Patrik Laine's fresh start with the Canadiens might have to be put on hold for a while. Laine was forced to leave Saturday's preseason game against Toronto after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Cedric Pare. Following the game, Laine was seen on crutches with a brace on his left knee. Once he is evaluated further, we will have more of a timeline as to how long he will be sidelined. For now, the severity of the injury isn't known, but these are the possible injuries and associated timelines:

Concerns for Laine are as follows

Torn ACL (season over)
Torn MCL (depends on grade)
Torn meniscus (4-6 weeks if trimmed, 4+ months if repaired)
Bone bruise (week-to-week)

Can be just 1, multiple or all of the above injuries

Exam is helpful but MRI tomorrow will clarify https://t.co/0CXeDoP24C

— Dr. Harjas Grewal (@Harjas_Grewal) September 28, 2024

At this point, Laine seems doubtful for the Habs' season opener on October 9. Given how serious this injury might be, you may want to hold off drafting him. Kirby Dach was expected to be on the top power play before Laine was acquired, so he could be back in that spot if Laine misses time. Let's hope for the best with Laine, but his leg twisted in a way that didn't look normal.

That wasn't all for the Habs, as 2023 first-round pick (5^th overall) David Reinbacher also left this game very early in the first period with a possible knee injury. Like Laine, he was seen on crutches with a brace on his left knee.

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Calvin Pickard also left Saturday's game after being run into by his Oilers teammate. After the game, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said that Pickard is being evaluated and an update would be provided on Sunday.

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There is some concern that Erik Karlsson won't be ready to start the season. Karlsson has yet to skate with the Penguins at camp because of an upper-body injury. The Penguins haven't offered much about the injury, with coach Mike Sullivan saying that he is scheduled to stay off the ice this weekend and that the team will "go from there." Karlsson is a Band-Aid Boy based on a long history of injuries, but he has not missed a single game over the past two seasons. Feel free to move him down your rankings.

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News regarding J.T. Miller might be a more optimistic. Miller hasn't suited up for any of the Canucks' four preseason games, and the Canucks had been keeping silent about why. However, Canucks coach Rick Tocchet has stated that Miller will play on Friday. Miller has a very high ADP of 13.4, which reflects his high level of scoring and ability to contribute peripherals, so this is good news regarding his availability for the start of the season.

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Matvei Michkov is not disappointing in the preseason. He has to be on the short list of Calder Trophy candidates.

MATVEI MICHKOV OT WINNER 🤯

The kid has six points in three preseason games! pic.twitter.com/v1Mia4y7yH

— NHL (@NHL) September 29, 2024

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No team might have more unknown fantasy quantities than the Colorado Avalanche. If you're not sure what I mean, I'll explain. The Avalanche have had more than their share of injuries entering training camp, but as I'll discuss, it's more than that. The following four Colorado players carry considerable risk, but there is also potential for reward if things go right.

Gabriel Landeskog

Landeskog has missed two whole seasons due to quadriceps surgery and knee cartilage replacement surgery. In addition, there is no timetable for his return, which one would have to assume means he won't be in the lineup on opening night. If that isn't injury risk, then I don't know what is.

Landeskog was valuable in multicategory leagues prior to his injury with his point-per-game upside, high shot totals, and strong hits numbers. Yet with as long a layoff as he has had, we can't simply assume he will be the same player he was pre-injury. As optimistic as it sounds that he will return this season, it's also possible that he plays a few games and realizes it isn't going to work, similar to Nicklas Backstrom.

The only place I'd draft Landeskog is in the late rounds so I can stash him on IR to make room for a hot waiver-wire commodity. If he is able to pick up where he left off, then that is pure profit. Until we at least know more about an ETA, the probability of him never being 100 percent again is too high.

Valeri Nichushkin

Nichushkin appeared to be getting better and better in each season with the Avs to the point where he was a point-per-game player last season. That is why it's a shame that he's in the situation that he's in, and hopefully he's able to make a full recovery and return to the NHL. Like Landeskog, Nichushkin does not have a timeline for his return, although he is eligible to return from the NHL Player Assistance Program in November.

That return, from what I've read, may not be with the Avalanche. Nichushkin has exited the playoffs prematurely for two consecutive seasons, so his teammates may no longer trust him the way they once had. The Avalanche may try to move on from him, although they may not receive much for him with his contract carrying a significant risk of a $6.125 million cap hit for four more seasons.

I'd treat Nichushkin similarly to Landeskog as a possible late-round pick that may be able to go on IR, depending on league rules. Unlike Landeskog, Nichushkin will physically be able to play, so there should be less worry about his production if he returns. However, there are still a lot of unknowns, such as whether he need more time in the Player Assistance Program, whether the Avalanche try to get out of his contract, and whether he even play in the NHL again.

Artturi Lehkonen

Lehkonen's fantasy value has increased dramatically since being moved from Montreal to Colorado in 2021-22. However, he still retains the title of Band-Aid Boy, having averaged just 55 games over each of the past two seasons. Don't expect him to play 82 games this season either, as he has not been a full participant in training camp or preseason games.

Lehkonen doesn't have the upside of either Landeskog or Nichushkin, but it's also fair to say that he has less risk. He seems to be slowly working his way back into the lineup with a red non-contact jersey in recent practices. He will continue to carry that injury risk, but he should be an option for fantasy teams at some point this season. Because of the Avalanche's injury issues with the above players, Lehkonen seems likely to be in a top-6 role throughout much of the season as well.

Jonathan Drouin

Unlike the other three, Drouin doesn't seem to have any current injury risk, but he still listed as a Band-Aid Boy. There might be more Band-Aid Boys on Colorado than any other team, which you can view on their Depth Chart on Frozen Tools.

Drouin missed only three games last season, registering a career-high 56 points while skating regular minutes on junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon's line. On the surface, that seems like a recipe for future success. However, the Avs only committed to one year on Drouin this offseason, at a modest cap hit of $2.5 million. That might reflect the uncertainty of a player like Drouin, who was affected by injury issues and not fulfilling expectations in Montreal.

Drouin also benefitted from a 15.0% shooting percentage in 2023-24, when his career average is just 9.3%. That's a dangerous proposition considering that Drouin averages well below two shots per game. He appears to be an effective playmaker for MacKinnon, who hit the 50-goal mark for the first time in his career last season. Drouin could still maintain that point pace on MacKinnon's line, but major growth potential seems low.

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If you have a draft this weekend, good luck! I shared a few draft strategies in yesterday's Ramblings.

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