Snapshots: Drysdale, Thompson, Lee, Draft Lottery, Playoffs
18/04/2024 04:00
It was a tough season for Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale as he battled injury woes at multiple parts of the year. Speaking with reporters today (video link), the blueliner indicated that when he was in the lineup, he was often playing hurt and that he might need a procedure done this summer to get back to full health for next season. The 22-year-old was the centerpiece of the return they received for Cutter Gauthierback in January but he was limited to just 24 games with his new team and 34 on the season, a year after playing in only eight contests in 2022-23. Drysdale is still viewed as a key piece of Philadelphia's future and they'll certainly be hoping that he can not only stay healthy but be an impactful player next season.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- During his end-of-season media conference (video link), Sabres GM Kevyn Adams indicated that the lower-body injury that Tage Thompson sustained in Monday's season finale against Tampa Bay will take a few weeks to heal. Accordingly, he won't play for Team USA at the upcoming Worlds. After a slow start to his year, Thompson wound up collecting 29 goals and 27 assists in 71 games, an output that was down from the past two seasons but was still good enough to finish with three points of the team lead.
- Islanders winger Anders Lee was a late scratch for their game tonight against Pittsburgh but it wasn't for injury reasons. Instead, the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran was scratched for personal reasons. Lee's season comes to an end with 20 goals and 17 assists in 81 games. He also chipped in with a career-high 176 hits despite having his lowest ATOI (15:34) since the 2016-17 campaign.
- The draft lottery will be held on either May 6th or 7th, pending finalization of the first-round schedule, relays David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). The lottery will set the order for the first 16 selections for the upcoming draft in June.
- The league announced the first game for each of the four Eastern Conference playoff series. Two series will begin on Saturday and two on Sunday. The full schedule for each series will be released at a later date. Heading into tonight's action, three of the four series in the West weren't set so those schedules aren't likely to come for another couple of days.
