Injury Ward: Updates Around the All-Star Break for MacKinnon, Kucherov, Hamilton & More

Brennan Des

2022-02-02

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 our last article. If you ever need injury updates for a specific player, shoot me a message on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza.

Josh MansonThe Ducks defenseman is dealing with a finger injury and recently had some tests done to learn more about the ailment. Anaheim doesn't play again until February 11th, which gives Manson some time to recover. 

Tuukka RaskIs officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Reports indicate he's dealing with the lingering effects of hip surgery, which he had in the summer of 2021. Rask looked rusty in his initial return from the surgery, posting a 4.28 GAA and .844 save percentage through four appearances before he was eventually sidelined with this current injury.

Casey MittelstadtThe 23-year-old center is going to see the same doctor who performed surgery on his upper-body injury back in early December. Based on that information, it seems Mittelstadt is dealing with the lingering effects of that procedure, or perhaps a re-aggravation of the initial injury.

Teuvo TeravainenHas missed Carolina's last two games due to a lingering lower-body injury. The Hurricanes don't play again until February 7th, so hopefully having this week off gives Teravainen enough time to recover.

Jonathan ToewsChicago's captain sustained a concussion during last Wednesday's clash with Detroit. Recovering from a head injury is an unpredictable process and coach Derek King made it clear there's no concrete timetable for Toews' return.

Kevin LankinenWas on the ice getting some work in before Tuesday's practice. Last week, the team announced Lankinen would miss two to three weeks with a hand injury. 

Nathan MacKinnonColorado's star center sustained a facial fracture and concussion when he was hit during last Wednesday's game against Boston. He's feeling better and the team hopes to have him return right after the All-Star Break. Colorado's first game out of the break is February 10th against Tampa Bay.

Braden HoltbyWasn't available for Tuesday's clash with Calgary due to a lower-body injury. Coach Rick Bowness hopes Holtby will be ready after the All-Star Break. Dallas' first game out of the break is scheduled for February 9th against Nashville.

Tyson BarrieHas been skating with his teammates recently but isn't expected to be in the lineup against Washington on Wednesday. Barrie has been sidelined for the past two weeks because of injuries to both his upper and lower-body.

Mike Smith – Was a full participant in Sunday's practice. On January 13th, the team announced Smith would be sidelined for a week or two due to a partial tear of a tendon in his thumb. He was recently placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), which should be retroactive to his last appearance (January 5th). Players on LTIR are required to miss 10 games and 24 days of action. Smith has already been sidelined for seven games, so I believe he'll have to miss at least three more. Based on my understanding, he isn't eligible to return until February 11th, when Edmonton hosts the Islanders.

Matt DumbaAn upper-body injury will keep Dumba out of the lineup during Wednesday's game against Chicago. He's been labelled day-to-day, which suggests the injury isn't too serious. Minnesota has almost a week off before their next game, scheduled for February 8th in Winnipeg. Hopefully that gives Dumba enough time to rest.

Marcus FolignoAn upper-body injury will prevent Foligno from playing against Chicago on Wednesday and his official status is day-to-day. The team is being extra cautious to ensure he doesn't rush back into the lineup before he's ready. Minnesota doesn't play again until February 8th, so Foligno has a few extra days to recover.

David SavardMontreal's blueliner will be sidelined for eight weeks because of an ankle injury. He had been playing through the injury, which he initially sustained after blocking a shot during a game against the Bruins a few weeks ago.

Carey Price – We'll know whether Price is able to play this season based on how his knee responds to rehab over the next couple of weeks. He's been skating recently as part of that rehab. Price seems determined to return this season, but also acknowledged the possibility that he may not be able to play again. These next few weeks should give us some more information about what the future holds for him.

Jonathan Drouin – Is out indefinitely with a wrist injury. Drouin has been skating recently, but that obviously doesn't tell us much about his wrist.

