Carried Off the Ice: NHL Injury Report

In this week’s edition of Carried Off the Ice we look at the latest injuries impacting the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs as well as injuries affecting teams no longer playing in the dance.

Playoff Injuries

Jacob Muzzin missed game 2 of the Western Conference Finals (WCF) with an undisclosed injury. He participated in practice Tuesday morning and played in game 3 for the Los Angeles Kings. There is very little information out there regarding what was ailing Muzzin and what caused the injury, but check out this hit by Chicago Blackhawks forward Viktor Stalberg on Muzzin in game 1 of the WCF. This hit could be a factor in his injury as he gets absolutely leveled.

Mike Richards sat out of Games 2 and 3 of the WCF for the Kings. Richards suffered an upper body injury after being hit by the Hawks Dave Bolland. Pierre LeBrun tweeted "Mike Richards not playing tonight (concussion)." According to Mike Richards player profile on the Hockey News website this is his second concussion in the NHL, first one was back in December of 2005. Tyler Toffoli took Richards’ place and scored his second goal and third assist of these playoffs in Game 2 and then added another assist in Game 3.

Drew Doughty gave Kings fans a scare in Game 2 of the WCF after being hit by Bryan Bickell. The Score tweeted "Breathe easy, Kings fans. Drew Doughty is back on the ice after a dangerous hit near the end of the first period." Doughty's leg got twisted up in the hit and the potential was there for a significant injury. He played in Game 3

Wade Redden appears to be healthy now and is practicing with Dougie Hamilton as the fourth pairing. Redden will likely remain a healthy scratch as long as the Boston Bruins continue to win.

Non-Playoff Injuries

Eric Staal suffered a third-degree MCL sprain during the World Championships and should be fully recovered in time for training camp. Chip Alexander tweeted that Staal was "walking a bit gingerly" and that he "hopes to be skating in July."

Alexander Semin suffered a concussion to end the regular season. He is an injury-prone sniper who has never played an entire NHL season. With his long list of injuries this looks like his first concussion. Dmitry Chesnokov tweeted that "Semin told me he feels good, his head if OK, resting at home in Russia."

It is always interesting to hear who was playing hurt after a team is eliminated from the playoffs. Helene St. James lists the injuries the Detroit Red Wings were playing through in her column for the Detroit Free Press. The only Red Wing who might need off-season surgery is Mikael Samuelsson. He missed the final 13 games of the regular season and most of the playoffs due to a shoulder injury. 

Danny DeKeyser broke his thumb in Game 2 of the first round against the Anaheim Ducks and required surgery to repair it. He would have been ready to play at some point in the WCF if Detroit had won the second round. DeKeyser will suit up with the Grand Rapids Griffins for the remainder of the Calder Cup playoffs.

Valtteri Filppula suffered a high ankle sprain in Game 7 after a slew foot from Andrew Shaw. Head coach Mike Babcock was quoted in the Detroit Free Press saying, "Filppula would be ready for camp." We will have to wait to see if its Red Wings camp or another team as he is an unrestricted free agent this off-season.

Jimmy Howard played the entire second round with a pulled hamstring. Howard was clearly the Red Wings best player in the second round, which is even more impressive knowing now he was playing with a pulled hammy.

Niklas Kronwall played through a shoulder injury after being hit by Bickell in Game 5 of the second round.

Dan Cleary suffered a second-degree separated shoulder after being hit into the boards by Ducks Daniel Winnik in Game 5 of the first round.

It's the Stanley Cup playoffs and every team has players playing through injuries. It is so impressive to watch NHLers play at such a high level and then to hear what they are playing through. Here are some injury updates for New York Rangers.

Carl Hagelin and Ryan Callahan both required surgery to repair a torn labrum in their left shoulders as reported by Blue Shirts United. This surgery requires four to five months to recover, which means they should be ready for the 2013-14 season as long as there are no setbacks.

Ryan Clowe decided not to confirm his injury after being eliminated from the playoffs. Katie Strang tweets "Clowe said he would love to stay a Ranger. Did not confirm concussion, but did say injury sustained on hit from behind vs. WSH."

Darroll Powe did confirm his injury as tweeted by Katie Strang, "Powe confirms he sustained two concussions."

Marc Staal was quoted in the North Jersey that his "belief is once everything settles down and I get comfortable with it, I'll never have to be asked about it again. I don't think it will be an issue." Staal also stated that "the puck left a small laceration in his eye and when he practiced and put pressure on it, he would get disoriented and be left with headaches and dizziness." Staal who is in favor of mandatory visor will be happy to know that the NHL and NHLPA have agreed to make wearing visors mandatory starting next season, with of course a grandfather clause for current players according to NHL.com.

Darren Helm missed all but one game this season due to a back injury. Here is an interesting statement from Babcock in the Detroit News "I live in the real world and we need him at playoff time. We don’t know what is going on and where we are today he’s no closer today than he was in training camp. That’s not a good sign. The optimist in me says he’s a young man and … (he and the doctors) have to figure it out.” Helm is not a huge fantasy guy but is so vital to the Red Wings success; this has to so frustrating for him.

Colin Wilson is making progress after having surgery on both shoulders. The Tennessean is reporting that "his right arm is out of a sling now and the left will be out soon." Wilson told the Tennessean that he "hopes to start his offseason program next week in order to be ready for training camp."

Mark Stone was listed with an undisclosed injury but Ian Mendes tweeted what the injury may be. "Sounds like Mark Stone may have suffered a high-ankle sprain in Game 4 – which would be tough because it would impact summer training."

Mattias Ohlund is considering retirement after missing the last two seasons due to knee injuries. He was quoted in the Tampa Bay Times, "From a surgery standpoint, there is nothing more that I can do. As for how it's going to play out, I'm not completely sure."

Jordan Schroeder had surgery to repair a tear in his left shoulder and according to The Province his time line is uncertain for training camp in September. Schroeder is confident that he will be ready but there is no definite time frame yet.