Fantasy hockey injury update: January 4

The following NHL injury news is relevant to fantasy hockey lineups for the week of January 4. 

Injuries continue to be a big part of hockey. In a lot of cases teams do not release too much information on the nature of injured players. The ever-popular terms “undisclosed injury” and “day-to-day” seem to be used in hockey more than any other sport.

There have been a rash of injuries this year, especially to several starting goalies.

A lot  of the injuries across the league are to guys who don’t really play a part in fantasy hockey, but some can have some major fantasy implications.

You won’t find every injured player in the NHL on the following list but it does contain those injures which are relevant to both yearly and daily fantasy hockey lineups this week.

Cam Fowler-Anaheim Ducks (D): Anaheim lost its top blueliner during a game on December 27 and has since been placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Fowler is slated to miss four-to-six weeks with the ailment.

John Carlson-Washington Capitals (D): Washington’s top defenseman was scratched before the game on December 31 with a lower body issue. He has yet to return to the ice an initial reports were that he would be out for a while. However, now the word out of Washington is that Carlson could return as early as Tuesday (January 5). There has not been an official announcement so just monitor the situation this week.

Jeff Carter-LA Kings (C): Carter suffered an upper-body injury on December 26. It was initially expected that he’d only miss a game or two but he has been out ever since. The good news is that he has started practicing, so a return to action for Carter could happen any day now. The latest word is that he is traveling with the team on the current road trip and has a good chance of playing Monday night.

David Krejci-Boston Bruins (C): Krejci was injured during a game on December 27 and has since been placed on injured reserve with what’s being called an upper-body injury. Krejci will miss a considerable amount of time and is officially listed as week-to-week.

Tyler Ennis-Buffalo Sabres (W): Ennis has been injury-riddled this season and has played in just 23 games. He returned from an injury on December 19 but was hurt again during a game on December 30. He is dealing with an upper-body injury. He’s missed Buffalo’s last two games and there is no update on his status.

Jiri Hudler-Calgary Flames (W): Hudler was injured in Calgary’s game on January 2. He suffered a lower-body injury during the game and didn’t return for the third period. The Flames haven’t released an update on his status.

Phil Di Giuseppe-Carolina Hurricanes (W): Di Giuseppe left the game on January 2 and never returned. He’s listed with an upper-body injury and an updated report stated that it’s either a head or neck injury. The Hurricanes said that he did go through the concussion protocol during the game before it was determined he wouldn’t be returning to action. Check back later for a timetable on his return.

Curtis McElhinney-Columbus Blue Jackets (G): Columbus took a major hit on January 2 when backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney suffered a knee injury. The Blue Jackets were already missing starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky who’s no on IR with a groin injury. McElhinney slipped on a play and injured his right knee. As of now there is no update on his status.

Connor McDavid-Edmonton Oilers (C): The explosive rookie has been out since he broke his clavicle on November 3. The initial timetable had him out until mid-to-late January. McDavid seems to be on schedule in his recovery, as he returned to practice with the team this past weekend. He’s not back in action yet but it seems a return will come soon.

Darcy Kuemper-Minnesota Wild (G): Minnesota’s backup has played well this year but is currently suffering from a concussion. He has been unavailable for the last five games and there is no word on when he will be able to return. Kuemper has been placed on injured reserve but official word is that it’s a mild concussion, so Kuemper should be finished with his recovery sooner rather than later.

Jaroslav Halak – New York Islanders (G): Halak was officially termed day-to-day on December 26 with an upper-body injury. He hasn’t returned to action yet but has been doing some skating with the team in practice. He has started to take shots and it sounds like Halak is ready to make a return soon. He didn’t play Sunday but it sounded like he could have been in net. Halak should be back this week but just be sure to check his availability before using him.

Patrick Elias–New Jersey Devils (W): Elias is still dealing with a knee injury and hasn’t started skating yet. He’s missed the last six games and there has been no update on his status from New Jersey.

Sergei Bobrovsky–Columbus Blue Jackets (G): Bobrovsky was taken off IR on December 30, as it was thought the groin injury he had been dealing with was healed. It was expected that he might play on January 2 but he didn’t take the ice and has been officially placed on IR yet again with the same groin injury.

Garret Sparks–Toronto Maple Leafs (G): Sparks is dealing with a lower-body injury that he sustained in a game on December 17. He was moved to IR this past week and is expected to be out a while. There’s no official word on what the injury actually is or how long he will miss for sure.

James Reimer- Toronto Maple Leafs (G): Reimer returned on December 29 from a groin injury but is once again listed on the injury report. he played 20 minutes in a relief effort and was expected to start December 30 but was scratched prior to the game. It sounds like he is close to a return but be sure to check his status this week before using him.

Robin Lehner- Buffalo Sabres (G): Buffalo announced that the team is targeting January 9 as a date for Lehner to make a rehab start in the AHL. He’s been out since the beginning of the season with a high ankle sprain. As long as there are no complications during his rehab stint the Sabres should have their top netminder back within a few weeks.

Martin Hanzal-Arizona Coyotes (C): Hanzal hasn’t returned to action since getting injured again on December 19. He’s been out with a lower-body injury and there is still no clear timetable on his return, though he has started practicing a bit with the team, meaning a return to the ice could come this week.

Mike Smith-Arizona Coyotes (G): Smith was placed on IR on December 12 with a lower-body issue and had core muscle surgery on December 15. The timetable on his return was put at 8-to-10 weeks, which would mean he should be ready to come back in late February or early March. There was an update that came out over the weekend stating that Smith skated on Friday, so that’s good news.

Ondrej Pavelec-Winnipeg Jets (G): Pavelec has been out with a knee injury since November 21. There hasn’t been much information released about Pavelec but it was announced on December 29 that he would travel with the team on a five-game road trip. He has yet to appear in one of the games and while he’s back with the team, it seems unlikely that Pavelec will get to play. Expect him to be out for at least another week or so.

Carey Price-Montreal Canadiens (G): Price played great this year but has appeared in just 12 games thanks to a knee injury. His current bout with the injury has had him out since late November. There has not been a definitive update on his return but he was initially expected to miss six weeks, putting his return somewhere in the middle of January.