Updates on Perry, Forsberg, Scheifele, and more…

New year, new injuries. Hopefully 2018 brings you and your fantasy roster good health and happiness. For the latest injury updates and news on notable line changes that affect your fantasy hockey roster, follow @BrennanDeSouza on Twitter!

The Big Guns (>75% owned in Yahoo Leagues)

Corey Perry – The Ducks’ forward returned to practice on Tuesday, but he wasn’t in the lineup for Tuesday’s win in Vancouver. It’s possible Perry plays against Edmonton or Calgary on the Ducks’ western Canada road trip. That being said, coach Randy Carlyle was uncertain Perry would play again before the team’s bye week (January 7-12).

Corey Crawford – While the Blackhawks’ netminder becomes eligible to return on Friday against the Golden Knights, we still don’t have a timetable for his upper-body injury. Coach Joel Quenneville hasn’t provided any updates since announcing the injury, when he said Crawford would be out “a bit”.  Jeff Glass has taken over starting duties in Chicago and will take on the Rangers Wednesday. It’s difficult to replace Crawford’s .929 SV% and 2.27 GAA, so let’s hope for a speedy recovery.

Shea Weber – The Canadiens’ defenseman has missed 13 games this season with a foot injury, but still has a respectable 16 points in 26 games. While we still don’t have a timetable for Weber’s return, the good news is that he hasn’t broken any bones. The Canadiens’ defense is abysmal without Weber, so it’s becoming hard for even Carey Price to post good numbers despite playing well. With each passing game, it becomes less likely that the Habs make the playoffs and more likely that they’ll be drafting nicely in 2018. With the team lacking quality prospects, a top 10-pick could be just what the doctor ordered. This mindset leads me to believe that Montreal won’t be rushing Weber back to action, but that’s just my opinion.

Filip Forsberg – The Predators forward was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The injury seems to be related to his right hand, as you can see it wrapped up in these pictures. Being placed on IR means the earliest he can return is January 6 against the Kings. Unfortunately, early indications are that it  could be longer than that, but we should be getting an update sometime Wednesday. If you want to know Forsberg’s status as soon as it’s revealed, follow me on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza!

Mark Scheifele – As you’ve probably heard by now, the Jets’ forward will be out six to eight weeks with an upper-body injury. It’s a huge loss for Winnipeg as Scheifele had 38 points in 38 games. In Scheifele’s absence, Blake Wheeler moves to center between Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine.

Drew Doughty – This one’s more of a situation to monitor as Patrick Maroon made contact with Doughty’s head in Tuesday’s game between the Oilers and Kings. Doughty returned to the game after missing a couple of minutes in the third period, but I thought I’d include this in case he misses time in the near future.

The Second Liners (40%-75% owned in Yahoo Leagues)

Semyon Varlamov – As I write this, Varlamov has left the game against the Jets with what the team is calling a lower-body injury. Unfortunately, it seems to be groin related. For those of you that don’t remember, Varlamov was limited to 24 games last season because of a nagging groin injury. While the Avalanche are currently sporting a winning record (20-16-3), their playoff hopes take a hit with both Tyson Barrie and Varlamov injured.

Chris Kreider – A blood clot is his right arm will keep Kreider out until late February at the very least. Doctors are still selecting the best course of action, and what they decide will determine just how long Kreider is out for.

Tyson Barrie – We talked about how Barrie got injured last week and the timetable was released shortly after. He’ll be out four to six weeks with a hand injury that will require surgery.

Anthony Mantha – There’s a good chance Mantha returns to the lineup on Wednesday against the Senators, at least he says he’s good to play. Mantha has quietly been producing and his 24 points in 36 games this season are giving fans hope for the future in Detroit.

Nino Niederreiter – After a lower-body injury put him in a walking boot on December 22, the team is hopeful he will participate in Wednesday’s practice and face the Sabres on Thursday. Now that Parise is healthy, keep a close eye on how the lines sort themselves out in Minnesota.

Matt Niskanen – Missed Tuesday’s game against the Hurricanes with an upper-body injury. Washington doesn’t play again until Sunday against St. Louis, so Niskanen should have enough time to heal.

The Depth Guys (10%-40% owned in Yahoo Leagues)

Artem Anisimov – After being placed on injured reserve, the earliest he can return is Friday against the Golden Knights, but we still don’t have a timetable. With Anisimov recovering from an upper-body injury, Nick Schmaltz has moved to center between Patrick Kane and Ryan Hartman.

Johnny Boychuk – The Islanders defenseman is likely out until the team’s bye week (January 8-12), which would mean missing three more games.

Tristan Jarry – After leaving Tuesday’s game against the Flyers, the Penguins’ goaltender will be re-evaluated Wednesday and hopefully the team will provide an update shortly after.

Nikita Zaitsev – The Leafs’ bye week runs from January 15 to the 19, Zaitsev isn’t expected back until after that.

The Mr. Irrelevants (<10% owned in Yahoo Leagues)

Radim Vrbata – Hasn’t skated with the team since Florida faced Ottawa on December 23. Hopefully he’ll get a chance to Radim himself when he has recovered from this illness.

Sven Baertschi – Will return at some point during the team’s road trip, which begins on January 6 against the Leafs and concludes on January 21 against the Jets. Pretty big window.