Welcome to the offseason edition of 'Injury Ward', with preseason injury updates from around the NHL! If you want to see the latest injury news before your fellow fantasy managers, follow me on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza!

Phil Kessel – The 33-year-old winger sustained a foot injury while training and is currently in a walking boot. About a week has passed since the injury was announced and it's expected to be another week or two before Kessel is ready to return. Seeing as Arizona's season opener is just over two weeks away, I'd expect Kessel will be healthy to start the 2021-2022 campaign. He posted a solid 63-point pace last season but it's hard to see him replicating that level of offense with a lacklustre supporting cast in Arizona this year. There is a chance Kessel gets shipped out of the desert soon, which could be great for his fantasy value.

Jack Eichel – As you've probably heard by now, the Sabres superstar had his 2021 campaign cut short by a herniated disk. The treatment of this injury has been a topic of debate recently, with Eichel and the Sabres wanting different roads to recovery. The team wants Eichel to have a fusion surgery – a common procedure that would remove the damaged disk and allow two vertebrae to fuse together in the resulting empty space. Eichel on the other hand would rather have an artificial disk replacement, replacing the damaged disk with an artificial one. The Sabres don't like Eichel's solution because the procedure hasn't been done on an NHL player before. Eichel doesn't like the team's proposed surgery because it's more likely to require follow-up surgeries years from now. Based on my understanding, the team ultimately gets to decide how injuries are treated. However, seeing as Eichel still hasn't had the surgery, and the Sabres won't get a full-value return for him in a trade until he's healthy, I wouldn't be surprised to see the team concede and allow him to have the surgery he wants. After they stripped him of the captaincy, it's hard to see a future for Eichel in Buffalo, so why don't the Sabres just let him do what he wants, and then trade him away so it's not their problem anymore?

Jake Gardiner – The Hurricanes defenseman will have hip and back surgeries that will likely keep him sidelined for the season.

Devon Toews – Had shoulder surgery during the offseason and is expected to miss the start of the 2021-2022 campaign. At this point, the team doesn't have a concrete timetable for the defenseman's return. Toews has been skating and the expectation is that once he's cleared for contact, it won't take long before he's back in the lineup.

Max Domi – Back in early June, the Blue Jackets forward underwent surgery to repair a labral tear of his right shoulder. The procedure came with a recovery period of five to six months, which set a potential return date at some point in November or December. GM Jarmo Kekalainen recently revealed that Domi is ahead of schedule in his recovery as the 26-year-old forward has been skating and working with the team's skill coach. He hasn't yet been cleared for contact, which is the next important step in his recovery. If Domi consistently responds well to contact, we can start talking about a return.

Ben Bishop – The 34-year-old netminder missed the entire 2021 campaign as he recovered from knee surgery and we don't know when he'll be able to play this season. He has been practicing recently and reportedly feels good, but there's still no concrete timeline for his return. The Stars feel comfortable with a goaltending tandem of Braden Holtby and Anton Khudobin to start the year, so there's certainly no pressure on Bishop to rush back.

Roope Hintz – Hasn't been cleared to play games yet but has been skating frequently as he continues to recover from offseason groin surgery. The current expectation is that Hintz will be available when the Stars kick off their 2021-2022 campaign against the Rangers on October 14^th.

Jakub Vrana – The 25-year-old winger injured his shoulder within the first 10 minutes of practice, just as training camp got underway on Saturday. He saw a shoulder specialist on Monday, but the team hasn't yet released an update regarding his status. Coach Jeff Blashill recently mentioned that it's possible the Red Wings will have to start their season without Vrana. Considering how late Vrana is being taken in most fantasy drafts, I'd be comfortable drafting him even with the uncertainty surrounding his health. He's a great low-risk, high-reward pick and the cost to acquire him has gotten even cheaper following this recent injury news.

Alex Stalock – The 34-year-old netminder is unlikely to play this season due to a COVID-related heart condition.

Oscar Klefbom – Had shoulder surgery in April and the chances of him playing this season are very slim according to Oilers' GM Ken Holland.

Cole Caufield – Felt uncomfortable during warmups ahead of Sunday's intra-squad game and didn't end up participating. We later learned that he'll be sidelined for about a week with an upper-body injury. Coach Dominique Ducharme made it clear that the injury was nothing serious, but the team will be extra cautious with the recovery process and avoid rushing Caufield back. The Canadiens have a couple of weeks before the 2021-2022 campaign gets underway, which should be enough time for Caufield to recover and suit up for the season opener.

Mike Hoffman – The Canadiens winger sustained a lower-body injury during the offseason and could be sidelined for up to four weeks. The Habs kick off their 2021-2022 campaign on October 13^th – about two and a half weeks after the injury announcement. As such, Hoffman should only miss a week or two of the regular season, maybe six games or less? With Tyler Toffoli, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki showing great chemistry last year, and the line of Jonathan Drouin, Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson looking good in preseason, it'll be interesting to see where Hoffman slots in when he returns to the lineup.

Paul Byron – The 32-year-old winger underwent hip surgery in late July which came with a recovery timetable of five months. As such, he probably won't be back in the lineup until late-December/early-January.

