Here's the latest injury news from across the NHL!If you're looking for information about a specific player and don't see their name in this article, there probably haven't been any significant updates about their progress since last week's article. If you ever need injury updates for a specific player, shoot me a message on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza!

Matt Grzelcyk – The Bruins' defenseman returned to the lineup last Wednesday after a four-game absence due to a lower-body injury. Unfortunately, he saw less than 12 minutes of ice time in his return and may have reaggravated the injury. He has since missed Boston's last two games with a lower-body injury and won't be in the lineup on Thursday against the Devils. He had an MRI on Sunday, which should give the team some more information about what exactly he's dealing with. Expect a more substantial update in the coming days. 

Ondrej Kase– The 25-year-old forward has been skating on his own, but he hasn't been cleared to practice with his teammates just yet. Kase has been out since January 16^th, when he suffered an upper-body injury in Boston's second games of the season. 

Mikael Backlund– Suffered a lower-body injury during Saturday's game against the Canucks and wasn't ready for Monday's rematch in Vancouver. He was a game-time decision on Monday, which suggests the injury isn't too serious and he's probably close to returning. He was participating in Wednesday morning's skate and should be back in the lineup for Wednesday evening's clash with the Canucks. 

Petr Mrazek – It's been about two weeks since Mrazek underwent surgery on his thumb. He has been working through some skating drills recently and even faced a few weak low shots without using his stick. It's encouraging to see Mrazek back on the ice but coach Rod Brind'Amour said it would take some time for the Hurricanes goaltender to return to full health. 

Connor Murphy – Last week, it was announced that Murphy would miss 10-14 days with a right hip injury.  We're about six days into that timetable, which means Murphy should hopefully return to the lineup within the next week or so. He has five points, 25 hits and 28 blocks through 13 appearances this season, making for a solid multicategory defenseman. 

Andrew Shaw – Took an elbow to the face in a game against the Stars last Tuesday and has been in concussion protocol since. At this point, there's no timetable for his return. Recovering from a concussion is an unpredictable process as different people require different amounts of time to return to full health. Chicago's medical staff will likely be extra cautious with Shaw, who has a history of concussions.  

Cale Makar – The sophomore sensation missed a second-straight game on Tuesday due to an upper-body injury. With that being said, he was a game-time decision and was on the ice warming up with the team shortly before puck drop. While the decision was made to keep him out of the lineup, he seemed very close to returning. The Avalanche have a few days off as their next game is on Saturday. Given that Makar was so close to returning on Tuesday, I think these extra days of rest will help him feel 100-percent by Saturday.  

Pavel Francouz – Is out long-term with a lower-body injury but there's no timetable for his return. Last we heard, he was week-to-week. Philipp Grubauerhas done an excellent job of carrying the workload with Francouz sidelined. Grubauer has started 11 of Colorado's 13 games, posting eight wins alongside an impressive 1.64 GAA and 0.936 save percentage. 

Zach Werenski – The Blue Jackets' defenseman returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing three games with a lower-body injury. His ice time wasn't limited during the game, but he may have reaggravated the injury, as he sat out of Monday's clash with the Hurricanes. When asked if Werenski's absence was related to his previous lower-body injury, coach John Tortorella declined to comment. 

Alexander Radulov – The 34-year-old forward is day-to-day with a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the team's last four games. We haven't had many substantial updates about his status, all we really know is that he hasn't been skating recently. 

Roope Hintz – On Monday, it was announced that the 24-year-old forward was day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Since that announcement, the Stars have had two games postponed due to power issues caused by severe weather in the Dallas area. As such, Hintz will have had almost a week to rest between games, as Dallas' next contest is currently scheduled for Saturday against Tampa Bay. I expect Hintz should be available for that game, as long as it isn't postponed by power outages again. 

Tyler Bertuzzi – Won't be in the lineup on Wednesday when Detroit takes on Chicago, marking the ninth-straight game he's missed due to an upper-body injury. He hasn't been skating recently, so I don't think we'll see him feature in this weekend's back-to-back against the Panthers either. Bertuzzi was off to a strong start this season with seven points through nine appearances – four of which were scored with the man advantage. The Red Wings haven't recorded a single power-play goal in his absence. The team is 0 for 22 on the power play without Bertuzzi in the lineup this season.  

Ethan Bear – The Oilers defenseman has been sidelined since January 30^th, when he took a puck to the head in a game against the Leafs. He recently experienced a setback in his recovery and won't be in the lineup on Wednesday against the Jets. Before this setback, he had practiced with the team and was getting close to a return. 

Alex Stalock – The 33-year-old netminder has been skating recently and working one-on-one with Minnesota's goaltending coach. There's still no timetable for his return, so I guess he remains out indefinitely with an upper-body injury until we hear otherwise. With that being said, this is certainly an encouraging step in the right direction as Stalock prepares for his first start in 2021. 

