Training Camp Buzz: Hamilton misses Hurricanes practice

Welcome to the Training Camp Buzz. The 24 teams who will be competing for the Stanley Cup began training camp at their facilities July 13. The teams are scheduled to head to their respective hub cities (Toronto for the 12 Eastern Conference teams, Edmonton for the 12 Western Conference teams), on July 26, with the Stanley Cup Qualifiers set to begin Aug. 1.

Here's a look around the League at the latest from training camp:

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Carolina Hurricanes

Dougie Hamilton did not practice Thursday, one day after leaving practice early.

As part of the NHL Return to Play Plan, a team is not permitted to disclose player injury or illness information.

"He's a talented player, very unique in the offensive side of things," coach Rod Brind'Amour said of the defenseman. "He was certainly missed when he was out a large portion of the year. He's a huge part of the offense of our team. We're hoping that this isn't something that's long-term."

Hamilton broke his left fibula Jan. 16 and did not play again during the regular season but has been skating since May. He scored 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 47 games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

The Hurricanes acquired defensemen Sami Vatanen (New Jersey Devils) and Brady Skjei (New York Rangers) in trades Feb. 24.

"Skjei and [Vatanen] really have to figure out our system," Brind'Amour said. "But they're such good players that once the games get going, I think they'll be fine. Right now, there's still some teaching going on."

The Hurricanes will play the Rangers in a best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifier series in Toronto, the Eastern Conference hub city, starting Aug. 1. -- Kurt Dusterberg

Toronto Maple Leafs

Ilya Mikheyev was voted MVP of the Maple Leafs' five-game scrimmage series by the media.

The 25-year old forward, who has not played in an NHL game since Dec. 27 after surgery to repair a wrist injury sustained when he was cut by a skate against the New Jersey Devils, scored a hat trick in the final game.

"I thought he was excellent throughout this (training camp)," coach Sheldon Keefe said. "He more so than anybody is excited to be back here playing in a team environment, it's been a road from for him. He had a little extra jump throughout this scrimmage series, which was great to see, and I thought today was his best day. He and his line were really good, playing with lots of pace and making lots of plays."

Mikheyev, who scored 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 39 NHL games during his rookie season, is playing left wing on a line with center John Tavares and right wing Mitchell Marner.

Goalie Frederik Andersen faced Mikheyev in the scrimmage and said his shot is better than it was prior to the injury.

"He's been definitely working on his strength, but it seemed like it's helped him. He's definitely shooting it well," Andersen said. " … It's been great to see him back. We were very worried for him when he got injured and it's awesome to see him back looking as good as he has."

The Maple Leafs will play the Columbus Blue Jackets in a best-of-5 qualifier series in Toronto beginning Aug. 2. -- Dave McCarthy

Colorado Avalanche

Defenseman Cale Makar skated before practice, his first time on the ice since leaving practice Saturday.

"Having Cale back on the ice is a good, positive sign," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "He's back out there working out on his own and hopefully he's able to join the group here quickly and be ready to go when we get into Edmonton."

Makar, a finalist for the Calder Trophy awarded to the top rookie in the NHL, was Colorado's second-leading scorer with 50 points (12 goals, 38 assists) in 57 games. He missed 13 games because of separate upper-body injuries.

Center Nathan MacKinnon missed practice for the first time. MacKinnon, who led the Avalanche in scoring with 93 points (35 goals, 58 assists) in 69 games, is a finalist for the Hart Trophy (League MVP), Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players' Association) and Lady Byng Trophy (gentlemanly conduct).

The Avalanche will play in the round-robin portion of the Qualifiers against the Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights to determine seeding for the playoffs in the Western Conference. Colorado's first game will be against St. Louis in Edmonton, the Western Conference hub city, on Aug. 2. -- Rick Sadowski

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Minnesota Wild

Defenseman Matt Dumba did not play in a Wild scrimmage.

Coach Dean Evason said Dumba was "unavailable" and is not expected to practice Friday.

"No, there's no expectations. None," Evason said of the defenseman, who scored 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 69 games before the season was paused.

Forward Joel Eriksson Ek left the scrimmage early in the third period, and Evason had no update on his status. Eriksson Ek scored an NHL career-high 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 62 games this season.

The Wild will play the Vancouver Canucks in a best-of-5 qualifier series in Edmonton starting Aug. 2 -- Jessi Pierce

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New York Rangers

The Rangers will not name their starting goalie for the Qualifiers until the day before or day of their first game, coach David Quinn said.

Rookie Igor Shesterkin, Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev each has a chance to start when the Rangers play the Carolina Hurricanes. Game 1 of the best-of-5 series is in Toronto on Aug. 1.

"This really is and will continue to be an open evaluation," Quinn said. "There's a lot of things that go into how we're doing this."

Shesterkin, who appeared to take over as the Rangers' No. 1 goalie before the season was paused, has occupied his own net for the past two days of practice, with Lundqvist and Georgiev sharing the net on the other end, although Quinn said that wasn't an indication that a decision already has been made.

"We've got eight more days, nine more days until we play for real," Quinn said. "And those eight or nine days are going to matter." -- Dan Rosen

Philadelphia Flyers

Goalie Carter Hart did not practice with the Flyers for the second straight day but faced shots after a scrimmage.

"The reason we didn't put him in practice today was because it was a scrimmage and he hadn't skated for the last two days," coach Alain Vigneault said. "We felt it was smarter ... to put him out on his own and let him take a good number of shots and see how he feels. He came out and he feels real good. Everything should be good to go tomorrow.."

The Flyers had goalies Brian Elliott, Alex Lyon and Kirill Ustimenko available for the scrimmage. Ustimenko missed practice Wednesday.

Top-line center Sean Couturier did not skate after his wife gave birth Wednesday.

The Flyers will play the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals in the round-robin portion of the Qualifiers. Their first game is against the Bruins in Toronto on Aug. 2.

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Chicago Blackhawks

Jonathan Toews returned to practice.

The center was ruled "unfit to participate" Tuesday, missing a practice and a scrimmage, after leaving practice early Monday. The Blackhawks were off Wednesday.

"It really came down to maintenance. Nothing serious," Toews said. "Felt pretty good out there today and getting back to that place where you can take steps forward every day instead of having to take any steps back and do any damage. Felt pretty good, so it worked out."

The Blackhawks will play the Edmonton Oilers in a best-of-5 qualifier series in Edmonton starting Aug. 1.

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Boston Bruins

With Ondrej Kase having missed most of training camp, the Bruins could use another player in his spot in the lineup when the Qualifiers begin.

"We're down to two practices here before we get to Toronto, so he's got some catching up to do," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "So yes, if we feel that he's not caught up … that's the direction we'll go."

Kase, who was acquired in a trade from the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 21, had one assist in six games with Boston prior to the pause. The Bruins, who hoped he could play right wing on the second line, have rotated players in that spot during camp, including rookies Jack Studnicka and Karson Kuhlman. Anders Bjork, who has filled in for David Pastrnak on the top line, could also be an option.

Kase missed the first two practices of camp while completing quarantine requirements for players arriving from Europe before taking the ice July 15 after practice ended. He has missed each practice since then, being deemed "unfit to participate."

Cassidy said Bjork (58 games played this season) and Kuhlman (25 games) would be the top two choices. Kuhlman played eight Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Bruins last season.

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy and forward Joakim Nordstrom returned to pracice. Pastrnak, who missed the first two days of camp while in quarantine, has practiced once since training camp opened July 13.

The Bruins will play in the round-robin portion of the Qualifiers against the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals to determine seeding for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Boston's first game is against Philadelphia on Aug. 2. -- Amalie Benjamin