In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Edmonton Oilers have revealed that defenseman Darnell Nurse will miss 5-10 days after being hit by Ryan Reaves. Meanwhile, Calle Jarnkrok underwent hernia surgery and will be out indefinitely for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Will the team use LTIR to try and replace him at the NHL Trade Deadline? Taylor Hall says he was shocked by the Blackhawks decision to scratch him from the lineup. Finally, there is some waiver news as Kasperi Kapanen was waived by the St. Louis Blues and Jack Campbell cleared with the Detroit Red Wings.
Nurse Out 5-10 Days
Reports after the hit Darnell Nurse took from Ryan Reaves was that he was walking around and joking with trainers. That led fans to believe Nurse might not miss much time, if any. Unfortunately, the blueliner will miss some action as head coach Kris Knoblauch revealed that it is expected Nurse will sit for 5-10 days.
That means he won’t be in the lineup on Monday night as the Oilers take on the Montreal Canadiens, Tuesday night versus the Ottawa Senators, and likely later in the week versus the Minnesota Wild. Knoblauch made it sound like Nurse was progressing well, but the scare of the injury has given the Oilers reason to take things cautiously.
Related: Head Hits and Hockey’s Future: What Reaves’ Suspension Means for the NHL
Josh Brown was called up from the AHL and will get into the lineup as the extra defenseman, with the Oilers going 11-7. Viktor Arvidsson is also still not back in the rotation, despite the belief he would have returned for the Oilers over the weekend.
Ryan Reaves was suspended for five games by the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Jarnkrok Out Indefinitely for the Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that forward Calle Järnkrok has undergone groin and sports hernia surgery, and will be out of action indefinitely. Jarnkrok sustained an injury during the preseason and has not yet made his 2024-25 season debut. He consulted a specialist and it was determined that surgery was the best move.
At this point, he’s month-to-month, with no timeline set to get back into the lineup. This likely means the Maple Leafs would place him in LTIR most of the season and he may not get back before the playoffs, if the Leafs get in. That would give them extra cap space to use at the trade deadline to replace him or fill a hole elsewhere.
Taylor Hall Surprised by Scratching
As per a report by Charlie Roumeliotis, Taylor Hall did not see his being pulled from the lineup coming. Roumeliotis tweeted, “Taylor Hall was caught off guard by Saturday’s healthy scratch: “I was surprised by it. It was unexpected from the standpoint of I just didn’t know I was even close to being in that spot, really. If there were some conversations in the days leading up about my game or if I was constantly being shown video it would be one thing, but I was a bit surprised.”
Waiver News Includes Kasperi Kapanen and Jack Campbell
The St. Louis Blues have placed forward Kasperi Kapanen on waivers. Meanwhile, Jack Campbell has cleared waivers and will report to Grand Rapids of the AHL.
Kapanen has struggled with just one goal in 10 games for the Blues this season. He’s making $1 million, so it is possible that a team could take a shot on him if they think he still has some offense in his game. However, his production has declined in the past several seasons. Campbell just exited the NHL’s Player Assistance Program and the Detroit Red Wings placed him on waivers on Sunday. Campbell is hoping to resurrect his NHL career, but has some hurdles to jump, including an overloaded goaltending situation in Detroit.