#Isles Injury Update: Johnny Boychuk will miss the next 4-6 weeks with an upper body injury.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 4, 2016Brooklyn Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk will be on the shelf for the next 4-6 weeks.
Boychuk sustained the injury after he missed an attempted hit on Jack Eichel during the third period of Thursday's game against the Buffalo Sabres.
The 31-year-old has three goals and 11 assists in 38 points this season.
Suffice to say, Brooklyn GM Garth Snow will not be trading disgruntled right D Travis Hamonic anytime soon.
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Jared Cowen went from being the 9th overall pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2009 NHL Draft to being a healthy scratch.
Cowen was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Sens head coach Dave Cameron opted to call up Binghampton farmhand Fredrik Claesson rather than play the veteran Cowen.
I smell friction.
Cameron told the Ottawa Citizen that Cowen has to be better in all three zones if he is going to play in the top four D group in Ottawa.
“Just be a little bit better in 200-foot areas,… Cameron said. “Whether it’s (offensive) zone, neutral zone or (defensive) zone.…
Cowen has now eaten press box popcorn five different times in the first 39 games of this season. In November, GM Bryan Murray challenged him to improve and to get his act in gear. Cowen more or less sluffed it off.
"I don't hear it (criticism) because I don't pay attention to that stuff, because it doesn't really matter," said Cowen. "So I don't know, I'm sure he could say the same thing about a lot of guys. I'm not going to take it too personal."
Cowen has struggled with injuries for most of his NHL career. He played all 82 games in 2011-12. He played just 7 games in 2012-13. He has played in 68 and 54 games respectively the past two seasons. This season he has been scratch five times and has sat out of two games with injury. In 32 games played, he has 3 assists. Cowen leads all Sens D-men with a +8 rating. Cowen has landed 94 hits and has 46 blocked shots. He has landed 18 shots on goal and has 14 PIMs. He averages 17:03 TOI.
Cowen has a 2016-17 salary of $4.5 million. He is a $3.1 million salary cap hit this season.
Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray signed Cowen to a four year contract extension in 2013. Murray was AGM of the Senators at the time. Murray spoke glowingly about Cowen when asked to speak about Cowen.
"You go through a hard negotiation and things are said, but we obviously love this guy as a player, as a person; he's what we want," Murray said.
"He's kind of a poster boy of what we want here. He works extremely hard, he's low-maintenance, he plays hard, he competes, we love him as a player. I'm just happy it's over and I hope he's as happy as we are."
Cowen missed most of the 2012-13 season because of a hip injury he sustained playing for Binghamton of the American Hockey League during the NHL lockout.
Cowen had five goals, 17 points and logged nearly 19 minutes per game playing all 82 as a rookie in 2011-12. He will throw the body around and isn't afraid to chuck the knucks.
Tim Murray has been searching the NHL high and low for a top four, left handed D-man. He is familiar with Cowen and knows the player's work habits and attitude very well. Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma hired veteran coach Terry Murray to run the D in Buffalo and there has been dramatic improvement in terms of allowing fewer shots and playing better 200 foot defense as a D corps. Perhaps Tim Murray wants to reunite Cowen with his former Bingo and Senators starting goalie Robin Lehner, who will be making some rehab and conditioning starts in Rochester in the next 7-10 days after suffering a high ankle sprain on opening night (October 8) against the Senators.
When Uncle Bryan needed a first round draft choice for Robin Lehner, nephew Tim was there. Time for the elder Murray to help his nephew to stabilize his left D group?
Unlike disgruntled forwards Jonathon Drouin (Tampa) and Kerby Rychel (Columbus) Cowen has not asked to be traded. Or, at least that is what I have been told. However, Cowen's name is involved in trade chatter. 6'5" 240 lb. mobile, physical defenders are hard to come by in today's NHL. Tim Murray has $9.5 million in available salary cap space and has been patiently looking for a lefty who can play in all situations.
If the Senators are ready to move on from Cowen the Sabres should take a shot at him.
The 2016 NHL trade deadline is on February 29.