Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey Injury Report. Every week, we will discuss some key injuries around the league and how they may affect your fantasy hockey team.  It’s never easy to deal with the injury bug, but it doesn’t have to be the demise of your fantasy hockey team. Let’s take a look at who’s dealing with what this week!

 

NHL Injury Report Week 18

Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus Blue Jackets - Lower-body

Columbus winger Johnny Gaudreau has missed the last two days due to a lower-body injury and he is considered day-to-day. He was seen at practice on Tuesday, but we still don’t know if he will be able to return to the lineup. Gaudreau is nowhere near his point total from last season and has disappointed in fantasy hockey.

Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche - Concussion

Cale Makar missed four games due to a head injury, made his return on Saturday night, and has now been placed into concussion protocol. We know how serious concussion can be, so it really raises some eyebrows that Makar wasn’t put into protocol the first time and has now suffered a second head unjust in as many weeks. What’s worst is that he finished the game on Saturday, so who knows how much damage was caused. For now, fantasy owners need to just sit tight and wait for another update, but we could be looking at a multi-week absence this time. 

Evander Kane, Edmonton Oilers - Upper-body

Oilers forward Evander Kane has missed the last two games due to an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. We aren’t quite sure when Kane suffered his injury, but it’s serious enough that he’s had to miss more than one day. Edmonton is a good offensive team, but they are really on another level when Kane is in the lineup. Hopefully, he can make a return at some point this week.

Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders - Lower-body

The New York Islanders will need to make a push for a playoff spot without the services of Mathew Barzal, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a lower-body injury. We don’t know what the exact injury is, but it’s serious enough that he is going to miss multiple weeks. The team wouldn’t say if he would be able to make a return for the playoffs, should the Islanders make it that far, but for fantasy owners, there’s no reason to hold onto the hope of him returning. He finishes the regular season with 14 goals and 37 assists.

Timo Meier, San Jose Sharks - Upper-body

San Jose superstar Timo Meier was unable to suit up for Monday’s game against Seattle due to a lower-body injury and we don’t know if he will be able to return to the lineup for Thursday’s game against Nashville. It’s safe to say that the Sharks are going to proceed with a ton of caution, especially with trade rumors surrounding Miere for the last few weeks. If the team is sold on moving him before the deadline, they may elect to just sit him out until a trade is completed. For now, let’s believe the team and say that he’s dealing with something that requires some time off the ice.

 


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