NHL Buzz: Luke Hughes, Pesce expected back by weekend for Devils
Slafkovsky out 1 week for Canadiens; Celebrini to miss at least 2 more weeks for Sharks
© Getty Images
New Jersey Devils
Defensemen Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce each could make his season debut this weekend.
Hughes has not played this season because of a left shoulder injury sustained in September. Pesce, who signed a six-year contract with the Devils on July 1, is recovering from offseason surgery to repair a fractured fibula.
New Jersey visits the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, MSGSN), and hosts the New York Islanders on Friday and Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
"They will travel with us [to Detroit], but we haven't made a determination," Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said after practice Wednesday. "I would think it's fair to say at this point that we would see them this weekend, in one of our games, be it in Detroit or against the Islanders. We'll see how they respond to practice today, how they get through it tomorrow, and we'll make a decision on what's best with them.
"We've got a busy schedule upcoming, so we've got to make sure we manage them appropriately and monitor where they're at." -- Mike G. Morreale
Montreal Canadiens
Juraj Slafkovsky will be out one week for the Canadiens because of an upper-body injury.
The 20-year-old forward did not play in a 7-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday. He was questionable to play at the New York Islanders on Saturday after leaving practice Friday with a shoulder injury, but was in the lineup and had two assists in the 4-3 shootout loss.
Slafkovsky, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has six points (one goal, five assists) in six games this season.
Kirby Dach took Slafkovsky's place on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and had an assist on Tuesday.
"Obviously, it’s not great news seeing 'Slaf' out of the lineup," forward Josh Anderson said before the game. "I feel like he's grown a lot as a player and now it’s the next man up and we're going to have to bring energy tonight and go from there."
Defenseman Justin Barron did not practice Wednesday because of an upper-body injury and is day to day. -- Sean Farrell
San Jose Sharks
Macklin Celebrini will be out at least two more weeks, general manager Mike Grier said Monday.
The No. 1 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft has been on injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 10, because of a lower-body injury. He has missed the past six games, including a 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
"He's week to week, but I would say we'll [probably] give you another update in two weeks," Grier said.
Celerbini has yet to return to practice, but Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Sunday the rookie center has resumed skating.
"Injuries happen, right?" Grier said. "He's going to miss some games here to start, but I think he's getting his skill work done off the ice. He's doing his gym work. I don't think it's going to hinder any of his development.
“It's definitely been helpful for him to spend some more time in the gym, to keep building up his body to get used to the rigors of the League. When he gets back, he's going to be going against teams' top pair D most nights."
Celebrini was injured in his NHL debut Oct. 10, when he had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Warsofsky also said defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (upper body) would not join the Sharks on their three-game road trip, which began against the Ducks.
Forward Thomas Bordeleau (lower body) and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin (lower body) were sent to San Jose of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. -- Max Miller
Ottawa Senators
Linus Ullmark did not return from an undisclosed strain in a 4-0 win against the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday.
Ullmark, who has missed three games, practiced in the starter’s end Monday in Salt Lake City. The goalie, who is 1-1-0 with a 2.58 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in two starts this season, signed a four-year, $33 million contract ($8.25 million average annual value) with the Senators on Oct. 9.
"[Ullmark] had a good practice yesterday, a good skate this morning," Ottawa coach Travis Green said Tuesday. "Just erring on the side of caution."
Anton Forsberg made 31 saves against Utah with Leevi Merilainen, who was recalled from Belleville of the AHL on Tuesday, seving as the backup. Mads Sogaard was returned to Belleville on Sunday.
"You always want it to go a little bit quicker, obviously,” Ullmark said of his rehab. "It [stinks] being on the sidelines. It doesn't matter if it's one, two, three or four games; it's always a tough position to be in. You want to be in the heat, you want to be able to compete and be on the ice with the guys."
Forward Ridly Greig, who had missed three games with an upper-body injury, had a goal in his return Tuesday. Forward David Perron did not make the trip due to personal reasons. -- Callum Fraser
New York Islanders
Anthony Duclair will be out long term, general manager Lou Lamoriello said Monday.
The forward sustained a lower-body injury in the third period of the Islanders’ 4-3 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
"We won’t know until the next 24 hours or so just how serious the injury will be," Lamoriello said. "It will be more long term than short term at this point. It certainly is not season-ending or anything, but the time frame, we just have to get more results from the X-rays and MRIs."
The Islanders did not provide a further update Tuesday.
Duclair, who is in the first season of a four-year contract he signed July 1, has three points (two goals, one assist) in five games, skating on the top line with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal.
"It [stinks]," Horvat said. "You're just trying to start to find chemistry. We've been playing in the preseason, stuff like that, but it's a little different in the regular season, right? So, it's a big loss for us, but other guys have to step up and fill that void."
New York sent forward Julien Gauthier to Bridgeport of the AHL on Tuesday and recalled Liam Foudy. Gauthier played 7:42 in his season debut Saturday, and Foudy played 7:52 in his season debut on Tuesday. -- Stefen Rosner
Columbus Blue Jackets
Erik Gudbranson will be out for the foreseeable future about having shoulder surgery Monday.
The 32-year-old defenseman left at 18:28 of the second period of a 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Oct. 15 following a collision with teammate Sean Monahan at center ice. He was placed on injured reserve the next day.
"Erik had successful shoulder surgery on Monday and is expected to make a full recovery," Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said. "While he will miss a significant amount of time, we know he will work extremely hard during his rehab and will continue to be an important part of our leadership group."
Gudbranson did not have a point in three games this season. He had 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 78 games with them in 2023-24.
Vegas Golden Knights
William Karlsson practiced fully with the Golden Knights on Monday for the first time since Sept. 21 because of an undisclosed injury.
The forward wore a red noncontact jersey during practice but did not make his season debut in a 6-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
"He's back with the group," coach Bruce Cassidy said Monday. "Step 1 was getting on his own; step 2 now with a red jersey. Step 3 will be integrating and playing. He's not ready yet, but he looks good. ... Usually when they're in red, they're fairly close. I rule him out for tomorrow, but not for Friday. (against Ottawa)."
Karlsson had 60 points (30 goals, 30 assists) in 70 regular-season games and two assists in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games last season.
Cassidy said they'll figure out where Karlsson fits in the lineup when he gets closer to playing a game.
"We'll put him in and see and get him going a little bit," Cassidy said. "We'll get his game in order. He missed a lot of time, so we'll work around what's working well. That would be the easiest thing to do. Let's get 'Karly' up to speed where his game is usually is, and then we'll start figuring out the pieces from there."
Cassidy said forward Victor Olofsson is week to week with a lower-body injury he sustained in the third period of a 4-2 loss to the Capitals on Oct. 15. -- Paul Delos Santos
Seattle Kraken
Vince Dunn was placed on long-term injured reserve Monday, retroactive to Oct. 17.
Dunn, a defenseman, had previously been listed as day to day with what Seattle coach Dan Bylsma called a “mid-body injury.” Bylsma did not provide an update on Dunn’s status after practice Monday, but the Kraken later announced they placed Dunn on LTIR.
Dunn missed a 2-0 loss at the Dallas Stars on Oct. 13 but returned for a 7-3 win at the Nashville Predators two days later. He took an awkward fall with five minutes left in the first period of a 6-4 win against the Flyers on Thursday, played the second period, then missed the third.
Byslma called Dunn’s departure from the game Thursday “precautionary," but he has not skated since and also missed Seattle’s 2-1 win against the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
The earliest Dunn can return would be Nov. 12, when the Kraken face the Blue Jackets.
