Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey Injury Report. The season is now in full swing, and so are the injuries. You can’t avoid them, but we can get a head start and plan around them. The injury report will be out every week to help you plan the rest of your fantasy hockey week. Let’s take a look at which key players are dealing with injuries. 

Joonas Korpisalo - Columbus Blue Jackets - Goalie

Injury: knee, four-to-six weeks.

It’s only fitting that the final injury report of the year starts with an injured Columbus Blue Jackets player. Not only did they lose that game because NHL officials and the league are trash, but Joonas Korpisalo is expected to miss four-to-six weeks due to a torn meniscus. John Tortorella was hot after the game, and he had every right to be. The NHL should have come out and said that they made a mistake, but they decided to do nothing, as they continue to hide and not accept responsibility. The Blue Jackets just can’t catch a break, and now they will have to enter the New Year without their best player. 

Jake Guentzel - Pittsburgh Penguins - Winger

Injury: shoulder, four-to-six months.

Another team that can’t seem to stay healthy is the Pittsburgh Penguins. New came out today that Jake Guentzel will be sidelined four-to-six months are undergoing shoulder surgery. It’s safe to say that he will be done for the season, which is devastating considering just how good he’s been for the Penguins. For fantasy owners in redraft leagues, there’s no point holding onto him hoping for a miracle. You can drop him and look for a replacement player on the waiver wire. 

Andreas Athanasiou - Detroit Red Wings - Winger/Center

Injury: lower-body, two-to-three weeks.

After losing Anthony Mantha last week due to injury, the Red Wings will be without the services of Andreas Athanasiou for the next two-to-three weeks due to a lower-body injury. It hasn’t been a great season for the 25-year-old, and at this point in the season, if you can’t stash him on IR, just go ahead and drop him. He has five goals this season, and he just isn;t getting the opportunity to play with any talented players. He’s barely on pace to score 15-goals, so don’t complicate your life and just drop him if you’re in a tight spot. 

Elias Pettersson - Vancouver Canucks - Center

Injury: illness, day-to-day.

Elias Pettersson was not at practice today, causing some panic in the fantasy hockey universe. It looks like he is dealing with the flu, but the team is calling it an “illness.” regardless of what it is, the Canucks don’t play again until Thursday, so some extra rest for Pettersson might do him some good. If you’re in a weekly league where rosters lock after the first game played, you might want to look for a replacement for EP40. The Canucks only play two games this week, so it’s not a massive loss if you sit him for one week. Just something to consider. 

Darcy Kuemper - Arizona Coyotes - Goalie

Injury: lower-body, week-to-week.

Arizona goaltender Darcy Kuemper has already missed the last four games due to a lower-body injury, and there is still no timetable for his return. The team has said that they will evaluate him on a week-to-week basis, but that’s all the information we have to work with. If you’re a Kuemper owner, you should have made a waiver claim to add Raanta the minute he hit IR. The best we can do right now is wait for more information to be available.He’s been one of the best goalies in the league this season, and hopefully we will see him return before the end of January.