Welcome to another edition of the Injury Ward. Here you will find the latest NHL injury updates with a focus on fantasy-relevant news 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 X @BlakeCreamerAG. Now, let's get to business.

Connor McDavid – Well, the worst has happened. The number one pick in your fantasy drafts has succumbed to an injury and at first glance it didn't look good. McDavid fell awkwardly while crossing the blue line and got up wincing. However, the crisis may have been averted as reports released today mention that McDavid will likely only be out a couple of weeks. They are labeling it a lower-body injury for now but this won't be catastrophic for your fantasy squads. With McDavid out, look for Viktor Arvidsson to see an increased role, especially on the power play. He has been the first man up and should hold that spot for the duration. Adam Henrique could see some time in the top-six as well so there is some potential streamer value there. Take a breath everyone.

Jakob Chychrun – The 26-year-old rearguard was injured in Tuesday's game against the Rangers, and was only able to play just under two minutes. Coach Carbery said there was "a little concern" that Chychrun could miss some time but he is hopeful that they'll receive some good news on that front. Consider him day-to-day for now. Chychrun has been serviceable for the Capitals as a top-pairing d-man with stalwart John Carlson to go along with second-unit power play duties. In his absence, it was Rasmus Sandin who stepped up on PP2. It's not all bad news for the Caps as newcomer Matt Roy is making progress after missing the last seven games with a lower-body injury. He was seen at the Capitals' recent practice in a non-contact jersey and Carbery has said that he is "real close". The team has gotten off to a great start this campaign with six wins in eight games.

Ross Colton – Look what they did to our boy! Ross "Cameo" Colton, who famously ghosted me on Cameo when I tried to get a personalized message for a friend, has started this season like he's been shot out of a cannon. That's what makes this injury news all the more crushing. He blocked a shot with his foot in Monday's contest against the Blackhawks and was seen in a walking boot after the game. Coach Jared Bednar has confirmed that Colton will miss six-to-eight weeks with a broken foot (insert sad trombone sound effect). Rookie Ivan Ivan is slated to move up to the top power play with Colton on the mend and this is a nice chance for the young man. You can take a swing on Ivan but temper expectations. On the season, he has three points in just under 10 minutes of ice-time. Put him on the watchlist at the very least. Bednar also updated Artturi Lehkonen's status saying that he has seen his doctor and will need to take some contact prior to returning. We should know more about Artturi as soon as tonight.

"Look how they massacred my boy…."

Thatcher Demko – We have another "non-update" update on Demko's status from Coach Rick Tocchet. The Canucks bench boss told the media that Demko has had a few good days in a row and that it is a "really good thing". We will continue to update his progress when we learn more, but for now, Kevin Lankinen is your clear number one netminder in Vancouver. Arturs Silovs is starting tonight against the Devils but this will only be his third start in the past nine games. Meanwhile, Dakota Joshua (lower-body) has also been making progress and he appears to be close to returning to game action. He has shed the non-contact jersey for the Canucks in practice on Wednesday and Tocchet said he will need to do some three-on-three work with contact and they will see where he is at. This is great news for the team as Joshua was a big difference-maker in last season's playoff run and gives the Canucks some extra grit. He will have a bunch of value in categories leagues so if you can add players directly to your IR slot in your leagues, you could add him now. He is close and will bring you some big-time hits and 15-20 goals. Not too shabby.

Bryan Rust – The Penguins have been spiraling as of late, going winless in their last six games while being outscored 27-13. This injury to first-liner Bryan Rust definitely won't help matters. Rust was injured in the Penguins' game against the Canucks on October 26th after getting tangled up with Nils Hoglander. Rust has been placed on the injured reserve and will likely be out for a while as coach Mike Sullivan has deemed him week-to-week. Rickard Rakell will see a bump in TOI and PPTOI as he was moved up to play with the big boys on the top unit. He's definitely an add with Rust out as Pittsburgh is also loading up their top line with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin skating alongside Rakell. That's what we call "plum deployment" even though the Penguins have been putrid recently.

"RUSTY!"

Zach Benson – "The Butler" Zach Benson is still dealing with a lower-body injury and has been placed on injured reserve retroactively. He can suit up whenever he is ready to play but it doesn't sound like he is particularly close to a return. Benson is scoreless in six games this season while skating in the middle-six and the second power play.

Frederik Andersen – The oft-injured netminder is dealing with a lower-body injury currently but coach Rod Brind'Amour doesn't think it is too serious. According to Rod "the bod", it'll likely be a short-term injury. Pyotr Kochetkov will likely start those games with callup, Spencer Martin backing him up. The Hurricanes are a very goalie-friendly environment at least in terms of their shot and scoring chance suppression. They are currently number one in the league in Corsi-against and Scoring Chances-against at 5-on-5 and that is a nice place to be. Expect an update in the next few days regarding Andersen.

Vladimir Tarasenko – Tarasenko is a gametime decision for Wednesday night’s contest against the Jets due to an illness. He is currently playing on a line with Jonatan Berggren and Marco Kasper at even strength while skating on the second power play unit. If he isn't able to play tonight, look for Michael Rasmussen to get some extra run.

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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