It is never easy to foresee the unforeseen. Injuries happen every day in the NHL, and here at FanTrax, our goal will be to help you try to stay on top of those maladies with our weekly Injury Report. Counting all the latest bumps, bites, and bruises, there were 86 players held out of lineups. Several of those are long-term injuries from a previous year. Those players are likely not going to return or have retired. Here are some of the more notable maladies out there and their possible prognosis, including an updated look at Boston’s David Krejci.
Injury Updates
Centers
Nolan Patrick will need to be watched closely, as he took a hit to the head on Tuesday night against Anaheim. He was in the press box not too long after (and in street clothes). Rumors suggest a concussion, and at the very least, the center was suffering from concussion-like symptoms. For now, he is day-to-day. However, do not be surprised if Philadelphia takes a slow-and-steady approach. Patrick was drafted second overall at the 2017 NHL Draft. Thanks to David Malandra Jr., this is how it happened. On the bright side for fantasy hockey fans, at least Patrice Bergeron is back. It has been reported that Patrick is on the ice at practice, so he may play Thursday. Stay tuned!
Boston’s David Krejci did suffer an injury last week. His upper-body injury may be better by Thursday, but it is best to keep an eye on David Pastrnak for more information. We are kidding … to a point. The oft-injured center feels like he is perpetually day-to-day. It is prudent to keep an eye on what Boston beat writers say. His fantasy value takes a significant hit. For better or worse, Boston needs him in the lineup. UPDATE: Krejci suffered a setback that will make him week to week. Now the back is acting up even worse. We will monitor this every week “As The Krejci Turns.”
Wingers
Patrick Eaves will be out for some time. This is not an injury but Guillain-Barre syndrome can be very dangerous. His condition has stabilized. However, his hockey career has been put on hold indefinitely. This was a player that scored 32 goals between Dallas and Anaheim last season. It is a significant blow and his cap hit was low in salary cap leagues. Eaves could be back in several months. That is the hope as this was caught so early by doctors. We here at FanTrax wish Eaves a speedy recovery.
Mikael Granlund is back for Minnesota. On the other hand, Jaromir Jagr has succumbed to a groin injury once again. The Calgary forward was just getting his legs back to full speed when the injury occurred last week. He might be back in the next week or two. One hopes this is not the beginning of an injury riddled season. Unfortunately, his “training camp” has been pushed back. Expect more news as the week goes onward.
Defensemen
Cam Fowler is now on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury last week. The expected recovery time is 4-6 weeks plus. Why do we say “plus”? There are some rumblings that Fowler may need surgery. So what could the injury be? There could be a wide range of issues. An MCL tear is the most likely. Possibilities of a torn meniscus or even more ligament damage also exist. Either way, the earliest Fowler will return is likely around Thanksgiving.
Some injury news came in, as Colton Parayko does have a hand injury. He is still day-to-day for now. Also, Troy Stecher was placed on injured reserve this week due to a leg injury. Furthermore, that will cost him a potentially extended period of time. It has been some kind of crazy this October.
Goalies
Roberto Luongo is on the injured reserve with a hand injury. The past few seasons have been a struggle for Luongo to stay healthy as he approaches 40. It is expected that he could be out for a month or so. An exact timetable has not been determined yet. Luongo may have torn ligaments in his thumb, as well. As a result, Antti Niemi was picked up off waivers to back up for James Reimer. The goalie’s fantasy relevance had been dwindling. This just hurts further.
The injury to Marc-Andre Fleury was more dangerous. Fleury could be back later this week. However, Malcolm Subban is now the latest goalie to go down with a malady, as he significantly injured his groin. If it is a slight groin tear, then that explains the 4-6 week prognosis given. It is up to Oscar Dansk now for the Vegas franchise. Dansk, by the way, stopped 29 of 31 shots as the Golden Knights won again on Tuesday night.
Chris Wassel is on Fantasy Hockey X every week and on various places throughout the internet. Follow him on FanTrax and Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS. A special thanks this week to nhl.com, Brian Metzer, Pete Jensen, Eric Stephens, Dan Rosen, and Selene Parekh of The Fantasy Doctors for all their information. Also, thanks to all the beat writers that make this column possible each week.