The Panthers are still waiting for Huberdeau to make his season debut and he appears to be on track to play in mid-February. Expect Seth Griffith to continue to skate on the top-line, but Huberdeau should take that spot as soon as he is ready to go.
The Canadiens have recalled Hanley because Alexei Emelin’s wife is expecting, so Hanley is expected to replace him in the lineup vs. the Wild. Hanley has no points in five games with Montreal.
Hanley had no points while averaging 11:00 TOI/GM in five games during his call-up. He returns to St. John’s, where he has one goal and three assists in 10 games this season.
Huberdeau was coming into 2016-17 with massive expectations after a career-year last season. His injury will keep him out until at least January and opens the door for younger players like Jonathan Marchessault, who moved to the top line following Huberdeau's injury on Saturday.
Huberdeau was injured in Saturday’s preseason game against the Devils when the skate of Sergey Kalinin came down on Huberdeau’s ankle. Huberdeau had to be stitched up and is expected to undergo an MRI on Sunday. The 23-year-old winger was spotted in a walking boot and all signs point towards this being a serious injury. This would be a huge blow to the Panthers’ forward group, that is already missing Nick Bjugstad.
Backlund suffered a concussion while representing Team Sweden at the World Cup of Hockey and he will return to Calgary where he will be reevaluated this week. The 27-year-old has had a tough time staying healthy during his career, but is coming off of a year where he played 82-games for the first time in his career. With two weeks before the start of the regular season, Backlund could be ready for opening night.
Huberdeau, 23, is coming off of a career-year, having posted 20 goals and 39 assists (59 points). The former third overall pick (2011) has turned in back-to-back 50-plus point seasons and appears to only be scratching the surface of what he might be able to accomplish on the Panthers’ top-line with Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr.
Statistically Kadri didn’t have the greatest season but the Maple Leafs were impressed with his development and have inked him to a very reasonable six-year extension. Kadri will look to build off of his 2015-16 season where he had 17 goals and 28 assists (45 points) in 76 games. This raise should also help him pay for all those fines that seem to be adding up.
Kadri was assessed a two-minute minor on the play, but has been suspended for the final four games of the regular season. Kadri finishes the season with 45 points (17G / 28A) in 76 games. Tyler Bozak will take over as the team’s top line centre.
Huberdeau will miss Thursday’s game vs. the Coyotes and will miss at least two games after being placed on IR. There is no definite timetable for his return, but expect a more detailed update in the next few days.
Huberdeau was injured early in Saturday’s win over the Jets and it will keep him out of the lineup for Thursday’s game. The Panthers are expected to get Aleksander Barkov back on Thursday, so look for him to replace Huberdeau, who is listed as day-to-day.
Huberdeau left the game after being hit by Jets’ defenseman Jacob Trouba and Huberdeau appeared to hit his head off of the ice as he went down. There was no update after the game, but the Panthers are off until Thursday, so he has some time to recover.
Kadri, who was fined $5,000 for his throat slashing gesture on Tuesday, will miss tonight’s game with a lower-body injury. With Kadri and Tyler Bozak both sidelined, Peter Holland will centre the Maple Leafs top line.
Kadri missed Monday’s practice with an illness, but head coach Mike Babcock said that Kadri will be in the lineup on Tuesday. Deploy Kadri like you normally would.
Huberdeau was an unrestricted free agent, but is now signed through the 2016-17 season. Huberdeau is coming off of a season in which he tallied 15 goals and 39 assists (54 points) in 79 games. He should lead the Panthers in points again in 2015-16.
