NHL Injury Report Week 19: Aleksander Barkov Out with Hand Injury
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 19
Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres - Lower-body
Sabres' wing Alex Tuch has been placed on IR and is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The news came as a surprise considering there was no indication that he was dealing with something. Obviously, the injury is serious enough that he needs time to heal, but this looks more like a long-term issue than something short-term. The Sabres are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, so the timing of this injury is #NotGood.
Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres - Undisclosed
Sticking with Buffalo, defenceman Rasmus Dahlin missed the last game due to an undisclosed injury and is considered day-to-day. Again, there was no indication that he was dealing with something, but by the sound of it, this could be something minor that the team doesn’t want to get worse. Dahlin has been elite this season-- scoring 14 goals and adding 48 assists-- so let’s hope he can return to the lineup for the next game or before the end of the week.
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers - Hand
Aleksander Barkov is expected to miss his second game in a row as he continues to deal with a hand injury. The Florida captain showed no signs of his hand injury bothering him, but the team may just want him to get some extra rest so he can be 100% down the stretch. It’s a huge loss for the team and for fantasy owners, but hopefully, he can return by the end of the week.
J.T. Miller, Vancouver Canucks - Lower-body
J.T. Miller did not travel with the team to Dallas for their game against the Stars and is considered week-to-week. The veteran forward is dealing with something and it’s serious enough that he’s expected to miss at least a week of action. Vancouver is nowhere near a playoff spot, so this just gives the team more reason to lose games and get as close to the bottom as possible for a better chance at getting the first overall pick. We do need to wait for more information to come out before making a decision to either hold onto him or drop him.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Winnipeg Jets - Lower-body
Winnipeg forward Pierre-Luc Dubois is considered a game-time decision for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings due to a lower-body injury. Like most of the others on this list, we don’t know when he suffered this injury, but teams may just be playing it safe with their talented players. The Jets will need Dubois to be healthy if they want to keep pace in the Western Conference, so let’s hope if he does miss tonight’s game, it’s just one game and he can return before the end of the week.