NHL Injury Report & Waiver Wire Ahead Of Week 17 Games: Jacob Markstrom, Jonathan Drouin
The Fantasy Hockey season has entered the second half and the playoff picture is starting to take shape. Some players will be out for an extended period, but that opens the door for others to step up and seize their chance. There are a couple of players on the waiver wire that should be on your roster moving forward. Let’s take a look at those names and continue to build momentum throughout the week.
Fantasy Hockey Week 17 Injury Report
Sean Monahan - Columbus Blue Jackets - Wrist **UPDATE**
Sean Monahan was originally expected to miss up to six weeks due to a wrist injury, but the team announced on Saturday that he had a setback in his recovery and will be out another six-to-eight weeks, putting his potential return to mid-March. This is a tough blow to the Blue Jackets and for fantasy owners. He was averaging a point-per-game before going down and had really solidified his spot on the top line. If you can’t hold onto him for that long, it might be time to cut bait and look for someone on the waiver wire.
Valeri Nichushkin - Colorado Avalanche - Upper-body **UPDATE**
Sticking with players who have suffered a setback in their recovery, Valeri Nichushkin is now considered week-to-week and there is no timetable for his return to the lineup. According to the team, he was making progress and might have been close to a return, but we can throw all of that out the window. With the recent Mikko Rantanen trade, the Avalanche were hoping Nichushkin could return and add some scoring to the lineup. Until we get a timeline, it’s safe to assume that he won’t be returning before the start of March.
Jacob Markstrom - New Jersey Devils - Knee
Jacob Markstrom is expected to miss four-to-six weeks due to a sprained MCL, which sounds bad, but that’s actually the best-case scenario. The initial fear was that he could have torn something and would be forced to miss the remainder of the season, but that was avoided and there is a clear timetable for his return. The Devils will now turn to Jake Allen to eat up starts and keep this team in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Noah Dobson - New York Islanders - Lower-body
The New York Islanders have placed defenceman Noah Dobson on IR and there is no timetable for his return. It’s been a tough season for Dobson, who has just 24 points on the year and this injury just adds salt to the wound. The word around the block is that he might not be ready to return for a few weeks, which means he could return sometime in late February. I know it’s hard to give up on such a talented defenceman, but if you can’t stash him on IR, it might be wise to drop him and look for an option on the waiver wire.
Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins - Knee
Evgeni Malkin was unable to finish Saturday’s game due to a knee injury and his status for Monday against San Jose is questionable. He suffered the injury early in the first period and his knee bent in a way that didn’t look good. The 38-year-old isn’t the player he once was, but he still has 34 points on the season. We’ll need to wait for an update before deciding what to do with Malkin.
Fantasy Hockey Week 17 Waiver Wire
Mason McTavish - Anaheim Ducks - Yahoo!: 8% owned
The Anaheim Ducks are a miserable hockey team, but Mason McTavish has been on fire in the last few games. He has five goals in the last three games and now has 11 on the season. His upside will always be limited because of the team he plays on, but for fantasy managers who need some offence, he’s an option to consider.
Michael Kesselring - Utah Hockey Club - Yahoo!: 15% owned
Mikhail Sergachev is out of the lineup due to injury and Sean Durzi is nowhere close to returning to action, so someone has to step up and take over the top power play spot. Michael Kesselring is getting that chance and he’s also going to see a bump in ice time. It’s too early to say if that will lead to more offensive production, but he’s worth taking a risk on. He’s a short-term solution in deeper formats.
Jonathan Drouin - Colorado Avalanche - Yahoo!: 30% owned
With Mikko Rantanen now in Carolina, there is a spot on the top power play unit that is up for grabs. Jonatha Drouin is going to get a chance to skate on that top unit and play with Nathan MacKinnon five-on-five. Drouin has played just 17 games this season but has four goals and 12 assists. He played a career-high 24 minutes against Boston and the increase in ice time could be here to stay. We know that the Avalanche don’t have a ton of depth, so their best players see a ridiculous amount of ice time. Drouin could very well be a point-per-game player in the second half if he can hold onto the top power play spot.
Jiri Kulich - Buffalo Sabres - Yahoo!: 1% owned
As unexciting as the Buffalo Sabres are, there are some players that are seeing an increase in ice time and opportunity. Jiri Kulich is centering the top line and he’s been taking advantage of that opportunity. He has three points in the last four games, including a whopping 17 shots on goal. The shot volume is what intrigues me the most. If he can average three or more shots per game and continue to see about 17 minutes of ice time per game, he could be very serviceable to a fantasy hockey team. He’s a speculative add for now until he proves that he can be consistent with those numbers.
Player News
Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) will make another minor league rehab start.
The Brewers haven’t publicly released an exact date for Woodruff’s return to the big leagues, but it sounds like there’s a chance it’s coming shortly after his next rehab start in the upper minors. The 32-year-old former fantasy ace fired 5 2/3 scoreless frames on Wednesday in his latest tune-up for High-A Wisconsin.
Brice Turang was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup due to illness.
It’ll be rookie Isaac Collins, who connected for his first big-league homer on Tuesday night, taking over at the keystone in his absence. Turang might need a couple days to rest and recover before getting back into Milwaukee’s lineup. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.
Jimmy Butler (pelvis, glute) is available to play against the Rockets in Game 5 on Wednesday.
As expected, Butler will be good to go once again after initially being listed as probable for this game. He played 40 minutes on Monday to help Golden State take a 3-1 lead in the series, and he will likely continue to play a ton of minutes to help the Warriors attempt to end the series on Wednesday.
Mike Trout was removed from Wednesday’s game against the Mariners for precautionary reasons with left knee soreness.
Trout told reporters following Wednesday’s contest that he’s already feeling better and expressed optimism that he’ll be ready for Thursday’s series opener against the Tigers. He also noted that he’s already undergone some preliminary testing, which didn’t reveal anything serious. It’s a significant concern for fantasy managers since Trout missed most of last season with a torn meniscus in his left knee. It sounds like his early exit was out of an abundance of caution and he’s not dealing with anything serious. He should be considered day-to-day for now.
Mookie Betts knocked in four runs with a triple and a single in the Dodgers’ 12-7 defeat of the Marlins on Wednesday.
Jesús Sánchez got turned around in center field on the triple, which really ought to have been an out. Still, the triple did travel 389 feet, which is the second farthest Betts has hit a ball this year. It was Betts’ second extra-base hit in two weeks and eighth of the year. At .250/.339/.407 through 28 games, he’s still looking for his first hot streak this season.
Making his 2025 debut, Tony Gonsolin fanned nine while allowing three runs over six innings Wednesday in a win over the Marlins.
He would have had an even better line if not for some outfield hijinks behind him. Gonsolin’s stellar showing included 17 missed swings and a 43% CSW over 77 pitches. Nine strikeouts stands alone as the second-highest total of his career behind a 10-strikeout game against the Rockies in 2020. Gonsolin probably won’t stay healthy and he definitely won’t get to face Miami every time out, but given that he’s fine physically right now and he actually will take on the Marlins again next week, he should be rostered in mixed leagues.