NHL Injury News: Latest on Andersen, Couture, Ekblad and others
Brennan Des
2017-03-29
The latest injury information on Couture, Letang, Okposo, Sharp, Cammalleri, Anisimov and many others
The Big Guns (>75% owned in Yahoo Leagues)
Frederik Andersen – The Maple Leafs’ goaltender has been a big reason why the team finds themselves in the playoff race this season. Although his 2.66 GAA isn’t the most impressive, his .918 SV% is right up there with the league’s top goalies. When news came out about Andersen’s injury, fans were unsure about the Leafs’ finish to the season and if they’d be on the golf course or battling for Lord Stanley’s mug. Fortunately, it seems this injury won’t keep Andersen out for too long, but if this is your final week of fantasy hockey, you might need to find a replacement.
Evgeni Malkin – I would treat Malkin’s status as day-to-day until something more satisfying is revealed. Surprise, surprise, Pittsburgh isn’t revealing to much about injuries to their stars…
Logan Couture – The Sharks’ forward was a victim of an unfortunate deflection, and will be getting more familiar with his dentist in the coming days. It definitely could have been worse, but he is currently able to eat and speak, and right now the severity of the injury is unknown.
Kris Letang – I know you’re frustrated with how tight lipped the Penguins have been regarding Letang’s injury, believe me I am too. He has been skating but is still listed as week-to-week, and that’s all I can really tell you at this point.
The Second Liners (40%-75% owned in Yahoo Leagues)
Tyler Johnson – Did not participate in practice, but skated before the rest of the team took the ice. To everyone’s surprise, the Lightning are still in the playoff hunt despite being sellers at the trade deadline. This is good news for you Johnson owners, hopefully his competitive nature results in a return one of these days.
Aaron Ekblad – The Panthers’ defenseman will be out of the lineup for the foreseeable future with a neck issue (not concussion). With the Panthers expected to miss the playoffs, it doesn’t make any sense to put the future of their franchise in harm’s way. If dropping Ekblad is a possibility this late in your fantasy season, it might pay dividends depending on who you replace him with.
Kyle Okposo – The Sabres’ forward missed Tuesday’s contest against the Blue Jackets because of an illness. Seeing Okposo on this list probably made you panic thinking he had reinjured his rib, but this doesn’t seem to have any relation. Players usually don’t miss too much time as a result of sickness, and hopefully that holds true in this case.
Patrick Sharp – Although an extremely rough 2016-2017 season hasn’t officially come to end, Patrick Sharp made the decision to have hip surgery that will end his season early. Although his age might be a concern next season, it would be hard not to improve on this one.
Roberto Luongo – It might not be Luongo before Florida’s goalie makes his return to action. He continues to practice and could possibly be ready to face the Habs on Thursday or Bruins on Saturday. With this being said, Luongo’s numbers (2.68 GAA and .915 SV%) haven’t been great, so don’t rush to get him back into your lineup.
Conor Sheary – His lower-body injury doesn’t seem to be anything serious, will probably find his way into the lineup on Wednesday against the Blackhawks.
The Depth Guys (10%-40% owned in Yahoo Leagues)
Loui Eriksson – If for some reason you’re in a position where the Canucks’ forward is still on your roster, there’s a possibility that he returns on Friday against the Kings. Vancouver also plays on Sunday, so if you’ve been lugging this dead weight on your team this fantasy hockey season, I hope he pays dividends in these two pivotal games.
Mike Cammalleri – Could play this weekend!
Paul Stastny – No real updates since it was revealed he was week-to-week with a lower-body injury (March 22). Obviously, Stastny’s absence from the lineup coupled with Jori Lehtera’s concussion symptoms has left St. Louis weak down the middle. If this is the last week of your fantasy hockey playoffs, you’re going to have to win without any contribution from the Blues’ forward.
Artem Anisimov – Some good news out of Chicago, Anisimov should be ready for the playoffs. Not your fantasy hockey playoffs of course, those playoffs for that shiny little cup.
Mike Fisher – Currently day-to-day, although there is hope he’ll be ready as early as Thursday against the Leafs. Could make for a sneaky little addition to your team.
Johnny Boychuk – Seems to be on the edge of returning after a great deal of progress, and the Islanders will definitely want him back as they make a push for the playoffs.
Jake Guentzel – If I had a nickel for every Penguin on the shelf right now… Fortunately, Pittsburgh’s young gun is no longer feeling any symptoms from his concussion, still no timetable for his return though.
The Mr. Irrelevants (<10% owned in Yahoo Leagues)
Shane Doan – Hasn’t been progressing very well, so the team is giving him a couple of days away to get back on track.
Al Montoya – Suffered a lower-body injury during Tuesday’s practice, so Carey Price got an unexpected start against the Stars. Keep an eye out for any updates regarding the severity of the injury.
Oliver Bjorkstrand – No concrete updates out of Columbus regarding the status of their young gun. All I can give you right now is the most general of general information, he’s day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. It is important to note how tight the Metropolitan division is right now, if Columbus is able to finish first, they would play a wild card team in the first round of the playoffs, which is much more appealing than the Penguins or Capitals.
Eddie Lack – The Hurricanes’ goaltender had seen a great improvement in his play after some public criticism from coach Bill Peters. He suffered a scary injury on Monday night against the Red Wings, specifically a neck strain, although it could have been a lot worse. There certainly wasn’t a Lack of faith that the Canes’ net minder will play again this season, the team remains optimistic in that department.
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Getzlaf was scratched late last night. Doubt much is known but could be worth including considering how high his ownership is.
Stamkos is nearing a return! Possibly as early as this weekend, or so says Rotoworld…