Monday’s injury board brought a possible Carolina return, a lengthy Seattle absence and several game-day calls across the league. Taylor Hall is back off injured reserve. Jared McCann is headed the other direction for the Kraken.
- Carolina Hurricanes: Taylor Hall was activated from injured reserve and is tracking toward a return against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Hall had been sidelined with an upper-body injury since Oct. 13, when he was hurt during the second period of a 4-2 win over Washington. He practiced Monday for the first time, skating alongside Jordan Martinook and Seth Jarvis after Carolina’s 3-1-1, five-game trip. “I think I’ll be in tomorrow, barring anything unexpected,” Hall said. He has three goals and two assists in eight games this season after recording 19 points in 19 playoff games during Carolina’s Stanley Cup run last spring. The Hurricanes also sent forward Skyler Brind’Amour to Chicago of the AHL.
- Los Angeles Kings: Center Quinton Byfield could be back when Los Angeles visits the New York Rangers on Monday at 7 p.m. ET. Byfield has missed two games with an upper-body issue and wore a noncontact sweater at Sunday’s practice. Coach Peter Laviolette said he was hopeful Byfield would be available. Byfield has one goal and one assist through seven games. Forward Mats Zuccarello, also dealing with an upper-body injury, will not play. He left Saturday’s 3-1 loss at New Jersey with 7:01 remaining and had already missed three games from Oct. 10-17. Zuccarello has one assist in six games.
- Calgary Flames: Mikael Backlund took the morning skate in a regular jersey and will be a game-time decision against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The veteran forward has missed two games since suffering an upper-body injury in Calgary’s Oct. 18 win against Carolina. He has a goal and an assist in eight appearances.
- Washington Capitals: No. 1 goalie Logan Thompson returned to practice Monday after missing Saturday’s 4-3 overtime victory against Buffalo with a lower-body injury. Thompson worked the opening 40 minutes of a practice that lasted close to an hour. Coach Spencer Carbery called it a positive development but did not know whether Thompson would be ready for Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m. ET. “We’ll see how he felt after that and we’ll see for tomorrow,” Carbery said. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun missed practice for maintenance, though Carbery expects him to be available Wednesday.
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Defenseman Chris Tanev joined a full team practice in a noncontact jersey before Monday’s game in Calgary. It was his first complete practice with teammates since an upper-body injury knocked him out during the first period against Colorado on Oct. 10. Tanev has one assist in six games. Coach Jim Hiller said the defenseman is progressing through the normal steps and could return “sooner rather than later.”
- Philadelphia Flyers: Rasmus Ristolainen will miss at least two weeks after aggravating an upper-body injury Saturday against Anaheim. The defenseman had just returned from a nine-game absence caused by the same injury and logged 14:34 with a team-high three hits in the 5-4 loss. Coach Rick Tocchet said Ristolainen was hit in an awkward area and reinjured it, calling it “a bad luck kind of injury.” Ristolainen has one goal in four games. Defenseman Cam York, out for eight games with an upper-body injury, practiced Monday and could be an option against Columbus on Tuesday or at Washington on Wednesday.
- Seattle Kraken: Jared McCann has been placed on injured reserve and is expected to be out for 10 weeks with a lower-body injury. McCann was hurt in Thursday’s 5-3 win against Utah and did not play in Saturday’s 5-1 loss to Minnesota. He has three goals, five assists and a plus-5 rating in 11 games. Seattle recalled forward Jani Nyman from Coachella Valley of the AHL.
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Evgeni Malkin, Egor Chinakhov, Justin Brazeau and Samuel Girard all practiced Sunday after sitting out Pittsburgh’s overtime win against Nashville a day earlier. Malkin missed the game because of illness. Chinakhov has been absent for two games with a lower-body injury. Brazeau has not played this season after being injured in a Sept. 21 preseason game. Girard, also dealing with a lower-body problem, was placed on injured reserve Saturday and has missed three games. Coach Dan Muse said all four players with the main group participated in full contact, though he offered no timetable.
- Utah Mammoth: Defenseman John Marino is now considered week to week with an upper-body injury. He had first been termed day to day after becoming a late scratch Oct. 19 against Pittsburgh. Marino has two goals, three assists, a plus-5 rating and an average ice time of 20:23 in nine games.
What it means for the next games
Carolina could restore Hall to its forward mix when Boston arrives Tuesday, giving the Hurricanes another scoring option after their road swing. Hall’s projected spot with Martinook and Jarvis gives the club a familiar structure if he clears final checks.
Los Angeles is awaiting Byfield’s availability for its Madison Square Garden visit, while Zuccarello’s absence removes another forward from the Kings lineup. Calgary will make its call on Backlund before puck drop against Toronto, and the Maple Leafs are still in the practice-progress phase with Tanev rather than at a return decision.
Washington’s crease remains the key watch before Wednesday’s matchup with Philadelphia. Thompson has resumed work, but the Capitals have not confirmed him for the Flyers game. Chychrun is expected to be ready despite sitting out Monday’s skate.
The Flyers host Columbus on Tuesday without Ristolainen and may have York back in the defense rotation. If York does not return at home, Wednesday in Washington is another possible target.
Seattle hosts Toronto on Wednesday without McCann, a significant loss in both production and two-way play. Nyman has been brought up as the Kraken look for help through a 10-week absence.
Pittsburgh has time to evaluate its returning skaters before hosting Utah on Thursday. Utah, meanwhile, hosts Minnesota on Tuesday without Marino, whose 20-plus minutes per night will be difficult to replace on the blue line.
