This week we do a quick review of injuries around the league as the regular season winds down. Think of this week as an appetizer for the main course that comes next week – an in-depth playoff primer.

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

John Gibson – The Ducks’ goaltender suffered an upper-body injury against the Avalanche and should be considered day-to-day. Gibson has been exceptionally strong for Anaheim as they battled through injuries this season. He sports a .926 SV% and 2.43 GAA on the year.

Sean Monahan – The Flames’ forward had been playing through hip and wrist injuries for a month before being shut down. He had been taking injections just to get through games, but can now opt for a long-term solution in the form of surgery with Calgary out of the playoffs. Monahan will have plenty of time to recover from wrist surgery this offseason.

Steven Stamkos – The Lightning captain is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. While no definite timetable has been set, there is some hope he plays this weekend.

Evander Kane – The Sharks’ forward has 14 points in 16 games since being traded to San Jose. Unfortunately, he missed Tuesday’s contest with an undisclosed injury. I love writing about vague injuries with no timetables! Consider him day-to-day I guess…

Ryan Suter – The Wild defenseman will undergo surgery on a fracture to the bottom of his fibula, a surgery which will cause him to miss the rest of the season. From what I’m seeing, that includes the playoffs. Suter had a great season with 51 points in 78 games.          

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

Semyon Varlamov – Will miss the rest of the regular season with a knee injury. He will be reevaluated next week, at which point we’ll have a better idea of when he’ll be back. He really caught fire in the final weeks of the season, going 9-3-3 with a 2.11 GAA and .939 SV%.

Ben Bishop – Not expected to play again this season because of a knee injury. He’ll finish with a 2.49 GAA and .916 SV% in his first season with Dallas. Am I the only one who can’t believe the Stars missed the playoffs?

Kevin Shattenkirk – Has been shut down for the rest of the season as he never fully recovered from surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Shattenkirk will finish the 2017-2018 campaign with 23 points in 46 games.

Jonathan Toews – Won’t be in the lineup Wednesday when the Blackhawks face the Blues. His status for the final two games of the season hasn’t yet been determined.

Mats Zuccarello – Missed Tuesday’s game but hasn’t been ruled out for the final two games of the season. It all depends on how he’s feeling.

Mark Stone – Will travel with the team as they embark on their final road trip of the season, but his status for Wednesday’s game against the Sabres is still up in the air. Injuries have taken away from the impressive 62 points he has totaled in just 58 games.

David Perron – Minor injury. Guys, I think coaches remain tight-lipped about injuries come playoff time so the opponents can’t target those injuries. I can’t believe I made such a revolutionary discovery!

Reilly Smith – Has been skating and making a lot of progress after missing the last month of action with an upper-body injury. While he hopes to play in a regular season game before the playoffs, the team wants him to be 100% for the postseason so he won’t be rushed back.

Cam Fowler – The Ducks’ defenseman will be out for the next two to six weeks with a shoulder injury. Fowler eats up a lot of minutes for Anaheim, so I could see him coming back sooner rather than later if the team struggles during the postseason.

Rick Nash – Has been skating but no update on the timeline of his upper-body injury. The Bruins forward has been out of the lineup for nearly three weeks but I imagine the team will try and get him in a game before the playoffs begin.

Robin Lehner – Day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He hasn’t done much Robin’ this season, sporting a 3.01 GAA and .908 SV%.

Justin Faulk – Day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Considering the Hurricanes have two games left, “day-to-day” could mean he’s done for the season. It has been a disappointing season offensively for Faulk with only 31 points in 76 games.

Brian Elliott – Elliott moose is on the loose! By that I mean he’s very very close to a return.

Jake Muzzin – Has been skating but won’t be in the lineup Thursday when the Kings face the Wild. Muzzin has 42 points in 74 games this season, that’s pretty good!

Matthew Tkachuk – It’s unlikely Tkachuk returns this season, but he certainly made an impact with 49 points in 68 games. The Flames will obviously be disappointed they fell short of the playoffs this season, but I think they’ll bounce back next season.

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

Erik Johnson – Will miss the next six weeks with a fractured patella. It’s going to be an interesting finish to the Western Conference wild card race.

T.J. Brodie – “Doubtful to return this season”.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Missed Monday’s game against Minnesota, but should be in the lineup for Edmonton’s final two games of the season.

Jared Spurgeon – Skated for the first time on Monday and the team hopes he can begin practicing by Friday.

Riley Nash – Usually when a player gets stitches they don’t miss any time. The same can’t be said for Riley Nash who had 40 stitches inside and outside of his ear. He can’t even put his helmet on! The Bruins have three regular season games left, I’d be surprised if he missed all three.

Joe Thornton – The Sharks have proven they can win without Joe Thornton, they’ve gone 18-12-3 in his absence. His status for the rest of the regular season is “doubtful” as he still isn’t taking contact in practice. However, this is a guy who once played a playoff series with torn rib cartilage – an injury worse than cracked ribs. If the Sharks need him, I have a feeling he’ll be there.

Derick Brassard – Has been making progress from a lower-body injury but hasn’t started skating just yet. He has eight points in 14 games since being traded to the Penguins.

Marcus Johansson – Hasn’t played for the past couple of months because of a concussion, but seems close to a return now that his status has been upgraded to ‘day-to-day’.

Nick Foligno – Will miss the next few weeks (one to three) with a lower-body injury. I’d expect him back sooner rather than later because the playoffs seem to make great medicine.

Anton Forsberg – Out for the rest of the season (three games) with a lower-body injury. Corey Crawford set the bar high for goaltending in Chicago, but Forsberg really fell short of the mark with his 2.97 GAA and .908 SV% this year.

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

Christian Dvorak – A lower-body injury will keep the Coyotes forward out of the lineup Thursday against the Canucks. His status for Saturday’s game against the Ducks is currently up in the air.