Here's the latest injury news from the Montreal Canadie – I mean 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.

Adam Henrique – The Ducks forward didn't join the team as they kicked off a five-game road trip with stops in Washington and Buffalo. He's currently sidelined with a lower-body injury, but coach Dallas Eakins didn't rule out the possibility of Henrique joining the team during this road trip. Although he only has one point in his last six appearances, he was red hot to start the season, posting 15 points in his first 18 outings.

Max Comtois – On November 18^th, Comtois underwent surgery to repair a fractured bone in his right hand. The procedure came with a recovery timeline of six weeks. We're about three weeks into that timetable and he's started skating without a stick.

Ryan Getzlaf – Anaheim's captain is week-to-week with a lower-body injury that is believed to be ankle-related. He was recently placed on Injured Reserve (IR), a move which comes with a mandatory week-long absence. However, I believe the clock for that mandatory absence starts ticking from the time of injury, not when the transaction was made. As such, Getzlaf should be able to return whenever he's feeling better – I don't think he'll be forced to miss games as a result of being on IR.

Nick Schmaltz – The Coyotes forward has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for the past six weeks. He's been practicing recently and could return against the Panthers on Friday or against the Flyers on Saturday. 

Charlie McAvoy – A non-COVID illness kept McAvoy out of Saturday's game against the Lightning. He was a full participant in Tuesday's skate and is travelling with the team as they kick off a three-game road trip through Western Canada. I expect he'll face the Canucks on Wednesday night.

Matt Grzelcyk – Is dealing with a non-COVID illness which prevented him from skating on Tuesday. He's travelling with the team on their current road trip but his status for Wednesday's game in Vancouver hasn't yet been determined.

Charlie Coyle – Didn't skate on Tuesday due to a non-COVID illness. He is travelling with the Bruins on their current road trip, but his status for Wednesday's clash with the Canucks remains up in the air.

Casey Mittelstadt – Left Tuesday's game against the Ducks with an injury. There's concern Mittelstadt aggravated the same upper-body injury that kept him sidelined from mid-October to early-December. He'll undergo imaging on Wednesday to get a better idea of the situation.

Craig Anderson – The Sabres netminder is reportedly dealing with head/neck issues after taking a hard hit in a game against San Jose back in early November. While he was listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury last week, the team's latest injury report has him out month-to-month.

Tyler Johnson – The Blackhawks forward underwent artificial disk replacement surgery (the same procedure Jack Eichel had) on Friday and will be sidelined for the next three months. Johnson had been dealing with neck soreness since late October, when he was cross-checked by Vincent Trocheck in a game against the Hurricanes. It sounds like the medical team exhausted all other options before deciding this surgery was best for Johnson.

Connor Murphy – Entered concussion protocol after he was hit by Alex Ovechkin during last week's game against the Capitals. Murphy has been skating recently and there's hope he'll return against the Habs on Thursday or against the Leafs on Saturday.

Pavel Francouz – The 31-year-old netminder is in the midst of an AHL conditioning stint. He struggled in his first start with the Colorado Eagles (AHL affiliate of the Avalanche), allowing three goals on 18 shots. However, he posted an impressive 27-save shutout in his second start. He should be called back up to the NHL very soon. 

J.T. Compher – Was a full participant in Monday's morning skate and could be an option on Wednesday against the Rangers. On November 15^th, the team announced that Compher would be sidelined for about a month with an upper-body injury. Based on that timeline, he should be back within the next few days.

Bowen Byram – According to coach Jared Bednar, Byram doesn't have a concussion but he is having some head-related issues. He isn't with the team as they close out their road trip on Wednesday in New York. 

Darcy Kuemper – An upper-body injury has kept the 31-year-old netminder out of Colorado's last few games. Kuemper was facing shots during Monday' morning practice and could be available against the Rangers on Wednesday.

Joonas Korpisalo – Is on Injured Reserve (IR) with a non-COVID illness. Although he's been feeling better recently, he's not feeling well enough to practice. His mandatory week-long stint on IR will be done ahead of Thursday's clash with the Ducks, but it doesn't sound like he'll be available for that game.

Patrik Laine – On November 5^th, Columbus announced that Laine was expected to miss four to six weeks with an oblique strain. There's about a week and a half left in the long end of that timetable. Coach Brad Larsen recently said that Laine was coming along day by day, but recovering from an oblique injury takes time and there's no concrete date set for the winger's return. I believe the oblique muscles play an important role in the act of shooting a puck. For a sniper like Laine, those muscles will need to be fully healed for him to be at his best.

