Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey NHL Injury Report. Every week, we will discuss some key NHL injury updates around the league and how they may affect your fantasy hockey lineups.  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!

 

Fantasy Hockey NHL Injury Report

Connor McDavid - Edmonton Oilers - Upper-body

The Edmonton Oilers are off to a horrible start to the season and will now be without their captain for 1-2 weeks as he deals with an upper-body injury. Connor McDavid left the game against Winnipeg and was unable to return. The team doesn’t believe the injury to be serious, but considering how important he is to the team, it would be wise to give the greatest player in the world all the time he needs to recover. McDavid could return at some point next week depending on when he starts practicing again.

Devon Levi - Buffalo Sabres - Lower-body

Sabres goalie Devon Levi has missed the last three games due to a lower-body injury and is still considered day-to-day. The rookie last played on October 19th and hasn’t been seen since. This doesn’t sound like a long-term injury, but considering his start to the season, the team may elect to give him some extra rest to get his mind right. He sports a 3.26 GAA and a .892 SV% in four starts this season.

Alex Pietrangelo - Vegas Golden Knights - Upper-body *UPDATE*

Alex Pietrangelo has now missed five of his team's first seven games and we are still no closer to knowing when he might be available to return to the lineup. The team is still calling him day-to-day, but at this point, this looks more like a week-to-week injury. The Golden Knights have been just fine without him-- posting a 7-0-0 record, but for fantasy owners, it’s hard to judge what to do with a player when there’s no information to work with. Vegas is in action on Friday, so we’ll see if Pietrangelo can suit up for that game or add another missed game to his already increasing total.

Patrik Laine - Columbus Blue Jackets - Upper-body

Patrik Laine was placed on IR after last Friday’s game against the Calgary Flames and there is no timetable for his return. He took a late him from Rasmus Andersson and hasn’t been spotted at practice since. There’s a good chance that the talented winger is dealing with a concussion, but the team hasn't confirmed that. For now, fantasy owners need to stash him on the bench and wait for another update. He has two points in four games this season.

Alex DeBrincat - Detroit Red Wings - Illness

Red Wings superstar Alex DeBrincat is dealing with an illness and could be a game-time decision for Thursday’s game against Winnipeg. DeBrincat is off to a scorching start to the year-- scoring nine goals and adding four assists-- and currently leads the NHL in goals. It doesn’t sound like he would miss more than one game, but it’s still something for fantasy owners to keep track of. If he doesn’t play against the Jets, then he should be good for the rest of the week.