NHL Injury updates on Hoffman, Carlson, Krejci, Ekblad, Kronwall, Berra, Hamonic and many others…

Hey everyone! Here’s your weekly update on the injury woes of the NHL.

The Big Guns (>80% owned in Yahoo Leagues)

Connor McDavid – In case you missed the news last week, McDavid is out until after the All-Star break. The extra week will give him the chance to get in game shape and get his timing back, so don’t hesitate to put him right back into your lineup when he returns. With the news of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’s injury (more on that later), keep an ear to the ground in case he surprises and steps in early.

Carey Price – The Habs are in freefall mode without Price, who will also remain out until after the All-Star weekend with a lower-body injury. They’re in desperate need of their superstar netminder, having lost 16 of their last 20 games for the first time since 1940.

John Carlson – It’ll only be a few more days before the Capitals’ top defenseman can return from a lower-body injury. He’s participating fully in practice, though it doesn’t look like the Caps miss him too much, the way they’ve been rolling.

David Krejci – Krejci practiced with the Bruins and even took some light contact. He’s still not 100%, but look for a return in the near future. He’s been out with an upper-body injury.

Aaron Ekblad – How valuable is the sophomore defenseman to the Florida Panthers? They’ve dropped all four decisions since Ekblad went down with a concussion. They were on their famous 12-game winning streak prior to that, and no doubt they hope to return to that success when he returns. Hopefully, that’s later this week.

Henrik Sedin – The playmaking half of the Sedin twins went hard into the boards, courtesy of Mikhail Grabovski. Grabovski received a major and a misconduct for his trouble, but Henrik will miss two weeks.

Ryan Miller – Miller has finally taken the net back from rookie Jacob Markstrom. In the three contests since, he’s rockin’ a shiny 0.948 save percentage and is 1-1-1. If he gets some goal support, which is unlikely for the next two weeks with Captain Henrik Sedin out, he wouldn’t be a bad goalie to start.

Sergei Bobrovsky – Even a pretty great start by the Blue Jackets didn’t rescue Bobrovsky from the Capitals. The Jackets only allowed one shot in the first ten minutes, but Bobrovsky ended up letting in the next two, with two more on the Capitals’ next seven shots. When all was said and done, the Capitals put the Jackets away 6-3. Looks like there’s some rust to shake off. Give him a week and start him when he begins to look like an NHL goalie again.

Mike Cammalleri – Cammalleri made a return to the lineup last night versus Calgary, but despite contributing a primary assist in 16 minutes of ice time, the Devils were not able to put together a win for him. He’s on fire this season, so get him back into your lineup with confidence.

James van Riemsdyk – No further updates on JVR’s broken foot. He’ll miss another 5-7 weeks. It looks like Michael Grabner has taken over his spot on the top line in Toronto, alongside Nazem Kadri. You can find out more about the Leafs’ line combinations over in the Frozen Pool section here on DobberHockey.

Jake Allen – Allen was placed on the injured reserve and his injury has been specified as a knee injury. His status as week-to-week remains unchanged. He was second in the league in shutouts and 18-10-3 before his injury. Look for those numbers to translate pretty directly to his stand-in, Brian Elliott.

Mike Hoffman – Hoffman will need some time on the shelf after a nasty spill. He went neck-first into the post after trying to crash the net on the Sharks. The latest update has him at day-to-day, which is a fantastic sign. He’s been playing at a 70-point clip this season and the Sens would be loath to lose him.

The Second Liners (50%-80% owned in Yahoo Leagues)

Nick Foligno – There’s been no update for the Blue Jackets’ captain since being placed on the injured reserve. He’s missed five games so far and it might work out for the best, as the Blue Jackets could really use a talented, big, young centerman after giving away their talented, big, young centerman.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – The Nuge has had his name swirling in trade rumours recently, but those will likely come to a grinding halt as RNH stands a chance of missing the rest of the season with a hand injury. After blocking a shot, he left the ice and Coach Todd McLellan estimated a 6-8 week timetable for the young center.

