The Arizona Coyotes announced that center Derek Stepan is sidelined for 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.
Derek Stepan is down. This team and center injuries… Stepan gets up slowly and he’s not putting any weight on that left leg. Down the tunnel to the room.
— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) March 1, 2019
Derek Stepan Injured
At 17:29 of the third period the Coyotes were enjoying a double minor to the Vancouver Canucks Adam Gaudette for high sticking. The Canucks’ defenseman Ben Hutton and the Coyotes’ Derek Stepan both were chasing a loose puck into the left corner.
Stepan had inside position near the boards and Hutton went crashing into Stepan when it appeared that Hutton’s knee pounded into Stepan’s knee. Stepan went down immediately grabbing his left leg in severe pain.
He was helped off the ice by the trainer and captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson but wasn’t putting any weight on that left leg. He did not return to the game and the game recap show had no information on his condition.
So far this season, Stepan has scored 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points to go along with 14 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 50.6 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 2.0.
Over his nine-year NHL career, Stepan has played for the New York Rangers, and the Arizona Coyotes. He has 155 goals and 293 assists for 448 career points in 660 career games. He was originally drafted by the New York Rangers in the second round, 51st overall in the 2008 NHL draft.
Stepan came to the Coyotes in a trade with the New York Rangers during the summer of 2017. The Coyotes also received goalie Antti Raanta while sending New York defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and their seventh overall selection in the draft.
Rick Tocchet said C Derek Stepan suffered a lower body & will miss 4-6 weeks. Another major blow for a team that has suffered more than its share. AZ’s centers for the playoff chase: Richardson, Dvorak, Cousins, Kempe. More on this in The Neutral Zone on Saturday.
— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) March 1, 2019
What This Means for the Future
Another injury like this could really affect the strong play the Coyotes have been exhibiting lately. The 5-2 win against Vancouver was not only their fifth straight, but it also placed them just one point from a coveted wild-card spot. They also trail the third-place Pacific Division Vegas Golden Knights by just four points as the season starts to trickle down.
Losing Stepan is devastating, yet the Coyotes have survived all kinds of injuries this season… what’s one more to add to the stack? This will be a very tough 4-6 weeks for the Coyotes. Stephan has been crucial to the team’s success so far. The Coyotes will no doubt be looking to keep on buckling down as they hunt for a playoff spot.
They may also be looking to Tucson to fill that center position Stepan’s injury has caused. They just acquired center Emil Pettersson from Nashville and he has 37 points in 57 games in the AHL which leads the Tucson Roadrunners’ team in scoring.
Besides, they found a new scoring threat in Brad Richardson who tallied four goals in the Canucks’ game. That hasn’t been done since 1997 by former Coyotes’ great Keith Tkachuk.
