It’s every organization’s and fan’s worst nightmare: to see one of their marquee players or promising youngsters get hurt in a game that doesn’t matter in the standings.
However, it’s a nightmare that’s become reality for a number of clubs this preseason, as stars and top prospects alike seem to be dropping like flies as they try to gear up for the 2024-25 regular season.
Doughty, Laine Among Notable Players Out Long Term; Many More Injured
2024 first-overall pick and San Jose Sharks rebuild cornerstone Macklin Celebrini and New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin are two of the latest to make exits due to injury.
Against Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 1, Celebrini was tripped by Kevin Stenlund on a breakaway attempt and crashed into the end boards. He played one more shift but then left the game with a lower-body injury. Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky didn’t provide an update after the game.
Against the New Jersey Devils on the same night, Panarin, who had 120 points last season, suffered a lower body injury just four shifts into the game and was forced to leave. Like Warsofsky, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette didn’t have any news to share on the severity. The clubs are in much different positions — the Sharks finished dead last in the NHL last season while the Rangers are a Stanley Cup contender — but both will hope the injuries are minor.
Three players who did not escape with minor injuries are Drew Doughty, Patrik Laine, and David Reinbacher. Doughty, the long-time Los Angeles Kings defenseman and a Norris Trophy winner, broke his ankle in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sept. 25 and had to have surgery. The veteran is expected to miss most of the season and his absence leaves a big hole on the Kings’ blue line.
Laine, the pure sniper who was traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Montreal Canadiens this summer and was looking forward to a fresh start with his third NHL club, took a knee-on-knee hit from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Cedric Pare on Sept. 28 and sustained a knee sprain as a result. He won’t need surgery, but will be out for at least two to three months nonetheless. It’s a tough situation for the Finn, who was selected second overall in 2016 by the Winnipeg Jets but struggled with injuries over the past two seasons and spent the majority of the 2023-24 season in the NHL Player Assistance Program.
Laine’s teammate, top defensive prospect David Reinbacher, could not avoid going under the knife. The 2023 fifth-overall pick suffered a knee injury the same night against the Maple Leafs on what looked like an innocuous hit along the boards from Marshall Rifai. Reinbacher, who was set to make his NHL debut this season, will instead spend the next five to six months rehabbing. Losing Laine and Reinbacher could be a big blow to the Canadiens’ fortunes this season.
Related: Injury to Canadiens’ Reinbacher Hits Harder than One to Laine
The Maple Leafs didn’t escape that game healthy either, as top forward William Nylander was injured by friendly fire after Nicholas Robertson, who may not even be on the team by the time the regular season starts, gave Nylander a stick push on his backside. The unexpected Nylander fell forward and take an opponent’s leg to the head. Thankfully, the winger who had 98 points last season avoided serious injury.
The issue really seems to be becoming an epidemic. Also Oct. 1, in addition to the aforementioned Celebrini and Panarin, a trio of Ottawa Senators left the game against the Canadiens: top-four defenseman Thomas Chabot, young sttar Tim Stutzle, and captain Brady Tkachuk. The play that knocked Stutzle, who had 70 points last season, out of the game was especially egregious: it was the result of an open-ice headshot from enforcer/defenseman Arber Xhekaj. Tkachuk was injured after fighting Xhekaj.
Senators head coach Travis Green said that all three players would be evaluated Oct. 2, but didn’t provide an update other than that.
Can Anything Be Done About This?
Hockey is a fast game — faster than ever — and with bodies, sticks, and the puck flying around, the reality is that any player could get injured at any time (except apparently Phil Kessel.) Having star players on the shelf for extended periods isn’t good for the game or fan interest. So, the question becomes, can these types of preseason injuries to big-name players be avoided?
The NHL could reduce the number of preseason games played (teams generally play between six and eight.) Some pundits have called for such a reduction, but management teams and coaching staffs probably wouldn’t like the idea. A massive part of preseason is dedicated to evaluating young talent and there’s no better way to evaluate prospects and give them a chance to make an impression than to put them into game action. Then, there’s the economic side: ownership groups want as many home dates as possible to bolster their bottom lines with ticket, food, and merchandise sales. They don’t care if those home dates are preseason, regular season, or playoff games.
Teams could decide to simply not play their stars, or any guys who aren’t fighting for lineup spots, in games that don’t matter. NHL players keep themselves fit in the offseason and don’t need to be whipped into shape in training camp like in the 1970s and 80s. However, it’d also be unreasonable to expect stars to play well in the first part of the regular season if they weren’t given at least a preseason game or two to get up to speed, and putting them in cold could just kick the injury can down the road.
Keeping players out of the lineup also doesn’t totally prevent injuries. For example, Jets defensemen Ville Heinola and Logan Stanley both needed surgery to repair issues sustained in non-game contexts: Heinola to take out an infected screw from the ankle surgery he had surgery on last season, and Stanley to repair a meniscus injury he sustained working out off ice. They are both out for at least a month.
Related: Ville Heinola’s Recent Injury Leaves Winnipeg Jets With New Problems
The NHL could mandate referees to be stricter in preseason, especially since some players on the bubble are tempted to play a little more on the edge to stand out. However, more penalties wouldn’t have prevented any of the injuries covered here.
Hope is not a plan, but it seems just about the only thing teams can do: hope they get through preseason relatively unscathed so they aren’t at a disadvantage when games start counting for real. That hope has already been dashed for several clubs and will probably be dashed for more: the regular season — other than two games in Prague, Czechia on Oct. 4 and 5 — doesn’t start until Oct. 8 and there are still preseason games through Oct. 7.