Welcome to week 2 of my new feature that will run weekly until the end of the season to update you on the latest injuries to key players in the NHL in order to help you manage your fantasy hockey line-ups and get an update on your favorite team’s injury situation.
Even in the era of the interactive media like Twitter and Facebook, it can be hard to find accurate updates on the status of our favorite players as teams tend to err on the side of cautiousness when it comes to injuries. They often describe the injuries vaguely as an upper-body injury or a lower-body injury without giving much details on the extent and the length of the injury, especially when it comes to concussions.
Below you will find an extensive list of injured players, including the nature and the excepted length of the injury.
Anaheim Ducks
Dan Ellis: is out at least four more weeks with a strained groin
Boston Bruins
None
Buffalo Sabres
Tyler Ennis: suffered a setback in his recovery from an ankle injury last week and is still a few weeks from returning to action
Christian Ehrhoff: will miss the next few weeks with an upper-body injury following a fight with Troy Brouwer of the Capitals
Andrej Sekera: suffered an upper-body injury Dec. 28, but could return as soon as tonight vs Detroit
Calgary Flames
Brendan Morrison: suffered an undisclosed upper-body injury on Jan.6 and is listed as day-to-day
Alex Tanguay: sustained an undisclosed upper-body injury on Dec. 20, is currently out indefinitely and has been placed on the IR
Carolina Hurricanes
Joni Pitkanen: is out due to a concussion and underwent a knee surgery that will sideline him four more weeks; he is out until at least mid-February
Chad LaRose: sustained an upper-body injury during practice on Jan. 10 and is listed as day-to-day
Chicago Blackhawks
Patrick Sharp: left Sunday night’s game with an apparent upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day pending on more tests on Monday
Colorado Avalanche
Matt Duchene: sustained a left knee injury last week and is expected to be sidelined at least until early February
Columbus Blue Jackets
RJ Umberger: is out indefinitely with post-concussion symptoms after receiving an elbow to the head by Anaheim’s Jean-Francois Jacques
Jeff Carter: separated his shoulder during Sunday’s game and is out indefinitely
Kristian Huselius: is out until February with a groin injury
James Wisniewski: is out until late February with a fractured left ankle
Mark Letestu: is out four-to-six weeks with a broken right-hand sustained on Jan. 5
Dallas Stars
Mike Ribeiro: suffered a slight MCL tear in his knee on Jan. 7 and is out until after the All-Star game
Jamie Benn: had an appendectomy on Sunday and is out seven to ten days recovering from the minor surgery
Detroit Red Wings
None
Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: is out three-four weeks with a left shoulder injury he sustained on Jan. 2nd
Ryan Whitney: is dealing with an ankle injury that has not healed properly and is out indefinitely
Jordan Eberle: is out with a right-knee injury that he sustained on Jan. 7 against the Stars; is currently day-to-day
Tom Gilbert: had an MRI that revealed an ankle sprain and will be out another month for the Oilers
Florida Panthers
Scottie Upshall: has been out since early November with an upper-body injury; while he has resumed skating, he won’t be back before the All-Star break
Jose Theodore: will miss the next two-weeks with a knee injury he sustained on Dec. 31 against the Canadiens; started skating last week and should be back soon
Los Angeles Kings
Simon Gagne: is out indefinitely with concussion symptoms and will most likely miss the remainder of the season
Minnesota Wild
Mikko Koivu: is day-to-day with an upper-body injury he sustained on Jan. 14 vs the Blues
Guillaume Latendresse: is out indefinitely with post-concussion symptoms and is far from a return
Pierre-Marc Bouchard: is out indefinitely with post-concussion symptoms; his second concussion in three years
Montreal Canadiens
Andrei Markov: underwent a second reconstructive ACL surgery on his right knee last December and is out until the All-Star at the earliest
