Ice Chips: Zary at centre for Flames, Avs waive Wagner
Published
Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche placed forward Chris Wagner on waivers Thursday.
The 33-year-old has one goal in 12 games this season and carries a cap hit of $775,000.
The team also assigned Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko to the AHL's Colorado Eagles. The moves come as the Avalanche clear roster space for the returns of forwards Miles Wood and Jonathan Drouin, who were activated off injured reserve earlier in the day.
Calgary Flames
Flames forward Connor Zary moved to centre Thursday at the team's skate, reports TSN's Salim Valji.
He skated on the top line in between Jonathan Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich.
The 23-year-old has three goals and eight points in 17 games this season, his second in Calgary.
Here were their full lines, courtesy of Valji:
Huberdeau-Zary-Sharangovich
Pospisil-Kadri-Kuzmenko
Coleman-Backlund-Coronato
Lomberg-Kirkland-Rooney-Klapka (rotating)
Bahl-Andersson
Weegar-Miromanov
Bean-Pachal
Hanley-Barrie
Meawhile, the Flames are trying out some new power play combinations Thursday at their skate:
Andersson
Kadri Backlund Kuzmenko Pospisil
Weegar
Zary Sharangovich Huberdeau Coronato
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have recalled forwards Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Aatu Raty from the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, it was announced Thursday.
Vancouver will host the New York Islanders Thursday night.
The 20-year-old Lekkerimaki made his NHL debut Tuesday against the Calgary Flames, recording two shots and one hit in 14:07 of ice time.
Raty, 22, has one assist in seven games this season. He played 8:35 spread out over 14 shifts Tuesday night.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators are expected to start Linus Ullmark in net Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers as Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch reports he was first off the ice at the team's morning skate.
Ullmark backstopped the Sens to a 3-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday evening, stopping all 27 shots he faced. He has a .904 save percentage and 2.51 goals-against average in 2023-24.
Meanwhile, the Flyers will counter with Ivan Fedotov Thursday evening, the team announced.
Here were the Sens' line combinations, according to Garrioch:
Tkachuk-Norris-Greig
Giroux-Stutzle-Batherson
Gregor-Pinto-Amadio
Cousins-Gaudette-MacEwen
Perron
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Hamonic
JBD
Ullmark
Forsberg
Columbus Blue Jackets
Forward Kent Johnson was taking part in end-of-practice battle drills Thursday, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Portzline adds that it's a positive step toward his return but he does not yet appear ready to re-join the lineup.
The No. 5 overall pick from 2021 has been on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, having last played on Oct. 17.
He has two goals and three assists in four games this season.
New York Islanders
The Isles placed defenceman Mike Reilly on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, it was announced Thursday.
Reilly was ruled to be out indefinitely after originally suffering the injury on Nov. 1.
He has zero points in 11 games this season, averaging 15:45 of ice time per game.
Buffalo Sabres
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff ruled out leading scorer Tage Thompson and starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.
Both remain listed day-to-day and in position to return Saturday, when the Sabres travel to play the Philadelphia Flyers.
Thompson has 11 goals and 18 points in 16 games so far this season, while Luukkonen has a 6-4-1 record with a 2.83 GAA and .903 save percentage in 12 outings.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche have assigned forwards T.J Tynan and Nikita Prishchepov to the AHL's Colorado Eagles, it was announced Thursday.
The 32-year-old Tynan has one assist in seven games with the Avs while Prishchepov has zero points in six games this season.
Florida Panthers
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said via team reporter Rob Darragh that Sergei Bobrovsky will start Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, while forward Sam Bennett is a game-time decision but should be good to go.
Bennett missed Tuesday's game with an upper-body injury. He has nine goals and 15 points in 15 games so far this season.