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.

Valeri Nichushkin – Recent updates on Nichushkin's progress have been positive. He is set to meet up with the team in Edmonton with the intention of playing on Friday against the Oilers. When healthy, this burly man has found a home on the top power play in Colorado and his production has been excellent. He's already popped for a career-high 15 PPG in just 48 games this campaign.Time is running out for him to help you with your playoffs as the Avalanche only play seven more games this season with three off-nights. Still, if he is in the lineup, he needs to be in your lineup.

Pavel Mintyukov – Minty has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury and should be considered questionable for the Ducks next game against the "The Freshmaker" has put together a promising rookie season thus far with four goals and 24 assists in 63 games. He has seen some reasonable deployment on the top power play at times, but the Ducks have a glut of good young defensemen, and that could cap his ceiling unless he is able to establish himself moving forward. He also need a lot more TOI to truly reach his potential, but on the whole, the team has to be happy with Minty's output. If he misses another game, late-night beauty Cam Fowler will likely continue to quarterback the top power play with fellow rookie Olen Zellweger heading up the second unit. 

Carter Verhaeghe – Some unfortunate news out of Florida as we've received word from Coach Paul Maurice that "Swaggy" will be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. He will miss the last seven games of the season and possibly a playoff game or two. This is especially unfortunate seeing as how the Panthers are mired in a poor stretch of play that has seen them go 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. With Verhaeghe out, it was Eetu Luostarinen who moved up to the top power play unit and not mega-beefer, Sam Bennett. It raises his floor slightly but he is still just a streamer at this point. Verhaeghe will finish the season with 34 goals and 37 assists in 75 games.

Aaron Ekblad – Staying with the Panthers, the oft-injured Ekblad is at it again. He was unable to finish the game on Tuesday against the Canadiens and will be sidelined on Thursday as well, with an undisclosed injury. He had recently played three games after returning from a seven-game absence with a lower-body injury but it will be back to the infirmary now. It was just two short seasons ago that Ekblad dazzled fantasy managers with 57 points in just 61 games including 15 goals. Since then however, he has failed to make an impact on offense and has been overtaken in the pecking order by Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling. Ekblad has 18 points in 51 games and is pacing for the lowest point total of his career. He is not a lost cause in fantasy by any means, but he will need to stay healthy and start shooting the puck a little more. His SOG/60 at all strengths, is also the lowest number of his career at 5.53. This is a player who usually generates a lot of shot attempts and chances from the back-end. If he can get that back to previous numbers, I could see Ekblad as a 40-45 point defenseman perennially.

Tristan Jarry – The BC-born netminder is battling illness currently, and is likely to miss his seventh straight game. Backup Alex Nedeljkovic has filled in admirably and has amassed a 4-1-2 record during that time. It will be interesting to see how the Pens navigate their goalie situation as their games still matter. They are three points back of Washington in the Wild Card race with Washington holding a game at hand advantage. Ned is a viable option at this point until Jarry returns and then we will have to wait and see how the starts are divvied out. It is probably safer to stay away from both tendies if they are going to share starts, especially at this point in the season. The Penguins have recalled goaltender Joel Blomqvist in Jarry's absence.

Adin Hill – The Adin Hill injury mystery has been solved! After being ruled out for the last five games with an "undisclosed" injury, some clarity has been provided and it is a lower-body injury he has been dealing with. We still don't have a timeline for his return, but we are happy with baby steps at this point. Vegas backup, Logan Thompson, has put together a nice stretch of play during that time with four wins in five games and that has also earned him the NHL's second star of the week. I expect that the Golden Knights will go back to the well with Hill when he has recovered but this is a nice problem for Vegas to have and it is well within the range of outcomes for the Knights to roll with the hot hand.,

Tomas Hertl – Prized trade acquisition, Tomas Hertl is close to making his debut with the Golden Knights. He was seen in practice wearing a regular jersey and even though Coach Bruce Cassidy has ruled him out for Tuesday's game, he is trending towards playing on Friday against the Coyotes. It's hard to predict what kind of impact Hertl will make with Vegas this season as we haven't seen his deployment or linemates but I would expect him to line up on the second line with Chandler Stephenson and Michael "Upper-Bodio” Amadio. He will likely see time on the top power play unit as well with Ivan Barbashev being relegated to the second unit. Temper expectations but now would be a good time to add Hertl, especially if your playoffs go into next week. Vegas has an amazing schedule with four games, all on off-nights. 

Erik Gustafsson – If you are looking for a deep-league New York Ranger streamer, you may have to look at someone other than Gustafsson. He has been out with a lower-body injury but he was a full participant in the Rangers most recent practice. Head coach Peter Laviolette couldn't say whether Gus would be in the lineup on Wednesday so he will be a true game-time decision. This player is always a great option if Fox goes down to injury as he would slide up to the top power play unit, but unless that happens, his fantasy production will be muted at best.

Thomas Chabot – The workhorse rearguard missed his third straight game dealing with a lower-body injury but a quick update on Chabot's status was provided by coach Jacques Martin. Unfortunately, it doesn't help us much. Chabot has resumed skating and the hope is he will play soon so it doesn't sound like something that is going to keep him out long-term.  Jakob Chychrun and Jake Sanderson have both been playing on the top power play unit and Chychrun in particular, has been very effective. He has six points in the last five games including four goals. 

TJ Oshie – Oshie (upper-body) did not skate on Wednesday but there is a chance he returns for Thursday's game although the next 24 hours will be key in determining that. Injuries have been stacking up for the American-born Oshie but he was able to get into the lineup to celebrate his 1000th game recently. He is a streamer level player when he is in the lineup but therein lies the rub. With Oshie out, the Capitals have been giving youngster, Hendrix Lapierre a look on the top power play unit.

Morgan Rielly – Rielly (upper body) is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday when the Leafs play the Lightning. With Timothy Liljegren injured as well, Rielly should take back his spot on the top power play and should hold that for the remainder of the season. We now have a data point to look back on with Liljegren and Rielly out and it looks like Conor Timmins is the next man up on the power play although his even strength ice time left something to be desired. Fire up Rielly and get him back on your rosters.

Phillip Danault – Second-line center, Danault, is a game-time decision for Wednesday's game versus the Seattle Kraken. If he plays, expect him back on the second line with sniper Kevin Fiala and shot-monster Trevor Moore. Danault has a solid, albeit boring, fantasy game and his floor is solid due to excellent deployment and offensive linemates. If he can't play, look for Pierre-Luc Dubois to continue as a top-six pivot.

Elias Lindholm – Lindholm isn't quite ready to return to the Canucks lineup and there has been limited reporting on what is actually ailing him. It is officially an undisclosed injury and it has kept him out of four straight contests. At this point in the fantasy season, Lindholm is probably a better real-life player as opposed to a solid fantasy asset. It will be very interesting to see where he lands in the offseason as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end. Some playoff success in Vancouver could help the Canucks retain his services.

Thatcher Demko – The Canucks have been treading water ever since their All-Star caliber goalie went down with a suspected knee sprain. Journeyman Casey DeSmith has held down the fort as best as he can but if the last game against the Golden Knights is any indication, DeSmith might be cooked. The good news is that Demko was back on the ice skating with the team and he has been making good progress. Demko was put on LTIR and has to sit out 24 days and 10 games. Both of those timelines will be satisfied this week and he will be eligible to play as soon as Saturday but it is more likely that he will make his return some time next week. Huzzah!

That's 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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