Player Notes in the Draft (Jan 21)

Not exactly the best way to make a first impression on your new pool team, as Valeri Nichushkin, fresh off being a healthy scratch on the weekend, was a scratch again on Monday, as the Stars played in Nashville. The coaching staff did voice some concerns about his energy levels and did say that he would return to the line-up on Tuesday night, the second-half of a back-to-back situation, in Minnesota. If there is so much concern about energy now, what will it be like when he gets back from Sochi?

I had Nichushkin pegged as a steal in the 2nd round of the Waiver Draft last week, where Benson picked him up.  The healthy scratch was a bit of a surprise, but maybe it is something that can boost the rookie's game a little.

Sounds like there is some more concern for Jimmy Howard's knee after Monday night's game against the St. Louis Blues.  The Red Wings number one keeper left the game last night against their division rivals with the knee injury and he is getting it looked at this week by the team doctors.  Howard has already missed some time this year with a knee injury and I haven't seen any confirmation as to whether or not it is the same knee that got hurt.

This isn't the news that Ryan V. was hoping for, but at the same time, the best he was likely going to hope for in the last third of the season was an outside shot at a jersey prize.  It was a rough season for Ryan and injuries and Howard just continues the bad spell.

An abdominal muscle issue, which stems from last season, has been nagging at Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom this season and just as we enter the third segment of the regular season, it becomes a big deal again and he is now being held off the ice.  Backstrom was not out for practice on Monday and is not scheduled to return to the ice for a few days, which means the goaltending duties for the team are now left up to Darcy Kuemper and Johan Gustafsson, as Josh Harding continues to be on the shelf, dealing with his new MS medication and symptoms.  Backstrom is considered day-to-day, but with the way Kuemper has been playing of late, they won't rush him back.

Bad news for Grant, who thought it would be clever to pick up Backstrom, now that Harding is having some troubles of his own.  This health problem might be for the short-term, but it sounds like the Wild may be auditioning the role of starter, as of right now.

An injury to one of his fingers is what knocked Philadelphia Flyers forward Jakub Voracek out of Monday afternoon's game against the New York Islanders.  Voracek suffered the injury when he was slashed in the hands.  There was no immediate update on Tuesday, as to Voracek's condition, but he will be on the list as out day-to-day, until there is a proper update from the team.

Another hit to the roster for Grant, who currently teeters in 4th place after Monday night.  Now without a goalie and a top end forward, it might not be long before he drops out of the prizes altogether.

A lower-body injury was the reason why Phoenix Coyotes forward Martin Hanzal was held out against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.  All that is being said at the moment is that Hanzal is being held out day-to-day for right now, no details or timetables at this point.

Mike didn't seem to miss Hanzal on Monday night, as he finished the evening with 9 points, leading the pool in scoring for the night.  Mike moved into 10th spot with the big night and will look to continue that progress on Tuesday night, hoping that Hanzal is back soon.

Sounds like the flu claimed another victim this week, as Vladimir Tarasenko was not able to go on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings.  Tarasenko was listed as day-to-day and may still be questionable for Tuesday night's game in New Jersey.  I haven't seen any updates that would suggest anything either way, so don't be surprised if he sits another game.

This isn't a major bump in the road, but it certainly doesn't help Scott, who has seen his share of injuries and bugs over the years.  Scott currently sits in 9th and likely wants to see Tarasenko suck it up and get back in the line-up.

The Washington Capitals goaltending situation was a muddled mess during the Week Sixteen Waiver Draft and Philipp Grubauer was getting some starts, putting some doubt into Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth going forward.  After being pulled a couple of times in the week, Grubauer lost the goaltending battle and was sent down to the AHL on Monday, making room for the regular tandem.  If Holtby and Neuvirth falter at all, there may be another call for the German keeper to give it another try before the end of the year.

Clayton's goaltending has been suspect all year long and a change was deemed needed at the Waiver Draft, but it looks like one gamble has now failed, for the time being.  The push for the money has been made more difficult now.

Despite looking good in some recent outings for the Anaheim Ducks, young defenseman Sami Vatanen has been demoted to AHL as well, as Luca Sbisa has been deemed fit to return to active duty in the Ducks' line-up.  Sbisa won't go on Tuesday night, likely exercising some cap space or something along those lines, but Vatanen was likely going to be a scratch, so the demotion was to keep him playing right away.  His play should warrant a call-up, when the Ducks need another blueliner right away.

Bad luck for Derek Wilton, who looked to make an improvement on his blueline at the Waiver Draft, but instead, ended up with a bit of a short-term (to long-term?) dud.  His team has been hot any way, so we'll keep an eye on it.

The flu bug continues to make its rounds in the NHL and on Tuesday night, it sounds like it will cost Henrik Lundqvist a start, giving one to his understudy, Cam Talbot, against the Islanders.  Lundqvist is listed as out day-to-day with the bug and should be back to practicing before too long.  The Rangers are expected to make a call-up, so Lundqvist won't have to get dressed to back-up tonight.

Lundqvist has started to turn it on for Dale B. as of late, but the argument as to whether or not Dale can do anything with a re-surging Lundqvist, among some other under-performing players, is still pending.

Finally, the Washington Capitals are saying that Alex Ovechkin will be a game-time decision on Tuesday night, as the Senators come to town to face off in a battle of national capitals.  Ovechkin is reportedly dealing with a lower-body injury and may be rested to make sure that the injury doesn't get too serious.  We shall see.

Ovechkin is the top pick for Brenda, who sits in the middle of the race for the prizes, going into Tuesday's action.  She'll want her top gun to be in the line-up, so she can chase down some glory this year.