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.

Rickard Rakell – There was some big news on the injury front in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Rakell has been dealing with an upper body injury that is going to keep him out "long-term" according to head coach Mike Sullivan. There didn't appear to be a specific play that Rakell was injured on and one might wonder if this is something he has been dealing with for a while. His play on the ice has taken a significant hit and he has only been able to produce four assists in 17 games on the campaign. It was also announced that Bryan Rust will not play tonight and he is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Look for Reilly Smith to see more usage and to secure his spot on the top power play.

Evgeny Kuznetsov – The top-six center won't be making his return tonight as he has been sidelined with an illness. He is still considered day-to-day and his next chance to play will be at home against the Edmonton Oilers. Kuznetsov has not been very productive this season but it's not for lack of ice-time. He is averaging a career-high 21:37 through 14 games so far.

Nico Hischier – Hischier was seen at a recent practice and will travel with the team to Detroit but is still without a definitive timeline for an injury he suffered after a high hit from Dylan Cozens. He is still day-to-day according to Lindy Ruff. Hischier's importance to the team cannot be understated as the team has four wins and five losses since the injury. Jack Hughes has been out as well but he isn't known for his defensive prowess the way Hischier is. It sounds like a return to the ice is close so keep an eye on his status.


Jake Walman – After losing an edge and smashing into his own goalpost, Walman appears ready to return for tonight's game against the Devils. He has seven points on the season and can be a sneaky source of shots and goals from the back end. He was able to pot nine goals last year in just 63 games.

Damon Severson – It was recently announced that Severson will be out six weeks with an oblique injury. This is another blow to an already damaged franchise in the Blue Jackets. Surprisingly, Ivan Provorov has been the defenseman to own in Columbus for fantasy purposes with 12 points in 19 games and he has recently been moonlighting on the top power play unit. Adam Boquist will slide onto the second power play but likely won't be fantasy relevant unless he somehow receives more ice-time.

Rasmus Ristolainen – The beefy Philly defenseman has recently been cleared for contact but has yet to be cleared for game action. The Flyers have been cooking as of late with five straight wins so there is no rush to get him back into games. His fantasy value mostly comes in category leagues with hits and blocks.


Philipp Grubauer – Grubauer was not able to finish the game against the Flames on Monday and is still being evaluated. No update has been provided by the team but Chris Driedger has been called up to back up Joey Daccord. Seattle's save percentage has been atrocious this season (5th worst in the NHL at all strengths), but they do limit scoring chances against (5th best) and high danger scoring chances against (10th best). That is a reasonable environment for a goalie to succeed. Daccord is worth an add while Grubauer recovers and he is widely available (11% on Yahoo).

Adam Fox – Just a quick update on the dynamic rearguard; He is traveling with the team and could return shortly, although he is not officially eligible to return until November 29th. Erik Gustafsson, who has been productive in Fox's absence, will lose value as soon as Fox is back. See if you can flip him for a roster player.


Gabriel Vilardi – There is a "good chance" Vilardi returns to the Jets lineup on this upcoming road trip according to head coach Scott Arniel. Before the injury, Vilardi was skating on the top line and the top power play. Alex Iafallo has made his case to keep that deployment with an impressive 13 points in 17 games although he has cooled considerably with only one point over the last four. With Kyle Connor popping off with Iafallo and Mark Scheifele, it would be surprising to see Vilardi supplant him right away. Still, it might be a good time to add him as he is only 12% rostered on Yahoo.


Timo Meier – Unfortunately, it is not yet Timo time. Meier has not yet resumed skating and won't make the trip with the Devils to Detroit. Lindy Ruff still reiterates that Meier's absence is only short-term. The next opportunity for him to get into a game will be a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday at home. Dawson Mercer continues to be useful with four points in his last six games while getting top-six deployment.

Aleksander Barkov – Head coach Paul Maurice recently stated that the Panther's star center will not play on Wednesday night but could return as early as Friday against the Jets. Barkov owners can breathe a sigh of relief that he avoided serious injury after a nasty knee-on-knee hit from Carolina's Sebastian Aho. Anton Lundell has been filling in admirably on the top line with Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen, but will likely fade away to fantasy obscurity once Barkov returns. It will be interesting to see how the Panthers deploy their top power play unit with Barkov back in the mix. They are currently running with two defensemen (Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson) on the back end. Who gets the boot? My money is on OEL. This could be a good time to sell-high.

John Klingberg – The KLINGON, John Klingberg, is still not skating and won't play this week according to head coach Sheldon Keefe. Morgan Reilly has been back up on the top power play unit and all is right in the world.


Thomas Harley – Harley will be a game-time decision tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights. He has been slotting in on the third pairing with that epic beefer Jani Hakanpaa.

Rafael Harvey-Pinard – The Montreal Canadiens recently announced that RHP will be out for six-to-eight weeks. So far, he has not been able to recreate the magic he had last year when he went off for 20 points in 34 games with an expanded role. Look for Brendan Gallagher on the top line with Nick Suzuki and company.

Arber Xhekaj is not traveling with the team either for their upcoming road trip after taking a massive hit from Ivan Barbashev in the game against Vegas. Consider him day-to-day with an upper-body injury.


Taylor Hall – The oft-injured Hall is now being evaluated for an unknown injury back in Chicago. Boris Katchouk makes his way into the lineup but look for Ryan Donato to possibly slot back onto the second line. It has been a frustrating season for Hall to say the least.


Andrei Vasilevskiy – NHL insider Kevin Weekes reported that big Vasi will likely suit up and play within the week. This is massive news for the Lightning as incumbent starter, Jonas Johansson, has been barely holding it together. Tampa has just been out gunning their opponents but the defensive environment has been poor. Johansson and the Lightning have allowed four or more goals in nine of the last 12 games. That show ain't no good. For those of you who drafted and stashed Vasilevskiy, your time has come.

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.

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