The latest NHL injury news on Roman Josi, Kris Letang, Matt Duchene, Jakob Silfverberg and more…

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

Roman Josi – The Predators defenseman won’t be returning to the lineup before the All-Star break, making the earliest possible date for his return on January 31^st against the Penguins. Expect more updates from Nashville after the break when they know more.

John Carlson – There’s a “slight possibility” the Capitals’ defenseman will be in the lineup on Thursday against the Devils, but Coach Barry Trotz thinks a return after the All-Star break is much more likely. Although progress is being made, Carlson just hasn’t had enough time on the ice to fully recover from a lower-body injury.   

Kris Letang – I should just change the title from “The Big Guns” to “Elite Defensemen”, because that’s all you will be finding in this week’s section. Pretty similar situation to John Carlson at this point. Letang has been skating and recovering well from a knee injury, but we still don’t have a concrete timetable for his return.

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

Matt Duchene – An illness kept the Colorado center out of the lineup on Monday night against the Sharks, and considering he didn’t practice on Tuesday, he might miss Wednesday night’s contest against the Canucks.

Jakob Silfverberg – The Ducks’ forward will miss his third straight game on Wednesday night when Anaheim hosts the Edmonton. He sustained the injury against the Avalanche, when a hit from Nikita Zadorov caused him to fall head-first to the ice. Many have come to the conclusion that he has suffered a concussion, which is likely but not yet confirmed. He has been skating without taking contact, hopefully the All-Star break will be long enough for him to recover.

Aleksander Barkov – An upper-body injury has been keeping the Panthers’ forward out of the lineup for the past month. Unfortunately, unlike a lot of injuries on this list, this one doesn’t seem like it will be solved by the All-Star break. Coach Tom Rowe revealed that the Panthers may be without their top forward for the rest of the season. He has been receiving physical therapy, but there’s currently no timetable for his return. Vincent Trocheck has been filling the top center role nicely in Barkov’s absence, with 14 points in the last 12 games.

Andrei Markov –  Montreal’s veteran defenseman continues to skate and recover from a groin injury. A return shortly after the All-Star break seems likely, and Markov’s years of experience will bring a big boost to the Canadiens defense.

Tyson Barrie – The Avalanche defenseman was placed on the injured reserve Tuesday night, making him eligible to return for the first game following the All-Star break. Wednesday night’s game against Vancouver will be the fourth game he has missed with a lower-body injury. These next few days of rest should benefit Barrie, and everyone on this list.

Alex Galchenyuk – Montreal’s top center sat out Tuesday night’s 5-1 win against the Flames after re-aggravating a knee injury against Buffalo on Saturday night. With 27 points in 30 games this season, Galchenyuk has been showing off great chemistry with Alex Radulov, injuries have slightly rained on this season’s parade.

Mike Hoffman – An illness prevented Hoffman from participating in a 3-0 win over the Capitals on Tuesday night. Not too much is known regarding the severity of this illness, but keep an eye out to see if he’s back Thursday night against the Flames, or if we have to wait until after the All-Star break.

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

Jimmy Howard – Although the Red Wings’ goalie was placed on long-term injured reserve, he was on the ice Tuesday, taking shots from goalie coach Jeff Salajko. Jimmy Howard was having himself a nice 2016-2017 campaign, with a .934 SV% and 1.96 GAA in 17 games. Since Howard’s injury, Red Wings goaltending has been struggled mightily, with Petr Mrazek and Jared Coreau allowing an average of 3.14 goals a game.

Jonathan Huberdeau – The second half of Florida’s dynamic duo hasn’t seen action at all this season, and it might stay that way. Although he continues to recover from Achilles tendon surgery and target a return in March, management has made it clear that they won’t be rushing their stars back into the lineup.

Tyler Toffoli – After a rather bleak update from last week, I can finally tell you that the Kings’ forward has been skating! With the All-Star break just around the corner, Toffoli should have an adequate amount of time to rest. Expect him to return shortly after the break.

Kevin Hayes – The New York Rangers’ forward suffered a leg injury during Sunday’s game against Detroit. The injury seemed to be sustained after a knee-on-knee collision, and will keep Hayes out of the lineup for the next two to three weeks. Hayes has been a huge factor in the Rangers’ depth scoring this season, with 35 points in 47 games.

Morgan Reilly – A lower-body injury might cause the Leafs’ defenseman to miss his fourth straight game on Wednesday night. At this point, it seems most likely that we’ll see him return after the break, but keep your eyes out for any updates on his status against Detroit.

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

Radek Faksa – The Stars’ forward won’t be in the lineup on Thursday night when Dallas takes on Buffalo because of a lower-body injury. Beyond that, it’s a waiting game for fantasy owners (3% of fantasy owners), as Faksa will be re-evaluated after the All-Star Break. The 23-year-old center was quietly improving on his rookie season, with 22 points in 48 games being a huge improvement on last year’s 12 points in 45 games.

Anders Lee – The Islanders’ forward missed Tuesday night’s game against the Blue Jackets with an illness. Lee has been playing well recently, with six points in his last five games. Hopefully he can pick up where he left off after the All-Star break if he isn’t feeling better for Thursday night’s contest against the Habs.