We’re into the final stretch of the 2024-25 regular season, with just 10 games or less separating the majority of clubs from the playoffs.
And even this close to the post-season, much of the playoff picture is still being pieced together. While the heavyweights have all but secured their tickets to the dance, there’s still seeding to be determined, division champions to be crowned, and the wild-card race in each conference is still very much alive.
Even beyond this final slate of the regular season, there’s another factor impacting our ability to get a sense of what the 2025 playoffs will truly look like — the injury list.
On either side of the bracket, there are key names still waiting on the sidelines, their potential returns looming over their clubs’ chances of stitching together a deep run this Spring. That in mind, for this edition of Playoff Push, we’re checking in on a few notable injury situations affecting playoff hopefuls in each conference, and how they might impact the post-season:
Florida Panthers: Brad Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk
The Panthers’ injury situation seems about to turn, with trade deadline acquisition Brad Marchand nearly ready to debut with his new club. The veteran’s arrival amounted to one of the more shocking deadline swings — in the weeks since, much has been made of what exactly the Cats could look like with the longtime Bruin in the fold, particularly with both he and Sam Benett working in tandem to bring misery on the opposition. An upper-body injury that knocked Marchand out of the Bruins lineup right before the deadline has delayed the fireworks, but it appears the former B’s captain is slated to make his return Friday, sporting Florida colours for the first time on a line with Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich.
Of course, the far more pressing question when it comes to the Panthers’ injury situation is that of Matthew Tkachuk’s status. The heart and soul of this Cats team, and one of its most prolific scorers, there’s no question Florida is feeling Tkachuk’s absence. The Scottsdale, Ari., native has been sidelined since early February — in early March, it was announced that he would miss the remainder of the regular season, with GM Bill Zito saying the club hopes to have him back for the playoffs. Just how quickly No. 19 can get back into the lineup once the playoffs begin, and how quickly he can find his level, will surely be key in determining just how far Florida goes in its title defence bid.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Max Pacioretty
With 10 games to go, the Maple Leafs find themselves in an odd position — sitting first in the Atlantic, poised to potentially win the division for the first time, but with key question marks still hanging over them. An uneven week has exacerbated the confusion around what these Maple Leafs are, Toronto registering a dominant win over Philly and also coming undone against two of the league’s basement-dwellers, Nashville and San Jose. There’s only so much head coach Craig Berube can change before the post-season arrives, but there is one interesting alteration that seems set to come once the playoffs begin: the return of Max Pacioretty.
The 36-year-old has battled through injuries all season since signing a one-year pact with the Maple Leafs, and he’s been on the shelf with an undisclosed ailment since early February. Pacioretty hasn’t necessarily lit it up when he has been in the lineup, but he’s put together some quality stretches when he’s suited up, adding some physicality to his game this season. And he looms as the best potential solution to the club’s biggest issue at present — a lack of cohesion or identity in the bottom six. The club’s cap situation suggests Pacioretty won’t be returning before the regular season concludes, but Berube suggested Friday there’s a good chance we’ll see him when the Maple Leafs take the ice in the first round.
Montreal Canadiens: Kaiden Guhle
It’s been two months since Kaiden Guhle suited up for an NHL game. In late January, the Canadiens defender went down with a lacerated quadricep injury, undergoing a surgery that seemed likely to end his season. It was a hefty blow for the Habs, Guhle eating more than 21 minutes a night on the Habs’ back end as a pivotal piece of their top four. But now, with Montreal holding on to a wild-card spot and looking likely to remain in the playoff mix come Game 82, it appears the 23-year-old could be nearing a return.
The Canadiens brass have been clear about their plan to practice patience with Guhle, to ensure they don’t rush him back and risk upending his recovery, or jeopardizing his long-term future. Still, earlier this week, the blue-liner took part in his first full practice with the team since January, and is travelling with the club on their road trip down south. There’s a fair chance the Canadiens will wait for Guhle to get more practices under his belt before slotting him back into the lineup, but all signs seem to point to the big-minute defender taking his place among the Habs’ top four, and providing a boost to the club’s blue-line corps by the time the post-season rolls around.
