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.

Sam Bennett – The Panthers' second leading scorer was a surprise scratch on Tuesday night as he is dealing with an upper-body injury. He's been running hot as of late with nine points in his last 10 games but that has been based off of massive efficiency (which Bennett is not known for), and is likely to regress. It doesn't sound like this injury will keep him out long-term as head coach Paul Maurice mentioned he could be back on the ice on Wednesday and possible for the team's next game. With Bennett out, it was Jesper Boqvist who moved up the lineup to play with Matthew Tkachuk and Evan Rodrigues. Anton Lundell could see a boost in ice-time as well. Bennett has 15 points in 15 games this campaign.

Hampus Lindholm – Lindholm's night on Tuesday, only lasted eight minutes and 17 seconds as he wasn't able to finish the contest after blocking a shot off the stick of Blues rearguard, Justin Faulk. Lindy had seen some time on the top power play unit recently, but with him out, Charlie McAvoy won't have any competition for that spot. There is no word on how many games he will miss but he hasn't exactly been fantasy relevant up to this point. Lindholm has seven points in 17 games on the season.

Tage Thompson – Just when we got things right where we wanted them in terms of deployment, opportunity and underlying metrics, Tage suffered an injury in Monday's game. Why can't we have nice things? The Sabres had Tuesday off so there hasn't been an official update on his status, but he, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and d-man, Mattias Samuelsson were all absent from practice on Wednesday morning. UPL and Samuelsson were also unable to finish Monday's contest with their own respective injuries. Keep your eyes peeled for an update but this doesn't bode well for his chances to play on Thursday against the Blues. Tage has looked more like his old self this year, with 11 goals in 16 games which is good for a 56-goal pace. With Tage on the sideline, Alex Tuch found his way back up to the top power play and Dylan Cozens jumped up to the top line at even strength. Devon Levi will be the de facto number one goaltender with Luukkonen on the shelf, and could make for a short-term #zeroG option.

Jonathan Drouin – The former third overall pick has been dealing with an upper-body injury after playing just one game so far this season but his return appears to be imminent. He has shed the red, non-contact jersey in recent practices but coach Jared Bednar has already ruled Drouin out of Wednesday's contest; however, he could be an option for Friday against the much-improved Capitals. There is a good chance he slots back in on the top line with Nathan Mackinnon and Mikko Rantanen as they have had some chemistry in the past. It gets a little muddier when it comes to the top power play. Valeri Nuchushkin is returning to the lineup on Friday as well and winger Artturi Lehkonen has recently come back from injury. Throw Casey Mittelstadt in the mix and it becomes a bit crowded. We will need to keep a keen eye on the Avs game-day lines to see who will be on the top unit, but expect Drouin to get a look at some point. Temper expectations with this player as he is coming off injury and don't forget, he had a similar opportunity last season and was only able to muster 56 points in 76 games. He is a supplement to the stars on this team, albeit a good one, and he does hold some value in most formats.

Auston Matthews – There has been no update yet on Big Papi so we must patiently wait but he missed the first half of the back-to-back on Tuesday/Wednesday and the Leafs don't play again until Saturday so there is a good chance they sit him again and let him rest for a potential return then.  In other news, the Toronto power play has actually gotten better in Matthews' absence, scoring seven goals in the four games that he has missed. Make it make sense! Max Domi is getting a boost at even strength and is playing on the top line with Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies. Knies and Domi are reasonable adds until Matthews returns.

Brock Boeser – Head coach Rick Tocchet still had no update on Boeser's status after he took a high hit from well known dingus, Tanner Jeannot. A concussion is the main concern here but nothing official has been reported. With Boeser out, the team has called up Swedish sniper, Jonathan Lekkerimaki. He played with JT Miller at even strength, and ended up finding some time on the top power play unit as well. There is some interest here for fantasy, as this is a player known not only for his shot volume, but for his shot selection. He's a scorer pure and simple and is the best prospect the Canucks have. If he continues to get put in offensive situations, he could absolutely return value as a streamer until Boeser returns.

Vince Dunn – Dunn was seen out on the ice skating and there was some hope that he was close to making his return, but it looks like it will be another three weeks according to head coach Dan Bylsma. Young buck, Ryker Evans, will continue to hold down PP2 in Dunn's stead. Dunn has already missed 10 games with his ailment and the Kraken could sorely use his puck-moving skills on offence as they have been shutout in two of the last five games. 

Jamie Drysdale – Drysdale has been placed on the IR by the Flyers while he deals with an upper-body injury. The soonest he will be able to return would be November 16th against the Sabres. He had been skating on the top power play unit and with him out, a door has been opened for rookie, Emil Andrae, to get some run out there. Andrae, a second round pick of the Flyers in 2020, had a massive game on Monday, skating for just over 25 minutes including 3:30 on the power play to go along with an assist. He has two points in eight games so far this year and is worth a pickup if you need a d-man in the short-term. Just remember who his coach is and temper expectations. He giveth, and he taketh way.

Mark Stone – The oft-injured Stone has missed the Golden Knights' last two contests while dealing with a lower-body injury and is still considered day-to-day. His next chance to play is Wednesday against the Utah Hockey Club. Stone has started the season on a heater and has accrued a staggering 21 points in 13 games. That's pretty nice for a guy who you could have drafted around pick 175. With Stone out, Nicolas Roy gets a bump as does youngster Pavel Dorofeyev. Dorofeyev should be the priority in terms of waiver wire adds.

Anthony Mantha – Tough break for Mantha as he has been ruled out for the year with an ACL injury that will require surgery. He'll finish the year with seven points in 13 games for the Flames.

The Ducks have some injury news to report as veteran and late-night beauty, Cam Fowler and center, Mason McTavish are both dealing with upper-body injuries. Fowler has been subsequently placed on the injured reserve, and McTavish is day-to-day. These injuries BTUwill open up more space for players like Olen Zellweger on the backend and Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlsson up front. The Ducks have struggled mightily to put the biscuit in the basket and are dead last in the league in GF/G.

Jake Walman – Walman (Upper-body) was out on the ice for the Sharks Wednesday practice and he could return on Thursday against the Rangers. It's been a roller coaster year to date, with Walman unable to secure a consistent spot on the Sharks top power play. Newcomer, Timothy Liljegren appears to have the leg up at this point, but Walman has shown to be an efficient scorer even without the power play deployment. He will still provide value in bangers leagues or any points league with weighting for hits and blocks.

Brayden Point – Point is still on the mend after suffering a lower-body injury against the Winnipeg Jets last Sunday and was not on the ice for the most recent Lightning practice on Wednesday. Anthony Cirelli was his direct replacement at even strength and on the power play and could hold some short-term value for fantasy. 

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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