Evening Notes: Celebrini, Lilleberg, Draper, Sabres

San Jose captain Macklin Celebrini was ruled out last minute for tonight’s game in Dallas with an apparent lower body injury.

A headline which naturally caused concern across the Sharks faithful from the get-go, it appears precautionary. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reported that the superstar skated in warm-ups, but it was decided before puck drop to hold off. An 82-game player last year, it’s unclear how or when the ailment occurred, as the center is on fire with five points in two games, all helpers.

Even if just for one game until Thursday in St. Louis, it’ll be an interesting test to see how the new-look Sharks perform without their 115-point face of the franchise. Ty Dellandrea slots in against his former team, making his season debut on the third line. Alex Wennberg holds down the top line pivot role. Neither complementary piece are expected to do more than their normal duty tonight, so it’s youngsters like Michael Misa and Ivar Stenberg who can really step up, not to mention Igor Chernyshov who already has three points.

Updates won’t be hard to come by for Celebrini later on, but it’s safe to assume he’ll be back before long.

Elsewhere across the league:

• Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg will miss “about a week”, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters this morning, including Eduardo A. Encina of The Tampa Bay Times. Cooper confirmed the undisclosed injury happened when the Tampa bruiser fought Vincent Desharnais on Saturday night against the Capitals, which was suspected yesterday when he missed practice. Even without the 25-year-old third pairing regular, Tampa Bay is rolling with seven defensemen tonight as they host the Flyers, evident of their deep blue line. Maxwell Crozier, same height as the Swede at 6’3″ and equally physical, draws in for his season debut after being scratched so far. Charle-Edouard D’Astous is listed as their #7, after scoring the opening goal of Saturday’s win. Lilleberg should be on track for a return sometime around October 13 as the group travels to New York to take on the Rangers. The team is in fine position, already with eight capable defensemen on their roster, clearly comfortable playing all of them.
• As written by Max Bultman of The Athletic, Detroit Red Wings beloved former player and Assistant General Manager Kris Draper will oversee the team’s professional scouting department as changes continue to come to their front office. According to Bultman, the Wings have lacked anybody in the position officially since Mark Howe’s retirement five years ago. Draper has been involved with amateur scouting since 2019, no stranger to player evaluation to this point. Still missing an official general manager at a critical point where Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson want to move on, there’s a lot of trust placed in the four-time Stanley Cup champion to help seek out current professional players to target in possible trade packages. Assuming they’re eventually moved, both assets should command a haul, and Detroit has a chance to get back on track, putting the distractions in the rear-view. Whichever Red Wings scout noticed the center back in 1993, acquired for future considerations which are thought to be one dollar only to put together a storied 1,157 game career, the Toronto native has all the pedigree for his new role and will aim to have the same impact.
• Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff updated that Jason Zucker and Connor Timmins are nearing a return to practice, perhaps as soon as tomorrow, Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald reports. They’ll continue to be eased in with no clear timetable for an actual return. The forward Zucker is dealing with a sports hernia, first reported in mid-September, unable to play yet and expected to miss a “couple weeks”. Entering the final of his two-year deal with Buffalo worth $4.75 per, the California native was one of the key veterans who helped Buffalo finally break though last season, as he scored 24 goals in 62 games, on pace for one of his very best seasons. Timmins, meanwhile, broke his leg last December only to work his way back in late March. Shaken up in the preseason, the 28-year-old should return to his role as a trusted penalty killer. Timmins suited up for 39 contests last season in Buffalo, the second-most in his entire career to this point.