2017 Fantasy Hockey Injury Report: January 16

Published: Jan 16, 2018
Each week of the National Hockey League regular season, we will take a look at some of the most important injuries that have occurred in the last seven days, as well as key players that have returned from injury and updates on the conditions of other fantasy-relevant players (when applicable). Here is this week's batch:
1. Victor Hedman, D, Lightning (lower-body injury, out indefinitely)
The top team in the NHL this season will go through some adversity while top blueliner Hedman misses time due to his lower-body ailment. In fact, he is expected to be absent from the Tampa Bay lineup for up to six weeks. In the meantime, some of Tampa Bay's other rearguards will need to puck up the slack: Jake Dotchin, Anton Stralman, Mikhail Sergachev and Dan Girardi should see increased minutes and responsibilities.
2. Sebastian Aho, LW, Hurricanes (concussion, out indefinitely)
This is bad news for the Hurricanes, who made a surge up the Metropolitan Division standings recently but have now gone 2-5-1 in their last eight contests. Aho was a big part of their recent success, with five goals and four assists over that span. He was playing with fellow Finn Teuvo Teravainen and two-way center Jordan Staal but, with Aho out of the lineup for an indefinite period of time, the likes of Elias Lindholm must step up.
3. Andrew Ladd, LW, Islanders (upper-body injury, IR)
The veteran port-sider was enjoying playing on the Islanders' second line alongside potential rookie-of-the-year candidate Mathew Barzal and veteran Jordan Eberle, even though Ladd's production has been fairly pedestrian since becoming an Islander (120 GP, 32-17-49). With the left-winger out of action, multifaceted Anthony Beauvillier has replaced Ladd on Line 2 (and produced 4 points in his last 2 games). Pick him up.
4. Andrew Shaw, RW/C, Canadiens (lower-body injury, IR)
Things have gone from bad to worse for Montreal, as injuries are starting to mount up front. Shaw, who had been playing on the fourth line (but who can fill in at center and work on the top power-play unit, when required), is expected to be absent from the lineup for a significant amount of time. His injury has allowed Daniel Carr to be reinserted into the Canadiens' lineup (after sitting out as a healthy scratch for three games in a row).
5. Derek Ryan, C, Hurricanes (upper-body injury, day to day)
An unsung but valuable player for Carolina, Ryan recently missed two games because of his upper-body ailment. With Carolina now on a 'bye week', there is a good chance the 31-year-old Ryan will return to action later this week (after five days of rest). He has a lot of incentive to do so, since he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The Hurricanes have several young centers waiting to replace Ryan.
6. Sven Andrighetto, RW/LW, Avalanche (leg injury, day to day)
The 24-year-old Swiss winger has endured a difficult 2017-18 campaign, so far. First, Andrighetto lost his spot on Colorado's top line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen (captain Gabriel Landeskog is now the left-winger on the Avalanche's No. 1 line). Now, Andrighetto is dealing with a pesky leg injury that has seen him miss the Avs' last five contests (all wins). He might struggle to gain consistent ice time when he returns.
7. Phillip Danault, C, Canadiens (concussion, out indefinitely)
It was a scary sight on Saturday night, as Danault lay motionless on the ice after being hit on the side of the head by a Zdeno Chara slap shot in Montreal's rivalry game against Boston. Danault will likely miss significant time now, which is terrible news for a team that is already paper-thin at the center position. With Danault absent, the Habs have moved winger Paul Byron to the center position as a temporary solution. More is needed.
8. Kevin Hayes, C, Rangers (lower-body injury, day to day)
He may not be the Rangers' most talented center (Mika Zibanejad is) but Hayes might be the team's most important pivot. He plays in all game situations and sees a ton of ice time, so hopefully he can return to action soon. J.T. Miller has moved from wing to center to help curb the loss of Hayes for the time being. Veteran playmaker David Desharnais is also going to see more ice time whenever Hayes is missing in action.
9. Bobby Ryan, RW/LW, Senators (hand injury, day to day)
The 30-year-old veteran has been dealing with hand issues for most of the past two seasons, so it should surprise no one that he is once again sidelined because of his hand. A four-time 30-goal man in Anaheim, Ryan's goal-scoring ability has been sapped by his injury woes (he has just five markers this season). Ryan fantasy owners may start thinking about finding an alternative to Ottawa's No. 9. He could easily be dropped.
10. Ryan McDonagh, D, Rangers (undisclosed injury, day to day)
McDonagh is (arguably) New York's most indispensable player, since he sees loads of ice time in all situations and also captains the squad. His production has been steady this season, as well, despite zero goals in 39 games (19 assists). He has been playing mostly with Nick Holden this season, with Brady Skjei paired up with Kevin Shattenkirk. Since the latter has struggled in his first season in New York, McDonagh's return is vital.
Player News
Christian Yelich is leading off for the first time this season on Monday against the Padres.
Yelich has been moved up to the top of Milwaukee’s batting order with Jackson Chourio hitting fifth and Sal Frelick moved down to the fifth spot. The 33-year-old has been on a roll lately, batting .296 (8-for-27) with one homer and four RBI over his last seven games.
Brendan Donovan was scratched from the lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Giants.
No word yet on the reason for the move. It’ll be José FermÃn taking over at second base with Lars Nootbaar moving up to the leadoff spot in his absence.
Bruce Zimmermann will start on Tuesday against the Padres.
Zimmermann was called up over the weekend to pitch in long relief for Milwaukee, but he’s going to take the ball on Tuesday in place of an injured Brandon Woodruff (lat) to kick off a bullpen game. It’ll likely be a one-and-done outing for the 30-year-old southpaw as part of Milwaukee’s rotation. He’s not a recommended fantasy option, especially in a road tilt against the playoff-bound Padres.
Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet (foot) was listed as a full participant on the team’s estimated practice report Monday.
The Seahawks did not hold a practice Monday as they prepare to face the Cardinals on a short week, but the team’s listing of Charbonnet as a full participant is nonetheless striking after he missed Week 3 with a foot injury. Kenneth Walker managed just 53 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in the Week 3 win, the size of which can likely be explained by the extremely positive game script the Seahawks found themselves in against the Saints. It will be interesting to see how the snap and opportunity rates shake out should Charbonnet return to the lineup on Thursday Night Football.
Masyn Winn (knee) is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on Thursday, according to Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol.
Winn was shut down for the rest of the season back on September 13 with a torn meniscus in his right knee that he played through for the majority of the year. The 23-year-old shortstop wrapped up his second big-league season with a .253/.310/.363 triple-slash line with 72 runs scored, nine home runs, 51 RBI and nine stolen bases in 537 plate appearances over 129 games. He’s expected to be fully recovered in time for spring training.
Angels activated RHP Ryan Zeferjahn from the 15-day injured list.
Zeferjahn returns to Los Angeles’ relief mix prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Royals following a two-week absence with right knee tendinitis. The 27-year-old middle reliever has posted a pedestrian 4.77 ERA and 72/33 K/BB ratio across 54 2/3 innings over 59 appearances this season.