Welcome back to the Fantasy Hockey Injury Report. Hockey is back, which means injuries are back too. You can’t avoid them, but we can get a head start and plan around them. The injury report will be out every week to help you plan the rest of your fantasy hockey week. Let’s take a look at which key players are dealing with injuries. 

Rasmus Dahlin - Buffalo Sabres - Defence

Injury: concussion, week-to-week.

Sabres’ defenceman Rasmus Dahlin is expected to be out of the lineup for at least a week due to a concussion. He took an elbow to the head courtesy of Lightning’s defenceman Erik Cernak, who was handed a two-game suspension for his actions. The team has said that there is no timetable for his return, so it’s best to consider the young defenceman week-to-week. If you’re in a weekly league, it’s best to look for a replacement on the waiver wire.

Patrice Bergeron - Boston Bruins - Center

Injury: lower-body, day-to-day.

Bruins’ centerman Patrice Bergeron missed sometime early last week due to injury, came back to play two games, only to be held out of the lineup for the last two games. We don’t know if this is the same injury or a new one, but the team has said that they want to “take care” of his injury so it doesn’t linger. The hope here is that the Bruins will sit Bergeron until he is really 100% ready to return, but no one really knows when that might be. For now, fantasy owners will just need to wait until more information is available. 

Dylan Strome - Chicago Blackhawks - Center

Injury: concussion, out indefinitely.

Blackhawks’ centerman Dylan Strome is out for an indefinite amount of time due to a concussion. He still hasn’t been cleared to resume skating, so he could be out of the lineup for more than a week. Once he exits concussion protocol, we should have a better idea of when the 22-year-old might be ready to return. So far this season, the Mississauga native has 17-points in 23-games. 

Anthony Mantha - Detroit Red Wings - Winger

Injury: lower-body, week-to-week.

This is a huge blow to the Detroit Red Wings, and fantasy owners. The 25-year-old is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, but it looks like he may be out for a couple of weeks. In basic english, a couple of weeks means at least two, so fantasy owners will need to find a replacement on the waiver wire, but that won’t replace Mantha’s production. Let’s hope that he can return before Christmas. 

Steven Stamkos - Tampa Bay Lightning - Center

Injury: lower-body, day-to-day.

Lightning’s captain Steven Stamkos has already missed three games due to a lower-body injury, and there is still no timetable for his return. The team is still calling his injury day-to-day, but it might be time to start calling it week-to-week. Head coach Jon Cooper is hoping to have Stamkos back in the lineup this weekend, but that doesn’t give fantasy owners much hope. There’s a slim chance that he plays Friday, but Saturday can be a realistic target. If he isn’t ready to go for either game, it might be time to start looking for some help in the short-term.

Tomas Hertl - San Jose Sharks - Center

Injury: lower-body, day-to-day.

Sharks’ forward Tomas Hertl has now missed his team’s last four games, and there is still no timetable for his return. He was spotted at practice today (Thursday), but he was wearing a non-contact jersey. That doesn’t inspire confidence for fantasy owners who are trying to figure out what to do with Hertl. It would be best if San Jose just put him on IR, but they seem unwilling to do that. Fantasy owners should continue to monitor his status heading into the weekend.