Welcome to the newest edition of the Injury Ward. Here you will find the latest NHL injury updates and also which players may benefit from these situations. My name is Blake Creamer and I will be tackling this topic every single week. I want this article to work for you, so if there are players you want to see, or anything you want added, please reach out to me on Twitter/X @BlakeCreamerAG. Now, let's get to business.

Patrick Kane – After having hip resurfacing surgery, The Kane saga has finally concluded and the destination is somewhat of a surprise. Kane has been quoted saying he wanted to go to a contender and the Red Wings, while they are an improved team, aren't exactly knocking at that door. Either way, he has landed on a team that will most likely give him some decent deployment which is what this player needs to be effective. We saw last season after he was traded to the New York Rangers that his ice time suffered. He went from 19:56 with Chicago down to 17:29 with the Rangers. Even with elite linemates in NY, he was only able to pot 12 points in 19 games. Best case scenario for Kane, is an 18-to 20-minute role with a spot on the top power play. If that happens, I could see a world where he becomes a point-per-game player again. Temper your expectations with this player. I expect Kane to return to action the week of December 4th-10th at some point.

Gabriel Vilardi – It looks as though the 24-year-old winger is ready to return to the Jets lineup as early as Thursday's game against the Oilers. Both head coach Rick Bowness and assistant Scott Arniel have mentioned that Vilardi won't be thrust back into a first line role but he was taking reps on the top power play unit in practice today. This isn't great news for Cole Perfetti as he has moved to the second unit. Vilardi will be given time to get his feet wet so we can't expect the same deployment as he received prior to being injured where he received over 20 minutes TOI in his first two games. We don't have much data to go on with Vilardi, but he has been an efficient shooter up to this point in his career but not exactly a volume shooter. The Jets brought this player in to bolster the offense and I believe he will get back on the top line at some point. He is currently rostered at only 14% on Yahoo so now is the time to add him to your squad.

Shea Theodore – The talented Knight's defenseman has just had successful surgery due to an upper-body injury and is considered week-to-week. It is time to fire up Alex Pietrangelo as he is the quarterback on the Knight's top power play for the foreseeable future. Pietrangelo has been ice cold over the last eight games, managing zero points after amassing nine in the first 10 games. This is a prime buy-low situation for Pietrangelo as he is the last man standing. Among all defensemen at all strengths this season, Pietrangelo is 29th in SOG/60, 39th in iCF/60 and 72nd in iSCF/60. These are reasonable numbers that should improve with the increased offensive deployment. He is also shooting a piddly 2.3% on the year. That won't last. This is a player that can get you double digit goals from the back-end.

Mark Giordano – The ageless one, Giordano is currently being evaluated for a hand injury suffered in Tuesday's game against Florida. Although he is a depth player for the Leafs, they are also without the services of the Klingon, John Klingberg and Timothy Liljegren due to injury. Head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed that Giordano will miss time.


Timo Meier – Meier skated on his own during the last Devils practice but it appears he is still a little ways away from returning to the lineup. There has been some mystery surrounding the rugged winger's injury which was initially deemed "minor". He has now missed the last six games and isn't even practicing with the team. We will have to wait and see where this goes, but when Meier returns, expect him to take his spot back on the top line and top power play.


Erik Haula – In other Devils news, Haula has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Flyers. He has been a reasonable depth player for NJ this campaign but his fantasy value has been middling at best. Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer should be expected to have increased roles with all the current injuries.


Dougie Hamilton – The hits keep coming for New Jersey as Hamilton was injured in Tuesday's game and is still being evaluated for what is being called an upper-body injury. Despite the fact that big Dougie has been taken off of the top power play in favor of young buck Luke Hughes, he has still put up decent numbers with 16 points in 20 games for a 66-point-pace. Fantasy managers have to be annoyed though as this wasn't the plan in draft season. His underlying metrics are still amazing. On the year, Hamilton is 5th in SOG/60, 3rd in iCF/60 and 2nd in iSCF/60 among all defensemen. Those are promising numbers and if/when he makes his way back onto the top power play unit, his production should increase. He has yet to be ruled out for Thursday's game so keep an eye on his status. If he misses any amount of time, Luke Hughes is a must-add player. He is currently rostered at 71% on Yahoo so check your waiver wires.

