Here's the latest injury news from across the NHL! Detailed injury updates usually become scarce during the playoffs, presumably because teams don’t want the opposition to target their injured players. As a result, the Injury Ward article will probably be put on hold from now until the offseason, when we’ll review the injury landscape ahead of next year’s campaign. 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.

Updates from Playoff Teams

Frederik Andersen – Has been skating on his own, but there's still no timetable on his return from a leg injury. On Sunday, Andersen said that he still has some work to do before he's ready to come back. Playing goaltender requires making many different movements and holding many different positions. It doesn't sound like his mobility is at 100% just yet, so he'll need more time to rehab. Antti Raanta will be Carolina's starter for Game Two on Wednesday night.

Viktor Arvidsson – There was reportedly a good chance of Arvidsson playing in Game One on Monday, but he ultimately didn't because of a personal matter. He wasn't on the ice for Tuesday's skate, so his status for Game Two on Wednesday remains up in the air as I write this.

Juuse Saros – A lower-body injury had already ruled him out of Games One and Two before the playoffs even started. He's with the team and is working hard to return soon. Saros' status for Game Three in Nashville hasn't been determined just yet.

Ryan Lindgren – Left Game One against the Penguins because of a lower-body injury. The Rangers expect to know more about his status on Wednesday.

Tristan Jarry – Missed the end of the regular season because of a broken foot, but his status was recently upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day. He probably won't be available for the first few games of Pittsburgh's first round matchup with the Rangers, but Jarry could be an option later on in the series. 

Casey DeSmith – A lower-body injury caused him toleave Tuesday's game against the Rangers. He's being evaluated and his status for Game Two remains up in the air as I write this. If he's unable to play, Louis Domingue – who closed out Pittsburgh's Game One win – would likely get the start.

Rickard Rakell – Left Pittsburgh's playoff opener after taking a hit from Ryan Lindgren. As I write this, there's still no word on his status for Game Two.

Jason Zucker – Is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He could return to the lineup at some point during Round One.

Michael Bunting – Will be in the lineup for Game Two against the Lightning on Wednesday.  

William Nylander – Had food poisoning and was puking ahead of Game One on Monday, but fought through it and still ended up playing. Fortunately, he's feeling better ahead of Game Two.

Petr Mrazek – On Tuesday, Mrazek participated in his first practice since suffering a groin injury in late-March. It's been five weeks since he sustained the injury, which came with a minimum recovery timetable of six weeks. With Jack Campbell healthy, I don't expect Mrazek will get much action during this year's playoffs.

Tom Wilson – Left Tuesday's playoff opener with a lower-body injury and is currently being evaluated.

Updates from Non-Playoff Teams

Clayton Keller – Expects to start skating again in about three weeks. Keller is currently on crutches as he works his way back from a leg injury sustained at the end of March. To be more specific, he's recovering from a surgery that repaired his broken femur.  

Kyle Okposo – Missed the team's final games due to an ankle injury. Fortunately, it wasn't a serious issue and he would have been able to return this week.

Craig Anderson – Hip pain prevented him from playing in Buffalo's final three regular season games. The 40-year-old netminder will take the next few weeks to recover, and will then start thinking about his plans for next year.

Zach Werenski – Didn't play in Columbus' final two games of the regular season as he had surgery to repair his broken nose. He'll need some time to recover and likely won't play in the IIHF World Championships as a result.

Boone Jenner – A back injury kept him sidelined for the final seven weeks of the regular season but he's feeling great right now. Jenner doesn't need surgery and should be ready for the 2022-2023 campaign after a full offseason of training.

Patrik Laine – Won't need surgery for the upper-body injury that kept him sidelined for the team's final seven regular season games.  

Carey Price – The netminder's knee still isn't at 100% as he's still dealing with a lot of swelling. Based on the current condition of his knee, Price doesn't think he'd be able to play the 55-60 games that a starting goaltender normally does. He prepared like the team's regular season finale was his last game in the NHL, but will use this offseason to rehab, explore treatment options, and seek more clarity about his future. Price acknowledged that another knee surgery could be on the table.  