Ben Bishop – The Stars netminder is set to begin a conditioning stint in the AHL this week. He's expected to start against the Chicago Wolves on Thursday night, which would be his first game since undergoing knee surgery in October of 2020. He can stay in the AHL for either three games or six days – whichever is longer. After that, the team can request the league for an additional two games of AHL conditioning. The imminence of Bishop's return will depend on how he feels after these next few starts. In order to clear cap space for Bishop, it sounds like the Stars will have to trade netminder Anton Khudobin. That means when Bishop is ready to return, he and Braden Holtby will share the crease in Dallas, with Jake Oettinger likely sent down to the AHL. Bishop had been practicing with his Dallas teammates since mid-September. This conditioning stint represents another step forward in his return to NHL action.

Moritz Seider – Left Tuesday's game against Nashville after he was hit by Tanner Jeannot. The team didn't have an update after the game, but they expect to know more on Wednesday. The rookie defenseman has been excellent this season, posting 18 points in 26 games.

Mike Smith – Continues to skate but there haven't been any recent updates to timelines for his return. Apparently, Smith is dealing with a nagging lower-body injury that only bothers him in certain positions and surgery isn't part of the plan. Early reports indicated he'd be back at some point in early-mid December, but that's looking less and less likely.

Duncan Keith – The Oilers defenseman has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for the past couple of weeks. While he's scheduled to skate on Wednesday, he isn't expected to play against the Bruins on Thursday.

Anthony Duclair – The Panthers winger has been day-to-day with a lower-body injury for the past couple of weeks. He's been skating frequently and could return at some point this week. Duclair is travelling with the team as they visit Arizona on Friday and Colorado on Sunday, so he could make his return in one of those games.

Aleksander Barkov – Returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing eight games with a knee injury. Unfortunately, he sustained a new injury in his return (unrelated to the previous ailment). It looked like he was favoring his arm, but the team hasn't released an official update just yet.

Jared Spurgeon – Minnesota's captain practiced with the team on Monday. He's expected to return from a lower-body injury during the team's current road trip, which includes a stop in San Jose on Thursday, LA on Saturday, and Vegas on Sunday.

Tyler Toffoli – The Canadiens winger will be out for a few weeks with an upper-body injury. His five goals in 26 appearances represent a significant step back from the 28 goals he scored in 52 games last year.

Christian Dvorak – Left Tuesday's game against Tampa with a lower-body injury. He didn't practice on Wednesday and probably won't be available against Chicago on Thursday. Jesse Ylönen was called up from the AHL to take Dvorak's place in the lineup.

Jeff Petry – Is currently sidelined with an upper-body injury and there's no timetable for his return. There were reports earlier in the season that Petry was dealing with a nagging injury. Considering the Canadiens' current place in the standings, it doesn't make sense for anyone to play through minor injuries and risk them becoming more serious.

Josh Anderson – Montreal's power forward will be sidelined for another one to three weeks with an upper-body injury.

Joel Edmundson – Is essentially starting over in his recovery from a back injury. He won't require surgery, but he'll be sidelined for another few weeks.

Carey Price – Last week, the Canadiens netminder started skating without his goalie equipment. In the coming days, he's expected to start training in full equipment. It's another step in the right direction, but there's still no concrete timetable for his return. Coach Dominique Ducharme did say it's unlikely Price returns before Christmas.

Mattias Ekholm – Missed Tuesday's game against the Red Wings with a non-COVID illness. He was reportedly feeling better after the game and there's no long-term concern about his health. As I write this, his status for Thursday's clash with the Islanders hasn't yet been determined.

Juuse Saros – Missed Tuesday's game against Detroit with a non-COVID illness. Saros was feeling better after the game and there's no long-term concern about his health. His status for Thursday's game against the Islanders is still up in the air as I write this.

Brock Nelson – On November 23^rd, the Islanders announced Nelson would miss two to four weeks with a lower-body injury. He started skating recently, but it doesn't sound like he's close to a return. Based on the long end of that timetable, Nelson could still be a couple weeks away.

Ryan Pulock – On November 17^th, the Isles revealed that Pulock would be sidelined for four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. We still have one to three weeks left in the original timetable but Pulock hasn't started skating yet. As such, I wouldn't expect him back any time soon.

Igor Shesterkin – The Rangers netminder suffered a lower-body injury during Friday's game against the Sharks. While the injury looked bad at first, an MRI revealed no long-term concern and he's expected to skate on Thursday. Coach Gerard Gallant was confident that Shesterkin would only be sidelined for about a week. The Russian goalie won't play against Colorado on Wednesday but could be back this weekend if he responds well to Thursday's skate. Shesterkin has been outstanding this year, winning 13 of his 17 starts and posting a 2.05 GAA and .937 save percentage in the process.

Joel Farabee – The Flyers forward is week-to-week with a shoulder injury. He won't need surgery, but the nature of the injury makes it difficult to estimate a concrete timetable. It sounds like he's dealing with a Grade II Acromioclavicular (AC) sprain, which could realistically take anywhere from two to six weeks to heal.

