Ice Chips: Draisaitl roughly a week from return, McDavid out longer

Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.

Edmonton Oilers

Leon Draisaitl took to the ice at practice with the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday morning, TSN's Ryan Rishaug reports.

Rishaug notes that Draisaitl is not expected to return to game action for the Oilers until at least the weekend.

The 29-year-old forward has missed Edmonton's last two contests after sustaining an undisclosed injury in a game against the Utah Hockey Club on March 18.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch initially told reporters last week that Draisaitl would be out for "up to a week" after suffering the injury.

Joining Draisaitl on the sidelines Wednesday is Connor McDavid, who remains out after sustaining an upper-body injury on March 20.

Knoblauch revealed that Draisaitl's return would be followed by roughly a week by McDavid's as the two superstars look to get back in the lineup with just 12 games remaining before the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Cologne, Germany native leads the NHL with 49 goals this season and is currently tied for second with 101 points through 69 games this year.

He was selected with the third overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, and has recorded 396 goals and 555 assists through 787 games. He has also won the Art Ross and Hart Trophies, both coming back in 2020.

Rishaug also notes that Trent Frederic, acquired by the Oilers prior the the March 7 trade deadline, appears to be "multiple weeks" away from skating with the team.

Frederic has not played in a game since Feb. 25 after sustaining a lower-body injury, and was placed on injured reserve just before being traded to Edmonton.

In 57 games played with the Boston Bruins this season, Frederic has registered eight goals and seven assists for 15 points.

The Oilers are back in action Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars.

They currently occupy the third spot in the Pacific Division, and sit just two points back of the Los Angeles Kings for second.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Cam Atkinson from the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch,  the team announced Wednesday.

Goaltender Brandon Halverson was re-assigned to the AHL in a corresponding move.

Atkinson, 35, appeared in 38 games for Tampa Bay this season, recording four goals and five assists for eight points in his first season with the team.

The Riverside, Conn. native is a 13-year NHL veteran that has skated in 807 games. In the 2018-19 season, he scored a career-high 41 goals while playing with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

A former sixth-round pick of Columbus in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Atkinson has registered 253 goals and 236 assists over the course of his career split between the Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Lightning.

He joined Tampa Bay on a one-year, $900K deal last summer, and is scheduled for unrestricted free agency at season's end.

Halverson, 28, has posted a 16-9-8 record with Syracuse this season to go along with a .913 save percentage and a a2.32 goals-against average. He earned an AHL All-Star selection in January.

The Traverse City, Mich. native made his season-debut for the Lightning in a 6-4 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday. He allowed five goals on 24 shots against.

Tampa Bay sit in third place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 41-25-5, and hold an eight-point lead over the Ottawa Senators for the first wild card spot.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Cole Sillinger and Jake Christiansen could make their return to the Columbus Blue Jackets lineup for Friday's matchup against the Vancouver Canucks, head coach Dean Evason revealed Wednesday.

Sillinger, a 21-year-old forward, has been sidelined since Feb. 27 with a shoulder injury. He was placed on injured reserve on March 4 and has missed the team's last 11 contests with the injury.

Through 54 games played this season, the Columbus native has scored nine goals and 20 assists.

He was selected 12th overall by the team in the 2021 NHL Draft, and has recorded 41 goals and 62 points in 274 appearances across the last four seasons with the Blue Jackets.

Christiansen, a 25-year-old blue liner, has been out since March 13, missing Columbus's last five games while dealing with an upper-body injury.

The West Vancouver native has appeared in 65 games for the Blue Jackets this year, scoring one goal and adding 13 assists.

He signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021, and inked a two-year, $1.95 million extension with the team this past January.

Columbus is currently just two points back of the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 32-29-9.

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils will be without Cody Glass for Wednesday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Glass, 25, has scored two goals and six points in eight appearances for the Devils since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the deadline.

The Winnipeg native did not travel with the Devils to Chicago as they begin a three-game road trip, but Keefe told team reporter Amanda Stein that Glass may still join the team at some point after Wednesday's game.

In 59 games played this season for the Penguins and Devils, Glass has scored six goals and 21 points.

He was the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and has totaled 35 goals and 57 assists for 92 points in 246 games across six career seasons split between the Vegas Golden Knights, Nashville Predators, Penguins and Devils.

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings have signed defenceman Jared Woolley to a three-year entry-level contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Woolley's deal is set to kick in at the start of next season and will run through 2027-28.

Los Angeles selected the 19-year-old blue liner with the 164th overall pick in the  2024 NHL Entry Draft.

He spent two seasons playing for the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights, where he totaled nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points in 68 games across the last two seasons.

A native of Port Hope, Ont., Woolley appeared in all 16 games for the Knights in the 2024 OHL Playoffs, helping his team to the J. Ross Robertson Cup in a four-game sweep over the Oshawa Generals.