Injury Ward: Swayman, Nichushkin, Palat, Brown, and more

Brennan Des

2022-11-02

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.

Jamie Drysdale – The 20-year-old defenseman will be sidelined for four to six months as he's set to have surgery on a torn labrum (left shoulder).

Jakob Chychrun – The Coyotes defenseman recently faced a setback in his recovery and his status remains week-to-week. He's working his way back from offseason wrist surgery, as well as a procedure to remove bone spurs from his ankle. 

David Krejci – The Bruins' center is dealing with an upper-body injury and is unlikely to play against the Rangers on Thursday. He's currently travelling with the team and was on the ice for Tuesday morning's skate, so it's possible he returns on Saturday when the Bruins visit Toronto. In Krejci's absence, Pavel Zacha has been centering the second line with David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall.

Jeremy Swayman – Couldn't put any weight on his leg when he left Tuesday's game against the Penguins with a lower-body injury. After the game, he was seen with ice on his knee, but fortunately wasn't using crutches. The Bruins cancelled Wednesday's practice, so we'll probably have to wait until Thursday for an update on Swayman's status.

Charlie McAvoy – Was expected to need six months to recover from a shoulder surgery he had in early June, but it looks like he's well ahead of schedule. He was recently cleared for full-contact practice and coach Jim Montgomery is hopeful McAvoy will be able to return before American Thanksgiving (November 24). While he won't play against the Rangers on Thursday, or the Leafs on Saturday, McAvoy should be back relatively soon.

Alex StalockEntered concussion protocol after he was bowled over by Casey Cizikas during Tuesday's game against the Islanders. Recovering from a concussion is usually an unpredictable process that requires day-to-day monitoring, so there's no concrete timetable for his return. Stalock holds a respectable .914 save percentage through seven appearances with Chicago this year.

Seth JonesThe Blackhawks' defenseman will be sidelined for three to four weeks with a thumb injury. While Seth is sidelined, his brother Caleb steps onto the top power-play unit. Caleb Jones has five points in his last five appearances.

Petr MrazekThe 30-year-old netminder has been sidelined with a groin strain recently. After Chicago's next two games (Thursday against Los Angeles and Saturday against Winnipeg), the team has four days off before returning to action in Los Angeles on November 10. The plan is to use that four-day break to increase the intensity of Mrazek's training, so that he's able to return on the 10th – or perhaps shortly afterwards. With both Stalock and Mrazek injured right now, rookie Arvid Soderblom may get a couple of starts unless the Blackhawks acquire another netminder.

Tyler JohnsonSuffered an ankle sprain last Tuesday against the Panthers. While Chicago hasn't released an official timetable for Johnson's return, a similar injury kept teammate Boris Katchouk out for around four weeks.

Valeri Nichushkin – Missed Colorado's last two games and was labelled day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Nichushkin was a regular participant in Tuesday's practice, which suggests he'll be available for the team's next game – Friday against the Blue Jackets. He's been on fire to start the year, posting seven goals and five assists in seven appearances.

Adam BoqvistThe Blue Jackets defenseman will be sidelined for six weeks with a broken foot.  

Joonas KorpisaloThe Blue Jackets and Avalanche face off in Finland on Friday and Saturday as part of the NHL's Global Series. Korpisalo is expected to make his first start of the season in one of those two games in his home country. The Blue Jackets netminder had hip surgery in late March – a procedure which came with a six-month recovery timetable.

Jake OettingerOn Monday, we learned that Oettinger's lower-body injury will be re-evaluated in a week's time. That suggests Oettinger won't be available for at least the next two games, meaning Scott Wedgewood will probably face Arizona on Thursday and Edmonton on Saturday.

Aaron EkbladThe Panthers defenseman has been practicing with the team recently and reports indicate he looks strong and comfortable. Ekblad is currently on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). A player on LTIR must sit out for at least 10 games and 24 days, meaning the earliest Ekblad can return is November 12 against the Oilers. Florida is hoping to have him back as soon as he's eligible to come off LTIR, so November 12th is the return date they're targeting right now.

Anthony DuclairIn early July, the Panthers forward underwent surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury and was expected to return halfway through the 2022-2023 campaign. On October 19, GM Bill Zito said Duclair was still on track to return at some point in December/January.

Quinton ByfieldThe 20-year-old forward has missed LA's last four games due to an illness. Missing four games due to an illness suggests the injury is serious, but keep in mind LA played those four games over a span of just six days.

Brandon DuhaimeSustained an upper-body injury during Tuesday's clash with the Canadiens. Coach Dean Evason didn't have a timetable for Duhaime's return after the game, but said the injury was "not positive", suggesting he may be out for a little while.

Ryan HartmanIs out long term with an upper-body injury. In his absence, Frederick Gaudreau has been centering Minnesota's top line with Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov.

Marcus FolignoThe Wild forward is dealing with an upper-body injury and there's no concrete timetable for his return.He did not skate with the team on Tuesday and isn't expected to play against Seattle on Thursday.

