It is never easy to foresee the unforeseen. Injuries happen every day in the NHL, and here at Fantrax, our goal is 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 99 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.
Injury Updates
Centers
Jeff Carter being cleared for practice is music to Tyler Toffoli’s ears. The center may not be ready for another few days, or potentially a week. However, this is very positive news. Toffoli’s fantasy value goes up along with Tanner Pearson’s. Carter has been out for over four months. Let that sink in for a second. It may be the best deadline acquisition Los Angeles could have made. Keep an eye out to see how he is eased back into the lineup.
Tomas Hertl suffered a hand injury last Tuesday night. He is now on the injured reserve. That means Hertl is week-to-week. The best bet is to stream value centers from San Jose or look to Ryan O’Reilly or maybe even Derick Brassard, if possible. See who is out there on your waiver wire.
Dallas’ Martin Hanzal has general soreness again from the same injury that has plagued him all year. Water is wet. Hanzal has little or no fantasy hockey value.
Wingers
Nick Foligno is out 1-2 weeks with a lower-body injury. He suffered an injury late over the weekend, but he avoided a serious malady. The best bet is to stash him away on the injured reserve. This is an example of a player who could be out longer than anticipated. Don’t think this situation is similar to Chris Tanev’s. Just do not be surprised if it is closer to two weeks.
Chris Kreider could return as soon as the weekend. It just depends on his progression and if the winger has any setbacks. With New York’s extensive injury list, any news trending in the right direction is good news. How will Kreider perform is the question, and who will be left after Monday is a bigger inquisition. Stay tuned as the New York Rangers’ sale turns.
Travis Konecny hurt his foot on Tuesday night against Montreal. He was monitored and tested over the last 24 hours or so. The good news is that Konecny has a bruise and nothing more. Konecny probably will go tonight, and that is great news for his fantasy owners. They were enjoying quite a nice streak from him, and this time of year, injuries just spike! When positive news occurs, one is simply just thankful.
Defense
Erik Johnson hurt his shoulder and will miss the next several weeks. It looked like a dislocation/separation. Whether it is a collarbone or something else is still a question. Just know that Johnson has been placed on the injured reserve along with Anton Lindholm. Colorado takes a significant hit defensively, and Johnson was producing nice peripherals for fantasy owners.
Mike Green is day-to-day with Ryan McDonagh-like conditions. All joking aside, he is being kept from harming himself further in order to facilitate a potential trade. Green could be out of Detroit sooner rather than later, which would be a boost to his fantasy relevance. With Erik Karlsson trade rumors floating around, that could impact the two names mentioned. Watch where they may go to see if their values go up or down.
Goalies
Carey Price and Jonathan Bernier suffered upper-body injuries (concussions, basically). Price is day-to-day right now, while Bernier has been placed on the injured reserve. Montreal is falling in the standings, and no one would be surprised if the goalie (who already has had one lost season) is on the shelf for longer than expected. As for Bernier, he was at least a solid backup, and Semyon Varlamov owners should be cringing, as he cannot stay healthy, either.
John Gibson and Robin Lehner injured their groins recently and are both day-to-day. They are both situations to monitor, though Lehner seems closer to playing than Gibson. The Buffalo goalie does not have much fantasy value right now. However, a trade could change that, so Lehner is one to keep an eye on until Monday afternoon passes by.
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. Twitter will be a bit crazy on Monday and all the injury impacts and trades will be covered.