Christian DvorakTook a hit to the head during last Monday's game against Minnesota and has been diagnosed with an upper-body injury, which fortunately isn't a concussion. With the All-Star Break coming up, the Canadiens don't play again until February 8th. We should get another update on Dvorak's status after the break.

Dougie HamiltonOver the past week, Hamilton has been skating frequently without taking any contact. Once he starts taking contact, we can start getting excited about a return. It's been about four weeks since Hamilton had surgery to repair his broken jaw.

Adam FoxAn upper-body injury caused Fox to miss New York's last three games before the All-Star Break. Coach Gerard Gallant was confident Fox would be back right after the break, so he should suit up for New York's next game, scheduled for February 15th against Boston.

Drake BathersonLast week we learned that Batherson suffered a high-ankle sprain when he crashed into the boards awkwardly after a reckless hit from Sabres netminder Aaron Dell. Batherson will be out at least two months and it's possible he misses the rest of the season. The injury derails a breakout campaign for Batherson, who has 34 points in 31 appearances.

Josh Norris – Is dealing with a shoulder injury and recently had an MRI to determine the injury's severity. I assume the team has those MRI results already and they're likely discussing treatment options at this point. An update on Norris' status should be out soon.

Connor Brown – About two weeks ago, we learned that a broken jaw would keep Brown sidelined for at least three weeks. He's been skating recently and hopes to return after the All-Star Break.  

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Derick Brassard – Has been practicing recently and coach Mike Yeo says Brassard has fully recovered from the hip injury that's caused him to miss significant time this year. He should be back in the lineup right after the All-Star Break. Philly's first game out of the break is scheduled for February 9th against Detroit.

Danton Heinen – The Penguins forward is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Pittsburgh doesn't play again until February 8th, which should give Heinen enough time to recover.

Adin HillLast week, we learned the Sharks netminder was day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He hasn't been on the ice recently but is expected to start skating next week.

Nikita KucherovWas on the ice for Tuesday morning's skate, which suggests he's cleared COVID protocol (entered protocol on January 25th). Kucherov didn't suit up against the Sharks on Tuesday night, which may have been due to conditioning issues as he'd been quarantining and unable to skate recently. I expect he'll be back in the lineup for Tampa's next game, set for February 10th against Colorado.

Jake MuzzinThe Leafs defenseman has taken a step back in his recovery from a concussion. The team hopes Muzzin will be able to ramp up his recovery after the All-Star break, which suggests Muzzin won't be back in the lineup immediately after the break.

Nicolas Hague – The Golden Knights defenseman is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

Zach Whitecloud – Was ruled out of Tuesday's game against the Sabres but there haven't been any real updates on his status. The Golden Knights don't play again until February 8th, hopefully we hear something before then.

Alec Martinez – Has been practicing with the team for the past two weeks and remains day-to-day. That would suggest Martinez is close to returning from a head injury which has kept him out since late November.

Vitek Vanecek – Left Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh with an upper-body injury. As I write this, his status for Wednesday's clash with Edmonton remains up in the air.

Nikolaj EhlersInjured his left knee in a knee-on-knee collision a couple of weeks ago. He was recently placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), which comes with a mandatory absence of 10 games and 24 days. As such, he won't be eligible to return until February 14th – although he may be sidelined for longer depending on how he feels. As of January 31st, Ehlers was "nowhere near close to playing".

NHL's COVID-19 Protocol List

Over the past few weeks, many 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. In the past, players stayed sidelined for about 10 days, but the league and player's association agreed to let vaccinated individuals leave isolation five days after a positive COVID test, if they have no symptoms or if symptoms are resolving. That early exit is only possibly if allowed by local health authorities.

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

Erik HaulaEntered COVID protocol on January 30th. He was heating up with 11 points in 14 games before being sidelined.

Matt RoyWas placed in COVID protocol on January 30th.

Chandler StephensonEntered COVID protocol on January 29th.

Alex Ovechkin – Entered COVID protocol on February 2nd.

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