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.

John Gibson – Left Saturday's game against the Penguins with a lower-body injury and is officially day-to-day. As I write this, Gibson's status for Wednesday's game against the Kraken is still up in the air. Backup Anthony Stolarz has been excellent this season, posting a 5-2-1 record alongside a 2.26 GAA and .930 save percentage.

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 four weeks into that timetable and he's back on the ice, shooting pucks.  

Jakob Chychrun – Suffered an upper-body injury during Friday's game against the Panthers and is officially day-to-day. Chychrun won't play this week, which means he'll miss Wednesday's game against the Rangers and Friday's game against the Ducks. It's been a disappointing season for the 23-year-old defenseman, who has just seven points in 26 appearances.

Dustin Tokarski – The Sabres netminder is back in Buffalo after completing his COVID quarantine. Tokarski won't join the team on their current road trip, so he won't be available for Thursday's game in Minnesota or Friday's game in Pittsburgh. He's expected to resume on-ice workouts this week. The starting role in Buffalo currently belongs to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who sports a sparkling 1.99 GAA and .939 save percentage through four appearances.

Casey Mittelstadt – On Friday, the 23-year-old center underwent surgery for an upper-body injury. There's currently no timetable for his return, but he should be back at some point this season.

Gabriel Landeskog – Colorado's captain will be sidelined for two weeks due to a lower-body injury. In his absence, it looks like Andre Burakovsky is skating on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Landeskog is off to a hot start this year, posting 27 points in 22 outings.

Bowen Byram – According to coach Jared Bednar, Byram doesn't have a concussion but he is having some head-related issues. There's no concrete timetable associated with an injury like this, because it all depends on how Byram feels each day. With that being said, the Avalanche have made it clear they won't be rushing him back into the lineup. The team has to be extra cautious since the young defenseman has already experienced a few concussions during his short time in the NHL. He's been productive when healthy, posting nine points in 13 games this year.

Adam Boqvist – The Blue Jackets defenseman sustained an upper-body injury last Thursday against the Ducks. He was placed on Injured Reserve the next day, a move which comes with a mandatory week-long absence. As such, I don't think he'll be available against the Oilers this Thursday.

Patrik Laine – On November 5^th, Columbus announced that Laine was expected to miss four to six weeks with an oblique strain. That timetable has just about run its course and it sounds like Laine's getting close to a return as he was on the ice for Monday's practice. He had been back home with his family in Finland, honouring the life of his father who recently passed away. Being off the ice for so long means it'll take some time to build up his stamina and ensure his injury has fully healed. I mentioned last week that the oblique muscles play an important role in the act of shooting a puck. So, it's certainly a good sign that Laine's shot looked strong during Monday's practice.

Alexander Radulov – Missed Tuesday's game against the Blues because he was under the weather. He hasn't been placed in COVID protocol, so it seems fair to assume this is a non-COVID illness. Expect the team to provide an update on Radulov's status ahead of Friday's clash with St. Louis.

Roope Hintz – Has been sidelined for Dallas' past two games because of a non-COVID illness. While he was recently placed on injured reserve, the move was made retroactive to last Thursday, so he'd still be eligible to face the Blues on Friday if he's feeling better by then. Hintz has been hot recently, posting 17 points in his last 14 outings.  

Ben Bishop – On Saturday, the Stars announced Bishop's retirement. He had been working his way back from a knee injury, but a recent conditioning stint in the AHL made it clear he couldn't play anymore. Bishop had an excellent career, posting a .921 save percentage and 2.32 GAA through 413 appearances.

Mike Smith – The Oilers netminder was a full participant in Monday's practice. Earlier in the week, there was hope he'd return on Tuesday against the Leafs. However, after Monday's practice, the team determined he wasn't quite ready. It sounds like he's getting close to a return, which would fall in line with earlier reports that he'd be back at some point in early-mid December. Apparently, Smith has been dealing with a nagging lower-body injury that is believed to be ankle-related.  

Zach Hyman – Didn't finish Saturday's game against the Hurricanes after taking a hit late in the game that seemed to affect his shoulder. He's officially day-to-day but hasn't been ruled out for Thursday's clash with Columbus.

