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.

Jack Hughes – The Devils may have dodged a bullet with Hughes' most recent injury. Head coach Lindy Ruff commented that it will be "weeks, not months" for the star center's recovery. Hughes is in the midst of a successful season with 45 points in just 32 games including 21 on the power play. His Devils however, have been ravaged by injury and are currently sitting outside of a playoff spot nearing the halfway point of the season. Look for players like Erik Haula, Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer to get some opportunity while Hughes is shelved.

Timo Meier – Jack Hughes linemate has had a rough season in his own right. He was recently put on the IR but according to team beat writer Amanda Stein, Meier has been "skating in a limited fashion" and head coach Lindy Ruff mentioned that he is in the "sooner rather than later" category for returning to practice. We will have to wait and see but Meier can be activated at any time and the team could sorely use his offense as they are treading water in their last 10 games with a 5-5 record.

Kaapo Kakko – Kakko joined the team for Wednesday's practice in a full-contact jersey and his return appears imminent. After playing all 82 games last season while posting 40 points, it appeared that the former 2nd overall draft pick had taken an important step in his development, but this season has proved otherwise. He's only been able to muster three points in 20 games while still getting some reasonable deployment in the top-6. The Rangers have been playing at an elite level so when Kakko does return, he'll likely see bottom-6 deployment with a chance at the second power play unit. He's probably best left on the waiver wire until he finds his game. He does however, have one of the best names in the entire NHL so there's that.

TJ Oshie – The 37-year-old Mount Vernon product is nearing a return to game action and according to coach Spencer Carbery, he is good to go for Thursday's game against the Seattle Kraken. Oshie could line up on the second line with Evgeny Kuznetzov and Max Pacioretty and will likely see some top unit power play time. Obviously his best days are behind him, but Oshie can still provide some value to your fantasy squad, especially if he does get that top power play.

Alex Ovechkin – The Great Eight's name has popped up on the injury report with an undisclosed issue and his status for Thursday's game is up in the air. Ovechkin was questionable to play in the last game against the Kings but he was ultimately given the green light. He was on the ice for some skills work on Wednesday but wasn't there for the team practice. He'll be a game-time decision against the Kraken but this doesn't seem like something that will affect him long-term.

Jeff Skinner – The Sabres leading goal scorer wasn't able to practice with the team on Wednesday as he suffered an upper-body injury in their most recent game against the Kraken. Coach Granato mentioned that they are awaiting imaging results, but it doesn't look like a long-term issue. Jordan Greenway has spent time on the top line in the past so look for him or JJ Peterka to move up the lineup. Jack Quinn or Peterka could also move up to the top power play unit but we'll need to check the lines prior to the game.

Bowen Byram – Byram has found himself on the IR again in another injury-plagued season. He is out with a lower-body injury that will sideline him for one-to-two weeks. Teammate Josh Manson is also dealing with an undisclosed injury that will keep him sidelined for the second straight game. Manson could provide some value in bangers category leagues and actually has three points in his last five games.

Martin Necas – According to Rod "The Bod" Brindamour, Necas is dealing with an upper-body injury that isn't overly serious, but it will likely keep him out of Thursday's game against the Anaheim Ducks. While Necas hasn't found the same success as he did in 2022, he is still an important part of the Hurricanes offense. He is pacing for 56 points after cooking for 71 points in the season previous with the main differences

being his role on the power play and the emergence of Seth Jarvis. His SOG/60 at 5-on-5 have also trended in the wrong direction going from 8.81 in 2022 to 6.7 this year. Some positive regression may be coming there as well as his shooting percentage but last season may have been the outlier. Expect a 60-point pace rest of season.

Connor Bedard – Just a quick update on the Calder trophy favorite. Bedard has had successful surgery on his fractured jaw and is expected to be out for six-to-eight weeks and unfortunately that will keep him out of the All-Star game. This is tough news for a Blackhawks team that is already decimated with injuries and other assorted issues with personnel. Is there anyone on this team that is actually fantasy relevant? How about Philipp Kurashev? He is getting top-line deployment as well as power play one. It's not sexy, but he could provide some value in deeper leagues and should run into some production just by being on the ice. One thing the Blackhawks have proved this season, is that they are not an easy out as evidenced most recently in their game against the Oilers on Tuesday night.

Adin Hill – Hill will make his return to the crease tonight against the Avalanche as teammate Logan Thompson is dealing with an illness. He has missed the last eight games after trying to come back from a previous injury. The 27-year-old picked up where he left off from last year's playoffs and has stormed out to a 10-2-2 record with a sparkling 1.93 GAA with a .943 save percentage to boot. Get him back in your lineups and expect that he will get the majority of starts moving forward.

