When the Checkers took the Bojangles’ Coliseum ice this morning, it almost looked as if the team was having an optional skate, given the number of participants. But the reality was that the Checkers are simply dealing with an abundance of injuries.
“Guys are nicked up right now,” said head coach Mark Morris. “We’re pretty thin.”
Up front, the Checkers were missing Brody Sutter, Zach Boychuk and T.J. Hensick, all of whom played both games this past weekend. Morris mentioned after Saturday’s game that Sutter, who took a puck to the face in that game but returned with a cage on, would be getting some dental work this week, likely explaining his absence. The other two, however, did not leave either contest, making the origin of their injuries largely unknown. Morris didn’t have much to offer in the way of an explanation for them not practicing.
“I haven’t spoken to the trainer yet,” said Morris. “We’ll have to wait for the medical reports to see who will be ready for this weekend.”
Only four defensemen participated in the practice, with Danny Biega, Keegan Lowe and Tyler Ganly all sitting out. Biega, who missed both games this weekend, skated prior to practice with a yellow no-contact jersey, which is hopefully a good sign for his progress. At this point, he and Lowe, who exited Saturday’s game and did not return, are still question marks for the upcoming meetings with Milwaukee.
“I think [Biega] and Keegan are a little questionable for the weekend,” said Morris. “We’ll see how things unfold. I’ll have to get updates but right now it’s probably day to day. I’ll be talking to [trainer] Brian [Maddox] to see exactly where we stand.”
Morris had no update on Ganly, who was injured during warmups on Saturday and did not return.
Also missing from the back end was Justin Agosta, who was assigned back to the Florida Everblades this morning. Despite making his AHL debut in a hectic, shorthanded situation, Agosta caught the eye of the coaching staff.
“Agosta had a great outing,” said Morris. “He showed poise with the puck. I was encouraged by what I saw. He had a great opportunity and did a fantastic job in his first call up.”
The rookie will have the chance to get an extra game in tonight as the Everblades play in Atlanta, and could still be called upon again this weekend should the need arise.
“He was a guy in training camp who was just getting acclimated to things and we had to draw the line somewhere, so Ganly stayed and he left,” said Morris. “He impressed me with what I saw in that snapshot. He’s back playing games for Florida today, so we’ll see what happens from here. But he impressed all of us.”
While the status of several players is largely unknown and won’t become clear until later in the week, the Checkers will have to use this time to explore their options as to how to fill those spots on the roster. The two main choices are to recall prospects from Florida who are more familiar with the system in place here, or to bring in an outside player via a professional tryout contract, which would likely yield a more seasoned, established skater like Drayson Bowman and David Wohlberg. For Morris, both options are viable.
“In conjunction with [Everblades head coach] Greg Poss and [Senior VP of Hockey Operations] Derek [Wilkinson] and people in management, we try to identify people who are capable of helping us here in Charlotte,” said Morris.
The Checkers have already dealt with several lineup shakeups early in this 2015-16 season, though this coming weekend could shape up to be the biggest. The good news is that the team is deep to begin with. More than anything, a shakeup could give those players who have been healthy scratches a chance at finding and impressing in a new spot in the lineup.
“Every team has to have depth,” said Morris. “It’s important. It’s a long year and it’s a physical game. You need to have that type of support to endure throughout a hockey season. It’s the nature of the American Hockey League. You’re continually having to think on your feet and make adjustments as you have to in order to field a lineup.”
