Injury Updates (Sep 18)

New Jersey Devils forward Ryane Clowe has been cleared for training camp, as he got the green light from the neurologists, saying that he is now 100% from his concussion problems that he had last season.  I think it is important to temper your expectations on a player like Clowe, who has had long battles with concussions, as they do have a reputation of falling back into injury problems down the line.  Sure, he will be back, but will he be the same player that he once was?

Big injury news from Detroit Red Wings camp, as highly-touted prospect forward Anthony Mantha has suffered a fractured leg and is now expected to miss the first 6-to-8 weeks of the NHL season, including pre-season and the regular season, and this will definitely hamper his chances at making the full squad this season.  A late start may mean that his chances of showing his stuff will be limited and it might be another trip down to junior for him, something that may be welcomed by Canada's U20 national team.

A news byte to start Pittsburgh Penguins camp says that both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will be held out of the first portions of training camp, as they both suffered injuries in their preparation. Neither injury was disclosed in the news release, but both will be listed as out day-to-day.  Both Crosby and Malkin are on my injury prone list, so this isn't a good start to the 2015 season for both of them and I may be willing to downgrade their early projections before the draft, because of this.

Do you still take Crosby with the 1st overall pick this year?

Are you looking to sneak Stephane Robidas in your line-up when no one is looking? The 37-year old rearguard has been dealing with a broken leg in the off-season, but an update today says that he could be ready to go at the end of the preseason to play in his first games, targeting opening night to be 100%.  For now, he will still be considered day-to-day.

Robidas has been a good defenseman option in the past, ranking as high as 24th among blueliners in 2010.  In both 2012 & 2013, he was 77th among defensemen in scoring and the broken leg cost him a number of spots in 2014, where he finished 163rd.

The Stars were able to give a brief update on forward Rich Peverley, as he works his way back from a cardiac incident last season. The 32-year old has been cleared for working out, but has yet to see clearance from doctors about returning to the ice. It sounds like any more tests may be weeks away and there are no real guarantees about his future in the NHL, so it could be very touch-and-go for a while yet.

If Peverley could return, it may be best to save him for the Waiver Drafts this year.

An updated list of injuries can be found here.