Smith's injury somewhat frees up the logjam at forward. The winger scored a goal in six regular season games before becoming a postseason hero for the Blackhawks. Keep an eye on this situation and don't roster Smith until he proves himself healthy.
While not fantasy hockey relevant himself, his absence from the lineup could push for the team to deploy a scoring third line. Should he return, expect his nine goals of last season to be his ceiling.
As we know from concussions, players are out indefinitely until passing baseline tests. The Czech winger scored 24 goals in 76 games last season for the Springfield Falcons. He was expected to earn a scoring-line role but may have fell on the depth chart due to his health.
Calvert should be back in the lineup before the end of preseason. Last season, he impressed by scoring 11 goals in 42 games with the Blue Jackets. The team will expect him to approach 20 goals in his sophomore season, playing a solid two-way game on the second line.
Losing Kadri is a big hit to the team's depth chart. With Tim Connolly already injured, the former 7th overall pick was expected to center the top line. Expect a bigger role with the team when he does return, on either the first or third line.
Over his four professional seasons, Kaleta failed to play more than 55 games. The 25-year-old recently committed himself to staying healthy but likely misses some time following this practice incident. Expect similar games played along with close to 100 PIM and up to 15 points for the season.
Doesn't sound like anything serious but Neuvirth battled injuries all last season. While the Caps started him 45 times last season, they are expected to cut his workload in half this season. At this point he is only valuable to Tomas Vokoun owners or leagues that value backups.
With Arnott out of the lineup, look for Vladimir Sobotka to take his spot on the third line. Last season, Arnott scored 17 goals and 31 points over 73 games between the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals. At this point in his career, the 36-year-old pivot is clearly on the decline.
Foster should return to the team at some point in October. The offensive defenseman posted eight goals in each of his last two seasons. He could find similar success in Anaheim if given any significant PP time.
Tough news as Santorelli was expected to center one of the top two lines. The former 6th round pick scored 20 goals and 41 points last season with the Panthers. He should come near those totals this season if he remains a vital part of the team's offense.
With Regin out, expect Mika Zibanejad to get a longer look. Last season, Regin scored three goals and 17 points in a season where he battled through injuries and a sophomore slump. If healthy, he could pot 15 goals and approach 40 points.
Sounds more precautionary than anything. Last season, the collegiate standout was held scoreless through four games with the Sens last season. He is expected to play on the third line.
Stuart likely will be held out as to prevent any further injury. Last season he scored three goals and 20 points while playing primarily next to Nicklas Lidstrom. He figures to play alongside Niklas Kronwall to begin the season. Should he not be healthy for the season opener, look for younster Brendan Smith to take his spot.
Cleary plays a vital role on the team and was expected to flank Pavel Datsyuk as a two-way winger. Last season, he potted a career-high 26 goals and 46 points. Expect a prospect like Tomas Tatar to fill-in if Cleary can't play in the season opener.
Great news as Malhotra continues his inspiring comeback. Last season, the checking-line pivot scored 11 goals and 30 points through 72 games for the Canucks. The jury is still out on whether he can regain his offensive capabilities.
Sounds like Zubrus continues to progress but still has not skated with his linemates. With Travis Zajac already out the Devils will continue using caution with their veteran forward. The former 15th overall pick scored 13 goals and 30 points last year for the lowly Devils. Right now Petr Sykora has taken his spot on the top two lines which would indicate his place is safe upon returning.
Sounds like he will be OK to start the season. Volchenkov will be protected from the rigors of the preseason after only playing 57 games last season. The A-Train is an incredibly injury prone player due to the amount of shots he block, unless your league uses that stat keep him off your team.
While Eager sounds optimistic he will return by next week, he probably spends a bit of time on the sideline as he fully recovers. If healthy, Eager should have another Eager-like season, agitating and fighting by trade. The 27-year-old produced 120 PIM or more over the last three seasons.
Sounds like Fisher will be right behind the beginning of the season. Last season, the team's number one center scored 19 goals and 36 points. He should at least match those totals with a full season under coach Barry Trotz.
Bouillon has still not taken practice with any of his teammates but it is certainly a step in the right direction. Last season, he scored a goal and 10 points with the Preds before succumbing to the C word. Don't expect too much from the 5'8" defender.
The NHL injury report is updated daily so that you can see the latest injury news ahead of puck drop in any of today’s matchups. Seeing timely updates to the NHL injury report can make a major impact on your daily fantasy sports picks and wagers on a particular game. All information provided on the NHL injury report is provided directly by the NHL and each respective franchise to ensure accuracy.
While the minimum amount of time spent on the injured reserve list is seven calendar days, there is no maximum amount of time that a player can be placed on the injured reserve list. If a player is set to be sidelined for longer than 24 calendar days or 10 NHL games, then a club may opt to place them on the long-term injured reserve instead. This allows franchises with the ability to exceed the salary cap while a player is placed on this reserve list.
No injury recovery timeline is the same as another as there are several factors that go into the rehab process for a player being affected by injury. Factors include but are not limited to, injury severity, player injury/medical history, age, as well as the location of the injury. Some injuries are able to clear up in a matter of days, while others may take an athlete out of action for the entirety of a season.