their players were lining up fights before the faceoff. ... None of it would have happened if (Rempe and MacDermid fought) the game before.
"They didn't want it to happen that game."
Mere minutes after the opening brawl Wednesday, Rangers rookie Will Cuylle and Devils forward Dawson Mercer also dropped the gloves.
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) April 3, 2024
The teams combined for 162 penalty minutes in the first period alone.
As a result of the ejections, the Rangers and Devils had to heavily rely on four defensemen each:
Player
Ice time
Luke Hughes (NJD)
32:49
Erik Gustafsson (NYR)
29:42
Adam Fox (NYR)
29:39
Brendan Smith (NJD)
28:20
Braden Schneider (NYR)
27:36
Ryan Lindgren (NYR)
27:17
Simon Nemec (NJD)
26:23
Jonas Siegenthaler (NJD)
26:08
"It's great just to see the team bonding that way and having each other's backs out there after a situation like that," MacDermid said. "The rest of the team picks up a lot of the slack in the minutes. They played hard and played an awesome game tonight. Just didn't get the two points."
The Devils forward added that he had no idea the line brawl would happen, saying it was a "spur of the moment thing."
Just over 12 years ago, a clash between the Devils and Rangers similarly opened in bloody fashion.
Wednesday's clash is the last time the Metropolitan Division rivals will face each other this season.
Rempe has logged just 5:03 of ice time in three career games against the Devils and has been ejected every time.
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Golden Knights forward Brett Howden in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to Vegas.
The incident happened in the dying seconds of the first period with Vegas up 4-1.
Zadorov registered one shot on goal in just over four minutes of ice time before being tossed from the matchup. He also took a penalty for high-sticking earlier in the contest, and Vegas scored on the ensuing power play.
This is Zadorov's second time being ejected from a game this season.
He was shown the door in February following a hit to the head of Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond. The rearguard was subsequently suspended two games.
Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman knows "there's no place" for the stick-throwing incident that led to his fourth career suspension, but he's hopeful his reputation as a repeat offender isn't impacting his ability to get calls.
"I mean, it shouldn't," he told reporters Tuesday. "We all have our jobs to come in each game as a fresh game. ... Penalties are penalties, unbiased, whatever. It shouldn't be, 'Oh, he did this this game, so I'm not going to call it.'
"Every game's a different game in my mind. That's how we as players feel. I'm sure that's how refs feel. That's something that's part of the job, to be an unbiased official. I think they do a pretty good job at that. If that is what's going on, I don't know, but I don't feel that way."
Hartman was handed a three-game ban for tossing his stick in the direction of an official at the end of the Wild's 2-1 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.
He confirmed that part of his irritation came from a missed high-sticking call late in the game.
"In the moment, with the importance of the game and with 1:40 left, we have a chance to be on the power play to get two points. ... Yeah, (my frustration) came out," he said.
Hartman said he's worked on his relationships with officials over the past few seasons. He's racked up 72 penalty minutes in 68 games this campaign after eclipsing 90 minutes in each of his previous two seasons. The 29-year-old was even scratched at times in 2022-23 because of his constant trips to the box.
None of his infractions this season have been major penalties, but this is his second suspension of the campaign. He sat out two games for tripping Alex DeBrincat in November.
Hartman was also embroiled in controversy in January. Cole Perfetti said Hartman admitted to intentionally high-sticking the Winnipeg Jets forward, who was mic'd up at the time. The audio was never made public, though.
"I have a lot of passion for this game and for winning and for protecting our players and for being out there playing the game of hockey," Hartman said Tuesday.
"I don't feel like I've been putting our team behind the eight ball by any means by taking frustration penalties," he continued. "I don't think that's really an issue. Can you say me being out three games is hurting the team? Maybe. But that was out of my hands. Obviously it was my doing, but it was in player safety's hands."
The Wild played their first game without Hartman on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators.
Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice announced Tuesday, per NHL.com's Jameson Olive.
Maurice added that while he doesn't expect Verhaeghe to miss any playoff games, he might not be able to return before they start.
The Panthers clinched their spot in the postseason on Thursday but are in a battle with the Boston Bruins for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Florida is currently two points back of the reigning President's Trophy winners.
Verhaeghe exited early in the third period of the Panthers' 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday and was unable to return to the contest.
During his final shift, he was pushed into the boards by rearguard Simon Benoit in the Leafs' zone, and the two went on to engage in a netfront battle.
The final shift of the game for Carter Verhaeghe before he left with an undisclosed injury.
Verhaeghe ranks second on the Panthers with 33 goals and fourth on the team with 71 points in 75 outings this season.
The 28-year-old was a key cog for Florida during its run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring. He totaled seven goals - including four game-winners to tie Matthew Tkachuk for the team lead - and 17 points in 21 games.
St. Louis Blues top prospect Jimmy Snuggerud will return to the University of Minnesota for the 2024-25 campaign, the winger announced Tuesday.
"It was a tough ending to this season, and I feel like we have some unfinished business to accomplish," he wrote in a statement posted to the program's X account. "I am committed to this team and excited for the opportunity next year with the Gophers."
The Blues selected Snuggerud 23rd overall at the 2022 NHL Draft. He just completed his sophomore season with the Golden Gophers, notching 21 goals and 34 points in 39 games.
