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!

 


Nick Schmaltz - Arizona Coyotes - Lower-body

Nick Schmaltz missed the last game due to a lower-body injury and there is no timetable for his return. Despite being on a bad hockey team, Schmatlz has had a ton of success this season, especially over the last ten games. He’s been seeing a ton of ice time, which has led to him racking up points. The fact that we don’t know when he will be ready to return is concerning, but it’s too early to drop him in redraft leagues. If you can afford to hold onto him for at least another week, do so. 


Andrei Svechnikov - Carolina Hurricanes - Lower-body

The Carolina Hurricanes have scored just one goal in the last three games and the news just keeps getting worse. Andrei Svechnikov is out indefinitely due to a knee injury and there is concern that he may miss the remainder of the year. The fear is that he has a torn ACL, which would mean he’s done for the regular season and the playoffs. The team hasn’t confirmed anything yet, so for now, we need to just wait and see. The talented winger has 55 points in 64 games this season.


Artturi Lehkonen - Colorado Avalanche - Finger

The Colorado Avalanche just can’t seem to stay healthy. Artturi Lehkonen scored two goals against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, but it came at a price. The winger has gone back to Colorado to have surgery on a broken finger he suffered during the game. That would put his timeline at four-to-six weeks, which would end his regular season. There is hope that he can return for the playoffs, but for now, there is no timetable for his return. We should get a clear update on when he might be able to return to the lineup in the upcoming days.


Kevin Fiala - Los Angeles Kings - Lower-body

Kevin Fiala was unable to suit up for the last game against Nashville and he is still considered day-to-day. Fiala only played nine minutes against the Colorado Avalanche, so that’s probably where he suffered the injury. There is hope that he can return to the lineup to face the Islanders, but the team may elect to give him a couple more days of rest to make sure he comes back at 100% and doesn’t suffer a setback. We should get an update before Tuesday’s game. 


Kirill Kaprizov - Minnesota Wild - Lower-body

Minnesota forward Kirill Kaprizov is expected to miss three-to-four weeks due to a lower-body injury. This is terrible news for the team and for fantasy owners who were relying on Kaprizov to help them down the stretch. Minnesota is already one of the worst offensive teams in the league, so losing their best player certainly doesn’t help. They are still very much in the hunt for a playoff spot, but they’ll have to do it without the talented winger. As for fantasy owners, the timetable basically means that he won’t be available for the playoffs, so if you’re in a redraft league and are fighting for a playoff spot, it might be wise to drop him and look for some help on the waiver wire.