Adam Fox – Fox is ready to return to the Rangers lineup after a 10-game absence due to a lower-body injury. NY was able to hold down the fort on the back of some excellent play by Erik Gustafsson who directly replaced Fox. Unfortunately, this is going to nuke the value of Gus moving forward. Thank you for your service! Deploy Fox with confidence as he is a perennial Norris trophy candidate with amazing offensive numbers,

Ilya Lyubushkin – This beefer of a man was unable to finish the game on Tuesday after suffering an upper-body injury. Consider him day-to-day until we hear an official update from the team.


Noah Cates – A broken foot will sideline Cates, a third-year player with the Flyers, for six-to-eight weeks. The young center's absence opens up a spot on the second power play unit and players like Garnet Hathaway and Scott Laughton could get a look there. Cates was off to a poor start with only four points in the first 21 games.

Radko Gudas – The ultimate banger is himself, banged up. Is that irony? I digress…. Gudas has a "short-term" injury according to head coach Greg Cronin. Expect this man back sooner rather than later. Also, this guy has one of the best names in the league. He's going on the All-Name team.

Dylan Larkin – There isn't a lot of information on what ails Larkin, but head coach Derek Lalonde designated him day-to-day and he will not be available for Wednesday’s game against the Rangers. J.T. Compher will move up to the top line in his stead but Larkin's injury doesn't sound overly serious. There have been reports out of Detroit that they will be looking to have Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat reunite with Larkin as their center. If that holds, it raises the ceiling for all players involved. Keep an eye on the Red Wings lineups.

Thomas Chabot – DJ Smith expects his workhorse rearguard back in the lineup on Friday but they are still waiting for the official medical clearance. Chabot's return will likely affect the value of Jake Sanderson who has been moonlighting on the top power play at times. When Chabot was healthy, the Senators rolled with him on the top unit and Sanderson and Jakub Chychrun on the second unit. Either way, Chabot should get his usual allotment of minutes in all situations. He'll be a welcomed sight to a Senators team that is currently 9th worst in GA/G with 3.47.

Kaapo Kakko – Kakko has been placed on LTIR after hyper-extending his knee in his last game. This player has been a major disappointment in fantasy and in reality with only four points in 21 games this season. He has been a staple on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Krieder but that has not been enough to kick-start his production. Blake Wheeler has moved up to the top line and is worth a look in deeper leagues as Zibanejad is starting to heat up with five points in his last five games.

Tomas Hertl – Tomas "The Turtle" Hertl missed his last game with a mid-body injury. He has been a steadying presence on this young Sharks team and has had a surprising level of production with 16 points in 21 games. His next chance to play will be a back-to-back on Thursday/Friday, so we should know the severity of the injury shortly.

Alexander Barabanov – Barabonov has only played six games this season but it appears he is getting closer to a return to the team. He will be traveling with the team on the upcoming road trip but it is unclear if he will play. Still, good news for the Sharks who could be without Hertl for a few games.


Tage Thompson – There has been some good news on the Thompson injury front: Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams stated that Tage was re-imaged to check his progress and that they liked what they saw. He could return at the lower end of the initial timeline which was around two months. Casey Mittelstadt has been the primary beneficiary of the Thompson injury. In the last five games, he has seven points and is averaging over 20 minutes a game. Yet, he is still only rostered at 18% on Yahoo. He is absolutely worth an add until Thompson returns.


Jaden Schwartz – Schwartz was unable to complete his last game against the Blackhawks as he suffered a lower-body injury. It has been tough to roster players from the Kraken and Schwartz has been no exception. After a stretch of games where he was seeing increased ice time and production, he has gone eight games with only one point. Tye Kartye could be a player to watch with Schwartz laid up. He has two goals in his last two games and is a prime candidate to move up into the top-six and possibly, the power play.


Juuso Valimaki – "The Juicebox" Juuso Valimaki is making steady progress after being hit in the face with a puck and having subsequent surgery. He was on the ice wearing a full face shield but he is still a ways away. When he does return, his fantasy value is likely capped by players like Sean Durzi and JJ Moser and he can most likely be left on the waiver wire.

That's it for this week's article. Thank you so much for reading. Please follow me on Twitter/X @BlakeCreamerAG and come and check out my fantasy hockey musings on the Apples and Ginos Fantasy Hockey Podcast. Celebrate your day. Bye for now.

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