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.

Matthew Tkachuk – Tkachuk was a surprise addition to the injury report on Wednesday morning. He is dealing with an undisclosed injury. Coach Paul Maurice had mentioned that he didn't skate today so they are just waiting to see him on the ice. By the time you are reading this, we could have the information we need. After a slow start, Tkachuk has lived up to the performance of his last two seasons and he is cooking with 22 goals and 55 assists for 77 points in just 67 games. If he were to miss some time, look for Evan Rodrigues to bump up the lineup at even strength and Sam Bennett to jump up to the top power play unit.

Jonas Brodin – Good news for Jonas Brodin and the Minnesota Wild as he is scheduled for an MRI, but word is that he hasn't damaged his ACL. This said, time may be running out on the 30-year-old's chances of returning this regular season. Brodin has put together a career year in 2023-2024 and is pacing for his highest point total to date (37 points). With the Wild only three points out of a wild card spot, they need all hands-on deck and Brodin would likely push it a bit to get back in but if the Wild fall out of contention, I could see Brodin being shut down for the remainder of the year. Either way, he isn’t exactly fantasy relevant but he can provide some decent blocks and the occasional point. His deployment will keep his floor relatively secure. 

Teuvo Teravainen – Carolina has a great schedule for the back half of the week with three games in the final four nights including the four-game Friday. It would be really helpful if we could get Teravainen back in the lineup as he would be a premier streamer during this time. He is currently managing an upper-body injury that shouldn't keep him sidelined for much longer.  After a disappointing campaign in 2022-2023 that saw his offensive production plummet to 37 points in 68 games, Teravainen has bounced back, even in limited minutes, with 47 points in 66 games. The addition of cup-winner Jake Guentzel muddies the water a bit when it comes to Teravainen's deployment. Guentzel is skating on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis where Teravainen has skated previously. Even if he gets bounced down to the third line and the second power play unit, the Finnish winger will still have value as a streamer if you need points or power play points. His next chance to play will be Thursday against the Flyers.

Jacob Trouba – King of the Beefers Jacob Trouba has resumed skating as per head coach, Peter Laviolette but the team will take their time managing his lower-body injury. The initial timeline given on March 8 was two to three weeks and while he is approaching that, he is not quite ready and the Rangers have no need to rush the captain back to the lineup. Trouba is a category-league beast and while his offensive production leaves something to be desired, he never disappoints when it comes to the peripheral statistics and this season has been no different. He has somehow upped his HITS/GP from 2.66 in 2022-2023 to 2.67 this year and to add to that, he is averaging a career-high in BLOCKS/GP at 2.83. Sheesh. Trouba will likely be out for the remainder of the week but there is a good chance he returns after that.

Jeremy Lauzon – Speaking of beef, the NHL's leading hitter, Jeremy Lauzon is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. This won't be fantasy relevant for points leagues, but in category leagues, you are basically losing the Auston Matthews of hits. There really isn't a replacement for a player hitting at this clip, and this is a big loss for the red-hot Predators. Look for Tyson Barrie to get a boost in ice-time until Lauzon returns. 

Tanner Jeannot – This burly man made a triumphant return to the lineup from a lower-body injury on Tuesday playing just over 10 minutes and racking up seven hits and a block along the way. Jeannot has no other fantasy value other than hits and is a streamer at best.When writing about Jeannot I cannot help but think about the trade that brought him to Tampa Bay. The Predators received five draft picks including a top-ten protected first-rounder in 2025 PLUS defenseman Cal Foote for the services of Tanner Jeannot. That trade indicates that Jeannot would be in the Lightning's future plays considering the draft capital they traded away, but it appears that no one told head coach Jon Cooper. Since his time with Tampa, Jeannot has averaged around 12 minutes TOI. If there is any value to extract from this player, there is no chance we come close to it with his current deployment. The good news is that he is only 25 and Tampa does have some aging veterans but for now, the outlook isn't great.

Radko Gudas – What is with all these Beefers getting injured? Is the NHL going vegan? Maybe. This bearded beauty suffered an upper-body injury on March 15 and he has subsequently missed the next three games and he is in danger of missing a fourth straight this Thursday against the Blackhawks. The Ducks young guns on defense will get a good look with Gudas out. Olen Zellweger, Jackson Lacombe and "The Freshmaker" Pavel Mintyukov will all see a boost in ice time and as of last game, Zellweger is getting top power play duties. Cam Fowler should continue to chug minutes as well but unfortunately, the Ducks offense is lukewarm to say the least. Still, these players can be viable in deeper formats with the priority add going to whoever is manning the top power play.

