Welcome to the newest edition of the Injury Ward. Here you will find the latest NHL injury updates and also which players may benefit from these situations. My name is Blake Creamer and I will be tackling this topic every single week. I want this article to work for you, so if there are players you want to see, or anything you want added, please reach out to me on Twitter/X @BlakeCreamerAG. Now, let's get to business.

Tage Thompson – This one hurts. It really does. After fighting through what looked to be a leg laceration by an errant skate, Thompson comes back from the dressing room only to block a wrist shot from Charlie McAvoy with his hand. Head coach Don Granato initially said that Tage would miss "significant time" with the second injury. The word today is that he should be considered week-to-week not month-to-month. This is catastrophic news for Thompson and the Sabres. Alex Tuch is already out but is close to returning. Players like Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt will get a boost in ice-time and usage. Both players should be owned until we see what shakes out in Buffalo. Even though Thompson was off to a slower start this year with 12 points in 16 games, there is no way to replace the elite shot and chance generation that this player brings. There could be tough times ahead for the Sabres. That show ain't no good.

Tommy Novak – The Predators have announced that Novak will be placed on IR and will be out approximately four-to-six weeks with an upper-body injury. This is a huge blow to the Preds secondary scoring as Novak is a staple in the top six and the top power play. He has looked good this campaign posting a respectable 12 points in 14 games (6G, 6A) in just under 17 minutes ATOI. Cody Glass will replace Novak at even strength and look for the rookie, Luke Evangelista to secure a spot on the top power play. Both players are only relevant in deeper formats.

Dylan Holloway – Holloway took a hard fall into the boards and wasn't able to complete the game against the Islanders. He could be out "a while" according to Edmonton sources. 

Jack Roslovic – Unfortunate news for Roslovic as he has suffered a fractured ankle and will likely miss the next four to six weeks. Roslovic has been moonlighting on the top line in Columbus, but most recently he has been skating with Johnny Gaudreau and Cole Sillinger on a makeshift third line. He's still being used on the top power play so his absence opens up some opportunity for players like Kirill Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov and that absolute unit, Dimitri Voronkov.

Carson Soucy – The 29-year-old Vancouver rearguard was unable to finish the game against the Canadiens on November 12th after suffering what looked to be a foot injury. Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced today that Soucy will be out six to eight weeks so that opens the door for Akito Hirose, who was recalled recently, to make his mark on the team and play some important minutes. 

Erik Cernak – Cernak is still nursing an undisclosed injury but could play on Thursday in Chicago against the Blackhawks.

Jack McBain – This beefer of a man sustained a lower-body injury in St. Louis on Thursday and has subsequently been placed on IR with a week-to-week designation. He is a multi-category league player only, so this news isn't exactly fantasy relevant for many. 

Trevor Zegras – Head coach Greg Cronin said that Zegras has been dealing with a nagging injury that’s been "bugging him for awhile". The Ducks have since placed Zegras on IR so the soonest he could return would be Friday against the Florida Panthers. Alex Killorn is the primary beneficiary with Zegras on the shelf and he is currently skating with Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry on the top line at even strength and on the power play. 

Artturi Lehkonen – After a brutal headfirst fall into the boards, Lehkonen has been placed on LTIR and will be out "weeks" as per head coach Jared Bednar. It has been confirmed that the injury is not to his head so that is a silver lining but it looks as though he will be out awhile. Machine Gun Vally (Valeri Nichushkin) is the player who benefits the most here. He bumped up to the top line with Nathan Mackinnon and Mikko Rantanen and slid back onto the top power play unit. He responded with a goal and over 20 minutes TOI. It is officially Nichushkin season. 

Alex Tuch – Head coach Don Granato said Tuch is targeting the Friday game against the Jets for his return from an upper-body injury. Dylan Cozens has been taking reps on the top line with Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner but with Thompson on the shelf,  we will have to wait and see what the deployment looks like. 

Taylor Hall – The injury Hall suffered in the game against Tampa Bay isn't feared to be serious. He wasn't able to lace them up against the Panthers on Sunday and likely won't be good to go for Thursday's game against the Lightning. He will skate on Wednesday so keep an eye out for any updates.

Jordan Eberle – Eberle has shed the non-contact jersey in a recent practice and looks to be a game-time decision for the Kraken's upcoming game on Wednesday against the Oilers. He has had an abysmal start to the year with only four points in 13 games. 

