Minor Draft Player Updates (Oct 14)

The Colorado Avalanche kept Peter Mueller out of their line-up on Thursday for their game against the Ottawa Senators due to him not feeling well.  Mueller will reportedly be re-evaluated on Saturday, which does not sound very good, giving everyone the impression that he may have some recurring issues with his previous concussion.  If this is the case, this might not be a good sign for the Avalanche.  For now, he's day-to-day with an illness, but this could change quickly.

Mueller belongs to John P. in the draft this year, who goes into Friday night's action in 13th spot, 14 points out of 1st place.  Any long-term issues with Mueller will not go over well.

In the 2nd period against the Los Angeles Kings, Johan Hedberg took over the crease for starting goalie Martin Brodeur, who tweaked his shoulder sprawling for a puck along the ice in the 1st period. Brodeur managed to finish the frame, but was relieved of his duties for their reliable back-up.  The injury is considered minor for the time being, as it is unclear as to if there will be any time missed by the veteran keeper.

Brodeur was Derek W.'s 2nd round pick this year, hoping for much more of a bounce back effort from his 2011 season.  Derek has not seen much luck from his goalies thus far in the season, not having a point in just over two games worth of minutes played.  His team is one of five that haven't registered points yet from their goaltending this season.

The Blues may have suffered a big blow to their offense, as centre Andy McDonald suffered what is being called a head injury in the 2nd period of their game against the Stars and did not return to the game. McDonald has been flown back to St. Louis, as the team continues on to San Jose, for evaluation and we'll likely have an update on his condition before game time on Saturday night.

McDonald already has 2 assists in the first three appearances this season, giving him a decent start to the year, so any time missed will be a burden on the young team.

John P., who has already seen another one of his players go down in this post, will now be without McDonald for at least Saturday night and possibly longer.  13th spot and 14 points back may see a bit of a downturn here before too long.

The Capitals didn't have much of a goaltending controversy on Thursday night, as they faced off against the Eastern Conference rival, the Penguins. Michal Neuvirth was sidelined with a minor lower-body injury, which opened the door for Tomas Vokoun to take the start, also ending up with the overtime victory.   The Capitals had called up Braden Holtby to fill in on the bench as the back-up, but has been sent back to the AHL on Friday morning, which may signal that the injury is minor or that the Capitals want to ensure that he gets another start in the minors.

Neuvirth belongs to Munden G. in the draft, who currently sits in 4th place in the standings, only 4 points out of 1st place.  Obviously, a good start is being had there and missing out on the win could have had him a couple of points out of top spot.  If the injury is minor, then there shouldn't be more concern than the actual concern he should have about who will get the bulk of the starts in Washington.