Ice Chips: Avs Nichushkin out with lower-body injury
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Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.
Colorado Avalanche
Winger Valeri Nichushkin will not play in Friday's game against the New Jersey Devils due to a lower-body injury, according to head coach Jared Bednar.
Nichushkin, 27, has been one of the hottest players to start the 2022-23 season scoring seven goals and 12 points in seven games.
Bednar added that NIchushkin will make the trip to Finland for their games against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 4-5.
The 6-foot-4 winger signed an eight-year, $49 million extension with the Avalanche in the offseason.
Forward Martin Kaut will draw into the Avalanche lineup in Nichushkin's place.
The 23-year-old has not registered a points in four games with the Avalanche this season and has two goals and three points with the AHL's Colorado Eagles.
Ottawa Senators
Goaltender Cam Talbot is taking one step closer to returning with the Senators as he will join the club for their up coming road trip, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.
Talbot will not play during their two-game Florida road trip and head coach D.J. Smith said that Talbot is still a few weeks away on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-4 Caledonia, Ont. native sustained an upper-body injury prior to the start of the regular season and was given a five-to-seven week timeline.
Talbot, 35, was acquired by the Senators from the Minnesota Wild in the offseason and had a 32-12-4 record with a .911 save percentage and 2.76 goals-against average last season.
Defenceman Artem Zub will miss one-to-two weeks with an upper-body injury, according to Garrioch.
Zub, 27, played 21:14 during the Senators' loss to the Wild and has a goal and three points in seven games this season.
Additionally, defenceman Thomas Chabot missed Friday's practice for a maintenance day.
Chabot, 25, played 27:16 during Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild where he recorded a goal.
The 6-foot-2 defenceman has two goals and five points in seven games this season.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have assigned forward Will Lockwood to the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks on Friday.
The move makes room for defenceman Ethan Bear on the Canucks roster after they acquired him in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
Lockwood, 24, did not make an appearance in Vancouver and has an assist in four games in Abbotsford this season.
New York Rangers
Forwards Filip Chytil and Vitali Kravtsov skated with the Rangers during practice on Friday, according to Arthur Staple of The Athletic.
The 6-foot-2 centre wasn't feeling well by the end of a practice and will not travel with the team, according to head coach Gerard Gallant.
Chytil, 23, suffered an upper-body injury during Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets after colliding with Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger and was expected to miss at least one week.
The Kromeriz, Czechia native has two goals and three points in six games this season.
Kravtsov, 22, missed Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the New York Islanders with an upper-body injury.
The 6-foot-3 winger has yet to record a point in three games this season.
New Jersey Devils
Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood returned to Devils practice on Friday after missing Thursday's practice with an upper-body injury, according to team reporter Amanda Stein.
It appears that Blackwood will still get more time to rest as Vitek Vanecek is expected to start on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche.
Blackwood, 25, has a 3-2-0 record with a .871 save percentage and 2.81 goals-against average this season.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Defenceman Nick Blankenburg took part in the Blue Jackets morning skate prior to their game against the Boston Bruins on Friday, according to team reporter Jeff Svoboda.
Blankenburg, 24, suffered an upper-body injury during the team's 5-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday and missed Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes.
The 5-foot-9 defenceman has a goal and two points in four games this season,
Defenceman David Jiricek will make his NHL debut on Friday against the Boston Bruins.
Jiricek, 18, was recalled from the AHL's Cleveland Monsters on Wednesday after losing defenceman Adam Boqvist to a broken foot for six weeks.
The sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft has four assists in five games with the Monsters this season.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals have placed defenceman Alex Alexeyev on long-term injury reserve and loaned him to the AHL's Hershey Bears for a long-term injury conditioning assignment, according to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic.
Alexeyev, 22, has not played this year after having shoulder surgery in June and had a goal and 19 points in 68 games with the Bears last season.
The 6-foot-4 defenceman was drafted 31st overall by the Capitals in the 2018 NHL Draft and appeared in one game with the Capitals in his career.
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin did not practice on Friday due to a maintenance day, according to team reporter Daniella Bruce.
Larkin, 26, has been dealing with an upper-body injury and is expected to be available on Saturday for their game against the Minnesota Wild.
The 6-foot-1 forward has four goals and eight points in seven games this season.
Additionally, forward Oskar Sundqvist remains out of commission due to an upper-body injury.
Head coach Derek Lalonde doesn't expect Sundqvist to be available to the Red Wings on Saturday for their game against the Wild.
Sundqvist, 28, has a goal and five points in six games this season.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild have placed defenceman Dakota Mermis on waivers Friday for the purpose of assigning him to the AHL's Iowa Wild.
Mermis, 28, was injured during the preseason and has been cleared to return to action.
The 6-foot defenceman had three goals and 24 points in Iowa last season.
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes have placed defenceman Lukas Klok on unconditional waivers on Friday.
Klok, 27, was signed to an entry-level deal in July after playing last season with the KHL's Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk where he had five goals and 31 points in 44 games.
The 6-foot-1 defenceman also represented Czechia at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games where he registered two goals and three points in four games.
Klok appeared in four games this season with the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners but did not record a point.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Forward Jake Guentzel was cleared for contact on Friday and skated with the team during an option skate.
Guentzel, 25 has missed the Penguins last three games with an upper-body injury and will miss his fourth on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks, according to head coach Mike Sullivan.
The 5-foot-11 winger has three goals and five points in four games this season.