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.

Mason McTavish – Left Monday's game against the Flames with a lower-body injury. On Tuesday, Anaheim placed him on the Injured Reserve, which means he'll be sidelined for at least a week. The 18-year-old forward was off to a strong start this year, posting two points in his first three NHL appearances. 

Alex Galchenyuk – The Coyotes forward is still listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury but recently started skating on his own.

Casey Mittelstadt – On Friday, Sabres' coach Don Granato revealed that Mittelstadt would be sidelined for at least a couple of weeks due to an upper-body injury. It's unfortunate news for a young player who was expected to take a step forward this year thanks to a bigger role with the team.

Devon Toews – Had shoulder surgery during the offseason and has been skating frequently in recent weeks. Coach Jared Bednar said on Sunday that Toews was getting close to taking contact. There's no timetable for the defenseman's recovery, but once he participates in a few full practices, we can start anticipating a return.

Max Domi – The Blue Jackets forward will be sidelined for two to four weeks due to a rib fracture. He was off to an excellent start this season with four points in his first two games.

John Klingberg – The Stars defenseman suffered a lower-body injury in the team's season opener against the Rangers. Klingberg took a hit while his leg was caught under Alexis Lafreniere, causing his leg to bend awkwardly. He hasn't skated since and there's currently no timeline for his return. Coach Rick Bowness should have an update on Klingberg's status when the team practices Thursday.

Jason Robertson – The 22-year-old forward is still day-to-day with an upper-body injury that's caused him to miss Dallas' first four games of the season. Coach Rick Bowness expects to know more about Robertson's status when the team practices on Thursday.

Mike Smith – The 39-year-old netminder reportedly tweaked something during Tuesday's clash with the Ducks and left the game to avoid exacerbating the issue. He's officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury but his status should be updated once he sees a doctor on Wednesday,

Joel Edmundson – On October 6^th, it was announced that an undisclosed injury would keep the Canadiens defenseman out for two to three weeks. It's been two weeks since that announcement and we haven't heard much about Edmundson's recovery since then. He's been at home recently, dealing with a family matter.

Jack Hughes – The 20-year-old forward seemed to suffer a shoulder injury in Tuesday's game against the Kraken. Hughes landed awkwardly on his shoulder after he was knocked to the ice by Seattle's Jeremy Lauzon. He's officially day-to-day and will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.

Ty Smith – Was taking contact during Monday's practice – an encouraging step in his recovery from a lower-body injury. Coach Lindy Ruff guesses that Smith will return on Saturday when New Jersey hosts the Sabres.

Mackenzie Blackwood – New Jersey's netminder is still recovering from offseason heel surgery and coach Lindy Ruff thinks it's unlikely Blackwood plays during the team's current homestand – which extends to October 26^th and includes three more games. Jonathan Bernier has started and won both of the Devils' games so far. Those wins came against the struggling Blackhawks and Kraken, so we'll see how we fares against tougher competition.

Anders Lee – Missed Tuesday's clash with the Blackhawks due to a stomach ailment that left him devoid of energy. New York's next game is on Thursday in Columbus.

Semyon Varlamov – Hasn't been available for New York's first three games of the season due to an undisclosed injury. He was a full participant in Monday's practice and it sounds like coach Barry Trotz expects Varlamov to return for this weekend's back-to-back with the Coyotes and Golden Knights. Ilya Sorokin struggled early on in Varlamov's absence, surrendering five goals in each of his first two starts. However, he bounced back in game three against Chicago, stopping 39 of the 40 shots he faced.

Kaapo Kakko – On Sunday, Kakko was placed on the Injured Reserve (IR) due to an upper-body injury. He has to stay on IR for at least a week, so he won't be eligible to return until October 25^th when the Rangers host the Flames. Coach Gerard Gallant didn't think the injury would keep Kakko sidelined long term, so he should be back shortly after those seven days on IR.

Ryan Strome – Missed New York's last two games because he was in COVID-19 protocol. Players can end up in this protocol 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). As I write this, his status for Thursday's game against Nashville remains undetermined.