Derick Brassard – Is expected to play against the Devils on Wednesday.  

Evgeni Malkin – Continues to skate with his teammates without taking any contact.  

Bryan Rust – No real updates since we learned last week that Rust was week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He wasn't on the ice for Wednesday's practice, so I wouldn't expect him back any time soon.

Chris Driedger – Has been sidelined with a lower-body injury for the past week. While he has been skating and facing shots recently, there's no timetable for his return.

Mark Giordano – Seattle's captain returned to practice on Tuesday after being sidelined in COVID protocol for 10 days. Giordano's availability for Thursday's game against Winnipeg will depend on how he responds to Wednesday's practice.

Robert Thomas – The Blues forward is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Apparently, this is a lingering issue that Thomas had been playing through, but the team finally decided he needed rest. This has the makings of a breakout season for Thomas, who's posted 22 points in his first 24 appearances of the year.

David Perron – Has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since November 26^th. Although Perron is progressing well, there's no timetable for his return. The 33-year-old winger has 18 points in 20 games this year.

Ville Husso – Left Tuesday's game against the Panthers with a lower-body injury. He's currently undergoing some tests and the team should have an update on his status at some point on Friday. Charlie Lindgren is expected to start against Detroit on Thursday.

Erik Cernak – Tampa's defenseman is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The hope is for him to return at some point on the team's current road trip, which includes a game in Toronto on Thursday and Ottawa on Saturday.

Nikita Kucherov – Was on the ice for Saturday's morning skate but he's still weeks away from a return to the lineup. The superstar winger underwent surgery on October 26^th, which came with an eight to 10 week recovery timeline.

Rasmus Sandin – Fortunately, the young defenseman didn't sustain any structural damage to his knee after taking a dangerous hit from Neal Pionk. Sandin is expected to miss two to three weeks while the swelling and bruising subsides. 

Mitch Marner – The Leafs forward will be sidelined for three to four weeks with a shoulder injury he sustained during Friday's practice. Marner has been scoring at a 72-point pace this season, which is solid, but still below the 90-point pace he's crossed in each of the past three years.

Petr Mrazek – The Leafs netminder was back skating with the team on Tuesday. He had been sent down to the AHL for a conditioning stint, allowing four goals on 26 shots on Sunday, in a loss to the Laval Rocket. The fact that he's back with the Leafs suggests he's close to returning.

Nolan Patrick – Has been skating recently without taking any contact, but there's no timetable for his return. Patrick has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since October 22^nd.

Jack Eichel – Vegas' center has been skating recently and can do everything but take contact right now. He had disk replacement surgery on November 12^th, which came with an expected recovery period of three months. It's encouraging to see him back on the ice but the original timetable hasn't changed.

Nicklas Backstrom – The Capitals center participated in his first practice with contact on Friday. I'd say this is the last big milestone before a return, so he should be back in the lineup very soon.

Neal Pionk – Is currently in concussion protocol after taking a dangerous hit from Jason Spezza during Sunday's game against the Leafs. Pionk was suspended for two games because of a dangerous hit on Rasmus Sandin in that same game. We'll probably hear more about Pionk's health after that suspension runs its course.

NHL's COVID-19 Protocol List

Below is a list of fantasy-relevant players that are currently sidelined 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).

Dustin Tokarski – Was placed in COVID protocol on Thursday. He's currently quarantining in Florida and has another three or four days left in his mandatory self-isolation period.

Tony DeAngelo – Entered COVID protocol last Monday. At this point, Coach Rod Brind'Amour isn't sure when DeAngelo will be rejoin the team. I think his mandatory 10-day quarantine should run its course in the next day or so. While I don't expect he'll be available against the Flames on Thursday, there's a chance he returns this weekend – either against the Oilers on Saturday or the Canucks on Sunday.

Brett Pesce – Is on the exact same timeline as DeAngelo.

Tyler Bertuzzi – The league's only unvaccinated player entered COVID protocol last week. He was reportedly feeling okay but still has a few days left in his mandatory quarantine. As a result, I don't think he'll be eligible to play against the Blues on Thursday or the Avalanche on Friday.

Brendan Gallagher – Tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday (December 2^nd). and has another three or four days left in his 10-day quarantine. As such, he definitely won't be available against Chicago on Thursday and I don't think he'll play against St. Louis on Saturday.

Justin Faulk – Was placed in COVID protocol on Thursday (December 2^nd). He has another three or four days left in his mandatory 10-day quarantine, so he won't face the Red Wings on Thursday and probably won't be available against the Canadiens on Saturday.

Jordan Binnington – Tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday (December 2^nd). The hope is for Binnington to be ready next week – so he won't face the Red Wings on Thursday or the Canadiens on Saturday.

Garnet Hathaway –  Entered COVID protocol on Monday. As such, he'll probably sidelined for another week or so.