Brian Gionta: is out for the remainder of the season after suffering a tear in his right biceps muscle on Jan. 11
Nashville Predators
None
New Jersey Devils
Adam Henrique: missed Saturday’s contest with a slight pulled groin and is day-to-day; should be back into the line-up Tuesday
Andy Greene: is out with a non-displaced toe fracture suffered in early December that will sideline for another two weeks
Travis Zajac: is currently out two weeks with a sore Achilles tendon; he had underwent a surgery in the area in the off-season
New York Islanders
Rick Dipietro: suffered a setback last week recovering from his groin injury; is likely out for the remainder of the season and might retire this summer
Al Montoya: has resumed on-ice workouts and is nearing a return into action after he suffered a concussion on Dec. 20 against the Jets
New York Rangers
Brandon Dubinsky: is day-to-day after he suffered a shoulder injury on Jan. 10 vs the Coyotes
Ottawa Senators
None
Philadelphia Flyers
James van Riemsdyk: is out indefinitely with post-concussion symptoms; was hit in the head in each of our last two games he played
Chris Pronger: will miss the remainder of the season with post-concussion symptoms and left knee surgery
Phoenix Coyotes
David Schlemko: is out six-to-eight weeks after undergoing surgery on his right foot last Thursday
Martin Hanzal: has missed the last seven games with a face injury (stick to the face), but is nearing a return and could play this week
Pittsburgh Penguins
Sidney Crosby: is out indefinitely with post-concussions symptoms and the date of his return is unkown
Kris Letang: has skated for the first time last Saturday since the head injury he suffered on Nov. 27 against the Canadiens; is still out indefinitely
Jordan Staal: will miss the next four-to-six weeks with a sprained left MCL
San Jose Sharks
Martin Havlat: had surgery on Dec. 21 to repair a partially torn left hamstring and is out at least eight weeks
St Louis Blues
Andy McDonald: is out with a concussion, but has passed his baseline test and skating with the team; is nearing a return
Alex Steen: is out indefinitely following a concussion he suffered on Dec. 27 against the Red Wings; but could play next week
Tampa Bay Lightning
Mattias Ohlund: has not played this season following arthroscopic surgery on both his knees; most likely out for the remainder of the season
Victor Hedman: is out indefinitely with post-concussion symptoms since Dec. 28 and has not resumed skating
Toronto Maple Leafs
John-Michael Liles: is out indefinitely with post-concussion symptoms since Dec. 28 and has not resumed skating
Tyler Bozak: is out seven-to-ten days after he sustained a shoulder injury during practice Dec. 30
Colby Armstrong: is out indefinitely with a concussion and a broken toe
Vancouver Canucks
Andrew Ebbett: is out for the remainder of the season because of a broken collarbone
Sami Salo: is out with a concussion and a shoulder injury he sustained against the Bruins last Saturday when Brad Marchand undercut him
Washington Capitals
Mike Green: has been placed on the long-term injury reserve after re-aggravating his groin injury and is out until at least February
Nicklas Backstrom: has been placed on the injured reserve and should be back after the All-Star game even is the team considers him day-to-day
Winnipeg Jets
Dustin Byfuglien: is listed day-to-day with a knee injury he suffered on Dec. 23 against the Penguins; not on the Jets’ current road trip
Blake Wheeler: is listed as day-to-day after receiving a puck to the throat vs the Devils on Saturday; will likely make a return to the line-up this week
Players who came back into action last week:
Jonas Hiller (ANA), Derek Roy (BUF), Mark Giordano (CGY), Jeff Skinner (CAR), Peter Mueller (COL), Dustin Penner (LAK), Scott Gomez (MTL), Wojtek Wolski (NYR), James Neal (PIT), David Booth (VAN)
Don’t hesitate to request an injury update I didn’t list the player on which you need more information as I only listed the players who are fantasy-relevant.
Update***:
Kris Letang has been cleared to play and could see game action before the All-Star break. Will resume team practice tomorrow.