Brendan Gallagher – The Canadiens forward revealed that a hip injury from the 2020 playoffs affected him during the 2020-2021 regular season. He then suffered a groin injury during the 2021 playoffs. Due to condensed schedules and Montreal's deep playoff run last year, Gallagher didn't really have time to recover from previous injuries and was hindered this season by those ailments, as well as other problems around his pelvic area. He'll finally have a few months to rest and recover. It was a disappointing season for Gallagher, but hopefully he'll be able to bounce back as he returns to full health next season.

Jack Hughes – His recovery is going very well. While he hasn't been on the ice much lately, he's working towards skating again soon. The young star was sidelined for the last month of the regular season due to a low grade MCL sprain in his left knee.

Dougie Hamilton – The Devils defenseman said he didn't feel like his usual self after returning from his jaw injury and is still dealing with some nerve damage in his lip and teeth. He also shared that he broke his toe shortly before breaking his jaw and had to play with that broken toe down the stretch. Those injuries may explain why Hamilton struggled so much over the final few months of the season.   

Connor Brown – He was playing through a broken wrist in his last 10 appearances of the regular season. To add insult to injury, his other wrist is also injured. Fortunately, he's expected to recover ahead of training camp in September.

Mathieu Joseph – A sternum injury ended his season early but he should be back to 100% in the next couple of weeks.  

Matt Murray – Is dealing with post-concussion syndrome and won't be able to play in the IIHF World Championships.

Rasmus Ristolainen – Has almost fully recovered from the upper-body injury that kept him sidelined late this season. He should be cleared to start working out again this week.

Cam Atkinson – Was dealing with many different issues over the final weeks of the regular season. It finally got to a point where he felt like he was hurting the team by playing, so he decided to sit out. Fortunately, it sounds like he'll be back to 100% within the next few weeks.

Carter Hart – The young netminder said that if the Flyers were in the playoffs right now, he'd be playing. That suggests that the injury which kept him out for the end of the season isn't too serious.

Ryan Ellis – The Flyers defenseman had been dealing with multiple core injuries, resulting in widespread symptoms that affected his pelvis and hip. Since he was dealing with multiple issues, it was hard to identify the root cause of his ailments at first, which explains why his prolonged absence this season. Fortunately, the root cause has finally been identified, and there's now a treatment plan in place – which doesn't include surgery. We'll get a sense of how he's responding to this treatment plan at some point in June/July.

Adin Hill – Does not need surgery for the injury which bothered him for a significant portion of the season. It's reportedly a minor, nagging issue which requires rest and rehab, but there's no concrete timetable for his return to full health. Hill has been sidelined since March 12th – when he re-aggravated the same lower-body injury which had kept him out for about seven weeks earlier in the year.

Erik Karlsson – The lower-body injury which kept him sidelined for the final weeks of the regular season is a minor issue and not related to past groin and ankle injuries. Fortunately, Karlsson won't require surgery during the offseason and could play in the IIHF World Championships if he wants to.

Jaden Schwartz – Should be ready for next season's training camp. Schwartz had been sidelined with an upper-body injury since March 22^nd.  

Thatcher Demko – Sustained a lower-body injury about a month ago but battled through it while Vancouver was still in the playoff race. He eventually went on the shelf once those playoff hopes faded. It doesn't sound like Demko needs surgery for the injury. He's expected to be ready for next season's training camp.

Bo Horvat – Missed the end of the regular season because he had broken part of his tibia (leg bone). He won't require surgery, but the injury typically comes with a recovery timetable of six to eight weeks.

Tanner Pearson – Has another three to four weeks left in his recovery from a broken thumb, which he sustained in early April.    

Robin Lehner – Will undergo shoulder surgery on Wednesday, but there's no concrete timetable for his return. He sustained the injury on February 9^th and had done his best to battle through it, but the team ultimately decided that surgery was the best course of action.

Mark Stone – Was hindered by a back injury, which kept him sidelined for two months this season. He probably returned sooner than he should have, trying unsuccessfully to help his team qualify for the playoffs. A treatment plan hasn't been chosen just yet, but offseason surgery is still on the table. 

Laurent Brossoit – Will have some sort of surgery during the offseason. Expect more details once the procedure has been completed.

Reilly Smith – Has almost fully recovered from the knee injury that kept him sidelined since early March.