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.

Kyle Connor – After taking a dangerous knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim's Ryan Strome on December 10th, the Jets sniper looks to be out for the next six-to-eight weeks. Winnipeg is definitely going to feel Connor's absence as he has been their main driver on offense. On the year, he ranks 22nd in SOG/60, 31st in iCF/60 and 36th in iSCF/60 all while pacing for 88 points. With Connor out, Gabriel Vilardi moves up to the top line with Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele while Cole Perfetti joins all three of them on the top power play unit. Vilardi in particular, received a boatload of deployment and could see a sizable uptick in his fantasy value.

Erik Haula – Haula, who missed the last game for the Devils with an upper-body injury, will draw back into the lineup tonight against the Bruins. He has been interchangeable throughout the top-6 this season and is a great streamer when the Devils have a good schedule. Look for him to skate alongside Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer tonight. A 40- to 50-point-pace seems reasonable for this player for the rest of the year.

Max Pacioretty – It has taken longer than expected when Patches signed a 1-year, $2-million contract with the Washington Capitals, but he recently took part in a full-contact practice and could be in the lineup after the holiday break. This is great news for the Caps as they have had legitimate trouble scoring goals. They currently rank dead last in the NHL in goals scored and their power play has been just as bad. When healthy, Pacioretty is an elite shot and chance generator with decent efficiency and he could find himself playing alongside the struggling Alex Ovechkin at even strength and on the power play. That's a nice landing spot but we need to temper expectations for this player as he has only played 44 games over the past three seasons. He should be on fantasy rosters as soon as he is ready to go.

Victor Hedman – The Lightning’s top rearguard is currently dealing with an upper-body injury that kept him out of Tuesday's game versus the Canucks. Hedman has absolutely returned to form this campaign after a 49-point season just one year ago and is on a 76-point pace with most of that coming by way of the power play. He already has 11 power play points after potting just 14 last year. Mikhail Sergachev gets a fantasy boost with Hedman out but it doesn't sound like anything that will keep him out long-term. See you at the party Victor!

Vladislav Gavrikov – This beefer took a knee-on-knee hit from Anders Lee in a recent game and it has been announced that he is week-to-week. For fantasy, Gavrikov isn't relevant but he can provide some value in deeper category leagues although this year, his hit rate is way down.

Adin Hill – It's going to be a non-update, update for a trio of Golden Knights. Head coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned that Hill, Alec Martinez and Shea Theodore are still a little ways away from returning. That show ain't no good. Vegas hasn't missed a beat in their absence and over the past two weeks, they are number one in the league in points, GF/60 and 7th best in PDO. This team is a certified WAGON.

Justin Schultz – When you take a puck to the face, you can expect to miss a game or two and Schultz is in danger of missing his third straight. The good news is he was skating with the team at the most recent practice and could see some action soon. Head coach Dave Hakstol says that he is on the "right path" but not quite ready to return. Schultz is primarily a power play specialist and doesn't get near the ice-time he needs to be relevant for fantasy.

Seth Jones – Chicago's workhorse D-man is a little banged up currently with what looks to be a shoulder injury and he has traveled back home to be evaluated. His next chance to play will be on Sunday against the red-hot Canucks. Jones has had a disappointing season to this point and has yet to score a goal on the year despite getting most of the deployment on the top power play unit. His value comes mostly in category leagues with massive block numbers and the potential for 40 points. With rookie Kevin Korchinski away from the team tending to a personal matter, Alex "The Pickle" Vlasic is quarterbacking the number one power play at this time and is actually getting some decent deployment. Over the last five games, he has averaged just over 22 minutes TOI. If Jones and Korchinski miss more time, this player could be stream option for you.

Scott Mayfield – Mayfield is dealing with an upper-body injury that will keep him out of Wednesday’s tilt against the Ducks. His next chance to play comes on Friday. Keep an eye on his status if you are rostering this absolute unit.

Pavel Zacha – Both Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy are considered day-to-day as mentioned by head coach Jim Montgomery. Morgan Geekie has stepped up in Zacha's absence and players like "The Coiler” Charlie Coyle and Matthew Poitras will get a small boost in fantasy value as well. They can all be streamed in for the rest of the week with the Bruins' playing three games in the next five nights. With McAvoy out, Kevin Shattenkirk has been getting a look on power play but he hasn't been able to do anything with it although the underlying metrics are tip top. In the last five games amongst all defensemen, Shattenkirk is 34th in SOG/60, 11th in iCF/60 and 13th in iSCF/60. The problem is deployment. He is only averaging just over 15 minutes TOI even with McAvoy out. He is worth a stream if you need PPP but that's about it.