The 19-year-old was named a finalist for the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award in 2022-23 after a strong rookie campaign in which he registered 50 points in 40 outings.
Minnesota's season ended with a 6-3 loss to Boston University in the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship tournament on Saturday.
There was speculation that St. Louis hoped it could get Snuggerud signed and into the Blues' lineup for Thursday's game against the Nashville Predators.
St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong said the organization "fully supports" Snuggerud's decision to return to Minnesota.
"We look forward to watching his continued development towards becoming a solid contributor for the St. Louis Blues in the future by playing a lead role for the Golden Gophers against top college competition next year," the executive said in a statement.
Last year, Logan Cooley committed to return to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season in 2022-23, but he ended up changing his mind two months later, signing a three-year, entry-level deal with the Arizona Coyotes.
Snuggerud said his decision to stay was inspired by current Minnesota Wild rookie standout Brock Faber. The two were teammates on the Golden Gophers in 2022-23.
"I watched Brock Faber come back for his junior year, and I feel like I can take the same path as Brock to the NHL and help the Gophers win a national championship," he said.
Snuggerud has represented the United States at the past two World Junior Championships, helping the team win bronze in 2023 and gold at this year's tournament.
The Blues are in the playoff hunt with seven games remaining on their schedule. They're currently three points behind Los Angeles for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, though the Kings have one game in hand.
"They're the team that drafted me, and I'm excited to see if they can make this playoff run," Snuggerud told The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "I have so much respect for the staff there and everyone that has helped me through this. (Armstrong) especially, he's such a great person, and he has my best interests in mind.
John Tortorella was only happy with one player during the Philadelphia Flyers' "soft" second period against the New York Islanders on Monday: Ivan Fedotov, the man making his NHL debut in relief.
"Totally impressed," the hard-nosed head coach said after the Flyers' 4-3 overtime loss. "I put him in a hell of a spot, and he's the only goddamn player that played in the second period."
Fedotov was called into action at the end of the first intermission after Samuel Ersson allowed two goals on six shots in the opening stanza.
He was under siege during his first 20 minutes of NHL action but turned aside 16 of 17 shots in the second period. He made 19 saves on 21 shots on the night, good for a .905 save percentage.
The Russian's first major save came on a Mat Barzal breakaway.
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 2, 2024
Fedotov had no complaints about the way he was thrown into the fire.
"I'm not a young guy," the KHL veteran said. "I have some experience. I know how it works. I don't care (if I'm) playing from the first minute or during the game if I need to play. I just want to help the team."
One thing caught the 27-year-old by surprise, though: He didn't know he had to switch nets for overtime and had to be shooed away by countryman Semyon Varlamov.
When your first NHL game goes to OT but nobody tells you what net you're supposed to go to. 🫣 pic.twitter.com/9tu46bxAzB
"It was funny, I was like, 'Oh, f--k,'" Fedotov said before quickly covering his mouth.
Philadelphia entered the final frame down 3-2, but Morgan Frost scored with 10 seconds left to secure a much-needed point in the playoff race.
Tortorella said some of his players deserved "high marks" for their performance in the third, but he didn't let the whole team off the hook.
"There are certain people, they don't have a clue how to play, or just don't have it in them to play in these types of situations," he said. "This is why I'm glad we're playing them. We have to figure things out as far as what we're going to become as a team here. That was embarrassing in the second period for the Philadelphia Flyer uniform."
The Flyers are back in third place in the Metropolitan Division. They don't play again until Friday, but Tortorella dismissed the notion that some time off would be beneficial.
"If you don't have enough balls to play in these types of games, rest doesn't do us any good."
Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis is hoping Josh Anderson's down season will just be a "one-off" for the two-time 20-goal scorer.
"We know Josh can score goals in this league. ... There's a lot in that player," the bench boss said Monday.
"He hasn't forgotten how to score goals," St. Louis continued. "Sometimes, the game gets hard a little bit, and it's hard to come out of it. We know there's more in there, and he'll get that back."
Anderson mustered just eight goals and 18 points in 69 games this season while being handcuffed to an abysmal 6.3 shooting percentage. However, he has generated around 17 individual expected goals at all strengths, per Natural Stat Trick.
The 29-year-old suited up for exactly 69 outings in each of his previous two campaigns but garnered far better results than this season.
Season
G
P
P/GP
S%
2021-22
19
32
0.46
12.6
2022-23
21
32
0.46
12.8
It took Anderson until Dec. 4 to score his first goal of the 2023-24 campaign, which kicked off a run in which he potted six tallies in 10 games. However, he quickly fell into another slump and scored just once in 22 outings.
A lower-body injury forced him to miss four games during that stretch.
"I think the effort is there, I think the intentions are there," St. Louis said. "It could be a hard year for him. I think he expects more."
He added: "For him, it's just, try to find some confidence down the stretch here, feel good about himself going into the summer."
Anderson has nine more games to turn his performances around. He's currently riding a 12-game goalless streak.
"I think (these games) are really important individually and for our team," Anderson said. "I think that for me personally, I just gotta keep doing the right things, get back to my game, using speed, physicality, and trying to shoot as many pucks as I can.
"Keep it simple."
Anderson is signed for three more seasons with a $5-million cap hit. His pact includes a five-team no-trade list.
The Canadiens take on the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.