Fantasy hockey injury update: December 28

Check out the latest injury news relevant to fantasy hockey for the week of December 28. 

It’s nearly three months into the NHL season and the injuries have expectedly begun to pile up. Some teams have been hit harder than others, but there are a lot of ailments, both major and minor, around the league at this point.

The following list doesn’t have every player currently injured, but does list those that are relevant to fantasy hockey lineups.

Jeff Carter – LA Kings (C): Carter was injured early in LA’s game on Saturday in Arizona and didn’t return to the game. He’s been diagnosed with an upper-body injury left the team’s four-game road trip to return to LA for treatment. He’s listed as day-to-day and it sounds likely that he’ll rejoin the team on the current trip.

David Krejci – Boston Bruins (C): Krejci suffered an upper-body injury in Sunday’s game with Ottawa, though not before he managed to score a goal. He missed the third period and there has been no update yet on his status or any type of timetable for his return.

Torey Krug – Boston Bruins (D): Boston’s top blueliner left Saturday’s contest in the first period with an injury and never returned. He did not play Sunday and didn’t even travel with the team for the game in Ottawa. Boston hasn’t released any information on Krug so the injury remains undisclosed. His next chance to play will come Tuesday.

Dylan Larkin – Detroit Red Wings (C): Detroit’s young star missed Saturday’s game with an undisclosed injury. He’s considered day-to-day for now and isn’t expected to play when the Red Wings take the ice Monday against Minnesota. Check Larkin’s status later in the week for any updates.

Jaroslav Halak – New York Islanders (G): Halak missed practice over the weekend and is apparently dealing with an upper-body injury. He played before the holiday break so the injury must have occurred sometime in practice. Halak missed New York’s game on Sunday and has officially been placed on IR. There is no official timetable on his return.

Marc-Andre Fleury – Pittsburgh Penguins (G): Fleury has been on IR since December 15 with a concussion. He didn’t play over the weekend and though the Penguins released on Sunday that their top netminder has started skating, there’s no work on when he’ll return to game action.

Nick Foligno – Columbus Blue Jackets (LW): Foligno was injured during a game back on December 19 and has missed two games thus far. He was said to just be dealing with a minor injury, but it seems to be a bit more than that. Columbus has not yet sent out any updates on his official timetable.

Cam Fowler – Anaheim Ducks (D): Fowler left Sunday’s game with some type of lower-body injury and did not return. He did pick up an assist before suffering the ailment but is now a candidate to miss some time. There’s been no status update on him as of now.

Patrick Elias – New Jersey Devils (LW): Elias has now missed three straight games with a knee injury. It’s the second time this season that he’s dealt with a knee ailment. There hasn’t been an announcement on his return. The Devils next play on Tuesday, so check on his status prior to then.

Sergei Bobrovsky – Columbus Blue Jackets (G): The groin injury that Bobrovsky suffered on December 8 seems to be healing ahead of schedule. He was initially tabbed with a 3-week timetable, but he’s already been practicing and appears to be ready for action on the ice very soon.

Garret Sparks – Toronto Maple Leafs (G): Sparks played just 15 minutes on December 17 before exiting with a lower-body issue. It is not clear what the injury actually is, but the word out of Toronto is that the goalie will be out for a long period of time. There is not an official timetable, but don’t expect him back anytime soon.

Kris Letang- Pittsburgh Penguins (D): Letang had been out with an undisclosed injury but returned to action on December 26. He briefly left the game with a head injury but was able to return. For now, Letang is healthy, but a history of injuries makes Letang a risky play while he’s already banged up.

James Reimer- Toronto Maple Leafs (G): Reimer has been out since early December with a groin injury but he’s been practicing with the team and taking shots in practice. His initial timetable had him out until at least December 25. Now that he’s facing shots in practice a return seems imminent.

Robin Lehner- Buffalo Sabres (G): The word on Lehner is still that he could be returning soon, but for now he remains out with a high ankle sprain. There’s still an unclear timetable for him but it sounds as if a return to practice is in the near future.

Martin Hanzal- Arizona Coyotes (C): Hanzal returned on December 19th from a lower-body injury but has had to once again miss time with what’s believed to be the same issue. He didn’t play in either of Arizona’s games this past Saturday or Sunday and it’s not clear when he will be able to return. The next opportunity for Hanzal to get back on the ice will be Tuesday night.

Mike Fisher-  Nashville Predators (C): Fisher has now missed 11 games for the Predators with a lower-body injury after sitting out on December 26. He was initially though to be nearing a return, but he is still sidelined with the ailment. Nashville plays again on Monday so check Fisher’s status closer to puck drop.

Marian Hossa – Chicago Blackhawks (RW): Hossa returned to action on Sunday and appears to be over the upper-body issue that he had been dealing with.

Mike Smith (G-Arizona Coyotes) Carey Price (G-Montreal Canadiens), Ondrej Pavelec (G-Winnipeg Jets) and Derek Stepan (C-New York Rangers) are all still out with long-term injuries and there have been no updated timetables.