NHL Injury Ripple Effects: Taylor Hall and John Klingberg Out, Andrei Vasilevskiy In
The Chicago Blackhawks announced Taylor Hall is expected to miss the remainder of the NHL season.
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As we reached American Thanksgiving, the landscape of this NHL season is beginning to take shape. For three teams in particular, though, revelations on the injury front have given them a clearer picture of how to move forward and how to handle the rest of the season.
On Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks announced former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall is expected to miss the rest of the season once he undergoes surgery on his right knee. Elsewhere, the Toronto Maple Leafs placed defenseman John Klingberg on their LTIR. Both teams are facing some interesting decisions moving forward.
On the flip side, the Tampa Bay Lightning placed goaltender Matt Tomkins on waivers, which indicates franchise netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy is very close to returning.
Here are the ripple effects for the Blackhawks, Maple Leafs and Lightning:
Chicago Blackhawks
Hall's injury is devastating for a team struggling to put offense on the board outside of superstar rookie Connor Bedard. Hall is not only a skilled offensive player, but he's a leader in Chicago's dressing room and a player who can relate to the weight of being a first overall pick in a pressure-packed market.
Hall suffered a shoulder injury earlier in the season that caused him to miss three games, and this latest injury will likely eliminate the rest of the season for the 32-year-old.
Although the offense has largely been in Bedard’s hands already, as the rookie leads the team in goals (10) and points (16), there is no doubt he is the leader in that regard now. That said, Bedard will need some help from others on the team, and Lukas Reichel and Philipp Kurashev have been skating on his wing. Reichel must rebound from a slow start, while Kurashev needs to continue to produce the way he has been, with 11 points in 11 games.
Nick Foligno and Corey Perry have been finding ways to produce as savvy veterans in the lineup, but with Perry’s absence from practice, his situation is a bit up in the air. Calling up someone like journeyman Joey Anderson or prospect Colton Dach could help provide a boost as well.
The Hawks weren’t expected to win this year, but the loss of Hall could make it hard to be competitive on some nights.
The Toronto Maple Leafs placed John Klingberg on LTIR.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
For Toronto, Klingberg has no timeline at the moment. The offensive Swedish blueliner wasn’t having a great start to the season, but he was brought in to provide some additional offensive pop from the back end and hopefully rejuvenate a career that was once highly regarded.
His absence in the lineup recently has seemed to bring some stability to the Leafs on the ice, but it also leaves a big hole on the back end. Simon Benoit and William Lagesson have been filling in admirably, but neither's locked down an NHL job in their career to this point, and a team hoping to contend would likely want a bit more stability and certainty.
Placing Klingberg on LTIR means the Maple Leafs have $3.376 million of remaining cap space with a maximum LTIR pool of more than $16.95 million, according to PuckPedia. It provides the Leafs’ front office with some flexibility for the time being.
They haven’t been able to carry a full 23-man roster since the start of the season, and this allows them to do so. If Klingberg’s injury is going to keep him out for the season, even with Timothy Liljegren likely to return in the new year from an ankle injury, Toronto is almost certainly going to be looking for an upgrade on the back end. Nikita Zadorov made headlines earlier this month following a game between the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs, as it was rumored he'd be interested in joining the Blue and White.
The Tampa Bay Lightning placed Matt Tomkins on waivers, which means Andrei Vasilevskiy is close to coming off LTIR and returning.
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Tampa Bay Lightning
Simply put, Tampa Bay getting back Andrei Vasilevskiy is a game-changer.
The all-world netminder has had an incredible workload over the last five-plus years, and his body finally showed some wear as he had back surgery eight weeks ago. Although it seems to be early on in the timeline for his return, he comes back to a club that weathered the storm and found a way to stay in playoff position despite his absence.
With a tandem of Jonas Johansson and Tomkins, the Lightning managed to go 9-6-5 to rank third in the Atlantic Division, albeit with three more games played than the fourth-place Maple Leafs and only one point separating the two.
Vasilevskiy will make a big difference if he returns to his former self. That said, Johansson's played fine enough to start the season, so the Lightning might not rush Vasilevskiy back to the workload he is accustomed to. Ramping up slowly may be in the cards for the former Vezina winner.
If Vasilevskiy can get back to form for the playoffs, the rest and recovery may do him well as he looks to help Tampa back into the Cup final after losing to the Leafs in the first round last year. There is a good chance he will get his chance for redemption in the first round this year, as the Leafs and Lightning could be post-season opponents yet again.
