Good Morning! Today’s fantasy hockey injury report covers 10 players. covering the three key positions. I go over each players situation, identify the replacements and give a vibe on the possible fantasy impact.
Forwards: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jason Dickinson, Karson Kuhlman, Cedric Paquette
Defense: Dante Fabbro, Jeremy Lauzon
Goalies: Cam Talbot, Mike Smith, Kevin Lankinen, Daniil Tarasov
Boston Bruins: Karson Kuhlman (C/R) - The bottom six forward was placed into COVID protocol prior to the game against the Sabres yesterday. Trent Frederic was given the opportunity skate on L4 with Lazar/Nosek. Frederic has mustered only three assists through 19 games this season.
Chicago Blackhawks: Kevin Lankinen (G) - The Finnish netminder was placed into COVID protocol yesterday prior to their game against the Predators. Currently Chicago has a pair of Collin Delia and Arvid Soderblom between the pipes as M-A Fleury is also out. Delia has 25 games under his belt at the NHL level with average at best results.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Daniil Tarasov (G) - The rookie goalie was injured during the game against the Hurricanes on Saturday. The squad could either utilize Joonas Korpisalo or J-F Berube as the backup to Elvis Merzlikins going forward. Korpisalo has played in nine games this season with subpar results, putting up a .891 SV%.
Edmonton Oilers: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C/L)/Mike Smith (G) - The former 1st overall pick was sent back home from the Oilers road trip on the east coast after their game on Friday night. It's unclear what the nature of his injury is exactly, but he clearly is dealing with something. Devin Shore was given the opportunity to skate in the top six alongside Draisaitl/Yamamoto. Shore has three points in 15 games this season. Tyler Benson took the place of RNH within the gameday lineup, skating on L4 alongside Ryan/Sceviour. Benson has no points through 15 tilts this season. Kailer Yamamoto skated with PP1 in RNH’s absence. After returning to action for two games, Smith suffered another lower body injury in his last start. This is something to certainly monitor given his age. Ilya Konovalov was recalled to backup Mikko Koskinen. This is his first year in NA, and he’s put up a .900 SV% in the minors.
Minnesota Wild: Cam Talbot (G) - During their loss to the Blues in the Winter Classic, the Wild lost Talbot to a lower body injury. He had given up six goals up until his departure, five of which came in the 2nd frame. Kaapo Kakhonen is the backup. Kahkonen has appeared in eight games this season, sporting a .906 SV% and 4-2 record
Montreal Canadiens: Cedric Paquette (C) - The Canadiens are down multiple skaters and cannot even form a full gameday lineup at this point. Cedric suffered a neck injury against the Panthers yesterday and did not return to the tilt. J-S Dea is the only skater left on the Laval lineup who could slot into a forward role if necessary. Dea has seven points in 33 NHL games throughout his pro career.
Nashville Predators: Dante Fabbro (D) - Prior to game time against the Blackhawks yesterday, Fabbro was placed into COVID protocol. Philippe Myers took the spot of Fabbro within the gameday lineup, skating on the bottom pair alongside Marc Borowiecki. Myers has no points in 12 games.
Seattle Kraken: Jeremy Lauzon (D) - Another day, another player placed into COVID protocol. Lauzon is being replaced by Haydn Fleury in the gameday lineup. Fleury was slated to go on the bottom pair alongside Will Borgen. Haydn has three points in 18 games this season.
Vancouver Canucks: Jason Dickinson (C/L) - Prior to game time against the Kraken, Dickinson was placed into COVID protocol. In an attempt to replace Dickinson, the squad went with an 11/7 look. They chose to utilize Brad Hunt as their extra defender, an offensive minded blue liner notorious to quarterback powerplays. Hunt has two assists in 8 games this season.