Carey Price – Montreal's netminder underwent knee surgery in July and has been skating recently as part of the recovery process. The current expectation is that Price will be available to start the team's season opener against Toronto on October 13^th. I feel as though Price's fantasy value is currently inflated as a result of his heroic performance in the 2021 playoffs. While I'm sure he still has that level of play in him, I'm not convinced we're going to see it throughout the regular season. More importantly, you'd need to use an early pick to get him on your fantasy roster as his average draft position in Yahoo leagues is currently 62.  

Shea Weber – The Canadiens' captain isn't expected to play this season and may never play again as a result of recent injuries to his thumb, ankle, foot and knee. Weber's absence leaves a huge hole in Montreal's blueline that no single player can fill. David Savard will be called upon to take over the defensive role that Weber played, while someone like Alexander Romanov might step into the Weber's second unit power-play minutes.

Semyon Varlamov – The Isles netminder hasn't skated during training camp as he's dealing with an undisclosed injury. Early on, it was reported that Varlamov had been dealing with soreness and was held out for precautionary reasons.

Matt Martin – Has been skating recently as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. It sounds like he's getting close to a return and I expect he'll be available once the regular season gets underway.

Kevin Hayes – The Flyers forward underwent abdominal surgery on September 21^st, which comes with a recovery period of six to eight weeks. As a result, he's expected to miss the first month of the 2021-2022 season. 22-year-old center Morgan Frost could see an unexpected opportunity with Hayes sidelined, but his fantasy value will probably drop once Hayes returns. I personally have my eye on veterans Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux – reliable centers with good track records that are currently being drafted way too late in fantasy drafts.

Sidney Crosby – The Penguins captain underwent wrist surgery three weeks ago and has approximately three weeks left in the initial recovery timetable. Crosby had been dealing with the wrist injury for years and all other treatment options had been exhausted before the team finally decided to proceed with surgery. GM Ron Hextall recently revealed that Crosby has been skating virtually every day while using one hand on his stick. As of right now, it sounds like he's still on track for that original timetable, set to return at some point around October 20^th.

Evgeni Malkin – The Penguins forward underwent knee surgery back in June and will be sidelined for at least the first two months of the 2021-2022 campaign. I probably don't need to spell it out for you, but the fact that that it's going to be "at least" two months suggests it could very well be longer than that. It sounds like a fluid situation though and when exactly Malkin returns will depend on how he responds to rehab over these next few weeks.

Colin Blackwell – Is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury. We still have a couple of weeks before the Kraken kick off their 2021-2022 campaign on October 12^th against the Golden Knights. As such, I expect Blackwell will be healthy before the regular season begins.

Yanni Gourde – The Kraken forward had shoulder surgery in July and was originally expected to be sidelined until early-December. GM Ron Francis recently revealed that Gourde is progressing ahead of schedule and should be back earlier than expected. He'll probably still miss the first few weeks of action, but a return sometime in November seems likely. Gourde has often been recognized as a strong two-way centre and he could see new levels of fantasy relevance as he takes on a bigger role in Seattle.

Auston Matthews – On August 13^th, the Leafs superstar underwent surgery to clean up a nagging wrist injury. The procedure came with a six-week recovery period that recently ran its course. On Tuesday, Matthews practiced with the team for the first time since training camp began. While he didn't take contact or participate in the full session, he certainly looked good in skating and shooting drills. As of right now, the expectation is he'll be available for Toronto's season opener on October 13^th.

Tyler Motte – The Canucks forward had surgery for an upper-body injury during the offseason and could miss the start of the 2021-2022 campaign. He has been skating recently but there's no timetable for his return. 

Brayden McNabb – Is dealing with some soreness which is believed to be a muscle cramp or spasm. In any case it doesn't sound too serious and I expect he'll recover before the regular season begins.

Shea Theodore – Suffered an undisclosed injury during a preseason game against the Sharks on Sunday and is officially day-to-day. He didn't participate in Tuesday's practice, but we'll probably get more detailed updates in the coming days.

Mark Stone – Vegas' captain needed stitches after he took a puck to the side of the head during Sunday's preseason tilt with the Sharks. Fortunately, he was feeling well enough to practice on Tuesday and coach Pete DeBoer said that Stone would be fine.  

Alex Tuch – Underwent shoulder surgery in late July that came with a recovery timeline of six months. As a result, we can't expect a return until sometime in early-2022.

Nicklas Backstrom – Is officially week-to-week as he rehabilitates his hip from a nagging injury that also bothered him late last season. At this point, it sounds like Backstrom may miss the start of Washington's 2021-2022 campaign, which begins October 13^th. Evgeny Kuznetsov could see a bigger role if Backstrom misses some time early on. I guess that explains why Kuznetsov has an average draft position of 68 in Yahoo leagues. I think that's a little too early to be taking Kuznetsov but only time will tell.

As a final note, I thought it would be worth mentioning that we know of two fantasy relevant players that are currently unvaccinated: Tyler Bertuzzi and Mackenzie Blackwood. Unless the situation changes, my understanding is that they'd be ineligible to cross the border to play games in Canada this year. Both the Devils and Red Wings play nine games up north this season, so as of right now, Blackwood and Bertuzzi are each slated to miss at least nine games this year. This is obviously an evolving situation, but I thought it might be useful information to keep in mind during your fantasy drafts.