NHL Rumors: Draisaitl, Oilers, Maple Leafs, Duclair, Islanders

While the cause of the injury remains unclear, Draisaitl was seen skating gingerly after stepping on a puck and took several awkward falls before leaving the ice visibly frustrated. The hope is that it’s nothing serious and perhaps a minor groin injury that is nothing more than a day-to-day concern.

Draisaitl had recently returned from a lower-body injury, raising concerns that this could be a re-aggravation—or potentially a new core issue, as Bob Stauffer speculated during the second intermission of Thursday’s game.

With Connor McDavid, Mattias Ekholm, Stuart Skinner, Trent Frederic, and Evander Kane already sidelined, the Oilers can ill afford another loss this close to the playoffs.

Berube to Rotate Maple Leafs Goalies?

Both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll have earned consideration to get starts in the playoffs, but Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube hasn’t made up his mind yet. When asked if he might rotate the two netminders, he responded:

“I’ve had to put goalies in situations, but [a rotation is] something I’ve never done. It’s always a question we’ll discuss and go over. Maybe we already have. We’ll see.”

Stolarz has more playoff experience, having played on the Florida Panthers’ roster that won the Stanley Cup. That alone might give him the edge when it comes to the Leafs choosing who to run with.

Duclair Taking Time Away from the Islanders

Patrick Roy was not happy with Anthony Duclair’s performance in Tuesday’s game against Tampa Bay. He publicly thrashed the veteran forward, calling him godawful and saying that Duclair was lucky to be in the lineup. While some argued this was a bit excessive, others noted that a coach sometimes has to call a player out if nothing else works.

Duclair and Roy talked after the coach’s public comments, and it has been agreed that Duclair will take some time away from the team.

Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reported that “Patrick Roy says that he and Anthony Duclair had a long conversation this morning, a positive one. Duclair told Roy that he needed some time off to reflect, and Roy agreed to that. #Isles will give him all the time he needs.”

Considering Duclair has several seasons remaining on his contract, it might be too soon to suggest that he’s on the outs with management and the coaching staff, but this is not a great sign. Some are wondering if the two sides will try to move on this off-season and if the Islanders will look at trade options. Roy isn’t going anywhere, so if anyone leaves, it would need to be Duclair. That contract won’t be easy to move, even as the salary cap increases. Duclair has been anything but productive since joining the Islanders.