Fantasy hockey injury update: December 7
Injuries you should know for your fantasy hockey lineups on December 7.
Injuries are basically an everyday occurrence in the world of the NHL. Even when someone is hurt they usually tend to get the day-to-day label, even if everyone knows it’s going to be much longer. Coaches rarely give a lot of information out and sometimes timetables for a return are not even set.
The injury bug seems to have run rampant this year, especially at the goalie position.
Below is an update of the injuries that will be relevant to fantasy hockey.
Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens (G): Price’s injury-plagued season unfortunately continues. An injury to his right knee forced him to miss time earlier this year. He was able to return for three games, but got nicked up again. The latest word on Price is that he’s out for last least a month.
Devan Dubnyk – Minnesota Wild (G): Dubnyk was the latest goalie to get hit with an injury. Dubnyk was hurt in Saturday’s game against Colorado. The injury looked like it could have been a lot worse, but luckily, it’s being called a mild groin strain and should only keep him out a game or two. He’s already ruled out for Monday night, but could be back in the next game.
Frederik Andersen – Anaheim Ducks (G): The Ducks top netminder has been out since November 21 with what’s being called the flu. However, it does sound like he’s close to a return because he practiced on Thursday. Those waiting to deploy Andersen shouldn’t have to wait much longer.
Ondrej Pavelec – Winnipeg Jets (G): The main goalie for the Jets has been out since November 21 and isn’t expected to return until late January or February. If you’re still holding on to Pavelec, it will still be a month or more before you will be able to use him.
Robin Lehner- Buffalo Sabres (G): Lehner suffered a high ankle sprain in the second period of the first game of the season. His rehab has been going well and he is no longer wearing the walking boot that he’s been sporting. There’s still no official return date for Lehner but it seems that things are moving in the right direction.
Logan Cotoure – San Jose Sharks (C): The talented center has been on IR since October with a foot injury. However, there’s good news, as he’s been able to fully participate in practice recently. There’s talk that he could return as early as this week, something that owners will surely be excited for.
Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers (C): The Edmonton rookie suffered a devastating broken clavicle in early November and was originally expected to miss at least four months. Reports are that he’s no longer wearing a sling and has started working his upper body. It sounds that McDavid is actually ahead of schedule and could be back as early as mid-January.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – San Jose Sharks (D): Vlasic is suffering from an lower body injury and missed Saturday’s game. Information is vague right now, so just keep an eye on his status this week.
Joffrey Lupul – Toronto Maple Leafs (W): Lupul was originally just held out last Monday with what was called some “nagging” injuries, but now he’s been placed on injured reserve with an lower body injury. He’ll miss at least the next three games, so check his status later this week.
Tyler Ennis – Buffalo Sabres (C): Ennis is dealing with an upper body injury and is officially listed as week-to-week. There’s no official timetable yet, but he’s already missed six games and it seems likely he’ll miss a few more.
Shane Doan – Arizona Coyotes (W): Doan is still struggling with a lower body injury and was officially placed on IR Sunday. He last played on November 21 and there’s no solid time on when he will return. Continue to monitor his status.
Derek Stepan – New York Rangers (C): Stepan took a nasty hit against the Boston Bruins late in the game on November 28. He’s officially listed as day-to-day, though having suffered broken ribs, it seems that the timetable will be much longer than that.