After losing Patrick Kane for what could be the remainder of the season, the Hawks made their first move to try and replace that hole, by recalling Teravainen. The 20-year-old has two goals and two assists in 15 games with the Blackhawks this season. While in Rockford, he has 25 points (6G / 19A) in 39 games.
Kane crashed shoulder first into the boards after being pushed from behind by Panthers defenseman Alex Petrovic. Kane immediately left the ice and did not return. There is speculation that Kane could miss more than a month with a clavicle injury, but the Blackhawks have not released an official injury update. Kane was tied for the league lead in points and is irreplaceable. However, a if he misses significant time, Patrick Sharp will be leaned on more heavily to produce offensively.
Predators GM David Poile said he expected to have Ellis back in the lineup in the last week of February or the first week of March. Ellis, who has been out since January 8th, has taken a little longer than expected, but he is finally making some progress according to Poile. With the addition of Cody Franson over the weekend, the Predators blue line is going to look really scary when Ellis returns.
Ellis has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since January 8th. His return to the Predators morning skate is a good sign that he is progressing well and close to being back in the lineup.
With Kris Versteeg back in the lineup, Teravainen was a healthy scratch on Wednesday. The 20-year-old had two goals and two assists in 15 games during his recall. He returns to the AHL where he has tallied six goals and 17 assists (23 points) in 33 games.
Ellis did not participate in the Predators morning skate, but he skated alone prior to the team’s practice session. Ellis has been sidelined since January 8th and will likely miss another week before returning.
Pouliot, 21, has one goal and two assists in seven games with the Penguins this season. While in WBS he has 21 points (7G / 14A) in 25 games. His recall suggests that he will play tonight if Kris Letang (head) can’t go.
Ellis was injured in Thursday’s game vs. the Stars and will miss at least the next five games. He will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break and then a more detailed timeline will be released. The Predators did not recall a defenseman from Milwaukee for today’s game, so Anton Volchenkov must be ready to return.
Ellis left after playing just 11:16 TOI and did not return. Ellis had been playing really well, having registered two goals and three assists in his previous three games—5G / 13A, plus-12 in 40 games this season. If Ellis misses an extended period of time, it could open the door for veteran Ian White to make it back to the NHL.
Teravainen, 20, has six goals and 17 assists in 33 games with the IceHogs this season. After a slow start as he adapted to the North American style of play (particularly the dump-and-chase style of the AHL), he had three goals and seven assists in his last 10 games.
Pouliot, who was recalled this morning, will be in the lineup tonight vs. the Panthers. He will be paired with Rob Scuderi and will likely see power-play time. Pouliot has seven goals and 13 assists (20 points) in 23 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.
Pouliot, 20, was the Penguins first round pick (8th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft. The young blue liner has 20 points (7G / 13A) in 23 games in his first season with WBS. Christian Ehrhoff was injured on Thursday, so Pouliot could make his NHL debut tonight.
Pouliot, 20, was selected eight overall by the Penguins in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The young defenseman has been rehabbing after offseason shoulder surgery and his return to the AHL likely means that he is ready to get back to playing hockey. This will be his first year of professional hockey after wrapping up his fourth year of juniors with 70 points (17G / 53A) in 58 games in 2013-14.
Bertuzzi, 19, is the nephew of former Red Wing Todd Bertuzzi and was the Wings' second round pick (58th overall) in 2013. He is in his fourth season with the Guelph Storm of the OHL and has started the season with one goal and four assists (five points) in six games. He had 34 points (9G / 25A) in 29 games last year.
Ellis, 23, had six goals and 21 assists (27 points) in 80 games last season. He was drafted 11th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft and has tremendous offensive upside. Ellis is undersized, but will be a key member of the Predators power-play for years to come.
The Blackhawks signed Jonathan Toews to the exact same contract. The deal does not kick in until the 2015-16 season, but the annual cap-hit will be the highest in the league. When Kane and Toews joined the Blackhawks they had not reached the Finals since 1992, but since drafting Kane (first overall) in 2007 they have won two Stanley Cups and reached the Western Conference Final two other times. Kane tallied 29 goals and 40 assists (69 points) in 69 games last season. Kane went on to post 20 points (8G / 12A) in 19 postseason games. Kane has some of the best hands in the NHL and will be one of the first right wingers off of the board this season.
Kane missed the final 12 games of the regular season after suffering a sprained knee. Kane said he felt ‘’pretty good’’ after Monday’s workout. But he acknowledged ‘’we’ll know a little bit more’’ after practicing with the team Tuesday and Wednesday. Even then, until Game 1, the status of Kane’s recovery will be up in the air.
Teravainen has only played in three games since arriving to Chicago. He has not recorded a point, only four shots and one hit. Sending him to the AHL will give him a chance to play a bunch on minutes and get more acclimated with the North American game. There's no doubting this kid's talent, but he won't improve by sitting in the press box every night. He is a top prospect, with a very bright future ahead of him.
Kane will miss the rest of the regular season, but if he does get back onto the ice this week, he will have two weeks to get ready for the post-season. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy last season, so he will look to win two in a row this year.
Teravainen will slide out of the lineup in the second game of a back-to-back which means Peter Regin will dress. #TeuvoMania has averaged 12:44 TOI with no shots, no penalty minutes and no points in his first two NHL games. He is not showing up on the stat sheet yet, but the Blackhawks are pleased with the young Finns playmaking ability and are simply giving him the night off.
