Latest on injuries?
- Thread starter JonathanS
- Start date
So Shinkaruk, Perlini, Schoonbaert and Brandt all training today on ice with the Canucks. Brandt back tomorrow of course. Expect the others to be returning/available to the Devils imminently - perhaps for the cup final. Pete has some decisions to make as to whom to scratch. But with those four back on the ice it surely means that Reid Duke is the player who’s on the IR and out for the season. I think the team is really missing him so that’s such a shame as he was so good to watch.
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It remains a mystery. On ice training of course doesn’t mean fit enough to play, especially with a shoulder injury. An article in a programme a few weeks ago said Shinkaruk and Brandt would be expected back around the same time. at the Q & A Todd said Duke’s knee injury was likely to be a 6 week lay off (from a game on 5.2.25). So both could be near to playing again possibly. On ice training would be good for Shinkaruk even if he’s not ready to play.
Apologies to anyone reading who’s not really interested in the fine print of all this, but getting to the nitty-gritty bit, to have signed Ben Almquist we have to have a player on the IR. That player can only be Hunter Shinkaruk or Reid Duke.
If that player is Reid Duke, he’d be out for the season and Shinkaruk would be free to return when he is fit if Pete wants him to play. But if the IR player is Shinkaruk, his IR could be back dated to mid December and he’d now be eligible to play again if we took him off the IR. But to remove him from IR would then mean we either have to release Almquist given he’s the IR cover, or switch Duke onto the IR, ruling him out for the season.
So maybe either Shinkaruk has had a set back or is still unable to play, or the management decided to put Shinkaruk on the IR list to allow them to keep the possibility of Duke returning open, in other words hedge their bets on both players to see who’d be ready first thus deferring their decision on who to rule out for the season.
Finally, theoretically if it’s Shinkaruk in the IR and if he and Duke both get fit, there could be a small chance of both returning to line up but only if the Devils then release Almquist as the IR cover.
With just three weekends of league fixtures plus two of play offs left, hopefully we see if one or both of these players come back. Personally I’d just like an update on one or both players to set my level of expectation accordingly.
Apologies to anyone reading who’s not really interested in the fine print of all this, but getting to the nitty-gritty bit, to have signed Ben Almquist we have to have a player on the IR. That player can only be Hunter Shinkaruk or Reid Duke.
If that player is Reid Duke, he’d be out for the season and Shinkaruk would be free to return when he is fit if Pete wants him to play. But if the IR player is Shinkaruk, his IR could be back dated to mid December and he’d now be eligible to play again if we took him off the IR. But to remove him from IR would then mean we either have to release Almquist given he’s the IR cover, or switch Duke onto the IR, ruling him out for the season.
So maybe either Shinkaruk has had a set back or is still unable to play, or the management decided to put Shinkaruk on the IR list to allow them to keep the possibility of Duke returning open, in other words hedge their bets on both players to see who’d be ready first thus deferring their decision on who to rule out for the season.
Finally, theoretically if it’s Shinkaruk in the IR and if he and Duke both get fit, there could be a small chance of both returning to line up but only if the Devils then release Almquist as the IR cover.
With just three weekends of league fixtures plus two of play offs left, hopefully we see if one or both of these players come back. Personally I’d just like an update on one or both players to set my level of expectation accordingly.
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I am sure I am not the only one in this particular boat, but is anyone able to proffer any explanation as to why the club haven't put Shinkaruk on the injured reserve list?
The stats suggest he's played a total of four games in the whole season to date, and other posts comment that he's recently been on ice skating with the Cannucks.
What would be the disadvantages to the club of using the IR list? - HS's injury has lasted way longer than 4 weeks?
The stats suggest he's played a total of four games in the whole season to date, and other posts comment that he's recently been on ice skating with the Cannucks.
What would be the disadvantages to the club of using the IR list? - HS's injury has lasted way longer than 4 weeks?
The rules this year are different and a player on IR cannot play for 90 days (not 4 weeks). That said, as BigFan has described, there are still plenty of possible scenarios with HS, RD and Ben Almquist. Now, even if it turns out that both RD and HS are out longer term it is too late to bring in another reserve because the deadline has passed.