NHL Injuries: Latest on Marner, Stamkos, Quick, Stone, E.J. and others
Brennan Des
2017-02-22
The latest injury news on Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Bobby Ryan, Conor Sheary and many more…
The Big Guns (>75% owned in Yahoo Leagues)
Mitch Marner – The Leafs’ forward has been placed on injured reserve with what seems to be a shoulder injury suffered last week against Columbus. Babcock said to consider Marner day-to-day for now, but Babcock’s definition of ‘day-to-day’ might be a little bit longer than what we’re used to. The young winger has been having a sensational rookie season, with 48 points in 56 games, he’s definitely a big reason why the Leafs are in the playoff race. The team’s doctors and trainers will have the final say on when Marner makes his return, so don’t expect him to be rushed back in.
Steven Stamkos – The Lightning captain has been progressing well, finally skating on his own in Tuesday’s morning skate. It seems that the original timetable remains applicable in this situation (four to six months), meaning a return between mid-March and mid-May. Zach Parise had the same knee surgery years ago, and said it took about a year and half to feel better. So even if Stamkos comes back this season, keep in mind he might not be firing on all cylinders.
Jonathan Quick – The Kings’ goaltender has been working harder and harder in practice, putting him on pace for a return in early March. Quick still isn’t game-ready, and the team continues to intensify his training regiment, so there is still progress to be made. The Kings have absolutely no reason to rush Quick into the lineup with the stellar play of Peter Budaj, who currently boasts a 2.12 GAA and .917 SV%.
Mike Hoffman – As of right now, all we know is that the Senators forward has a groin injury. I would consider him day-to-day until we get a more cohesive update. Hoffman had been having a pretty good season with 39 points in 52, but after watching his undeniable talent on the ice, I’m still waiting for him to hit the next level on the stats sheet.
Mark Stone – The Senators winger is going to miss some time because of a neck injury thanks to Jacob Trouba. There doesn’t seem to be any information on a timetable right now, but thankfully it wasn’t a head injury. Although the Sens are currently without Mike Hoffman and Bobby Ryan as well, this one’s going to hurt the most as Stone had 47 points in 56 games this season. I understand your frustration as a Fantasy Owner, but please don’t throw any Stones at Trouba.
The Second Liners (40%-75% owned in Yahoo Leagues)
Justin Schultz – I hate reporting these kinds of injuries because any information I can provide is so useless to you. The Penguins’ defenseman is recovering from a concussion, and there is currently no timetable for his return. He had been having an outstanding season, with 39 points in 56 games.
The Depth Guys (10%-40% owned in Yahoo Leagues)
Sam Reinhart – The Sabres’ forward was feeling under the weather on Sunday when Buffalo took on the Blackhawks. Fortunately, this illness comes right before the team’s bye week, so Reinhart will have plenty of time to recover as the team plays their next game on Saturday.
Erik Johnson – The Avalanche defenseman participated in his first full practice with the team since breaking his leg on December 6th. While there is hope Johnson makes his return this week, he hasn’t been feeling consistently good yet, with some days being better than others. At this point, consider him day-to-day, definitely huge progress from where he was weeks ago.
Jimmy Howard – The Red Wings’ goaltender claimed he’s “still not feeling great”, calling into question his status for this weekend’s conditioning stint in the AHL. This seems to be a minor setback in what was encouraging progress for Howard, but he should still be making his return in the near future, so keep an eye out for further updates.
Olli Maatta – The Penguins’ defenseman will be on the shelf for the next six weeks after a successful hand surgery. Pittsburgh has taken some hits on the blue line, losing both Maatta and Schultz, keep an eye on how this affects the team as a whole, hopefully it won’t Maatta too much.
Bobby Ryan – The Senators winger will be on the shelf for the next month with a broken finger. This is awful timing for Ottawa as they need all hands on deck in this final push for the playoffs, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Ryan is rushed back into action down the stretch. It’s been a pretty underwhelming season for the American forward, as he put up just 24 points in 50 games so far. He’s been dealing with some injuries, but he needs to be a lot better if the Senators are going to be considered a contender.
Conor Sheary – Has been skating more and more frequently and the team hopes to see him participate in practice soon. The Penguins’ forward had been having an incredible season alongside Pittsburgh’s superstars, putting up 35 points in 42 games.
The Mr. Irrelevants (<10% owned in Yahoo Leagues)
Travis Hamonic – The Islanders’ defenseman has recently started skating after suffering a knee injury on January 7th. Coach Doug Weight revealed Hamonic is feeling less and less pain, so the team will begin to step up his training, hoping to get him into game-form soon.
Travis Konecny – Progressing nicely from a leg injury. Will miss another two to four weeks. That is all.
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To hit the other level on the stats sheet…Hoffman is going to have to play with other players than Pageau and Pyatt on his line…
Definitely agreed. Don’t get to watch too much Sens hockey, but I’ve always noticed Hoffman’s insane shot.
I think using Yahoo ownership to determine if someone is a big gun or a 2nd liner or irrelevant or whatever doesn’t enhance this column’s credibility. Schultz has been on a 57-point pace despite being a non-entity for a big early chunk of the year. At one point he was out-pointing both burns and Karlsson. Unless he was completely booted off PP there’s no way he’s less valuable than a Hoffman. I’ve seen other examples where you’ve described players as irrelevant who are clearly not in most leagues.
We’re already looking into re-jigging the way it’s presented. It’s not meant as a slight on the players. The main issue is actually the fact that players get dropped a lot more if they get hurt in February – thus their ownership goes down.
One thought was to present it by percentage drafted.
The word in Pittsburgh today is that Schultz may play on Saturday. FWIW