The latest injury news on Subban, Toffoli, Hertl, Raanta and many others…

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

John Carlson – The Capitals’ blueliner missed Monday’s game against the Penguins with a lower-body injury. At this point in time, no information on the severity of the injury has been released, so keep your ears open for updates. Washington next plays on Thursday against the Blues, which might be enough rest for Carlson if the ailment isn’t too serious.

Victor Hedman – Wanna take a guess who’s second among defensemen in scoring this season? Erik Karlsson? Nope. P.K. Subban? Nope. Victor Hedman? You clever little duckling! With 38 points in 44 games, Tampa Bay’s top defenseman has been proving his worth in the first half of the season. This being said, he missed Tuesday’s game against the Ducks with what seems to be an illness. The team is hopeful that he will return to the lineup Thursday night against the Sharks.

Kris Letang – Quick! Who’s an extremely talented defenseman with abysmal injury history? Oh shoot, I put the answer before the question… Anyways, a lower-body injury has given Letang week-to-week status. This is amazing news for Justin Schultz, who currently has 30 points in 43 games!

Roman Josi – I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose two elite defensemen to injury at the same time, but that’s a reality for the Nashville Predators. Josi was bound to miss Tuesday’s game against the Canucks because he was recently placed on injured reserve, but not many details have been revealed regarding his future status.

P.K. Subban – What is it with elite defensemen in this week’s piece? Fortunately, this update provides more good news than the others. The all-star defenseman was a full participant in Monday’s practice, and after a lengthy absence, seems to be on track for a return very soon! Subban’s numbers on the season aren’t exactly what we expect from him (17 points in 29 games), but let’s see how he finishes.

Jonathan Quick – These are my least favourite kinds of updates, but I understand fantasy owners are curious as to how their players are recovering from long-term injuries. Simply put, Quick is a long way off and nothing has changed (straight from GM Dean Lombardi). Peter Budaj has been playing well recently, with a 1.67 GAA and .937 SV% in the past week.

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

Andrei Markov – The Canadiens’ defenseman still isn’t skating, but rumor has it he’s getting closer and closer to a return. Being a Carey Price owner, I’ve certainly felt the effects of Markov’s injury. Before he hurt his groin, the Habs were allowing an average of 2.13 goals per game, which has skyrocketed to 3.30 in his absence. Let’s home the return of his veteran presence is coming soon, and can get the team back on track.

Tyler Toffoli – Another disappointing update out of Los Angeles, Tyler Toffoli still hasn’t been skating. That is all.

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

Andrew Ladd – An undisclosed injury kept the New York Islanders’ forward out of the lineup on Monday against the Bruins. This is a blessing in disguise for fantasy owners. As of right now, Ladd is 43% owned in Yahoo leagues, this number is way too high! The guy has 12 points in 41 games for crying out loud! If you’ve been holding on to him hoping for a turn around, maybe you’re a genius, but I think this injury creates the perfect opportunity to cut bait.

Tomas Hertl – He’s gotten over that first hertl and is was back on the ice for an optional skate. Although he hasn’t been able to fully participate in practice just yet, this is extremely encouraging news considering a knee sprain has kept him out for the last two months. Hopefully I can bring you some more promising updates in the near future!

Antti Raanta – The Rangers’ backup goaltender will miss the next seven to ten days with a lower-body injury. Starter Henrik Lundqvist has had a forgettable season so far, sporting a .907 SV% and 2.72 GAA, and it doesn’t help that New York lost 7-6 to the Stars on Tuesday night…

Joonas Donskoi – easily one of my favourite names in the NHL. Although he has been skating, he’s made it clear that he doesn’t want to come back too early and re-aggravate this injury. Consider him day-to-day with an upper-body injury for now.

Jimmy Howard – A late January/early February return seems to be realistic for the Red Wings goaltender, as he was skating on Monday morning, but not facing any shots. Jared Coreau just shut out the Canadiens though… so we’ll revisit Detroit’s goaltending situation when Howard returns.  

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

Ryan Callahan – Nagging hip issues will keep the Lightning forward out of the lineup for the next four weeks. Don’t expect management to rush him back, lots of rest and rehabilitation has been prescribed. Really proud of myself for not making an old man hip joke, because I respect the physical risks hockey players take.

Erik Johnson –It was originally estimated that the Avalanche defenseman would miss six to eight weeks, but that has recently been readjusted to eight-ten weeks by coach Jared Bednar.

Brayden Point – Still around three to four weeks away from returning. I don’t really see a 'point' in keeping him on your roster at this 'point' because he won’t be racking up many 'points'.