Dallas Stars: Tyler Seguin, Miro Heiskanen
The Dallas Stars might sit second in the Central, but there’s little question who ranks as the most-feared heavyweight in the West. Though the Jets have been rolling, and are sure to be a handful come playoff time, the Stars enter the post-season fresh off back-to-back trips to the Conference Final, with a squad that looks even more dangerous this time around. Much was made of Dallas’s big swings at the trade deadline, most notably the move to bring in Mikko Rantanen to bolster the forward corps. But two other key additions are waiting in the wings. For how dominant the Stars have looked of late, they’ve had to hold down the fort without two core pieces, as pivot Tyler Seguin and star blue-liner Miro Heiskanen have both been on the shelf for months. Key to the question of how far Dallas can go in 2025 has been that of when they might get their two All-Star talents back in the fold — and it appears we’ll soon find out, at least for one of the pair.
Seguin has resumed practising with the club, and is with the team on its current road trip, ramping up for a return. Beyond No. 91’s own impact, slotting him back into the lineup also potentially brings some balance to the rest of the Stars’ forward corps, with Seguin likely to return to his spot alongside Mason Marchment and Matt Duchene, moving the talented Mikael Granlund down to the bottom six. Heiskanen appears further away from a return, with head coach Pete DeBoer recently suggesting the blue-liner could miss the first round of the post-season. There’s no question getting the talented rearguard back in the lineup could be a game-changer for Dallas, but it’s fair to wonder how impactful he can be upon returning if forced to jump into the chaos of the second round after two months on the sidelines.
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl
Amid what’s already been a fairly hectic season in Edmonton, the Oilers faithful were given perhaps the last news they wanted to hear down the home stretch of the regular season: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have both been knocked out of the lineup. Neither situation seems overly serious, with head coach Kris Knoblauch suggesting both players could miss about a week in total. The captain has missed three tilts so far with the injury, while Draisaitl has missed four. The Oil have dropped to third in the Pacific, meanwhile, but with a seven-point lead over the club trailing them, Vancouver, they should be able to hold onto their spot and lock up yet another first-round date with the Los Angeles Kings while their offensive leaders heal up.
Bigger picture, though, it’s a worrying sign for these Oilers. The club has looked somewhat out of sorts all season, the absence of the pieces lost in the off-season apparent, and the newcomers brought in to replace them winding up less impactful than hoped. While Nos. 97 and 29 have largely done what they tend to do, stacking points at an all-world level, the team around them has looked less steady than the one that clawed its way to the Cup Final a year ago. Worst-case scenario, the rash of injuries to core pieces — defender Mattias Ekholm and netminder Stuart Skinner are dealing with minor issues too, but don’t appear set to miss much time — leaves the squad further unsettled as it heads into the post-season. Best-case scenario, the rest allows McDavid and Draisaitl to hit the ground running when the playoffs arrive.
Minnesota Wild: Kirill Kaprizov
The Kirill Kaprizov Era in Minnesota has been a rollercoaster to this point, the 27-year-old bursting onto the scene and pulling the Wild up as he’s made his name in the league, and 2024-25 has been no different. After missing the post-season altogether last year, the Wild have elbowed their way back into the mix, sitting fairly comfortably in a wild-card spot as the season winds down to its final month. But this time, they’ve had to do it largely without Kaprizov, who’s been sidelined since late January with a lower-body injury. Holding onto that spot and cementing their place in the post-season will have to come without Kaprizov too, it seems, as the dynamic winger doesn’t appear close to a return just yet.
That said, Kaprizov did resume skating this week — as did centreman Joel Eriksson Ek, who’s been out a month himself with a lower-body injury of his own. Head coach John Hynes made clear that the dual returns to the ice were part of the recovery process but not an indication that either player will be back in the lineup any time soon. The rest of Minnesota’s leadership group has done well in taking the club’s campaign on their shoulders to this point, but there’s no question the Wild’s post-season hopes hinge on No. 97’s return. Fighting off Vancouver and Calgary to hold onto a wild-card spot is one thing, but staring down a first-round matchup with either Winnipeg or Vancouver if they do get in, the Wild will need their talisman, Kaprizov, back to his high-flying ways if they hope to author an upset.