Matt Murray – Missed Ottawa's first three games of the season because he had the flu and was devoid of energy. Fortunately, some of that energy came back on Monday and he was feeling well enough to practice on Tuesday. Murray will make his season debut on Thursday against the Sharks.

Rasmus Ristolainen – His season debut has been delayed by an upper-body injury, but he'll be in the lineup on Wednesday when the Flyers face the Bruins.

Kevin Hayes – Was recently placed on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) and won't be eligible to return until November 10^th when Philly faces Toronto. The Flyers forward underwent abdominal surgery on September 21^st, which came with a recovery period of six to eight weeks. He's been on the ice a lot recently, but we're still weeks away from a return.

Bryan Rust – The Penguins forward is officially week-to-week with a lower-body injury. With Rust sidelined, Danton Heinen and Jake Guentzel are flanking Jeff Carter on Pittsburgh's top line. Heinen has scored in three of his four appearances this season and is owned in just 14-percent of Yahoo leagues.

Sidney Crosby – The Penguins captain underwent wrist surgery in early September that came with a recovery timeline of at least six weeks. That timetable has just about run its course, which indicates Crosby should be ready to return soon. He has been practicing recently but hasn't been a full participant just yet. The Penguins don't play again until Saturday against the Maple Leafs. If Crosby responds well to a full-contact practice between now and then, I wouldn't be surprised to see him in Saturday's lineup.

Evgeni Malkin – On Monday, the superstar center took part in some light skating while wearing a tracksuit. Although Malkin is still many weeks away from a return, this is encouraging news becaus it's his first time skating since offseason knee surgery.

Chris Driedger – On Tuesday,the 27-year-old netminder was placed on injured reserve and will therefore be sidelined for at least a week. We haven't heard much about the nature of the injury or how long he's expected to be out. Driedger's only action this season was on Monday night against the Flyers. He took over in the second half of that game because Philipp Grubauer was struggling.

Nikita Kucherov – On Tuesday, the star winger was placed on long-term injured reserve with what is believed to be a core/groin injury. As a result of the move, he won't be eligible to return for at least 10 games and 24 days. Coach Jon Cooper didn't have a timetable for Kucherov's recovery, vaguely stating that it won't be as long as last year's 56-game absence. Ondrej Palat's fantasy value should increase in the short term as he's been promoted to Tampa's top power-play unit with Kucherov sidelined.

Petr Mrazek – On Saturday it was announced that the Leafs goaltender would be sidelined for two weeks due to a groin injury. Jack Campbell has been excellent for Toronto this season, but the Leafs have a back-to-back set this Friday and Saturday, so Michael Hutchinson is likely to see some action before Mrazek returns.

Ondrej Kase – Missed Tuesday's practice because he needed to be assessed after blocking a shot in Monday's game against the Rangers. Once we know the results of those assessments, we should have a better idea of Kase's status moving forward. 

Quinn Hughes – The 22-year-old defenseman missed Tuesday's game against Buffalo due to an undisclosed injury. Coach Travis Green revealed that Hughes was close to playing on Tuesday and shouldn't be out long term. Expect an update on the young blueliner's status ahead of Thursday's game in Chicago.

Mark Stone – Vegas' captain won't require surgery for the lower-body injury he's been dealing with. There's no concrete timetable for a return but his official status is in between day-to-day and week-to-week.

Max Pacioretty – Is week-to-week with a lower-body fracture that he sustained after blocking a shot. Evgenii Dadonov is someone who may become more valuable in fantasy formats while Pacioretty is sidelined. 

Nicklas Backstrom – Has been skating recently but is still in the early stages of his recovery from a hip injury. Backstrom is currently on long-term injured reserve and isn't eligible to return until November 6^th when the Caps face the Flyers.  Evgeny Kuznetsov has seen increased opportunity with Backstrom sidelined and is making the most of it, tallying six points in three games so far.

Blake Wheeler – Winnipeg's captain has tested positive for COVID-19 and is dealing with symptoms of the virus. He has to self-isolate for at least 10 days (starting from the date he tested positive), but his eventual return date will also be influenced by the length of his recovery from current symptoms.