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Arizona coyotes
Jacob Chychrun suffered a setback in his recovery from wrist surgery and the Coyotes’ defender is being watched from week to week.
“He went to his doctor in New York,” general manager Bill Armstrong said Thursday. “We’re going to treat him week by week and just take care of it. He’ll rejoin the team once he’s cleared and he’ll step in and hopefully be in training but we’ll be covering it week in and week out for him.
“We are happy to get him back in the line-up. He is a big piece for us.”
Chychrun underwent wrist surgery during the offseason and has not played since March 12 when he sustained a season-ending ankle injury.
The 24-year-old had 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 47 games last season. He had 41 points in 56 games in 2020-21, including 18 goals, to lead all NHL defensemen. – Dan Rosen
buffalo saber
defender Matthew Samuelsson and Henri Jokihar were placed on injured reserve by the Sabers on Thursday and are expected to be out for a few weeks at a time.
Samuelsson, who signed a seven-year, $30 million ($4.29 million average annual value) contract on Oct. 12, sustained a lower body injury in Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. He has no points in five games this season.
“It’s going to be a couple of weeks, but a lot better than we might have initially thought,” said Kevyn Adams, general manager of Sabers. “So, a couple of weeks and then we’ll go from there. He’ll be out for a while, but not terribly.”
Jokiharju was injured when a puck hit him in the face in the 6-3 win over the Calgary Flames on October 20. He has missed the last two games and has an assist in four games this season.
“Small fracture that doesn’t unduly alter his progression or anything,” Adams said. “The good news from him is that he’s feeling a lot better, he’s making progress. … The fact that he had a better day today bodes well. You’ll probably see it here by the day, though [we’ll] Let’s see if he gets back on the ice a bit next week. Probably more week to week for him.”
Buffalo recalled defenders Lawrence Pilot and Kale Clague from Rochester of the American Hockey League. With two other defenders injured at Rochester, the Sabers could make additional moves if needed.
“For the past two days we’ve reviewed all options,” Adams said. “What we won’t do is take big responsive or emotional moves. But if we think something makes sense, if we could add a little more depth to the organization, not at a price where we’re giving up assets or something, then maybe that’s something we’ll try.” – Heather Engel
Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Johnson was placed on injured reserve with a left ankle injury.
The forward picked up the injury when he awkwardly went into the rink after a goal from the middle of the Panthers Alexander Barkov in the third period in the 4-2 win on Tuesday.
Johnson has played in all six Blackhawks games and is the top scorer with six points (two goals, four assists).
“Ankle sprains are somewhat common these days, especially with the stiff boots and the skates they wear,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. “I saw the rerun and it’s a big man that turned on him so we’re lucky it’s hopefully short term. He plays so well too. We will miss him. It’s definitely good news (that Johnson didn’t go on long-term IR) because it could have been worse.”
Johnson underwent an artificial disc replacement (ADR) on December 3 before returning on March 3.
“It’s tough, he played so well,” says Blackhawks forward Sam Lafferty said. “He brings so much to the table for us, so much energy and so much skill. He scores, he plays, he scores. He does everything.” – Bruce Miles
Ottawa Senators
Markus Kaštelic signed a two-year, $1.67 million deal with the Senators on Thursday. It has an average annual value of $835,000.
“I kind of knew it was coming, but we finished it last night and I couldn’t be more excited to be here for two more years after this season,” Kastelic said on Thursday. “I’ve had so much fun so far and hopefully this is just the beginning. … Now that I’ve signed, I see no change. I’m just going to keep putting my head down and working and trying to enjoy it every day and make money out here every day.”
The 23-year-old forward has two goals in six games this season and leads the NHL in faceoff percentage (71.2, at least 50 faceoffs). He is expected to take on a bigger role at the center Josh Norris take a long break with a shoulder injury.
“He’s tall, strong (6-foot-3, 233 pounds), obviously tough, but so is his faceoffs, he’s responsible, and then his ability to keep pucks in goal [offensive] Zone, get on the forecheck,” said Senators coach DJ Smith. “His game has really improved. And I think as he gains more confidence, he just keeps getting better.”
Kastelic was selected by Ottawa in the fifth round (No. 125) of the 2019 NHL Draft and has six points (four goals, two assists) in 22 regular-season games.
“Mark has worked tirelessly to earn whatever came his way since he was a late round draft pick three years ago,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. “He is reliable, competitive, very proud of his condition and regularly shows his willingness to take on any challenge. He is a very good example for the young players and prospects throughout the organization.” – Callum Fraser
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