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.

Tomas Hertl – The 30-year-old Sharks winger missed Tuesday's game against the Kraken with a lower-body injury and has now been ruled out for Wednesday's game as well. With the All-Star game coming up, teams may elect to hold players out until after the break for the extra rest and I imagine that is what is happening with Tomas "The Turtle" Hertl. The Sharks have been exceptionally bad this campaign and Hertl has been the last man standing. He's been averaging a career-high 20:54 and he leads the team with 34 points in 48 games including 15 goals. This is a player that should be rostered despite playing for the Sharks and if he gets hot, I could see a 60-point-pace moving forward with decent peripheral stats as well. 

Henry Thrun – There was some hype surrounding Thrun in draft season. It looked like there might be an opportunity to quarterback the top power play in San Jose, but that hasn't come to fruition. After potting two assists in his first two games, he was sent back down to the AHL and since being called back up on December 10th, he's only been able to muster a single goal in very sheltered minutes and limited power play time. Now, Thrun is dealing with a shoulder injury that will keep him out through the All-Star break. This is a player to keep an eye on but won't likely be fantasy relevant for a few seasons.

Patrik Laine – The Finnish forward has entered the NHL/ NHLPA player assistance program and will be out indefinitely. Laine has been mired in his worst statistical season since the 2020-2021 campaign where he posted 24 points in 46 games. Hopefully, he returns at 100% and feels rejuvenated so he can continue his career and get back to the style of play that has made him successful in the past. 

Adam Fantilli – The Blue Jackets rash of injuries continues and this time it is young buck Adam Fantilli. It was announced today that he will miss the next eight weeks with a calf laceration suffered in Sunday's game against the Kraken. The beat goes on however, so look for legend Boone Jenner, Dimitri Voronkov and Cole Sillinger to get a bump in ice-time. With Fantilli and Bedard currently out and Leo Carlsson in and out of the lineup, the Calder race appears to be wide open. Brock Faber anyone?

Adam Boqvist – Boqvist stayed on the ice post-practice to get some extra work in and that is a good sign for the depleted Blue Jackets. The talented D-man was hit by a puck while on the bench and is dealing with an upper-body injury. He still has yet to score this season but has seen stretches on the top power play. For Boqvist, the talent and potential have always been there, but it hasn't necessarily translated on the ice. With stud rearguard Zach Werenski back from injury, it won't get any easier for him to get an opportunity in Columbus. He has been placed on the IR and is eligible to return on February 10th and should probably be left on your waiver wire unless his situation changes.

Patrick Kane – Kane has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Senators but it sounds like he will make his return after the break on February 10th against the Canucks. In 19 games this year, he has 16 points which is good for a 69-point pace which is very nice. While his best years are behind him, he still has lots of pop on offense and the Red Wings will need his secondary scoring if they are wanting to contend in a tough Atlantic division. 

Ben Chiarot – The Red Wings will also be without the services of stalwart D-man, Ben Chiarot until after the All-Star game as he continues to recover from an upper-body injury suffered on January 19th against the Hurricanes. He is really only a deep league fantasy option in most formats with a bit more value in bangers/category leagues that value blocks. 

Jack Quinn – Unfortunate news for Quinn and the Sabres as he was injured after taking a hit from Tomas Hertl on January 27th. He has since had surgery on what they are calling a lower-body injury and will miss the next eight weeks while he recovers. Quinn had seen an uptick in his production and ice-time over the last month playing with JJ Peterka and Dylan Cozens. He has 12 points in 17 games on the year and should be a viable fantasy option when he returns, especially if he is able to get any time on the top power play unit. 

William Karlsson – Expect "Wild Bill" William Karlsson to return after the All-Star break from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the team's last 12 games. He has been a pleasant surprise this campaign after amassing 32 points in the first 38 games playing mostly on a line with Michael (upper-bodio) Amadio and Paul Cotter. Not exactly household names but Karlsson has been converting at a high level as evidenced by his shooting percentage (16.1%) which is almost double what it was last season (8.8%). He has also had a resurgence on the power play with 11 PPP. I would expect a regression in his conversion rate but Coach Cassidy clearly likes what this player brings to the table and he will continue to give him reasonable deployment and opportunity moving forward. 

Filip Chytil – Chytil has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2023-2024 season with an upper-body injury. There was hope that he would be able to return prior to the trade deadline but there was an apparent setback in his recovery and now we will have to wait until next year to see him back in action. 

Justin Faulk – The St. Louis Blues will return to action on February 10th and reports indicate that Faulk will be back with the team at that time. Faulk already missed a handful of games in early January due to a lower-body injury and now he is dealing with an undisclosed injury. It has been a down season for the Minnesota product as he is pacing for his lowest point total (39) in the last three seasons. Upon return, he should probably be rostered due to the hits and blocks that he brings to the table but don't expect a high offensive ceiling unless he is able to take hold of the top power play and not let go. 

Scott Perunovich – One of the main beneficiaries of the Faulk injury would be Scott Perunovich, but he can't catch a break. Perunovich is currently dealing with a lower-body injury and is set to be reevaluated after the All-Star break. When I see a player is to be "reevaluated" it strikes me as ominous. I wouldn't expect Perunovich back for at least a couple of weeks after the break. When he does return, his fantasy value is tied heavily to the power play deployment he receives as he gets third pairing minutes at even strength. He looks to be a great prospect that is still a few years away as long as he can stave off any more injuries. 

Frederik Andersen – The Carolina Hurricanes received great news regarding their number one goaltender; Andersen has been given medical clearance to resume limited on-ice conditioning. We need to temper expectations here. This could still be a long road back to playing consistently. Andersen is dealing with deep-vein thrombosis and subsequent pulmonary embolisms. Those are serious conditions so it won't be like he'll be back next week. Still, a great sign for his health and for his ability to return to the team. For now, Kochetkov is the goalie to own for the Hurricanes and if Andersen does come back, I could see a trade happening that would send one of their three goalies away to clear the crease and strengthen Carolina for the home stretch.

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


25$ off of your first call for everyone so you have nothing to lose. Give me a call and we can talk about all things fantasy hockey. I can analyze your roster, answer any questions you have or just talk strategy.

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: Better Lovers – God Made Me An Animal