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.

Sean Durzi – The Utah HC has been hit with a pretty significant injury to their number two Dman and he could be out for awhile. Durzi was unable to finish Monday's game against the Devils after absorbing an awkward hit. He was seen in a sling after the game and GM Bill Armstrong mentioned in a recent interview that Durzi would be out for the "foreseeable future". While we don't have an exact timeline, this is a huge blow to the HC as Durzi was skating with Mikhail Sergachev on the top pairing as well as PP2. "The Juicebox" Juuso Valimaki could see some run on the second power play unit and an increased role at even strength. He could be an add in a deeper league. Sergachev will chug minutes in Durzi's absence as well so expect a boost there. Durzi had two points in four games prior to the injury. 

Darcy Kuemper – The 34-year-old netminder is coming off of an insane 8-7 loss to the Ottawa Senators where he was in for all eight goals. A performance like that can likely submarine your whole week-long matchup and to make matters worse, he is now dealing with a lower-body injury – already being ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Leafs. Head coach Jim Hiller mentioned that he considers Kuemper day-to-day but with journeyman goaltender Pheonix Copley being recalled recently, we should probably conclude that Kuemper will miss the second half of the back-to-back on Thursday as well against the Canadiens. His next chance to play will be on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks. Kuemper is still a solid #zeroG option despite his most recent game and LA in general, is known for their goalie-friendly environment. Expect them to bounce back and Kuemper to join them.

Linus Ullmark – Head coach Travis Green wouldn't say if Ullmark would play on Thursday as he is dealing with a muscle strain after last Sunday's game but did say that he looked good and that he was progressing well. Whether he makes it into the lineup or not, this isn't an injury that will keep him out for much longer. If he can't go tonight, look for Anton Forsberg to take the reins. Ullmark recently signed a four year, $33 million contract with the Sens and has a 1-1 record in his first two games played. 

Joseph Woll – The oft-injured Woll was placed on IR at the beginning of the year but was able to join the team for Wednesday's morning skate. He was able to take some shots but he won't be eligible ro return to action until Saturday's game against the Rangers at the earliest. Even then, HC Berube could elect to run with offseason signing Anthony Stolarz and Dennis "The Hildebeast" Hildeby to allow Woll the extra time to get back to full health. Woll was earmarked as the team's 1A over Stolarz but this citation is fluid and it might be a true tandem and that would devalue both goalies for fantasy purposes. This is a situation we need to keep a close eye on. Former captain John Tavares, will make his return to the lineup as well after missing one game due to illness.

JJ Peterka – After getting trucked by mega-beefer Brenden Dillon in game two of the NHL Global series in Prague, Peterka will make his return to the ice on Wednesday against the Penguins. Peterka is an intriguing fantasy option and was a popular sleeper in draft season. He should slot back onto the top line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch and potentially the top power play as he was skating there prior to the injury. This is a player with 70-point upside as soon as this season if all goes well. Get him back in your lineups.

Chris Kreider – The former 50-goals scorer is currently dealing with an illness that kept him out of Wednesday's practice. If he is unable to go on Thursday against the Red Wings, look for upstart Alexis Lafreniere to get a shot on the top power play with the big boys. Third-liner Will Cuylle could get a shot with Mika Zibanejad and Reilly Smith at even strength. Kreider has three goals in three games so far this year and looks primed for another 65-75 point season with a bunch of power play goals. He also possesses one of the longest necks in the entire league. The more you know…..

William Nylander – Some type of illness is making its way through the Toronto Maple Leafs locker room and Nylander is the latest victim. Coach Berube has designated Willy as a game-time decision for Wednesday's contest. Does Nick Robertson move up to the second line with John Tavares if Nylander can't go tonight? There is some potential there but we will have to wait and see. Nylander has had a slow start to his standards with two goals in the first three games. It is still early and there is every indication that he will get back to his previous production. Make way for Willy!

Artturi Lehkonen – We received somewhat of a timeline on Lehkonen from head coach Jared Bednar and it looks like he will have his follow-up with doctors on October 28th. We will know more after that as he continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. When in the lineup, Lehkonen is a staple in the top-six and has spent some time on the top power play making him a valuable fantasy asset. He is a worthy stash and will definitely be useful upon his return. 

Devon Toews – Sticking with the Avalanche, 30-year-old Devon Toews will miss another game on Wednesday against the Bruins with a lower-body injury. It's unclear where he picked up the injury and he was a late scratch on Monday. They could sorely use his steady presence on the back end as they currently have the worst save percentage in the league at 5V5. His replacement, Oliver Kylington, could hold some value in deeper leagues as a streamer with the Avs still having three games left this week all on the lighter nights. The hits keep coming as Jonathan Drouin (upper body)is set to be re-evaluated on October 28th as well. That is going to cost him six games at minimum paving the way for "Cameo" Ross Colton and Casey Mittelstadt to maintain their current value and also continue to see time on the top power play. Both are must-roster players at least for this week.

Victor Olofsson – Olofsson was injured in Tuesday's game against the Capitals after getting tangled up and twisting his leg. Head coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned that it "didn't look good" so there's potential he could be out for a while. After Olofsson left the contest, it was Alexander Holtz who moved up to play on the top power play. There could be some streaming value here with Holtz but temper your expectations. Olofsson was off to a nice start with three goals in four games.

Tyler Seguin – The Stars came close to having a fully healthy team with young gun, Mavrik Bourque making his season debut on Tuesday against the Sharks but it wasn't meant to be. Seguin tweaked something in the lower-body area and wasn't able to play. Consider him day-to-day for now as this doesn't look like something that will keep him out long-term. The Stars continue to have one of the deepest forward groups in the entire league and Seguin's line with Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment has continues where they left off last season with the trio combining for 11 points through the first four games. 

Matthew Tkachuk – The Panthers' superstar was ruled out for a week while he deals with an illness. This appears to be more than just your average illness and it is odd to see a player ruled out this far in advance. With him and Aleksander Barkov out of the lineup, coach Paul Maurice has had to get creative. Beefer Sam Bennett, is centering Evan Rodrigues and Carter Verhaeghe while Anton Lundell slides into Barkov's spot with Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen and they have been effective. Lundell in particular has had four points in two games with Tkachuk and Barkov sidelined. Barkov was injured in a game against the Ottawa Senators when he was racing back to stop a goal and he slid into the end boards. He is expected to miss 2-3 weeks so Lundell could have some sustained value moving forward. He is worth an add.

Matt Roy – Newly-acquired Matt Roy suffered a non-contact injury in last Saturday's contest against the Devils and head coach Spencer Carbury gave a recent update saying, "he's going to miss a decent amount of time". That doesn't give us a lot to work with so consider him day-to-day and likely to miss at least 3-4 games. 

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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