Welcome back to the Weekly Wrap. This week we’ll talk about the line shuffle in Toronto; and injury updates, including Valeri Nichushkin, Joseph Woll, Tyler Seguin, Jack Eichel, Adrian Kempe, Mark Stone, Frederick Andersen, and Travis Konecny.
As always, we’ll cover the NHL’s stars of the week and cap the article off by covering a few hot and cold streaks.
Let’s dive in…
Fantasy Hockey Week in Review:
NHL Three Stars of the Week
First Star: Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota Wild
Kaprizov had a big week with 12 points in four games (six goals and six assists). His being the first star shouldn’t have been a surprise after he dropped six points against the Vancouver Canucks, in a 10-7 win. He just casually followed that performance up with six points over the next three games. He’s been money since the all-star break. As the Wild make a push for a wild card spot, expect Kaprizov to continue to lead the charge.
Second Star: Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
He had 10 points, one goal, and nine assists in four games. Marner’s 10-game point streak came to an end last night, as did his streak of seven straight games with two or more points. It should be no surprise the Leafs’ winning streak lined up with Marner’s multi-point streak.
Third Star: Igor Shesterkin, G, New York Rangers
It has been an up-and-down year for Shesterkin. Last week, it was up. He went 3-0-0, with a 1.00 goals against average (GAA) and a .975 save percentage (SVPct). The impressive stat is, he made 119 saves on 122 shots against. The concerning stat, the Rangers gave up 122 shots in three games.
Fantasy Hockey Injury Updates:
Valeri Nichushkin, LW/RW, Colorado Avalanche
Has been cleared by the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistant Program to begin practicing with his team. He will need to complete a follow-up exam to be cleared to return to game action. He hasn’t played since January 10th, expect him to get in a few practices before playing a game. The earliest I would expect to see him in a game would be mid-next week. Don’t be surprised if it’s a little longer than that.
As we approach playoffs, his return will be a huge boost to teams that own him.
Joseph Woll, G, Toronto Maple Leafs
After a one-game conditioning stint with the Marlies, Woll was recalled to the Leafs. He was everything Leafs fans could have hoped for in that one game, making 36 saves on 37 shots.
Samsonov has been good, but not great in recent games. He might be 8-2 in his last 10 games, but he also has a sub-par save percentage, at .879 during that stretch. Expect Woll to get the next start and reclaim the starting job.
Tyler Seguin, C/RW, Dallas Stars
Is considered week to week. After having a solid bounce-back season, this is a big blow. With 45 points in 58 games, Seguin was on pace for 64 points. Here’s hoping he returns and continues to build momentum.
Depending on your playoff format, Seguin will hopefully return with three to four weeks left in the season.
Jack Eichel, C, Vegas Golden Knights
Eichel participated in practice in a non-contact jersey. This is good news. This usually means the player is anywhere from four to ten days from returning to game action. Expect at least one practice in a regular jersey, taking contact before returning to game action. When that happens will depend on how Eichel responds to the most recent practice. Fingers are crossed he doesn’t face any setbacks.
Adrian Kempe, LW/RW, Los Angeles Kings
Kempe left the team and flew back to Los Angeles for an MRI. That rules him out for the last leg of their road trip.
The results of the MRI will likely mean the difference between Kempe being day-to-day or possibly going on long-term injury reserve and missing significant time (five games or more).
Goal scoring this year is down, but his point totals are up. Kempe was having another very solid season. Missing significant time could impact the Kings’ deadline decisions.
Mark Stone, RW, Vegas Golden Knights
He was due. The Hockey Gods just won’t let him catch a break. Stone hasn’t played more than 65 games in a season since 2018-19. That was the year he was traded to Vegas by Ottawa. It has been a while.
He’s out week-to-week and doesn’t have a history of quick recoveries. Likely, he misses close to a month, at best.
Frederick Andersen, G, Carolina Hurricanes
He has returned to practice but still has no timetable to return. Expect the Hurricanes to take every precaution before clearing Andersen to play. Blood clots are a scary thing. There should be a conditioning stint in the AHL, given the length of time he has been away. That will be the real sign he is close. He should get two, maybe three games before being recalled.
We’re looking at another couple of weeks unless he takes a big step in the next couple of days. All signs are positive.
Travis Konecny, RW, Philadelphia Flyers
He has now missed four games due to an upper-body injury. There’s no current timetable for his return. There’s no shortage of young players eyeing more ice time in his absence.
Konecny was having a really solid season as well. Regardless, he should hit 30 goals for the second straight season. There’s still a chance he get to 70 points for the first time in his career if his injury is not too serious.
John Tavares, Max Domi, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
Keep an eye on this line-up shift. Tavares has moved, at least temporarily, to the third line and is playing with Nick Robertson and Bobby McMann.
Domi has taken his spot on the second line with William Nylander and Tyler Bertuzzi has claimed, for the time being, the left wing spot on that line.
Tavares has also been taking shifts with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner at five-on-five. There’s a lot of moving parts with the Leafs lines as they look for more depth and balance. This is a trademark of Sheldon Keefe at this time of year.
Tavares has also been replaced by Tyler Bertuzzi on the first power-play unit.
There is a lot to watch with the Leafs’ lines moving forward. Expect the experimenting with line combinations to continue as Keefe looks to catch lightning in a bottle. This is a pretty sizeable hit to Tavares’ offensive production, at least in the short term. It is also a solid boost to Bertuzzi’s in contrast.
Shea Theodore, D, Vegas Golden Knights
He has played four games since returning from injury and has eight assists. Needless to say, Theodore hasn’t missed a beat. He currently sits with 26 points in 24 games.
One can’t help but wonder how many points he could have produced this year if he played a full season.
Josh Morrissey, D, Winnipeg Jets
Morrissey has been red hot over his last five games. During that stretch, he has produced 11 points, all assists. Assist streaks seem to be quite the trend across the league these days. For multi-cat poolies, he added eleven hits over the same five games.
That’s all for this week.
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