Injury Ward: Hall; Raanta; Forsberg; Hedman; Hronek & More
Brennan Des
2023-03-08
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. A few teams haven't been on the ice since the All-Star break began, so we'll have to wait a few more days before getting substantial updates from them. If you ever need injury updates for a specific player, shoot me a message on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza.
Adam Henrique – An MCL sprain will keep the Ducks forward sidelined for another three to four weeks.
Taylor Hall – Was recently placed on long term injured reserve (LTIR) with a lower-body injury. Players on LTIR are required to miss a minimum of 10 games and 24 days. Based on my math, Hall wouldn't be eligible to return until March 23rd, when the Bruins host the Canadiens. Although he'd be eligible to return for that game, there's no guarantee he'll be healthy by then. It's possible he needs surgery, so it's looking unlikely that he'll be back before the playoffs.
Antti Raanta – Left Tuesday's tilt with the Habs after falling awkwardly while trying to make a save. After the game, coach Rod Brind'Amour said Raanta's departure was precautionary.
Pavel Francouz – His recovery from a lower-body injury is taking longer than expected as the team thought he'd be back by now. Francouz hasn't been skating recently, so it's unlikely he returns any time soon. With that being said, the Avs are still hopeful he'll be back this season.
Josh Manson – Coach Jared Bednar is hopeful Manson will be able to return near the end of the month. The 31-year-old defenseman had been back for just six games before re-aggravating the lower-body injury that kept him sidelined for the past two and a half months.
Gabriel Landeskog – Colorado's captain has been on the shelf since undergoing knee surgery in October. Coach Jared Bednar recently described Landeskog's recovery as a slow-moving process, going on to say that there's no timetable for his return. At this point, it seems highly unlikely that Landeskog will be back during the regular season. In most cases, I'd feel comfortable dropping him in one-year fantasy leagues.
Elvis Merzlikins – Left Tuesday's game against the Penguins as he was feeling ill.
Scott Wedgewood – Sustained a minor lower-body injury during his last appearance, which was February 18th against the Blue Jackets. On March 1st, we learned Wedgewood suffered a setback in practice. Fortunately, he isn't expected to be out long term.
Evander Kane – Has been skating with the team recently and is expected to return in one of Edmonton's next three games (Thursday against Boston, Saturday against Toronto, or Tuesday against Ottawa). Kane has been sidelined with a rib injury since February 17th.
Trevor Moore – Although it looked like his return from anupper-body injury was imminent, he recently suffered a small setback. Consider him day-to-day unless we hear otherwise.
Kaiden Guhle – The 21-year-old rookie is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He'd only been back for three games – missing the previous two months of action with a knee injury.
Sean Monahan – According to General Manager Kent Hughes, Monahan suffered a new injury while undergoing rehab for his foot. At this point, there's still a chance he returns before the end of the regular season – although it doesn't sound like he'll be back any time soon. Monahan has been sidelined with a foot injury for the past three months.
Philip Tomasino – Missed Monday's game against the Canucks and is officially day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Filip Forsberg – Over the past week, Forsberg has participated in a couple of team skates without taking contact. Considering he still hasn't been cleared to take hits, I don't expect he'll play against Arizona on Thursday. Nashville's winger has been sidelined with an upper-body injury, sustained after taking a hit on February 11th. Although the team hasn't discussed the exact nature of his injury, Forsberg's head (helmet) seemed to make contact with the ice as he fell down. Given how the team has handled his recovery so far, it seems likely he's working his way back from a concussion.
Mackenzie Blackwood – Has been skating on his own recently, but there's no timetable for his return. Blackwood has been out with a lower-body injury for the past two weeks.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Practiced with the team on Monday but wasn't ready to play against the Sabres on Tuesday. Pageau is still officially day-to-day with an upper-body injury – which has kept him out of the lineup since February 11th. His status for Thursday's game against Pittsburgh remains up in the air as I write this.
Ryan Lindgren – Has been skating on his own recently but remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Cam Talbot – Was expected to start against Chicago on Monday but was a late scratch due to a minor lower-body ailment. At this point, it's unclear whether he'll be available for Thursday's clash with the Kraken.
Andre Burakovsky – It sounds like Burakovsky recently started skating again. He's been sidelined with a lower-body injury for the past month.
Victor Hedman – Left Sunday's game against the Hurricanes after a hit sent him awkwardly down to the ice and into the boards. He stayed down for a while but was able to skate off under his own power. Hedman wasn't on the ice for Tuesday's morning skate and didn't play against the Flyers later in the day. He's officially day-to-day with an upper-body injury, but it sounds like his absence is mostly precautionary.
John Tavares – Out of an abundance of caution, Toronto's captain didn't suit up against the Devils on Tuesday. It sounds like he wasn't feeling 100% on Monday – maybe because he took a few big hits during Saturday's game against the Canucks, or maybe because of the flu. Regardless, it sounds like he'll be available for Toronto's next game – set for Saturday against the Oilers.
Luke Schenn – Is currently with his wife in Vancouver as she's due to give birth any day now.
Ryan O'Reilly – The Leafs forward will be sidelined for four weeks after having surgery on his finger. He has five points in eight games since getting traded to Toronto, but four of those points came in one game.
Filip Hronek – Is officially week-to-week with a shoulder injury, but expects to return before the regular season ends.
Logan Thompson – Although he's expected to return before the end of the regular season,Thompson is nowhere near close to getting back on the ice. The 26-year-old netminder has been sidelined with a lower-body injury for the past month.
Laurent Brossoit – The 29-year-old netminder is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury – unrelated to his offseason hip surgery. It doesn't sound like he's been skating recently, so I don't expect he'll be back any time soon. The fact that Vegas just traded for Jonathan Quick reinforces that belief.
William Carrier – The Golden Knights forward is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
Nick Jensen – Was wearing a non-contact jersey during Monday's practice. He's been labelled day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Martin Fehervary – The Capitals defenseman is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He was on the ice ahead of Monday's practice but wasn't taking any contact.
John Carlson – Is targeting a return near the end of March, but whether he meets that goal will depend on his progress over the next few weeks. Carlson is working his way back from a significant head injury, sustained on December 23rd when he took a slap shot up high.