Injury Ward: Bergeron; Hamilton; Chabot; Price & the Golden Knights

Brennan Des

2022-02-16

Here's the latest injury news from across the NHL! If you're looking for information about a specific player and don't see their name in this article, there probably haven't been any significant updates about their progress since our last article. If you ever need injury updates for a specific player, shoot me a message on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza.

Scott WedgewoodHas been skating recently. The Coyotes' will have had a week off between games as their next one is on February 19th. Hopefully this extra time off gives Wedgewood a change to return to full health. He's been sidelined since February 7th, when he sustained an upper-body injury after taking a puck to the chest in practice.

Patrice Bergeron – Boston's captain has been sidelined for the past week because of a cut on the back of his head. He's been practicing without taking contact recently and is expected to practice (presumably with contact) on Wednesday. Depending on how that goes, he could be an option for Thursday's game against the Islanders.

Casey Mittelstadt Reports indicate he's recovered from the upper-body injury which kept him sidelined recently and it's now a matter of getting his conditioning up to game level. Mittelstadt was sidelined after aggravating muscles around the area of an upper-body injury he sustained earlier in the season.

Jonathan ToewsSince the team was on the road and Toews didn't travelled with them, coach Derek King didn't have much information on February 14th, when he was asked about Toews' status. King said Toews has been training off the ice, but isn't sure if he's started skating just yet. Chicago's captain has been sidelined with a concussion since January 26th.

Zack KassianThe Oilers forward will be sidelined for four to eight weeks due to a broken jaw.

Duncan KeithOn February 10th, GM Ken Holland announced that Keith would miss two to four weeks because of a concussion.

Patric HornqvistAn upper-body injury kept him out on a day-to-day basis heading into the All-Star Break. Hornqvist has been practicing recently and should be in the lineup on Wednesday, when the Panthers play their first game after a two-week hiatus.

Matt DumbaThe Wild defenseman was recently evaluated for a lower-body injury. Early reports indicate he'll be sidelined for a few weeks.

Ben ChiarotOn February 13th, the Habs announced that Chiarot would be sidelined for a week with a lower-body injury. He was a full participant in Tuesday's practice and is expected to continue practicing this week while he's on Injured Reserve.

Christian DvorakHas been practicing with the team recently but hasn't been cleared to play just yet. Last we heard (February 12th), he was day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Carey Price – The Canadiens netminder is not expected to skate this week but will continue training in the gym as part of his rehab program. Given the fact that he'd been doing some light skating recently, many interpreted this news as Price having a setback. That hasn't been confirmed yet and GM Kent Hughes maintains that there's still a chance Price returns this season.

Andreas JohnssonSustained a lower-body injury during warmups ahead of Sunday's game against the Penguins. He didn't practice on Monday and missed Tuesday's tilt with Tampa. I'd consider him day-to-day until we hear otherwise.

Jesper BrattOn February 12th, the Devils announced that their leading scorer was day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Bratt skated by himself prior to Monday's practice but his status for Thursday's game against the Penguins remains up in the air as I write this.

Dougie HamiltonRecently started practicing with full contact. According to coach Lindy Ruff, Hamilton is getting close to a return and it's just a matter of when the Devils defenseman feels ready to play. Fresh off of surgery to repair a broken jaw, Hamilton has been testing out different jaw protectors during practice as he tries to find one that's comfortable to wear during game action. The Devils don't play again until February 24th, so Hamilton will have some extra time to prepare for his return. 

Kaapo Kakko – On February 11th, we learned that Kakko will be out for at least another month. The 21-year-old forward has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since January 22nd. The injury had been bothering him for about a week or so before the team decided to take him out of the lineup.

Thomas Chabot – Is dealing with some upper-body soreness from a hit he took during Sunday's game against the Capitals. Chabot didn't skate on Tuesday and there's no concrete timetable for his return – although the team hopes he won't be out long term. He was recently placed on Injured Reserve and won't be available this week. Erik Brannstrom should see an increased role while Chabot is sidelined.

