Injury Ward: Power; Aho; Jenner; Barkov; Hellebuyck & More

Brennan Des

2022-12-21

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.

Anthony Stolarz – The Ducks netminder is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Although Stolarz hasn't been practicing recently, coach Dallas Eakins thinks his goaltender will be able to start skating again soon.

John Gibson – We haven't heard many updates since an undisclosed injury caused Gibson to leave the game against Toronto on December 13th. He's been labelled day-to-day, but hasn't been practicing lately, so I don't think a return is imminent.

Owen Power – Sustained a lower-body injury while warming up for a game against the Avalanche last week. Although he was on the ice for the team's next skate, he didn't stay on very long and hasn't skated since. Coach Don Granato said Power has been feeling better every day, but the rookie defenseman's status is officially day-to-day.

Eric Comrie – His status was upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day after he practiced with the team. Comrie's knee injury was originally expected to keep him out for four weeks. That timetable recently ran its course, and it sounds like he's getting close to a return.  

Sebastian AhoHas been sidelined with a lower-body injury for the past two weeks. Although he's been skating recently, the team wants him to participate in a high-intensity practice before getting him back in the lineup. The Hurricanes haven't had much time for practice in their recent schedule, but it seems they have one scheduled on Wednesday. If all goes well, Aho may be an option against the Penguins on Thursday.

Frederik AndersenHas been skating with the team frequently over the past week, but there's still no concrete timetable for his return. The Hurricanes' netminder has been sidelined with a knee injury since November 6th. Given his history of knee injuries, I'm sure the team is being extra cautious with his rehab this time around.

Max Pacioretty – Continues to skate with his teammates without taking any contact. On August 10th, Pacioretty underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles and was expected to be sidelined for six months. He's probably still a ways away from getting back in the lineup, but it seems like he's progressing well. Once he gets cleared for contact, we can start anticipating a return.

Alex Stalock Had been sidelined with a concussion since November 1st but it sounds like he's finally ready to return. Stalock will play backup for Petr Mrazek on Wednesday against the Predators, and may start against Columbus on Friday.

Nathan MacKinnonWas on the ice Tuesday, for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury two weeks ago. Coach Jared Bednar said MacKinnon is still on track with the original four-week timetable, so Colorado's star center probably won't be back until the first few days of 2023.

Bowen Byram – The 21-year-old defenseman has been making progress but remains week-to-week with a lower-body injury.  

Gabriel LandeskogAlthough he hasn't been skating recently, it sounds like he's making progress in his recovery from knee surgery. Colorado's captain still has another three weeks left in the original 12-week recovery timetable.

Adam BoqvistHas fully recovered from a broken foot. It's now just a matter of getting his conditioning back since he'd been unable to skate for so long. Boqvist has been skating frequently for more than a week now, so he should be very close to returning.

Cole SillingerThe19-year-old forward is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Boone JennerWill be sidelined for four weeks following surgery to repair a fractured thumb. With Jenner out, 20-year-old Kent Johnson is centering Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau on Columbus' top line.

Elvis Merzlikins – Was unavailable against the Flyers on Tuesday because of an illness. The 28-year-old netminder has struggled mightily this season, sporting a 4.68 GAA and .864 save percentage through 14 games.

Jakub VranaAfter a two-month stint in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, Vrana returned to practice on December 16th. He was recently cleared for contact and is officially day-to-day. Although there's reason to be optimistic about him returning soon, it may take him a little while to get his conditioning back to the NHL level.

Aleksander BarkovFlorida's captain is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He sustained the injury after taking a stick to the knee during Saturday's game against the Devils. It sounds like initial tests produced positive results, and the injury isn't expected to keep Barkov out long term. He's expected to return after the holiday break, which means he won't play against the Devils on Wednesday or the Islanders on Friday.

Anton Lundell – Was a full participant in Monday's morning skate and will be back in the lineup Wednesday against the Devils.  A non-COVID illness and upper-body injury have kept the sophomore center sidelined since December 1st.

Anthony DuclairLast week, Duclair skated for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair his Achilles tendon in July. Coach Paul Maurice said that Duclair is now weeks – not months – away from a return.

Radko GudasFully participated in recent practices but won't be available for Florida's final two games before the holiday break. Fortunately, he's expected back once the team returns from break – presumably for their game on December 29th against the Habs. Gudas has been sidelined with a concussion since December 3rd.

