Welcome to the Fantasy Hockey Injury Report. Once a week, we’ll take a look at some injuries around the league that may affect your fantasy hockey team. Injuries will always happen and you can’t predict when, but it’s important to be ready for the aftermath and to have a plan ready. Let’s take a look and some players who are on the shelf for the upcoming week and beyond.

 

*Note: All players this week are considered day-to-day. Information is hard to obtain after the All-Star break and some teams are on bye this week.*

Shayne Gostisbehere - Philadelphia Flyers - Defence

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

Flyers’ defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere was a late scratch on Monday and his status for tonight’s game is still up in the air. Interim head coach Scott Gordon did say after the game that the injury was “nothing more than a bruise” and that he’s hopeful that Ghost will be ready to go Tuesday night at home against the Rangers. The fourth-year defenceman has had a season to forget, totaling 20 points (5G, 15A) in 48 games.

Mats Zuccarello - New York Rangers - Winger

Injury: foot, day-to-day.

Unlike, Gostisbehere, Mats Zuccarello is confirmed to miss Tuesday’s game against the Flyers due to a foot infection. It’s unclear how the Ranger’s winger got the infection, but it doesn’t sound like he will miss multiple games due to it. The team hasn’t confirmed if they expect him to be back later this week, so fantasy owners will need to monitor this situation closely. If your lineups are set weekly, it would be smart to sit Zuccarello this week.

Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche - Center

Injury: foot, day-to-day.

No need to panic fantasy hockey fans, Nathan MacKinnon should be good to go later on this week when the Avalanche return to action. The Avs centerman had an MRI on his foot prior to the All-Star game and everything seems to be fine. He did attend the ASG, but did not participate in the skills competition or the game. The Avalanche don’t play till Saturday, so MacKinnon has a ton of time to rest his foot. It’s still best to monitor his status leading up to Saturday to make sure he doesn’t get placed on IR.

Cam Fowler - Anaheim Ducks - Defence

Injury: hand, day-to-day.

Cam Fowler left last wednesday's game due to a hand injury a did not return. It’s likely that he won’t miss any time due to the ASG break, but there is still a slight chance that he doesn’t play on Saturday against the Jets. For Fowler, it’s been a less than stellar season. He missed 23 games earlier this season due to a facial fracture, and since his return, he just hasn’t been the same. The 27-year-old has 10 points (3G, 7A) in 28 games this season, which is just not good enough for a defenceman who signed an eight-year contract extension worth $52M back in 2017. For fantasy owners, Fowler is a disappointment, just like his team. He’s probably not worth a roster spot in shallow leagues.

Seth Jones - Columbus Blue Jackets - Defence

Injury: general soreness, day-to-day.

There is a 99% chance that Jones is ready to go Tuesday night when the Blue Jackets face off against the Buffalo Sabres, but he still deserves a mention on the injury report. The All-Star defenceman was a full participant at this weekend’s event, and despite missing practice yesterday due to being “banged up”, it doesn’t seem like there is any real threat that Jones will sits Tuesday’s game out. The team may want to play it safe with the 24-year-old, so fantasy owners will want to monitor his status prior to puck drop.