Matt MurraySustained an injury during Tuesday's game against the Blues and won't travel to Buffalo for Thursday's clash with the Sabres. The team hopes Murray will be available this weekend – on Saturday against the Bruins or on Sunday against the Rangers.

Josh NorrisHas resumed skating but there's no timetable for his return from a shoulder injury.

Rasmus Ristolainen – Was recently placed on Injured Reserve because of an upper-body injury he sustained on February 8th. According to coach Mike Yeo, Ristolainen is doing okay but isn't at a point where he can play to his strengths as a physical defender. The Flyers defenseman was on the ice for part of Monday's practice.

Sean Couturier – Had back surgery on February 11th and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Couturier is expected to recover in three months and will be ready for the start of the 2022-2023 campaign. It sounds like this back injury had been bothering him earlier in the season and the team had exhausted all nonsurgical treatment options before deciding to move forward with surgery.

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Kevin Hayes – There's a 50% chance Hayes returns this season as the team is currently evaluating whether he needs another surgery. It sounds like that decision will be made around March 1st. Hayes underwent a procedure on January 18th which came with a recovery timeline of three to four weeks.

Ryan Ellis – Has been limited to just four games this season because of a lower-body injury, which is reportedly unrelated to any issue he's dealt with previously in his career. The team is hoping to avoid surgery, but it remains an option, with a decision likely to be made in the next couple of weeks.

Adin Hill – Was labelled day-to-day with a lower-body injury on January 26th and has been sidelined ever since. He has been practicing recently and his status for Thursday's clash with the Canucks remains up in the air as I write this.

Robin LehnerVegas' netminder hasn't been practicing recently and is currently being evaluated for an upper-body injury. This injury isn't related to the one he had surgery on during the offseason. Expect a more substantial update from the team in the near future.

Mark StoneOn February 14th, the Golden Knights' winger was placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) because of a back injury he's been dealing with all season. Being placed on IR means Stone is required to miss at least 10 days and 24 days of action, but there's no guarantee he returns as soon as that mandatory absence is fulfilled. The team is hopeful Stone won't require surgery, but we'll see what the future holds.

Jack Eichel – Will make his season debut with the Golden Knights on Wednesday against the Avalanche.

Alec Martinez – Has been sidelined for the past three months because of a facial laceration. The injury situation is reportedly very complicated as the team's been thinking he's close to a return for a while now. Martinez has been a full participant in practices over the last few weeks so it's not clear to us what's holding him back at this point.

Vitek Vanecek – Has been skating recently and is travelling with the team for Thursday's game in Philadelphia. He's been sidelined since sustaining an upper-body injury on February 2nd.

T.J. Oshie – Has been skating recently but it doesn't sound like he'll travel with the team as they visit the Flyers on Thursday. After Thursday's game, the Capitals have a week off before their next tilt. Hopefully, that gives Oshie enough time to make some significant progress. He's been out week-to-week because of an upper-body injury.

Anthony ManthaRecently started skating on his own and the team is hopeful he'll be able to play before the postseason begins. With that being said, he has a long road ahead and there's no concrete timetable for his return.

NHL's COVID-19 Protocol List

Over the past few weeks, many players have been placed in COVID protocol. There isn't really much information available for each case, so I've simply listed the date that each player entered protocol. In the past, players stayed sidelined for about 10 days, but the league and player's association agreed to let vaccinated individuals leave isolation five days after a positive COVID test, if they have no symptoms or if symptoms are resolving. That early exit is only possibly if allowed by local health authorities.

Below is a list of fantasy-relevant players currently sidelined due to COVID.

Mikko KoskinenWas placed in COVID protocol on February 7th. Cross-border quarantine rules prevented Koskinen from being an option in San Jose on Monday or LA on Tuesday, but he should be available on Thursday when Edmonton hosts the Ducks.

Semyon VarlamovWas placed in COVID protocol on February 12th. He entered protocol while the team was in Canada and coach Barry Trotz said Varlamov had to stay there for at least six days. As a result, I don't think Varlamov will be an option for Thursday's game in New York. 

Quinn HughesEntered COVID protocol on February 7th but should be in the lineup against the Sharks on Thursday. Cross-border quarantine rules prevented him from returning earlier.

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