Posted - 10/04/2013 : 17:29:35 Game on! NHL hockey is back. Let's look at injuries affecting players in week one.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Joe Haggerty of CSN New England tweeted today that Carl Soderberg (ankle) was placed on IR and David Krejci (back) was on the ice for second straight day. Soderberg won’t play in opener and Krejci is game-time decision.
The Buffalo Sabres posted an article on their site on Tuesday that Marcus Foligno (upper body) would miss the season opener Wednesday night and will likely miss all the games on the coming weekend. Head coach Ron Rolston said Foligno has been skating but nothing is a for-sure thing.
John Vogl of the Buffalo News reported on Thursday that Joel Armia (hand) is out indefinitely with a broken hand and they haven’t decided yet whether surgery will be needed, Chip Alexander blogged on Wednesday that Alex Semin (upper body) and Jeff Skinner (lower body) were back practicing on Wednesday as was rookie Elias Lindholm (hand). Both could be ready for the season opener on Friday. Tuomo Ruutu (upper body) and Tim Gleason (concussion) are both out indefinitely.
Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Fedor Tyutin suffered a lower body injury at practice on Wednesday and could miss the season opener as blogged by Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. He also reported that head coach Todd Richards said Jared Boll (upper body) is not 100% out for opening night but he is 90%.
If your hockey pool has IR spots grab Nathan Horton (shoulder), many poolies are not even considering him but you should. Grab him now and let him sit on your IR till late December or early January when he is tentatively due to return. Once he is healthy you get a 25-goal and 55-point player for nothing, could be just be the push you need.
The Detroit Red Wings have placed Jordin Tootoo (bruised shoulder) and Jonas Gustavsson (groin) on seven-day IR. Gustavsson is injury prone, something to keep an eye on.
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press tweeted today that Daniel Alfredsson (groin) was not on the ice today and that Tomas Tatar took his place on a line with Johan Franzen and Stephen Weiss.
The Wings tweeted on Monday that Darren Helm (back) and Patrick Eaves (ankle) were placed on long-term IR, so each player must miss a minimum of 10 games.
The Florida Panthers have placed Nick Bjugstad (concussion) and Ed Jovanovski (hip) on IR to start the season.
Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel reported on Monday that Sean Bergenheim (groin) and Scott Clemmensen (knee) are close to returning and that there is still no timetable for Jovanovski.
Kris Versteeg is player you should consider grabbing as he missed the majority of last year with a knee injury. Many poolies have forgotten about him and could be a great late round steal. The Miami Herald reported on Sunday that Versteeg has been playing on a line with Brad Boyes and rookie Aleksander Barkov.
Montreal Canadiens tough guy George Parros (concussion) has been let out of the hospital and will be out indefinitely as blogged by the Montreal Gazette. Renaud Lavoie a hockey reporter from Montreal tweeted on Monday that Douglas Murray (upper body) will miss four to six weeks.
Blogger Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants posted on Wednesday that Ryan Callahan (shoulder) and Carl Hagelin (shoulder) wouldn’t be ready to start the season. Callahan was cleared for contact on Thursday and is feeling no ill effects after contact drills but won’t be ready for season opener. Callahan could be ready for Monday according to New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault. Hagelin has yet to receive clearance for contact drills. Hagelin is out at least 10 games after being placed on long term IR.
The Pittsburgh Penguins tweeted on Wednesday that Tomas Vokoun (blood clot) would be placed on long term IR and is out three to six months. Keep an eye on Marc-Andre Fleury, if he struggles the Penguins will need to make a move quickly to bring in a quality back-up now or someone to take over the starting role.
Josh Yohe of the Pittsburgh Tribune reported that Kris Letang (lower body) was placed on IR and will miss the first two games and would be eligible to come off IR on Oct 8. Head coach Dan Bylsma said the injury doesn’t appear to be “long term.” NHL.com reported today that James Neal (upper body) skated brief on Wednesday and is a game-time decision for season opener.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
The Anaheim Ducks placed Sheldon Souray (wrist), Luca Sbisa (ankle) and Emerson Etem (lower body) on injured reserve. Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register tweeted on Friday that Souray took off he cast and started his rehab. Souray has a timetable of late December or early January. Ducks colorman Dan Wood tweeted on Friday that the timetable for Etem is uncertain according to head coach Bruce Boudreau. Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times tweeted on Tuesday that Sbisa will not be on the Duck’s road trip so he can focus on healing.
Pat Steinberg of the FAN 960 tweeted on Tuesday that Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley said Mike Cammalleri (hand) would be on the opening road trip, but no word if he plays.
Adrian Dater of the Denver Post blogged on Monday that Colorado Avalanche defenceman Ryan Wilson (knee) skated on Sunday on his own with a knee brace. Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy said they are targeting a return on Oct. 12 for Wilson.
Dallas Stars defenceman Trevor Daley (upper body) skated on Sunday and looked good according to Mike Heika of the Dallas News. Daley could bump either Kevin Connauton or Jordie Benn out of the line-up for the season opener if he feels he is ready. Rich Peverley (irregular heartbeat) underwent a heart procedure on Sept 13 and Daily Faceoff is reporting that he should only miss the season opener.
The Edmonton Oilers Radio Analyst Bob Stauffer tweeted today that Sam Gagner (jaw) was back on the ice. The Oilers tweeted today that Gagner is ahead of his 6-8 week recovery. Gagner could be back around late November. The Edmonton Journal reported on Sunday that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder) is pegged for a November 1 return but that may not be firm. The Nuge is hoping to return sooner and said he “can’t wait to get back playing.”
The Nashville Predators have placed Viktor Stalberg (shoulder) on IR and is expected to miss four weeks. Joshua Cooper of the Tennessean tweeted on Wednesday that Filip Forsberg (lower body) would miss the first two games.
Phoenix Coyotes radio host Luke Lapinski tweeted on Tuesday that Rostislav Klesla (concussion) skated and took a few shots and the Coyotes tweeted on Friday that Klesla rode the exercise bike on Thursday. These are great signs that he is recovering from his concussion.
San Jose Sharks pest Raffi Torres (knee) will miss the next three to five months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL. Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area also reported that Martin Havlat (pelvis) remains out indefinitely after offseason pelvic surgery.
Steve Ewen of the Province reported on Thursday that Vancouver Canucks forward Jordan Schroeder is out three weeks with a hairline fracture in his foot. It’s been a tough off-season for Schroeder who had off-season shoulder surgery and is now dealing with a foot injury.
Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun tweeted on Monday that Winnipeg Jets placed Grant Clitsome (undisclosed) on seven-day IR.
**************************** **************************** Have an opinion on this article? Let us know. Just hit reply below and post your thoughts. Anything goes...but keep your head up. And don't foget to visit our Dobber Hockey friends at www.dobberhockey.com/ **************************** **************************** PickupHockey.com is your online hockey community. We're always looking for sharp volunteer writers. If you feel that you'd like to contribute please send us an email at admin at pickuphockey.com **************************** **************************** PickupHockey.com and the owners of PickupHockey.com do not necessarily endorse the opinions expressed on its website of the volunteer writers. The opinions expressed here in this and other posts are solely the opinions of the writers.
