The latest NHL injury news on Stamkos, Gaudreau, Hall, Vanek and others

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

Steven Stamkos – After a blazing start that had him on pace for 96 points, Stamkos tried to rub out Gustav Nyquist along the boards and ended up with a knee injury. More news will likely break about this today, so keep an ear to the ground.

Steven Stamkos grabs his right knee after an awkward play along the boards. Down the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/Ym48UQgdzI

— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) November 16, 2016

Taylor Hall – The Devils are getting their first taste of what it means to have Taylor Hall on your roster; half the time, he’s not on your roster. This time, he’s ailing with a lower-body injury and missed last night’s game against Dallas. He’s getting an MRI done and we should get an update in a few days.

Johnny Gaudreau – After scoring what would turn out to be the only goal in the game, Johnny Hockey left the game after taking one too many crazy slashes to the hands. His broken finger now has to have surgery and the rumor is that he is out for about a month.

Anze Kopitar – The Kings’ top center and highest-paid player is day-to-day with an arm injury. He hasn’t skated much in his time off, which is weird, considering his legs are fine, but whatever. He’ll be back in the lineup before long. Without him, Marian Gaborik, and Jonathan Quick, the Kings must be getting desperate for some healthy bodies.

Ryan O’Reilly – Remember that mid-body injury from a little while ago? Well, O’Reilly managed to aggravate it, and he’s missed the last two games as a result. He might return tomorrow night as the Sabres host the Lightning.

Matt Duchene – The Avs’ top scorer is out with a concussion. He tried to re-join practise ahead of last night’s game, but didn’t feel ready. That’s not a great sign, so I wouldn’t hold my breath anticipating his return or anything.

Jack Eichel – It’s a great sign that Eichel skated, but he’s still at least a couple of weeks away from actually playing. 

Patrick Sharp – Sharp returned to practice over the weekend, which is a great sign, especially since it was Tyler Seguin’s line he returned to. Coach Lindy Ruff expects him back in the lineup on Saturday, but he might slot in before that.

Pekka Rinne – The Predators are the most confusingly underachieving team in the league right about now. Maybe that’s a result of the loss of Shea Weber, but they took another hit this week, albeit a small one. Their top goalie, who has been hot in November with 1.14 GAA and .958 Save Percentage, just went down with a lower-body injury. It’s only day-to-day, but that’s a tough blow to the team’s momentum.

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

Chris Kreider – Like the Isles, the Rangers aren’t saying much about Kreider’s upper-body injury. This one is a suspected concussion, but there’s no real news either way. We’ll hopefully know more in a couple of days.

Jonathan Drouin – Drouin joined the Lightning on their five-game road trip, and though he hasn’t played in the first two games, he’s very close to a return, and likely will do so in the next three games. The injury to Stamkos might accelerate that, so keep an eye on the Lightning twitter account!

Anton Stralman – Stralman looks to have suffered an abdominal-area injury and Coach Jon Cooper doesn’t know for sure if he’ll return during the Lightning’s current road trip. He missed a few practices for “body maintenance” prior to the injury, so this may be an aggravation of an underlying condition. Either way, he’s day-to-day.

Seth Jones – Jones’ hairline fracture still has two weeks of his original three week scheduled recovery time left. A solid 26% of leagues still don’t own Zach Werenski, so if that means you, then go grab him! This snipe last night is just a sample of how solid the rookie has been:

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

Thomas Vanek – Vanek’s ahead of schedule, as he seems like he’s already ok to play, but isn’t eligible to come off the long-term injured reserve until Sunday. The optimist in me wants to slot him in, as he’s had eight points in seven games so far and is always a fast starter, but the pessimist in me is saying that he was just getting lucky, and won’t see the same pace upon his return. Which will you go with?

Dennis Seidenberg – Though the Islanders are being tight-lipped about it, the injury that has Seidenberg on the injured reserve right now is likely a broken jaw. The earliest he’ll be able to return is Tuesday when the Isles visit Anaheim.

Bryan Little – Bryan Little’s still on the injured reserve with a bum knee, but he traveled with the team on their road trip and there’s a slim chance that he’ll join them on the ice as well. Still, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Mike Smith – Smith sustained a knee injury while the season was still young, but is “real close” to returning, according to Head Coach Dave Tippett.

All stats courtesy of Corsica.hockey and Dobber’s own Frozen Pool Line Combinations tool.

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.