Gustav Forsling – Missed Tuesday's game against the Senators due to a non-COVID illness. His status for Thursday's clash with the Kings remains up in the air as I write this.

Aleksander Barkov – Florida's captain is dealing with an upper-body injury, completely unrelated to the knee injury that kept him sidelined earlier this season. Interim coach Andrew Brunette said that once Barkov starts skating, the team should have a better idea of when he'll be back. Consider him day-to-day until we hear otherwise.

Alexander Edler – The Kings defenseman will be out long term with a lower-body injury.

Tyler Toffoli – The Canadiens winger underwent hand surgery last week, which came with a recovery timetable of eight weeks.  

Christian Dvorak – The Canadiens forward is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

Brendan Gallagher – Has completed his quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 on December 2^nd. Since he's been out of action for a couple of weeks, he'll need some time to get back in game shape. Coach Dominique Ducharme emphasized he doesn't want to rush Gallagher back into the lineup and risk losing him to injury again.

Matt Duchene – Nashville's forward is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. As I write this, Duchene's status for Thursday's clash with Colorado hasn't been determined. He's been incredibly productive this season, posting 25 points through 26 appearances.

Jonathan Bernier – Coach Lindy Ruff is concerned for his netminder's long-term health as Bernier is currently sidelined with a hip injury that's been bothering him all season. There's no timetable for his return but it doesn't sound like he'll be back anytime soon. With Bernier injured, Akira Schmid is serving as Mackenzie Blackwood's backup.

Igor Shesterkin – The Rangers netminder suffered a lower-body injury on December 3^rd that was expected to keep him out for a week. He's been sidelined for almost two weeks now but it's encouraging that he was facing shots at the end of Sunday's practice. The Rangers face the Coyotes on Wednesday – the second half of a back-to-back. As I write this, Shesterkin's status for Wednesday's game hasn't yet been determined.

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. Farabee practiced with the team in a limited capacity on Monday and it sounds like he's ahead of schedule in his recovery. While he won't face the Habs on Thursday, he's getting closer to a return.

Derick Brassard – Skated before Monday's practice but it doesn't sound like he'll play this week.    

Ryan Ellis – On November 18^th, the Flyers announced Ellis would be sidelined for four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. Although the short end of that timetable has just about run its course, we still have another two weeks left in the long end. Ellis is reportedly feeling better and progressing well, but I haven't seen anything which suggests he's close to a return.

Jake Guentzel – Last Wednesday, the team announced Guentzel was out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. He has been skating on his own recently, but there's no timetable for a return. Guentzel leads the team in scoring with 15 goals and 12 assists in 24 appearances.

Evgeni Malkin – For the past few weeks, the Russian star has been skating with his teammates without taking any contact. Malkin recently did some work with the team's second power-play unit, representing another encouraging step in the right direction.  He's officially week-to-week but it sounds like he's getting closer to a return. The next major milestone will come once he's cleared to take contact.

Bryan Rust – No major updates since we learned a couple weeks ago that Rust was out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He has been skating on his own recently, but it doesn't sound like he's close to a return.

Scott Perunovich – Missed Tuesday's game against the Stars because of a non-COVID illness.

Jordan Binnington – Tested positive for COVID-19 on December 2^nd. Binnington is out of quarantine now and has been doing some work on the ice. He's progressing well and it sounds like he's nearing a return. As I write this, his status for Friday's game against the Stars remains up in the air.

Ville Husso – Is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.  Charlie Lindgren has done very well with both Binnington and Husso sidelined. Lindgren has won all four of his games, sporting a .956 save percentage and 1.29 GAA.

David Perron – Has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for the past few weeks. Perron was recently placed on long term injured reserve, retroactive to November 27^th. As a result, he won't be eligible to play against the Stars on Friday or the Jets on Sunday. The earliest he can return is Tuesday against the Sens, but that obviously depends on his health.