Jack Hughes – There is a chance that the Devils forward joins the team in Pittsburgh for Thursday's game. Fantasy owners should all be breathing a sigh of relief that this shoulder injury wasn't as serious as it looked.Hughes was flying offensively before the injury with 20 points in only 10 games.

Thomas Harley – The third year defenseman took a hard check into the boards from the Wild's Brandon Duhaime on Sunday and was unable to finish the game. Harley is not currently in the concussion protocol but will probably miss a couple of games as per head coach Pete DeBoer. 

Chandler Stephenson – The Knight's second-line center was ruled out on Tuesday but a return to the ice appears to be on the horizon. He was seen skating with a non-contact jersey in a recent practice and he will be evaluated prior to Thursday's game against the Canadiens. Keep an eye on his status moving forward. He will likely return to his regular spot on the second line with Mark Stone and the top power play as well.

Andreas Athanasiou – The speedy winger is listed week-to-week with a lower-body injury as per head coach Luke Richardson. 

Jacob Markstrom – The Flames No.1 netminder returned to the crease on Tuesday and picked up a win for his club. Markstrom had missed the previous two games with an upper-body injury. There was some excitement in fantasy circles when blue-chip prospect Dustin Wolf got the call to join the big club. He has since been sent down but there were some who thought Markstrom's job as the starter might be in jeopardy. He has been able to rattle off two straight wins and that should buy him some time as the Flames try to figure out their identity early in the season. He should still be owned across all formats but it could be a bumpy ride. Hopefully you drafted him at value.

Brandon Montour – If you have been stashing Montour this season after that beefy playoff run last year, congratulations. Your time has come. It looks as though Montour could return at some point during the Panthers current road trip. Aaron Ekblad isn't far behind and this is a huge win for this team as they have actually been fairly effective defensively in their absence. Montour should slide back to his usual spot as the quarterback of the top power play with a boatload of deployment. His return is going to nuke the value of Oliver Ekman-Larsson who has filled in admirably. 

Carter Hart – After suffering a mid-body injury and then a nasty bout of food poisoning, Hart is finally ready to reclaim the crease. He is set to start on Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Hart has been good to start the season and has amassed four wins and three losses with a respectable .913% save percentage to go with a 2.52 GAA. 

Pavel Francouz – On Sunday, the Avs announced that Francouz would miss the remainder of the regular season with a lower-body injury. Tough break for the oft-injured netminder. Alexander Georgiev will continue to be a workhorse for the team while 24-year old Ivan Prosvetov will serve as his backup.

Juuso Valimaki  – Valimaki took a puck off of his face on Tuesday and did not return to the game. Sources don't have many details but it sounds like he could be out "a while". The Coyotes have recalled defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok in his stead. Valimaki has been a non-factor in fantasy this year after popping up on our collective radars during the back half of last season after Jacob Chychrun was moved to Ottawa. With all the new additions on the backend in Arizona, he has been the odd man out in terms of deployment.

Eric Comrie – The 28-year-old netminder is nearing a return and will travel with the Sabres on their upcoming 3-game road trip. Keep an eye on his status as the crease in Buffalo seems up for grabs. Devon Levi has posted two wins and a loss since returning from injury but he was lit up for five goals in his last outing. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has put up reasonable numbers with three wins and three losses but no one has really grabbed the reins. If Buffalo decides to roll with three goaltenders, it is going to hurt the value for all of them which would be disappointing to say the least for those of you expecting a Calder-like season from Levi.

Evgeni Malkin – Malkin was held out of Wednesday's practice because he hasn't been "feeling well" as per coach Mike Sullivan. Pittsburgh's next game is Thursday at home against the Devils. Malkin could be a game-time decision so watch his status. 

Anthony Duclair – The rugged winger has been under the weather as well and has missed the past three games due to the illness. He was a full participant in Wednesday's practice and will likely make his way back into the lineup for Thursday's game against the Blues.

That's it for this week's article. Thank you so much for reading. Please follow me on Twitter/X @BlakeCreamerAG and come and check out my fantasy hockey musings on the Apples and Ginos Fantasy Hockey Podcast. Celebrate your day. Bye for now.

Article Soundtrack: Moments of Clarity- Narrow Head