Jordan Greenway – Is dealing with an upper-body injury that's unrelated to the offseason shoulder surgery he just returned from. He's been on the ice consistently over the past week and should be back relatively soon.  

Ondrej Palat – Had groin surgery on Tuesday and will be sidelined indefinitely. With Palat sidelined, the Devils are rolling a top-six that features Tomas Tatar, Nico Hischier and Fabian Zetterlund on one line, with Erik Haula, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt on another.

Filip ChytilHas missed New York's last five games with an upper body injury (suspected to be a concussion). He's officially day-to-day but has been skating with the team recently.

Vitali Kravtsov – An upper-body injury will keep the 22-year-old forward sidelined for at least a week.

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Artem ZubAn upper-body injury will keep the Senators defenseman sidelined for a week or two.

Cam Talbot – On October 3, we learned that Ottawa's netminder would be sidelined for five to seven weeks with a cracked rib. Four weeks into that timetable and it sounds like he's almost ready to return. The team is hopeful he'll be available for Saturday's game against the Flyers.   

Sean Couturier – On October 27, the Flyers center underwent back revision surgery. The estimated recovery timeline is three to four months. This is the second procedure Couturier has had on his back this year as he also underwent surgery in February. It's unclear whether this second procedure was necessary because he re-injured the same area, or because the initial procedure wasn't successful. There is some concern this will affect Couturier's future in the NHL, but the team believes this surgery is best course of action right now, so all we can do is hope for the best.

James van Riemsdyk – Underwent surgery to repair a broken finger on October 28 and will be sidelined for six weeks.  

Cam Atkinson – Is dealing with an upper-body injury and isn't expected to return any time soon. He's been sidelined all season and still isn't feeling well enough to skate. What started out as a day-to-day issue has turned into a problem that will keep Atkinson out indefinitely.

Kris LetangWas a game-time decision for Tuesday's clash with the Bruins but didn't end up playing because of an illness. As I write this, his status for Wednesday's tilt with the Sabres remains up in the air.

Jeff CarterIs officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury. It sounds like the team is still evaluating the injury, so I wouldn't expect Carter to be in the lineup against Buffalo on Wednesday.

Philipp Grubauer – Isn't expected to return from a lower-body injury for at least two more weeks. Grubauer's struggles from his first season in Seattle have bled into year two as he's started the campaign with a 3.77 GAA and .860 save percentage. Since Martin Jones is dealing with a family matter, Joey Daccord has stepped into a starting role for the Kraken.

Torey Krug – Left Monday's game against the Kings with an upper-body injury, but was on the ice with his teammates on both Tuesday and Wednesday. As such, I'm optimistic he'll be available for Thursday's game against the Islanders.

Brandon Saad – An upper-body injury has prevented him from skating recently. According to coach Craig Berube, Saad is still "a ways away" from returning.  

Victor HedmanWas a game-time decision for Tuesday's tilt with the Senators but didn't end up playing because of an upper-body injury. He's officially day-to-day but the fact that he was still an option until the very last minute on Tuesday suggests the injury isn't too serious.

Jake Muzzin – The Leafs defenseman is dealing with a neck injury. He was recently placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and isn't eligible to return until November 11 at the earliest. His eventual return date will depend on his health, and it doesn't sound like he's expected to be 100% any time soon.

Matt Murray – Suffered an adductor injury on October 17 that came with a recovery timetable of at least four weeks. We're about halfway through that timeline and although Murray has been participating in a few light drills, he's still "a ways away" from returning.

Timothy Liljegren – Had hernia surgery before training camp and was expected to be sidelined until mid-November. It sounds like he's slightly ahead of schedule as he's expected to make his season debut on Saturday against the Bruins.

Brock BoeserPracticed with the team on Monday and although he didn't play against the Devils on Tuesday, he was a game-time decision. That would suggest he's close to a return and may be available against the Ducks on Thursday.  

Laurent BrossoitWas recently sent down to Vegas' AHL affiliate on a conditioning loan. Such a loan lasts a maximum of three games or six days, which suggests Brossoit could be back relatively soon. He's working his way back from offseason hip surgery.

T.J. OshieThe Capitals' forward is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

John CarlsonThe 32-year-old defenseman is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury. As I write this, his status for Thursday's game against Detroit remains up in the air. In Carlson's absence, Erik Gustafsson has seen time on Washington's top power-play unit.

Connor BrownRecently underwent surgery to reconstruct a torn ACL and will be sidelined for six to eight months. Brown started the season on the top line beside Alex Ovechkin and Evegeny Kuznetsov – a spot currently occupied by Anthony Mantha.

Nikolaj EhlersOn Tuesday, we learned that his lower-body injury – which has kept him sidelined for the past two weeks – isn't healing as quickly as the team originally expected. Ehlers hasn't been skating recently, so don't expect him to return any time soon.

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