It is never easy to foresee the unforeseen. Injuries happen every day in the NHL and here at Fantasy Alarm, our goal will be to help you try to stay on top of those maladies. Counting all the latest bumps, bites, and bruises, there were 82 players held out of lineups. Five of those are long term injuries from a previous year. Those players are likely not to return or have retired. That leaves 77 who have been hurt this season. Here are some of the more notable ouchies out there and their prognosis on this Friday. Periodic updates and returns are provided as well. The latest walking wounded is listed below.

Centers

Evgeni Malkin is still out with a lower body injury, which has kept him out probably a week or so more than expected. The good news is that he is practicing. He has even been listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against Arizona. It is still just a matter of time for the star center. This hurts fantasy teams, but aggravating the injury can have more detrimental effects.

Robby Fabbri will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee. The injury, suffered a week ago, will keep him out for six to nine months. That will ensure a full recovery. It did cause the call-up of Kenny Agostino, who has so far been quite an asset. He is almost playing the role of Fabbri in some ways while shooting the puck more.

Frans Nielsen is still out and on injured reserve with an upper body injury. There is no clear timetable at the moment. He is expected to be out of action for the next week at least. Detroit’s injuries are starting to mount quickly, but losing the All-Star hurts as he plays well in all three phases of the game. It hurts even more fantasy wise as it makes at least one line irrelevant for Detroit.

Wingers

Carl Hagelin and Sven Baertschi have been diagnosed with concussions. They are being listed as day-to-day for the time being. As the players head through the protocol, the severity of the injuries are not quite known. They may bounce back in a few games or this may take weeks or months. These are third line players that can be more vital than people think.

Andre Burakovsky is out with a hand injury and could be out for a while. It is certain that he will miss at least a week as the Capitals have a game on Saturday and then the bye week. There are some growing concerns that the hand may be broken. If that is the case, then the possibility he is out at least a month increases. Keep an eye out on this one.

Bryan Bickell is aiming for a return after Carolina’s bye week. His multiple sclerosis has become manageable for him and he has been skating. While he would not provide a significant fantasy boost, his depth is an asset as well as his leadership. There were many who did not even expect him back this season.

Defensemen

Tyson Barrie is injured yet again in what is just becoming a lost season. The defenseman has seen everything that possibly could go wrong and then some. The lower body injury will keep him out at least until next week. At this point, the most prudent thing to do is wait for a return and then make sure Barrie does not reaggravate the injury.

Kris Russell is day to day with an undisclosed injury. The defenseman does have relevance for his ability to block shots which he does better than most anyone. He is probably out until next week at least. The Oilers could use his depth. For fantasy purposes, Russell is kind of a one trick pony but will provide occasional points here and there.

Dan Girardi may just be out a few days or not with a lower body injury. The malady is believed to be a bruised and lacerated ankle. Swelling had not gone down on Thursday which caused him to miss the game against Nashville. Girardi blocks shots and gets a few points which does make him viable in fantasy although his ice time is decreasing. Sometimes he will still play more than 20 minutes though.  

Goalies

Ondrej Pavelec does indeed have a minor groin strain which was suffered earlier in the week. It is believed that he will miss about a week. He was consistent in net as the goalie yielded three goals or more in every start. We will monitor the situation as his return gets closer. The key is to watch for setbacks.

Jonathan Quick could be back in the next week or two. The practice pace is increasing more and more. He is using his range more and more. The groin injury was severe and the recovery has been prolonged. It helps that Peter Budaj has been playing well. Los Angeles will not rush him so the timing will have to be right and Quick will have to be 100 percent before returning to action.

 

Chris Wassel can be heard on Fantasy Hockey X every week 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, Helene Elliott, Isabelle Khurshudyan, Dan Rosen, and Selene Parekh of The Fantasy Doctors for all their information.