Arizona Coyotes leading scorer Clayton Keller tweeted this morning that he will be out for the season, but is resting comfortably, after suffering a broken leg injury in a game against the Sharks.
Keller had to be removed from the ice on a stretcher Wednesday after crashing into the end boards while trying to shoot the puck. He gave a thumbs-up gesture as he was leaving the ice.
Still at the hospital this morning after surgery, Keller tweeted: “I want to thank my teammates, the fans and medical personnel for the love and support last night!. Unfortunately the season's over for me, but I'm resting comfortably at the hospital in good spirits. I will be back better than ever for (Day One) next season!" . The Coyotes have said Keller's recovery will last four to six months
Arizona coach Andre Tourigny called Keller “ the heart and soul of our team."
Keller, 23, leads the Coyotes in goals (28) and points (63). He was in the midst of his best NHL season.
Before Keller was transported to the hospital, his teammates lined up to give him encouragement. Tourigny said players and coaches were in shock because of the ugliness of the injury.
“We’re all sad,… Tourigny said. “Not just because he was hurt, but because he was in pain.…
The Notebook:
2. The Vegas Golden Knights have won three games in a row and their next five games are against teams not in a playoff position. No need to panic yet about the Vegas playoff chances.
3. If Connor McDavid wins the Art Ross, it will be his fifth point championship in seven years. He’s 25. Gretzky was 24 when he won his fifth Ross. Jaromir Jagr and Gordie Howe were 28 when they won their fifth. Mario Lemieux was 30. Phil Esposito was 31.
4. The late Howe was born on this date 94 years ago in Floral, Saskatchewan. Howe was 40 when he registered his first 100-point season with Detroit. He was over 48 when he had a 102-point season for the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association. When he was 52, he scored 15 goals and registered 41 points for the NHL’s Hartford Whalers.
5. The rebuilding Detroit Red Wings will probably try to re-sign 35-year-old defenseman Marc Staal. He is +7 on a team with a roster full of minus players. Big-minus players. Nobody on the current roster is a plus player. Defenseman Filip Hronek is -26. Nick Leddy was -33 when he was traded to St. Louis.
6. Filip Forsberg has four goals and four assists in five games since the Nashville Predators opted not to move him before the trade deadline. He’s a potential unrestricted free agent.
7. If the Philadelphia Flyers can persuade the Arizona Coyotes to take James van Riemsdyk and his $7 million salary in a trade, the Flyers salary cap situation would be greatly improved. They will have to give the Coyotes a significant asset. It’s not a bad deal for the Coyotes. They could use the scoring. Van Riemsdyk has 17 goals this season.
8. A roster shake-up is expected in Detroit and Hronek might be one of the veterans moved. The Red Wings will be looking for a scoring center. Hronek could be part of a package. 9. Carolina’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be out two to three weeks (lower body injury) as a result of a hit by Washington’s Lars Eller. Kotkaniemi had posted three points and was +4 in his past three games.
10. The Pittsburgh Penguins have started slowly this season and finished strong. They rank 15th in the NHL with 59 first-period goals and rank 2nd with 89 third-period tallies.
11. Calgary Flames 2019 first round pick Jakob Pelletier ranks 10th in the American League scoring race with 55 points in 55 games. The productive left wing ranks fifth in the AHL with 26 goals. He has six goals in his last eight games for Stockton.
12. Would you rather have Victor Hedman or Roman Josi? They are both 31 years old. Hedman has 582 NHL points and Josi boasts 532. Hedman has 19 goals this season and Josi has 18. Jose has 80 points already this season. Hedman is bigger and has won two Cups. I’d take Hedman, but I’d worry immediately that I made the wrong decision.
13. How much will Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau be worth on the open market? He’s 28 and having his best NHL season. He’s leading the NHL with 70 even-strength points. All we know for sure is that it would have been less expensive to get him signed before this season unfolded. On the open market, some team will give him more than $9 million-plus per season.
14. Can the Flames afford to re-sign both Matthew Tkachuk and Gaudreau? The Flames could get a major haul for Tkachuk. What would the St. Louis Blues give up ?
15. Detroit rookie sensation Moritz Seider, 20, is 10th in the NHL in blocked shots, 13th in defenseman points. Seider is already Detroit’s No. 1 defenseman. He has perfected the Peter Forsberg-style reverse hit. He’s had a long list of memorable hits. He’s always in beast mode. He has a pretty strong case for Rookie of the Year. 16. New York Rangers’ Andrew Copp could end up being the best trade deadline forward acquisition. In five games, Copp has two goals, five assists for seven points. He’s +5. He had an overtime tally to beat Detroit. It feels like he's a quality fit for this team. Would expect the Rangers will be looking to extend him.
17. The Bruins are getting exactly what they wanted out of defenseman Hampus Lindholm. He’s +3 with an assist in his first three games.
18. The Tampa Bay Lightning have won three in a row, but they haven’t looked sharp for three weeks. Starting March 8, they lost three in a row, won two in a row, then lost three in a row and now they are winning again. That makes them 5-6 in their last 11 games. In those contests, they have scored 27 goals and gave up 30. That’s not how they wanted to play down the stretch.
19. The bottom five hitting teams in the NHL are the Buffalo Sabres (1,009), Detroit Red Wings (1,203), New Jersey Devils (1,227), Columbus Blue Jackets (1,275) and Toronto Maple Leafs (1,298)
20. The Wild’s acquisition of Nicholas Deslauriers may help them in the playoffs as much as Marc-Andre Fleury. Deslauriers is a feisty chap and the Wild are a rugged team.
21. Chicago’s Jonathan Toews has six goals and four assists for 10 points in his past 12 games. That’s his best surge of the season. He has 29 points in 56 games this season after coming back from Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome.
22. Minnesota Wild seem to have the inside track on landing undrafted University of Minnesota captain Ben Meyers, although it isn’t a done deal. The Gophers are in Frozen Four.
23. Whether Michigan wins the NCAA championship or not, a herd of Wolverines are going to turn pro after this tournament. Too many skillful players on this roster,, led by Buffalo Sabres prospect Owen Power and Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers. Brendan Brisson will be very helpful to the Vegas Golden Knights. Estimates for the number of players turning pro range from six to 10.
24. As much as people have complained that the Coyotes are asking too much in return for Jakob Chrychrun, I believe they will receive an impressive package for him this summer.
25. Pavel Bure celebrates his 51st birthday today. The Russian Rocket is unquestionably one of the most electrifying players in NHL history. He was a threat to create a breakaway on every shift he played. Nobody could get up to top speed quicker than Bure. You could hear the crowd start to buzz when he first touched the puck. He scored 50 or more goals five times. He finished with 779 points in 702 games.