The NHL season has just picked up speed, and some teams’ injury lists are growing at an alarming rate. And what is especially unpleasant for coaches is that players are increasingly being eliminated not because of collisions on the ice, but for much more banal and at the same time unexpected reasons. One such episode was the case of Russian St. Louis striker Alexei Toropchenko: the forward found himself out of the game due to burns to his legs received… at home.

And this is far from the only strange injury in recent weeks – Jack Hughes and Etu Luostarinen are also missing matches after domestic incidents.

Accident at home. What happened to Toropchenko

“St. Louis” reported that Alexey Toropchenko was placed on the injured list: the forward had burns to his legs resulting from a domestic incident. According to the club, we are talking about scalding, the player will miss several weeks. That is, no one gives exact dates, but there is no hope for a quick return.

For the Blues, the loss is not fatal, but it is noticeable. This season, the Russian played 17 matches, scoring a goal and an assist. In total, he already has 276 games for St. Louis in the regular season and 62 points (31+31). A stable, reliable forward who is counted on every night.

Alexey Toropchenko / Photo: © Dilip Vishwanat / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Due to the personnel gap, St. Louis had to urgently raise Aleksanteri Kaskimaki from the AHL. And that’s not the only loss: rookie James Snaggerud is out for six weeks with a wrist injury and will require surgery. The club is already only 13th in the West (25 points in 26 matches), and now the depth of the squad is approaching zero.

Injury at a team dinner and burns at a barbecue

If the story with Toropchenko sounds unusual, then the case of Jack Hughes looks completely surreal. The New Jersey forward slipped during a team dinner and cut his hand, so badly that finger surgery was required.

Before the injury, Hughes was in fantastic shape: 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 17 games, an offensive leader and one of the NHL’s top young stars. He is now out for eight weeks with a follow-up appointment scheduled for the sixth. The Devils, to put it mildly, did not expect to lose Hughes due to a slippery restaurant floor.

Jack Hughes / Photo: © Michael Reaves / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Another episode – no less unexpected. Florida forward Etu Luostarinen burned himself during a barbecue and was also out for several weeks. Head coach Paul Maurice confirmed that no major medical intervention was required, but the player’s return will depend on how comfortably he can put the equipment on the injured areas. Luostarinen managed to score 10 points (3+7) in 18 matches and was an important element in the lower lines.

Why are there more and more ridiculous injuries in the NHL?

On the one hand, accidents always happen – the players remain ordinary people who cook, rush, and relax. On the other hand, the concentration of such episodes in a short period of time looks almost abnormal: burns at home (Toropchenko, December 1), a cut at dinner (Hughes, November 15), burns at a barbecue (Luostarinen, November 19). It would have been funny if it weren’t for the consequences: all three were out for weeks, and in Hughes’ case, two months. For teams, these are serious holes in their lineups.

For the Russian, the coming weeks will be marked by recovery. While the club has not revealed exactly how long he will miss, but treating burns and returning to wearing equipment is not a quick process. St. Louis will be waiting for his return – the team needs depth in the lineup and a working forward who does a lot of unnoticed but important work. And fans can only hope that the series of strange domestic injuries in the NHL will finally end.