Before the start of the new season, it became known that St. Louis defender Tory Krug would not play in it. The defender will undergo surgery to correct pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle, and this became the last resort after attempts to fix the problem non-surgically. This whole situation was complicated by one of the fractures the defender suffered earlier.
Initially, even from St. Louis’ behavior on the free agent market, it was clear that the Bluesmen were preparing a trade or that one of their defensemen was injured. Signing 39-year-old Ryan Suter to a team that already had enough older defensemen seemed odd, but in the summer the team acquired Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who had already become a full-fledged NHL player, and then took Philip Broberg on the offer sheet. However, the Swede traded Alberta for Missouri after rumors that Krug could miss a year.
Tory Krug
Photo: AP Photo/TASS
After last season, Krug was already considered a candidate for a trade or buyout. The American defender came to St. Louis after the club failed to renew the contract with Alex Pietrangelo, but he was unlikely to have a chance to fully replace him – their playing styles and dimensions are completely different. In two seasons, the defender achieved a total of -57 in utility and in this period he is sixth since the end of the league – only players from teams in perestroika were worse.
The Athletic gave Krug a D-minus for last season, noting, “At points this season, Tory looked better than he did a year ago while playing through an injury-hit environment. His utility rating is by far the worst on the team, though, and the coaches periodically pulled him from the first power play to special teams, which has been problematic all year.” So Krug’s injury, oddly enough, partially alleviates the headache for St. Louis management — or at least puts it off for the season.
So, which NHL player will be on the roster this season, but won’t be able to take the ice?
Shea Weber (Utah) and Carey Price (Montreal)
This duo is now at different clubs, but it would be fair to talk about them together. It was Shea’s leadership qualities and Carey’s more recent brilliant performance that helped Montreal sensationally reach the 2021 final. After that, Weber never played again, Price played just five games and the Canadiens immediately fell apart after losing to Tampa.
Price is still entitled to a hefty contractual payout, even if it’s less than his $10.5 million cap hit — $7.5 million each this year and next. And even if the insurance company pays for it, the goalie is willing to waive the trade ban to make life easier for his quasi-hometown club. “In everyday life I feel normal, like I can still play hockey. But then I can do something and my knee swells up and it reminds me why I’m out of the game. Of course, I regret not being able to go on the ice, but I completely understand why it doesn’t work,” the goalie told the NHL website in the fall.
Weber is now even Utah’s second-highest salary-impacted player after Mikhail Sergachev, but in terms of salary, he will receive another million this year and next. The legendary defender was inducted into the Hall of Fame even when he was formally under contract with an unnamed club, but the electors decided to turn a blind eye. Unlike Price, Weber has already played quite a bit of hockey; according to his friends, the defender is now relaxing.
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Nicklas Bäckstrom and TJ Oshie (Washington)
In November 2023, the Swedish center suspended his NHL career due to an injury situation. However, this did not stop Bäckström’s native Swedish club Brunhes from showing interest in him – even if Bäckström had played a couple of games for the club, this would have served as a powerful PR factor. However, for now this remains only on paper, and the Swede has most likely already played his last game. Bäckström has already denied rumors that there is no injury and that the reason for it all was a conflict with the coach.
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One of America’s top bullies has told the unpleasant details of his injury: “A broken arm is like a hangnail compared to what I experience in my back. If I don’t play [из-за болей в спине]”I usually literally lie on the floor and urinate in water bottles.” At the same time, now the “capitalists”, who bought a lot in the summer, exceed the maximum limit, and the simple transfer of Bäckström to LTIR does not solve this problem – they need someone else. And although Oshie said in July that he was feeling better and hoped to return, the club is unlikely to push the 37-year-old striker to play this year.
TJ Oshie
Photo: Tom Brenner/AP Photo/TASS
Ryan Ellis (Philadelphia)
The Canadian guard was supposed to be one of the most important figures in the Philadelphia restart, which Chuck Fletcher orchestrated in the summer of 2021. Unfortunately, almost every step of his has ended in a major failure. Ellis’ injury rate has been known for a long time and this clearly influenced the exchange price; however, hardly anyone could have imagined that Ryan would only play four games in the orange uniform. Due to severe damage to the psoas muscle, Ellis cannot even teach his children to skate, his return to the ice is completely ruled out.
Tucker Pullman (Vancouver)
During the massive spread of the Omicron strain, the Vancouver defenseman had to be removed from the game directly due to a positive Covid test. Perhaps this is one of the main events in the career of an honest security officer for the third pair. Unfortunately, Pullman has not played hockey since October 2022, and the reason is migraines and headaches. The same reason recently forced Nolan Patrick, the second draft pick, to retire from hockey, and considering the brain diseases that often develop in hockey players after the end of their careers, this may be a reason for serious treatment.
Robin Lehner (Vegas)
The Swedish goalie became the reason why Vegas parted ways with living legend Marc-Andre Fleury three years ago in the most confusing and ugly way possible, without even notifying him of the trade. The Swede’s only season as the Knights’ primary goalie was a failure for the Club: a tsunami of injuries affected almost every team official. The Swede missed the entire penultimate season due to hip surgery; before the start of last year, the general manager was already talking about three operations. While Robin was recovering, he was involved in one of the most unusual bankruptcy cases in history: his snake farm went bankrupt. It sounds funny, but a $27 million debt is no joke.
Robin Lehner
Photo: David Becker/AP Photo/TASS
Jesper Fast (Carolina)
The Swedish forward and former teammate of Artemy Panarin on the Rangers is a fairly exemplary worker for Carolina during the Brindammore era, playing in the youth ranks and on the second minority special team. There were no serious health problems in Fast’s career, but he will miss the entire upcoming season due to neck surgery. Carolina has people to replace them: the Hurricanes signed enough role forwards in the summer.