Derick Brassard – Not to worry about Brassard missing Tuesday’s contest against the Canucks, he’s just down with the flu. He shouldn’t be out very long.

Niklas Kronwall – Kronwall had his knee scoped and will miss about a month recovering. He’s in the midst of a below-average season for a defenseman like him, having put up only 17 points in 45 games.

Mark Scheifele – Scheifele remains on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury, but his recovery timetable should’ve had him back around this time. Look for him to return soon. In the meantime, it’s been a good chance for rookie Nikolaj Ehlers to showcase his skills in the Jets’ top six. Ehlers hasn’t disappointed, with three points in his last four games.

Johnny Boychuk – Boychuk has begun skating at Islanders’ practise. His schedule still has him a few weeks out, so don’t expect him back before the All Star break. Like McDavid, there’s no point to bringing a player back for one game and risk re-injury when you’re about to have a week off.

Erik Johnson – Look for the first overall pick in the 2006 draft to make his return sometime in the next week. He’s been on pace for just 32 points over a full season, so don’t look to him to save your season unless you’re in a seriously deep league.

The Depth Guys (20%-50% owned in Yahoo Leagues)

Jaden Schwartz – Blues GM Doug Armstrong will likely have a better idea on Schwartz’s return when he re-evaluates him sometime this week. Until then, he’ll remain on the shelf with a fractured ankle.

Shayne Gostisbehere – The Flyers’ sensational rookie has just one goal since returning from a lower-body injury three games ago, but his 0.65 points-per-game means he’s a must start when he’s playing.

Nail Yakupov – Yakupov has just one goal in four games since his recovery from an ankle injury, but he’s put up three shots in three of those games. He’s still seeing between 11 and 14 minutes of ice time, so don’t expect too much out of the young winger.

Cam Fowler – Fowler’s original recovery timetable has him out for another 2-4 weeks, but he’s reportedly “progressing well”.

Drew Stafford – Stafford was just placed on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. With the Jets missing Scheifele and Pavelec, it’s no wonder that they (like all the other Canadian teams) find themselves out of a playoff spot.

Tyler Ennis – Ennis has an upper-body injury and remains on the injured reserve. Consider him week-to-week.

Paul Stastny – Stastny took a game or two to get back into the flow of things, but once he got rolling, he rolled right over the Penguins. With a statline of one goals, three assists, five shots on goal, two PIMs, and a +3 rating to boot, he made more than a few of your fantasy nights. In fact, he’s scored ten points in the last eight games he finished.

Ondrej Pavelec – No updates on Pavelec since it was reported he resumed skating last week. Jets rookie Connor Hellebuyck has made him look totally expendable though.

Mike Smith – Smith is still in recover from abdominal surgery. He’s expected to be out until at least mid-February. The Coyotes’ backup, Dobber favourite Louis Domingue has just suffered his first regulation loss in 11 starts since the injury to Smith. He’s single-handedly keeping the Coyotes in the playoff picture, which might not be a good thing, considering hometown boy Auston Matthews is the top choice to be available in the summer.

The Mr. Irrelevants (<20% owned in Yahoo Leagues)

Travis Hamonic – Hamonic was projected to be out until after the All Star break, but has resumed skating and might make an early return.

Reto Berra – Berra’s been out with an injured ankle, but is not “close to returning”, per Head Coach Patrick Roy.

Brandon Sutter – Sutter is still out after hernia surgery in early December, but with the injury to Henrik Sedin, we’ll see if the Canucks don’t hurry his return. Either way, don’t consider him a worthy start for at least another week or two.

Oscar Klefbom – Klefbom staph infection seems to be on the less dangerous side (fingers crossed) as Coach Todd McLellan has suggested a return will be imminent following the All Star break.

As always, thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter for more frequent injury updates and general hockey-related tomfoolery! @AjayDaCosta, in case that address bar is too far away.