Andrei Svechnikov – Big Svech received his MRI results recently and the news wasn't as positive as we would have hoped. He will be out at least "a while" according to Rod "The Bod" Brind’amour. It has been a frustrating season for Svechnikov to say the least. The 23-year-old had knee surgery in March for a torn ACL, and hasn't been able to find his goal scoring touch as of yet. This man is shooting a piddly 2.4% on the year after playing at a 70-point pace in 2022. He will be a massive buy-low when he returns as I believe the trials and tribulations of the current campaign have left a sour taste in fantasy manager's mouths.

Bryan Rust – Rust was injured on December 6th and was unable to finish the game. He is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury. He has had some issues staying healthy this year as he was only four games removed from a different injury that held him out for 3 games. Rust has spent most of the season skating on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. This is a huge blow for the Penguins but reinforcements are on the way in the form of Rickard Rakell who appears close to returning. Without these two legends, an unlikely player has stepped up to power play one. Valterri Puustinen has two points in two games with the big squad and could get some run while these players recover from their injuries.

Philipp Grubauer – The hits keep coming for Grubauer, who has struggled mightily this season. He has limped out to a 5-9-1 record to go along with a 3.25 GAA and an .884 SV%. What has been truly concerning, is that he is 4th worst in the league in Goals Saved Above Average with -8.53. The Kraken have placed him on the IR with a lower-body injury so the soonest he can play would be Monday, December 18th against the Stars. Joey Daccord brought home the win in style with a shutout in his last game against the Panthers. Chris Driedger has been called up as well.

Sean Durzi – A lower-body injury has kept Durzi out of the lineup for the last two games. His next chance to return will be Friday against the Sharks. Prior to the injury, he was locked into the top power play and had been performing as well with seven of his 13 points accumulated there. J.J. Moser is the latest D-man to get a look there in Durzi's absence. He played over five minutes on the power play in Tuesday's game against the Penguins and could be a speculative add until Durzi is healthy.

Alex Tuch – It has been confirmed by head coach Don Granato, that Tuch will make his way back into the lineup and resume his deployment on the top line and power play, after dealing with a lower-body injury that kept him out of the last four games. Initial reports on the lines for Buffalo, show Tuch skating with Tage Thompson and Zach "The Butler" Benson with Casey Mittelstadt centering Jeff Skinner and J.J. Peterka on the second line. Get him back in your lineups.

Chris Tanev – It sounds like Tanev is feeling better after taking a hit from Ross Colton in their game against the Avalanche. Consider him day-to-day at this point until we hear something further. Tanev's name has been bandied around in trade talks recently so luckily for the Flames and Tanev, the injury doesn't appear to be a long-term thing. It shouldn’t affect his trade value moving forward. Tanev doesn't have a ton of fantasy value besides his ability to get blocks and a lot of them.

Trevor Zegras – We had a Zegras sighting at a recent Ducks practice and that is amazing news for a team that has come crashing down to earth after overachieving through the first few months of the season. Young stud Jamie Drysdale was on the ice as well. They won't be in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Islanders, but it is a good sign nonetheless. Zegras is stuck at two points in 12 games on the year but we can absolutely expect that to regress positively towards the mean. He was shooting 3.3%. That is not real and won't stick moving forward. The emergence of Pavel "The Freshmaker" Mintyukov has muddied the waters for Drysdale's return. We will have to wait and see where he is deployed but my hunch is that Minty will keep his spot on that top power play unit. Mason McTavish was not on the ice however, so we'll have to wait for an update there. McTavish is currently enjoying a breakout campaign with 21 points in 24 games and an increased role with the team.

Dylan Larkin – The Red Wings have placed Larkin on the IR, so he will be out at least a week which can only be taken as good news after a scary incident where he was knocked unconscious on the ice. He is still being evaluated but head coach Derek Lalonde said that Larkin is in good spirits and that we will all know more in good time. For fantasy purposes, Joe Veleno has moved up to center Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. He has had three straight games with over 20 minutes TOI plus he has collected three points as well. He is an add while J.T. Compher and Larkin are out.

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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