Trevor Zegras – It seems as though we have been writing about Zegras' return from a broken ankle for some time and it could be a little longer. He participated fully in Wednesday's practice and that makes two full practices now without any setbacks or restrictions. He is still not taking line rushes though and the time may be running out for Zegras to make an impact for your fantasy seasons. He is worth a stash add if you can put him directly into your IR spot, but the actual value you will receive from this player could be muted and his deployment is not secure. Overall, it has been a massively disappointing season for the talented center, marred with injuries. This should equal some value come next year in draft season as the future is bright for this player and people will likely forget how skilled this man is. I could see a world where Zegras racks up 65-70 points next year and hopefully we get a glimpse of that if he can return in 2023-2024.

Tomas Hertl – Hertl is expected to resume skating by the end of this week or early next week while the team heads out on their upcoming road trip. We still have no timeline for his return, but this can only be viewed as a positive sign in Hertl's recovery. There is hope that he will play some games with the Knights prior to the playoffs. As far as his fantasy value when he does, he will most likely slot right in as the 2C with top power-play time. We will need to temper expectations as Vegas may ease him back into action with limited ice time. Next year is where his value could really pop. 

Tyler Seguin – The 32-year-old Stars center will make his return to the lineup on Wednesday after an 11-game absence and should take his spot back on the second line with Mason Marchment and Matt Duchene. His line has been one of the best second lines in the league and without Seguin, they have sputtered mightily. In 11 games without Seguin, Duchene and Marchment have combined for just six points and despite this, they are both pacing for 71 and 58 points respectively. Seguin could be added as the Stars have a decent schedule over the next week and a half playing six games with two off-nights. 

Jani Hakanpaa – Hakanpaa will miss Wednesday's game against the Coyotes with a lower-body injury. His next chance to play will be Friday against the Penguins. Hakanpaa has accrued a modest 12 points in 64 contests while racking up his usual peripheral stats.

Jake Walman – "The Griddy" Jake Walman has been sidelined with a lower-body injury and in his absence, the Red Wings have recalled Simon Edvinsson.No other info has been provided so keep an eye out for a status update prior to Detroit's next contest.

Dylan Larkin – The Michigan born center is nearing a return from a lower-body injury that has kept him out for the past eight games. According to Coach Derek Lalonde, Larkin is a possibility for Thursday's game against the Islanders but they will need to see how he feels the morning of. The Red Wings have been free falling in the standings as of late and are playing their way out of a playoff spot although they were able to get a win in their last contest against the Blue Jackets. Larkin's return cannot come soon enough if the Wings have any chance of playing in May. He has 26 goals and 28 assists in 58 games this season while playing mostly on the top line with Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat. 

Vince Dunn and Jaden Schwartz are still battling their own respective upper-body injuries and they both appear set to miss the Kraken's next game on Thursday against Vegas. In Dunn's absence, Justin Schultz and rookie Ryker Evans have seen boosts for fantasy as they head up the power play units for Seattle. Coach Hakstol likes to roll the lines so there isn't a clear winner without Schwartz in the lineup. It's the next man up mentality is Seattle which makes rostering these players extremely frustrating. Schwartz skated with the team on Wednesday so I would expect him to return sooner than Dunn. It's probably best to leave most Kraken players on the waiver wire at this point unless it is a schedule play.

Joel Eriksson Ek – The Wild are making the best of the situation with JEEK out and Ryan Hartman has been the main beneficiary. He is lining up on line one with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy as well as the top power play unit. There was a chance that Ek would join the team on the road in California but that didn't materialize and the Wild are exercising an abundance of caution moving forward. He should be back prior to season's end but for now, with Hartman WE RIDE! He has popped for three points in three games sans JEEK and should receive ample opportunity to add to that while Ek recovers. 

Viktor Arvidsson – Some great news for the LA Kings as Viktor Arvidsson has been removed off of LTIR and could make his return on Wednesday night against the Wild. It's hard to predict what kind of value we might get from Arvidsson but historically, he has proven to be a shot-monster and a very efficient power play contributor. Expect a slow ramp-up and keep your eye on the lines. Arvidsson is a speculative add if you need points, shots and PPP. 

Jacob Markstrom – According to head coach Ryan Huska, "[Markstrom] was skating today (Tuesday) and we're expecting him to skate three more times this week, hopefully everything keeps progressing the right way and he's in our net on the weekend." Dustin Wolf has been adequate in the crease in Markstrom's absence and could definitely garner more starts in 2024-2025. Markstrom has been better than average this season but his time with the Flames could be coming to an end as he was close to being traded before the deadline according to multiple sources. If he is healthy, he should be rostered. 

That is it for this week's article. Thank you so much for reading. If you are interested in chatting with me one-on-one, you can reach me on a fantasy sports app called Didit.  Click this link to download the app: https://t.co/eJSrN8Xlzp 

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