NHL Buzz: Schwartz placed on injured reserve by Kraken

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Seattle Kraken

Jaden Schwartz was placed on injured reserve Thursday because of a lower-body injury and did not play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, ROOT-NW).

"Not available today," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. "We still have some further evaluation to do but he's not available today and we will update it a little bit more. It's not a day-to-day situation we don't believe but we don't want to get ahead of ourselves."

The forward left a 4-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday early in the third period after taking a shot off his foot. He had one shot on goal and was minus-1 in 9:33 of ice time.

"That's the nature of the game, he's a guy that is important to us but now we've got opportunity for somebody else and collectively the group has to fill in those holes and overcome his absence here for a little while," Hakstol said.

Schwartz, who has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 23 games, has gone without a point in each of his past five games and has one point in his past eight games.

Marian Studenic made his debut for the Kraken, replacing Schwartz. Studenic has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 15 games with Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League. -- Dave McCarthy

New Jersey Devils

Dougie Hamilton did not play for the Devils against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NBCSP) because of an upper-body injury.

The defenseman missed the third period of a 5-4 win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday and did not take part in an optional practice Wednesday.

"Still being evaluated," coach Lindy Ruff said Thursday. "Probably next day or two we'll have a definitive answer on it."

Hamilton has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 20 games this season and is averaging 20:40 of ice time per game.

Forward Timo Meier, who missed his seventh straight game because of a lower-body injury, skated Thursday, and Ruff said he could play against the San Jose Sharks on Friday. He hasn't played since Nov. 14.

Meier has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 14 games this season.

"Timo is doing well," Ruff said. "We'll see where he's at for tomorrow. I would say he's a possibility."

With Hamilton out, Brendan Smith, who had been playing as a forward, is playing as a defenseman, and forward Samuel Laberge made his NHL debut. The 26-year-old was recalled from Utica of the AHL on Wednesday. -- Adam Kimelman

Columbus Blue Jackets

Kent Johnson was recalled from Cleveland of the AHL on Thursday.

The forward struggled with three points (one goal, two assists) in eight NHL games this season before being assigned to the AHL, where he had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 10 games.

"It's long gone, but I don't think I was my best (at the start)," Johnson told the Blue Jackets website after practice Thursday. " … I know I'm a good player no matter what, but I definitely feel more in a rhythm. I played a lot of hockey (in the AHL), got a lot of touches, so I definitely feel pretty good."

The No. 5 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Johnson has 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists) in 96 NHL games.

Johnson is likely to be in the lineup when Columbus hosts the Ottawa Senators on Friday (7 p.m. ET; BSOH, TSN5, RDS).

"We sent him down with something very positive in mind -- for him to get his confidence back," Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. "He took it like a man, he understood, and he did it right. And now there's an opportunity for him to come back, and we'll go from there."

Columbus also placed defenseman Damon Severson on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 19. He sustained an oblique injury in a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia and is expected to be out six weeks. Severson has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 19 games this season.

Winnipeg Jets

Gabriel Vilardi was activated off injured reserve and could return for the Jets against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; SNW, TSN3).

The forward has missed 18 games since spraining the MCL in his right knee in a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 17.

"I'm just happy to be playing, it doesn't really matter, I just want to play," Vilardi told the Jets website Wednesday. "We're a really deep team, that's a good thing. I haven't played and these guys are 20 games in. It's not like I have high expectations on myself. I can't have the expectations for me to come in tomorrow and dominate or anything. I'm just going to try my best."

Vilardi has one assist in three games with Winnipeg this season. He was acquired from the Kings as part of the trade that sent forward Pierre-Luc Dubois to Los Angeles on June 27.

Vilardi set NHL career highs with 23 goals, 18 assists and 41 points in 63 regular-season games and had four points (two goals, two assists) in five Stanley Cup Playoff games with Los Angeles last season.

Buffalo Sabres

Jordan Greenway likely will return to the lineup against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, MSG-B).

The forward was back at practice Wednesday after missing three games because of a personal matter.

"I think he's a legitimate option for St. Louis. He looked very good," coach Don Granato said Wednesday. "I've talked to him each and every day, and I think he's comfortable and I think I am, but he's had one practice today so it will be based on that as opposed to something else. In all likelihood, he'll be in the lineup tomorrow."

Greenway has six points (two goals, four assists) in 19 games. To open a roster spot, the Sabres assigned Jiri Kulich to Rochester of the AHL. -- Heather Engel