Brayden Schenn – Is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, unrelated to the one that kept him out earlier this season. He was recently placed on injured reserve, so I don't think he's eligible to play against Dallas on Friday or against Winnipeg on Sunday. It's unfortunate timing for Schenn, who was just starting to heat up with four points in his last four games. 

Jordan Kyrou – Missed the team's last two games due to an upper-body injury. I guess we consider him day-to-day until we hear otherwise. Kyrou has been excellent this season, tallying 25 points in 27 games.

Erik Cernak – Tampa's defenseman is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and won't play until after Christmas.

Nikita Kucherov – Was wearing a regular jersey during Wednesday's practice. He didn't seem to be skating at full intensity but it's certainly another step in the right direction. The superstar winger underwent surgery on October 26^th, which came with an eight to 10 week recovery timeline. That timetable remains in place as he isn't expected back until the new year.

Brayden Point – Has been practicing with his teammates but hasn't been taking any contact. On November 23^rd, the team announced he'd miss four to six weeks with an upper-body injury. Point seems to be on pace with that timeline as the team hopes to have him back around New Years.

Nick Ritchie – Missed Tuesday's game against the Oilers due to a non-COVID illness.

Nicolas Roy – Was a late scratch against the Bruins on Tuesday despite taking warmups. The team didn't have an update on Roy's status after the game.

Alec Martinez – In late November, we learned Martinez was dealing with a head injury. He hasn't been skating recently and is progressing slowly. It doesn't sound like he'll be back anytime soon.

Nolan Patrick – Has been skating recently without taking any contact. Although it sounds like he's getting closer, there's still no timetable for his return. Patrick has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since October 22^nd.

Nicklas Backstrom – All signs point toward Backstrom making his season debut on Wednesday night against Chicago. It looks like he'll be centering a line with T.J. Oshie and Conor Sheary.

Tom Wilson – The Capitals forward is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He skated on Wednesday morning but wasn't taking any contact, so he won't face the Blackhawks on Wednesday night.

Blake Wheeler – A leg injury is expected to keep Winnipeg's captain out for weeks – not days. The team should have a more concrete recovery timeline once the swelling goes down and they get a better look at the injury.

NHL's COVID-19 Protocol List

Over the past few days, a lot of players have been placed in COVID protocol. There isn't really much information available for each case, so I've simply listed the date that each player entered protocol. For the most part, it seems players stay sidelined for about 10 days after they enter COVID protocol.

Below is a list of fantasy-relevant players currently sidelined due to COVID.

Robby Fabbri – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 15^th.

Brad Marchand – Entered COVID protocol on December 14^th.

Craig Smith – Entered COVID protocol on December 14^th.

Patrice Bergeron – Entered COVID protocol on December 15^th.

Calgary Flames – On Monday, the league announced Calgary's games would be postponed at least through Thursday. Since then, the team has had even more positive tests come up across the roster, coaching staff and support staff. As such, I expect more of their games will be postponed. According to Flames' GM Brad Treliving, the team's first set of cases (not including the ones announced on Wednesday) were asymptomatic.

Elias Lindholm – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 13^th.

Andrew Mangiapane – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 13^th.

Noah Hanifin – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 14^th.

Milan Lucic – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 14^th.

Sean Monahan – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 14^th.

Rasmus Andersson – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 15^th.

Jacob Markstrom – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 15^th.

Johnny Gaudreau – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 15^th.

Jordan Staal – Entered COVID protocol on December 14^th.

Andrei Svechnikov – Entered COVID protocol on December 14^th.

Seth Jarvis – Entered COVID protocol on December 13^th.

Sebastian Aho – Entered COVID protocol on December 13^th.

Devon Toews – Entered COVID protocol on December 14^th. Reports indicate he's symptomatic.

Ryan Johansen – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 12^th.

Mikael Granlund – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 15^th.

Nico Hischier – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 11^th.

Ryan Graves – Was placed in COVID protocol on December 11^th.

Mathew Barzal – Tested positive for COVID and entered protocol on December 14^th.

Yanni Gourde – Entered COVID protocol on December 11^th.

Garnet Hathaway –  Entered COVID protocol on December 6^th.