Monday LNN: Injuries Galore, Xhekaj Fined, Michkov Makes His Mark

Some Monday links, news, and notes from around the NHL in the final week of the preseason:

• On Thursday night, Drew Doughty suffered a fractured ankle and is month-to-month. It looked pretty bad at first glance, so it's unsurprising to see the longer timeline.
• Similarly, Patrik Laine was also seriously injured on Friday night, and this one looked even worse. Cedric Pare of the Toronto Maple Leafs stuck out his knee at the last second, which clipped Laine and his knee went...in a direction it shouldn't. It's also unclear how serious the injury is, but Dr. Harjas Grewal thinks it could be as good as week-to-week with a bone bruise or as bad as an ACL tear, which would be season-ending.
• Not long after that knee-on-knee, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj took matters into his own hands and pummeled an unwilling combatant in Pare. Because of that, Xhekaj was fined just $3,385.42, which was essentially a slap on the wrist. While Pare should have been able to back up his actions, it was pretty rough watching Xhekaj beat up a defenseless player who was laying on the ice, and I don't like the precedent that sets.
• Lastly on the injury front, John Gibson had an appendectomy, which is pretty awful timing and random for him. He'll be out for 3-6 weeks, getting back as early as late October.
• Phenom Matvei Michkov has played in three preseason games for the Philadelphia Flyers and already has three goals and three assists. His best game came on Saturday where he had two goals, including the overtime winner. He's going to be a star in this league.
• Kraft Hockeyville was another success for Elliot Lake, Ontario, with the Pittsburgh Penguins facing off against the Senators. Unfortunately, the rink in Elliot Lake is still under repairs so the game was played a few hours away in Sudbury, but the atmosphere looked incredible as always. It's great that these towns get to experience some NHL action and money to help their community.
• There are real NHL games this week! The Buffalo Sabres face off against the New Jersey Devils in Prague, Czechia on Friday and Saturday. Make sure to set those fantasy lineups.
• The Athletic staff gave their breakout players for each team this season ($). Unsurprisingly, Eric Duhatschek picked Shane Pinto, who has the potential to be a big part of this team.
• Also from The Athletic, Scott Wheeler ranked the top 114 players under 23 ($), and three Senators are featured—Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, and Ridly Greig, which makes perfect sense. It's a great read with a ton of insight and quotes from scouts.
• Michael Traikos from The Hockey News talks about why the NHL is somewhat fearful about the deferred contracts Jaccob Slavin and Seth Jarvis signed due to their complications and imitations down the line. It'll be interesting to see if teams besides Carolina follow suit.