Ice Chips: Tavares possible for season opener
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Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares took place in his second full practice since sustaining an oblique injury in late September and skated alongside William Nylander and Denis Malgin on the second line.
The 32-year-old continues to be cautious with the injury but says there is still a possibility he can play in the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens.
Tavares played 79 games last year, scoring 29 goals and adding 49 assists. Tavares has three years remaining on a seven-year, $77 million contract.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe announced that Matt Murray would be the starting goaltender on Wednesday, while Ilya Samsonov would play against his former team, the Washington Capitals, on Thursday.
The Leafs assigned the following eight players to the AHL's Toronto Marlies:
F Kyle Clifford
F Adam Gaudette
F Pontus Holmberg
D Filip Král
D Victor Mete
F Nick Robertson
F Wayne Simmonds
D William Villeneuve
Keefe also stressed that the decision to have Nick Robertson start the season with the Marlies was a salary cap decision, as he is waiver exempt.
The Leafs skated with the following lines at practice:
Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Nylander - Tavares - Malgin
Engvall - Kerfoot - Jarnkrok
Aston-Reese - Kampf - Aube-Kubel
Holmberg, Robertson
Rielly - Brodie
Muzzin - Holl
Giordano - Sandin
Kral - Villeneuve
Murray
Samsonov
Defenceman Jordie Benn and Timothy Liljegren have been placed on long-term injured reserve.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens assigned five players to the AHL's Laval Rocket on Monday, meaning 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, 2020 first-round pick Kaiden Guhle, and undrafted defenceman Arber Xhekaj will start the season in Montreal. Defenceman Jordan Harris, who played 10 games with the Canadiens at the end of the 2021-22 season, also appears to be starting the season in Montreal.
The Canadiens skated with the following lines at practice:
Caufield-Suzuki-Anderson
Slafkovsky-Dvorak-Gallagher
Hoffman-Dach-Monahan
Pitlick-Evans-Dadonov
Harris - Savard
Xhekaj - Guhle/Wideman
Mailloux - Kovacevic
Mike Matheson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury while Joel Armia has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Edmonton Oilers
Forwards Warren Foegele and Kailer Yamamoto skated at Monday's practice. While defenceman Philip Broberg was not on the ice. Head coach Jay Woodcroft said Broberg was kept off the ice for maintenance reasons.
Veteran Jason Demers has been released from his PTO.
The Oilers skated with the following forward lines:
Kane-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Holloway-Draisaitl-Hyman
McLeod-Nugent-Hopkins-Foegele
Hamblin-Shore-Ryan
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks skated the following lines in practice on Monday:
Pearson-Miller-Höglander
Podkolzin-Horvat-Garland
Kuzmenko-Pettersson-Karlsson
Joshua-Åman-Lazar
Extras: Boeser, Mikheyev
OEL-Poolman
Rathbone-Schenn
Stillman-Burroughs
Defenceman Quinn Hughes did not skate as head coach Bruce Boudreau says he is feeling 'under the weather' with a non-COVID illness.