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Avalanche Of Bad News For Patrick Roy, Avs |
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Updated:
Thanks, Avalanche.com
Patrick Roy was struck by an avalanche of bad news today when it was learned that the team's #1 defenseman Erik Johnson would be lost for the next 3-8 weeks with a knee ailment.
Patrick Roy met with media after Monday's practice and broke the bad news that his numero uno defenseman Erik Johnson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday and he will be out of the lineup for about 3-8 weeks.
The Avs are outside of the playoffs right now. They have 50 points and trail Calgary by 3 points and Winnipeg by 10 points.
The Johnson news does not help their chances of securing a wild card berth.
Now we know why the 26 year old did not participate in Sunday's NHL All Star Game. He was Colorado's only All Star representative.
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Johnson, the first choice in the NHL's 2006 draft by the St. Louis Blues, had been having a career season, with12 goals and 11 assists while playing an average of 24 minutes TOI per game. Johnson is a right handed D who plays in all situations.
Right now, the Avs Avalanche have just six defensemen on their roster:
Jan Hejda
Brad Stuart
Nick Holden
Nate Guenin
Tyson Barrie
The Avs were interested in Buffalo's Tyler Myers before the Johnson injury. One assumes that the ante just got upped on a trade scenario that would send center Ryan O'Reilly to Buffalo for Tyler Myers.
Myers is a righty, plays north of 25 minutes TOI per night, and plays in all situations.
More to come...
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Poor John Tavares. The guy can't buy a break. On Sunday, he had his NHL All Star Game MVP award snatched from his mitts by Columbus Blue Jacket Ryan Johansen. JT scored four goals to tie an ASG goal scoring record. Johansen scored a deuce and had two assists. So what? JT doesn't need a brand new 2015 sedan anyway.
What JT really needs now is a wing man.
The Islanders announced this afternoon that Tavares' winger Kyle Okposo will be lost for the next 6-8 weeks with an upper body injury.
This is terrible news for the first place Islanders who entered the All Star Game break as one of the most steady, consistent teams in the NHL. Their forward play has been outstanding this season and Okposo has had a lot to do with their success.
Okposo has 14 goals and 44 points in 46 games this season. He has been the Rock of Gibraltar for Tavares and the Isles.
This injury comes at a terrible time for Okposo who had scored five goals and seven points in his last three games before the ASG break.
Mikhail Grabovski practiced on the Tavares line at Monday's practice. Grobovski missed the final four games before the All Star break due to his own injury issue.
If Grabovski fails to cut the mustard alongside JT, look for Isles GM Garth Snow to pursue a trade. The Islanders were scouting the Buffalo Sabres before the All Star Game. Snow can rent Drew Stafford and/or Chris Stewart to get his team through these rough times while Okposo recovers from his injury. Stafford and Stewart are playing on expiring contracts and they will be commanding a lot more attention in the days and weeks to come.
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It has been said for years did you is wasted on the young.
Today, the Buffalo Sabres had to suspend one of its top prospects. Apparently, he could not make it back in time from the All Star break for the mandatory team practice.
The team announced that defenseman Nikita Zadorov has been suspended. He is expected to join the team on the Western Canadian road trip.
“We anticipate Nikita joining the team at some point during this week’s western road trip,” said Sabres General Manager Tim Murray.
Weather? Personal issue? Forgetfulness? Zadorov is a 19 year old kid who has been called to the carpet in the recent past for his maturity. Remember when he was benched in a Traverse City top prospects tournament game last September?
After the team practice, Ted Nolan spoke about the Zadorov's time management suspension.
“When you’re a 19-year-old kid, sometimes if you’re not instructed to do things, you know how kids can be sometimes,” Nolan said. “But this will be a big, big learning curve for him. But we’ll deal with it when he gets back.”
Source: Buffalo Hockey Beat
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In other news, Michal Neuvirth injured himself and will not be joining his teammates on the three game road trip to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
Neuvirth;s injury is not believed to be serious per the team.
Matt Hackett will travell with the team and will likely get the start in Edmonton.
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The NHL All Star Game carnival has packed up and left Columbus. Now its back to the life and back to the reality of being an injury depleted hockey team. The Blue Jax will have to play the next 4-6 weeks without their team MVP Sergei Bobrovsky. The Jax have called up a young prospect to try to fill BOB's skates for the next 4-6 weeks. I can't see the kid succeeding in his new high pressure role. The Jax need a veteran goalie and they need one NOW!
BOB missed the All Star Game with his lower body injury. On Monday morning, the Blue Jax revealed the severity of the star goalie's injury.
Its a jacked up groin. The Jax are on the outside of the playoffs and are looking in. The Jax are closer to the McEichel sweepstakes than they are to the NHL playoffs. The Jax enter the second phase of their season 14 points out of a wild card playoff berth. The Jax are in no man's land as they have 43 points in the standings and will never catch Boston who own the wild card with 57 points.
The Blue Jackets have been scouting Buffalo lately. Jax GM Jarmo Kekelainen may want to phone Sabres GM Tim Murray to ask what it will take to get a deal done for on of Buffalo's pending UFA puck stoppers in Michal Neuvirth or Jhonas Enroth.
Per the team:
The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on IR retroactive to January 21, recalled forward Josh Anderson and added goaltender Anton Forsberg to the roster on emergency recall from the American Hockey League’s Springfield Falcons, Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.
Bobrovsky, 26, suffered a groin injury on January 21 at Winnipeg and is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks. Selected to play in his first NHL All-Star Game prior to the injury, he has posted a 16-15-2 record with a 2.85 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and one shutout in 33 games this season. The Novokuznetsk, Russia native and 2013 Vezina trophy winner is 69-46-13 with a 2.39 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and 10 shutouts in 129 games with Columbus and 111-69-23 with a 2.52 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and 10 shutouts in 212 career NHL games.
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