Mike Matheson – The Canadiens' defenseman is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.  

Ryan McDonaghHas been skating with the team recently while wearing a full-cage helmet. On December 5th, we learned McDonagh would be sidelined for two to four weeks because of an upper-body injury. The short end of that timetable has since expired, and it sounds like Nashville's defenseman will be back very soon.

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Semyon VarlamovThe 34-year-old netminder is day-to-day with a lower-body injury that isn't expected to keep him out long term. Varlamov has been solid this season, winning eight of 12 games while posting a 2.65 GAA and .919 save percentage.

Adam PelechThe Islanders' defenseman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. It's believed he's dealing with a head injury, which is always hard to put a timetable on. Although Pelech isn't expected to be out long term, he hasn't been skating recently, so it's hard to imagine he'll be back any time soon.

Tim StutzleThe Sens hope their young star will be able to return on Thursday against Washington, or on Friday against Detroit. Stutzle has been sidelined with a shoulder contusion since December 12th.

Josh NorrisRecently took another step forward in his recovery from a shoulder injury, shedding his no-contact jersey for a regular practice jersey. As we discussed last week, Norris is scheduled to be re-evaluated after Christmas. If the medical team isn't satisfied with the progress he's made at that point, he may have to undergo shoulder surgery – which would cause him to miss the rest of the season. However, if all goes well, there's a chance he returns in January. 

Cam AtkinsonIs set to have neck surgery and will be sidelined for the rest of the campaign. This explains the mysterious upper-body injury that had kept Atkinson sidelined since the beginning of the season. It sounds like there were lots of ups and downs as it originally seemed like the injury could be managed with a rehabilitation plan. However, it reached a point where things weren't improving, so Atkinson and the team decided surgery would be the best option for his long-term health.

Sean CouturierIs expected to start skating soon and is still on track for a return in late February/early March. He's recovering from back revision surgery, which he had in late October.

Luke KuninRecently underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL. The procedure comes with a recovery timeline of six to eight months, so Kunin will be sidelined for the rest of the 2022-2023 campaign.

Jordan KyrouMissed Tuesday's game against the Kraken due to an upper-body injury. Kyrou was holding his head after he was hit during Monday's clash with the Canucks. As we've discussed before, recovering from a head injury is an unpredictable process, so there's no concrete timetable for his return.

Rasmus SandinLeft Tuesday's tilt with Tampa for precautionary reasons as he was evaluated for a neck injury. Sandin wasn't on the ice for Wednesday's practice, so I wouldn't expect him to face the Flyers on Thursday.

Morgan RiellyThe Leafs' defenseman has been doing some light skating on his own recently. While he's still far from a return, this is certainly a step in the right direction. He's reportedly feeling stronger every day and making encouraging progress in his recovery from a knee injury.

Elias PetterssonHas missed Vancouver's last two games due to an illness. Players don't usually miss too much time when they're sick, so I wouldn't be surprised if Pettersson returns against the Kraken on Thursday.

Jack Eichel – The Golden Knights' star forward remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He hasn't been practicing with the team recently and won't play against Arizona on Wednesday.  

T.J. OshieThe Capitals' forward is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He hasn't been practicing recently and isn't expected to return before the holiday break. That means he's slated to miss Washington's next two games: Thursday against Ottawa and Friday against Winnipeg.

Martin Fehervary – Has been skating without taking contact as he works his way back from an upper-body injury. He isn't travelling to Ottawa with the team, so he won't face the Senators on Thursday.

Nicklas BackstromHas been taking contact during the team's last couple of skates. Backstrom had a pretty major hip resurfacing surgery in mid-June, so the team will need to see how his body responds to these next few practices. Although the progress has been encouraging, it sounds like he's still far from a return.

Tom WilsonOn Wednesday, Wilson participated in his first full-contact practice since undergoing ACL reconstruction in late May. This is one of the last steps in a player's return to action, so don't be surprised to see Wilson back in the lineup soon. When exactly he returns will depend on how his knee reacts to these next few full-contact practices. However, we know for sure that he won't play against the Senators on Thursday as he isn't travelling with the team to Ottawa.

Connor HellebuyckWas unavailable against the Senators on Tuesday due to a non-COVID illness. He'll travel with the team as they visit Boston on Thursday and Washington on Friday,

with the expectation being that he starts one of those games. Blake WheelerRecently underwent groin surgery

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