It is never easy to foresee the unforeseen. Injuries happen every day in the NHL and here at Fantasy Alarm, our goal is to help you stay on top of those maladies. Counting all the latest bumps, bites, and bruises, there were 108 players held out of lineups. Eight of those are long-term injuries from a previous year. Those players are unlikely to return or have retired. That leaves 101 who have been hurt either over the summer or into November. Here are some of the more notable ouches out there and their possible prognosis.
Centers
Steven Stamkos will be out roughly 4-to-6 months after a lateral meniscus tear was repaired this week. He is expected to make a full recovery. As Dr. Selene Parekh discussed, not only did Stamkos have to limp himself off the ice Tuesday but he also believes the earliest Stamkos may be back is the last week of March or first week of April. Dr. Parekh was leaning more towards April as, again, Stamkos’ injury was in what doctors call the red zone of the meniscus which requires a tubular repair as opposed to a “trim” which occurs in the white zone.
Brad Richardson is likely out for the rest of the season due to a broken fibula and tibia suffered Thursday night against the Vancouver Canucks. The video is not for the faint of heart, but when a person screams like that, it is quite the serious injury. Richardson was enjoying an excellent start to the season with five goals and nine points in just 16 games before the freak injury occurred. Surgery was performed Friday morning to ease his pain and start the long recovery process.
Darren Helm was added to our list due to a dislocated shoulder that occurred Tuesday night when he was hit hard by Tampa’s Nikita Nesterov. Because of the injury, he will miss at least six weeks, though some fear he might miss several months. Currently, after six weeks the plan is to re-evaluate Helm to see how he has progressed. If the healing is not sufficient then surgery is likely.
Wingers
Taylor Hall also suffered a torn meniscus but the difference is that this tear just needs to be trimmed and cleaned out, a much less evasive surgery. The New Jersey Devils winger is likely to miss 3-to-4 weeks. Hall typically misses roughly 12 to 15 games a year so perhaps this is just par for the course. Expect him to be back by mid-December at the latest. If only he was the last significant injury on this list.
Johnny Gaudreau has taken his share of punishment being a small player in today’s NHL but slashes are a different story. A slash from the stick of Eric Staal will cost the winger six weeks as he broke his finger Tuesday night against Minnesota. Gaudreau had been slumping most of the season but had three goals in his last three games before the injury. Calgary had already been struggling offensively, but this obviously makes things worse for the team and fantasy owners alike.
Patric Hornqvist was expected to be a major player in Wednesday night’s game against the Washington Capitals but as it turns out, he suffered a concussion and will be out indefinitely. Pittsburgh knows the drill and it is anyone’s guess as to when the right winger will return, but his point-per-game production will be missed. Basically, he has to work towards skating without symptoms, then full-contact practice, then a return. A timetable is difficult to estimate right now.
Bobby Ryan is day-to-day after suffering a nasty gash to his hand/finger area Thursday night. He is not able to grab his stick or put enough pressure to shoot or pass without pain. The right winger has been struggling to score goals like the rest of the Ottawa Senators. Consider that Mike Hoffman is also day-to-day and this is obviously more news fantasy owners do not want to hear.
Defensemen
Niklas Kronwall is day-to-day with a knee injury. It is believed to be nowhere near as serious as the last one but it is still troubling nonetheless. The defenseman will return to the lineup Friday night. However, it may be prudent to monitor him as he has looked like a shell of his former self since his return 10 days ago. Even his status as a very deep fantasy own in leagues has to be considered in jeopardy now.
Dennis Seidenberg has a broken jaw that was expected to keep him out for several weeks at a minimum but has been seen practicing with a full face cage/shield yesterday. Keep an eye out to see if he plays Friday night or sometime early next week but if Travis Hamonic can return after only missing a few games, Seidenberg can too, more or less. The defenseman was an excellent find for fantasy owners with his penchant for blocking shots and timely points.
Goalies
Michal Neuvirth will be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks with a sprained knee. The good news is he will not require surgery. The bad news is he was placed on Long Term Injury Reserve. Simply, he could not return for 10 games or 24 days (whichever comes first). With the prognosis of the partial tear/sprain, the net is Steve Mason’s to run with and while that is bad for Neuvirth owners, it is obviously great for Mason owners.
Ryan Miller is day-to-day with the dreaded wash your hands injury known as the cold/flu. It is something fantasy owners will have to get used to. This does not appear to be the super flu or what Carey Price had to start the season or what Jiri Hudler currently has. Miller should be just fine by the weekend and will continue his platoon role with Jacob Markstrom.
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Chris Wassel can be heard on Fantasy Hockey X every Tuesday night at 9pm ET and on various places throughout the internet. He can be followed on Fantasy Alarm and Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS. A special thanks this week to nhl.com, Matchsticks and Gasoline, Craig Morgan, and Selene Parekh of The Fantasy Doctors for all of their information.