Status check: Seguin's close, Zub isn't, Ovechkin is day to day
Six items from Wednesday's injury report, from Seguin's likely Friday return to a thin Ottawa blue line and Buffalo's two lost defensemen.
Wednesday's NHL status report read like a triage sheet. The good news: everything below is On the record, coaches and teams talking. No smoke in this one, just six items and what they do next.
1. Ovechkin is day to day, and Washington is calling it precaution. Alex Ovechkin left Capitals practice after 15 minutes Wednesday with a lower-body injury and may not play in the preseason, per NHL.com's status report. Spencer Carbery said it's "not too serious" and that the team isn't pushing it.
The read: Carbery's word is the only one on the record, and his word is precaution. I'd leave it there until the Capitals say different. File under: Housekeeping, for now.
2. Seguin is lined up for Friday. Tyler Seguin could make his preseason debut Friday against Minnesota, per Glen Gulutzan. It would be his first game since he tore the ACL in his right knee Dec. 2. Matt Duchene and Colin Blackwell skated Wednesday and could play Friday too.
The read: Dallas has waited since December to get Seguin back in a game. If he plays Friday, the Stars' opening-night lineup gets a lot simpler. File under: Good news, which this notebook doesn't get to say often.
3. The Rangers lose Adam Sykora for four to five months. The Rangers announced Wednesday that Sykora, 22, is out four to five months with a lower-body injury, per Daily Faceoff. He was hurt early in Monday's preseason game against New Jersey when a Mikael Diotte hit sent him into the boards.
What the numbers say: Sykora is in the last year of his entry-level deal at $961,667. He had seven points in 11 NHL games last season and 29 points at Hartford. The read: The depth chart will survive. The hard part is his, since this was the season to earn the next contract. File under: Extension watch, on hold.
4. Ottawa's blue line is thin, and that's the Canadian-market item. Artem Zub isn't expected to be ready for the start of the regular season with a lingering knee injury, per Travis Green.
Jake Sanderson didn't practice Wednesday and sat out the split-squad games. Jordan Spence was held out as a precaution. Warren Foegele skated for the first time, but Green wasn't sure about Saturday.
The read: Zub is the only one with a timeline, and it's the one that matters for opening night. If his absence drags, watch the Senators on the waiver wire. Ottawa is a market that doesn't wait politely for a blue-line answer. File under: Watch list.
5. Buffalo loses two defensemen in one preseason win. Mattias Samuelsson is week to week after blocking a shot in Tuesday's 5-1 win over Columbus, per the status report. Olen Zellweger is in concussion protocol after contact with Carson Soucy in his first game as a Sabre.
Lindy Ruff said "the elbow was down" on the Soucy play, per Buffalo Hockey Beat. Beck Malenstyn fought Soucy in the third anyway. The read: Ruff called it clean, which settles the discipline question. Buffalo paid a prospect and a second-round pick for Zellweger, and got half a game. File under: Housekeeping.
6. Housekeeping. Cale Makar is on track to play Friday against Winnipeg and says he's "in the best spot I've ever felt." Dan Vladar is day to day after leaving Tuesday's game in Boston. Rick Tocchet said the Flyers "dodged a bullet," and Vladar could play the Sept. 30 opener against Pittsburgh.
One note for the rumor file: none of this changes the Marchenko picture yet. Injuries in September move rosters. They move the trade market in November.