Arturri Lehkonen – Reinforcements are coming for the Avalanche in the form of this Finnish stud. He last played on November 9th against the Kraken (a common trend in today's article) until he hit his head on the glass and injured his neck after a Jamie Oleksiak hit. Lehkonen will travel with the team for their upcoming five-game road trip and could see some game action according to Jared Bednar. He was skating on the top line before the injury but Jonathan Drouin has been cooking up there so look for him to slot in on the second line with Ryan Johansen and Valeri Nichushkin. Rest of season production will likely depend on if he gets back on the top power play unit again or not. Prior to his injury, he amassed three goals and five assists in 12 games to go with 13 hits and four blocks.

Charlie Lindgren – Good news for Charlie Lindgren as he has been activated off the IR and could make his return as soon as Thursday's game against the Kraken (The Kraken AGAIN). The Capitals have missed him as they have gone 2-4 in his absence. Lindgren has been a wizard in the crease this year posting some excellent numbers: He is

currently 6th among goalies with at least 10 games played, in GAA (2.27) and 3rd in save percentage (.928%).

Seth Jones – A shoulder injury has kept Jones sidelined but we could see this absolute unit return within the week as stated by Luke Richardson. He was seen with Nick Foligno (fractured finger) and Sam Savoie (femur), skating on their own before practice. Once back in the lineup, Jones should be in line for some top power play time and all the deployment he can handle. Jones has yet to score a goal this season after hitting for 12 last year so we will need to manage expectations here. He literally has no one to play with and it could be a slog until Bedard returns. It'll be nice to see him out there though, and he could serve as a 4th or 5th Dman for your fantasy squads.

Ville Husso – Husso is still out while he deals with a lower-body injury but he has been skating as of late. Unfortunately, he hasn't gained full mobility and is still a ways away from returning. Alex Lyon is your huckleberry in the Detroit crease until further notice. James Reimer will serve as the backup most likely, but I would expect Husso to take back his starting job when he is ready to go.

Matthew Knies – Knies has not yet been ruled out for Thursday's game after taking a scary spill into the boards during the Leafs practice. He couldn't put any weight on his leg but afterwards, Sheldon Keefe mentioned that he "looks good" and might be an option tomorrow. The rookie is pacing for 36 points while receiving top-6 deployment. Check his status prior to game time.

Trevor Zegras – The update on Zegras wasn't great as it looks like he might be out awhile while he recovers from what the team is calling, a lower-body injury. He wasn't able to finish the game against the Predators on Tuesday and his disastrous season rolls on. Greg Cronin said that he will be out "a while" and if that wasn't enough, Pavel Mintyukov wasn't able to finish the game either. He is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury and that throws a wrench into our top unit power play plans. Minty was set to benefit from the recent Jamie Drysdale trade to Philly, and was skating on the top unit prior to going down. We're going to have to wait for an update as his next chance to play is on Thursday, but he wasn't on the ice for Wednesday’s practice. Fingers crossed, otherwise it will be that late-night beauty, Cam Fowler's power play to run.

Leo Carlsson – There was some good news coming out of Anaheim on the injury front: Leo Carlsson was back at practice Wednesday and could return as soon as Saturday. With Zegras out, he should walk into top-6 deployment and a spot on the top power play.

Carlsson has been great this year with 15 points in 23 games but his "load management" has been extremely frustrating for fantasy owners. I imagine it will continue as he gets his legs back post-injury. He will be a streamer with benefits unless they loosen the reins on this player and let this duck fly.

Linus Ullmark – The reigning Vezina trophy winner had to be helped off the ice late in Tuesday's game and while we don't have an official word on what the outlook is, it didn't look good and I would expect him to be out a while. In a corresponding move, Brandon Bussi has been called up to back up number one tendy, Jeremy Swayman.

Justin Faulk – The beefy rearguard for the Blues is unlikely to play in Thursday's game but a return could happen sooner rather than later. While he has been making progress, he has yet to take contact in practice so until he does that it will still be wait and see. Interim coach Drew Bannister said that there is a chance he plays on Saturday against the Bruins but I think it is more likely we see him next week.

That's it for this week's article. Thank you so much for reading. If you are interested in chatting with me one-on-one, you can reach me on a fantasy sports app called Didit. Click this link to download the app: xf7fv.app.link/pPRjU2myyFb
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