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
David Montgomery rushed 12 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions’ Week 3 win over the Ravens, adding 13 yards on one reception.
Montgomery played well behind backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs as far as snap rate and opportunity count are concerned. He put the Lions on his back when it mattered most, however, with carries of 72 yards and 31 yards in the fourth quarter, the latter of which put the Lions up by 14 points with under two minutes to play as he found paint for the second time. The bulk of Montgomery’s fantasy value remains tied to his high touchdown expectancy in one of the league’s top offenses, making him a more difficult weekly start than others drafted around him this offseason.
Jared Goff completed 20-of-28 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown in the Lions’ 38-80, Week 3 win over the Lions, adding six yards on four carries.
Goff’s 28 pass attempts were a product of the team’s successes on the ground, with David Montgomery (151 yards and two touchdowns) and Jahmyr Gibbs (67 yards and two touchdowns) taking over the game in the second half. The veteran signal caller made numerous elite throws, the highlight of which came on fourth down with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when he dropped a dime into the bread basket of alpha wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. That drive would eventually culminate in a 31-yard Montgomery touchdown to push the lead to 14 points, a lead the Lions would not relinquish as they vault into a tie atop the NFC North with the Packers and Vikings. Up next for Goff and the Lions is a matchup against the surprisingly stout Cleveland defense in Week 4.
Ronald Acuña Jr. walloped his 19th home run of the season and walked three times, leading Atlanta to an 11-5 blowout win over the Nationals.
Acuña has caught fire down the home stretch following a prolonged slump coming out of the All-Star break, homering four times in his last 11 games. The 27-year-old generational talent took Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore deep in the opening frame and wound up reaching base safely in four of his six plate appearances in the one-sided affair. He’s looked like a fantasy superstar again of late, batting an absurd .346 (18-for-52) with four homers, 13 RBI and two steals over his last 15 games.
Nasim Nuñez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in Monday’s blowout loss to Atlanta.
Nuñez walloped his first career leadoff homer when he took Atlanta ace Chris Sale deep to right field. It was his fourth round-tripper since returning to the big leagues back in early September. He came a few feet shy of his second big fly on the night a couple frames later and finished the one-sided affair with a season-high three hits, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances. He’s shown enough down the home stretch to be considered a serious contender for an everyday role next spring.
Michael Harris II went 3-for-5 with three RBI and three stolen bases in Monday’s lopsided win over the Nationals.
Harris kicked off an impressive three-hit performance with a 109-mph line-drive to right field that brought home Ha-Seong Kim from second base in the second inning. He scorched a run-scoring single as part of Atlanta’s five-run outburst in the ensuing frame. He wasn’t done yet as he drove in another run on a fielder’s choice in the fourth before adding a sixth-inning single. The three steals matched his previous career-high mark set back on July 16, 2022 during his stellar rookie campaign. It also puts him one theft shy of reaching the 20-steal threshold for the third time in the last four seasons.
Chris Sale was charged with five runs over five innings on Monday in a win over the Nationals.
Sale received a touchdown and a two-point conversion worth of run support from Atlanta’s offense by the fifth inning and was cruising along, despite coughing up early solo homers to Nasim Nuñez and Dylan Crews, before Andrés Chaparro delivered a bases-clearing three-run single with two outs in the frame that slashed the deficit to three runs at the time. He managed to wriggle out of the jam without any further damage, finishing with six strikeouts and two walks in the shortened outing. He’ll close out the season on Sunday with a home matchup against the offensively challenged Pirates.