Jared Spurgeon – Minnesota's captain has been skating recently as part of his recovery from an upper-body injury. He's expected to practice with the team soon as he's currently travelling with them through California. Keep in mind, Spurgeon also recently came off the NHL's COVID-19 Protocol List, so he's been out of action for some time now and might need a few practices to return to game form. 

Mattias Ekholm – Is not travelling with the team and isn't expected to be in the lineup for Nashville's next two games against the Blue Jackets. General Manager David Poile expects the team's injured players to start returning next week, so Ekholm shouldn't be sidelined for too much longer.  

Ryan Johansen – Has been skating recently and is with the team in Columbus as they prepare for a two-game series with the Blue Jackets. While Johansen could make his return in one of these games against Columbus, it's more likely we see him get back in the lineup at some point next week. 

Nico Hischier – It's been a while since we had a substantial update on Hischier, so let me start by getting you caught up on the situation. The young center suffered a leg injury while training in early December. The injury reportedly didn't require surgery and wasn't originally expected to be a long-term issue. On Monday, coach Lindy Ruff said that Hischier would be ready to play if he wasn't on the COVID-19 Protocol List, which means that Hischier has since recovered from that initial leg injury. He wasn't practicing with the team on Wednesday and likely won't be available against the Bruins on Thursday. However, it sounds like he'll be making his 2021 debut in the near future. Once he gets off the COVID-19 Protocol List and starts practicing, we can start projecting a return.  

Jacob Trouba – The 26-year-old defenseman will be sidelined for four to six weeks with a broken thumb. 

K'Andre Miller – The Rangers rookie sat out of Tuesday's clash with the Devils due to an upper-body injury. He practiced with the team on Wednesday and is close to returning. Don't be surprised if he's back in the lineup on Thursday against the Flyers. 

Artemi Panarin – New York's leading scorer has missed two games with a lower-body injury. He practiced on Wednesday and is expected to play on Thursday against Philadelphia. 

Matt Murray – Suffered a neck strain last week against the Jets but has been practicing recently and will be available to start against the Leafs on Wednesday or Thursday. The 26-year-old netminder has struggled this season, posting just two wins through 12 appearances, alongside a 3.69 GAA and .882 save percentage. 

Casey DeSmith – Wasn't unavailable against the Capitals on Sunday because of a non-COVID-related illness . Players don't usually miss too much time when they're sick, so I don't think DeSmith will be sidelined for too long. 

Erik Karlsson – Is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury but coach Bob Boughner is hopeful that he'll be available on Thursday against the Blues. It's worth noting that this injury is reportedly unrelated to any of Karlsson's past injuries. The 30-year-old defenseman has gotten off to a slow start this season with just four points through 13 appearances. 

Torey Krug – Left Monday's game against the Coyotes with an upper-body injury. He was practicing with the team on Wednesday which is certainly an encouraging sign. I don't think he'll be sidelined for too long and it seems fair to expect a return in one of these next two games (Thursday and Saturday) against San Jose. 

Jaden Schwartz – A lower-body injury kept him out of the lineup for St. Louis' last two games. He was not on the ice for Wednesday's practice, so I don't think he'll be available on Thursday against the Sharks. I guess we consider him day-to-day until we hear otherwise.  

Anthony Cirelli – Tampa's second-line center is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. He was off to a strong start with 10 points through 12 games in 2021.  

Jack Campbell – Has been on the ice working with Toronto's goalie coach recently, another step in his recovery from a leg injury. There's no timetable for his return as the team continues to monitor his progress every day. Coach Sheldon Keefe did say that Campbell was definitely more than a weekaway from returning.  

Robin Lehner – Suffered an upper-body injury during last Thursday's morning skate and has been sidelined ever since. There haven't been many substantial updates about his status recently. We've heard that his health has been improving, but I haven't seen any news about him participating in practice just yet. I guess we consider him day-to-day for now. Marc-Andre Fleury was tasked with starting both games of a back to back in Lehner's absence and conceded just one goal over those two games. The Golden Knights are in good hands with Fleury, but they're at risk of overworking the 36-year-old netminder if Lehner is sidelined for a while. 

Pierre-Luc Dubois – Practiced on Tuesday but isn't expected to be in the lineup against the Oilers on Wednesday. He's dealing with a lower-boy injury that might be a product of the inactivity he experienced during the quarantine process after being traded. 

NHL's COVID-19 Protocol List

Below is a list of fantasy-relevant players that are currently unable to practice, travel or play games due to COVID protocols. 

Players can end up on this list for a number of different reasons, including an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed and subject to confirmatory testing, mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals, required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol, isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol (Source: NHL.com). 

Casey Mittelstadt

Samuel Girard

Gabriel Landeskog

Jonas Brodin

Cam Talbot

Travis Zajac

Claude Giroux

Travis Konecny

Scott Laughton

Travis Sanheim

Oskar Lindblom

Jakub Voracek