Injury Updates (Sep 24)

Two fringe forwards for the Minnesota Wild are dealing with some injuries at the moment, as Justin Fontaine and Kyle Brodziak have been held off the ice recently. Fontaine is dealing with some groin issues and Brodziak is having some back problems, both players are considered to be day-to-day at the moment and due back on the ice, sooner, rather than later.

Wild players have not been popular, traditionally, but with how well they played into the playoffs last Spring, things may turn around for them.  Fringe players, on the other hand, are still just that, on the fringe of being pool worthy.  This note is just an FYI.

An injury that kind of went under the radar, but is only getting mentioned on the back end of the process, as Kings forward Jarret Stoll underwent hip surgery in the off-season, but on Tuesday, he did return to the ice. He is still considered to be out day-to-day, as he won't figure into a preseason game right away, although he is hopeful of jumping into one before the big show starts in October.

Stoll is also a fringe player, projected in the 25-point bracket on my list, and even with hip surgery, that number will likely stay the same.

Not a good start to the preseason for Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal, who was seen after Carolina's game against Buffalo on crutches. Staal suffered a broken bone in his leg in a collision with the Sabres Josh Gorges, which could put a serious damper on his season.  The timetable for a broken leg is generally 6-to-8 weeks, which means that Staal will miss at least the first month of the season and possibly into November as well.  This also doesn't bode well for the start of his season, when he gets around to it, since he'll have missed training camp and exhibition games, which will hurt him as a pool prospect.

Originally, I had Staal penned in for a 50-point year, thinking that the brothers would be able to bounce back and give the Hurricanes a push, but that number has now dropped and his injured status has pretty well stricken him from my list altogether.

San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture left the split squad game in Vancouver after the 2nd period, sustaining an undisclosed injury after taking a big hit, just before the end buzzer.  The team held the scoring forward off the ice, just for precautionary measures.  The post-game announcement suggested that the injury isn't a big concern, but they would continue to monitor the situation.  At worst, it sounds like this could cost Couture some of the preseason, if not all of it, holding him out for real game action in October.

Unless the diagnosis gets worse over the next few days, I wouldn't go so far as to adjust any projections at the moment.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alex Edler took a puck to the face in the 1st period against the Sharks on Tuesday night and that forced him from the game.  Edler hasn't been very lucky over the last couple of seasons and the 2015 season isn't exactly off to the best start.  Other than some possible dental work, this doesn't sound like an injury that will cost the 28-year old rearguard any time, especially in the regular season, which is still two weeks away.


Nashville Predators forward Matt Cullen reportedly left last night's game against the Lightning with an upper-body injury. Details were very limited and an update hasn't surfaced on Wednesday morning, but it is something to keep an eye on.

I have Cullen rated as a late-round forward in my projections and if the draft on Saturday goes deep, then he may be an option for someone looking for scoring late on.

The status of Colorado Avalanche forward Jamie McGinn is constantly deteriorating, as a back problem has taken him from missing the beginning of training camp to an unknown timetable, leaving him out indefinitely.  It doesn't appear that McGinn is expected for opening night and from there, it is anyone's guess at the moment.

To be fair, McGinn is also a fringe player in the 35-point range in my projections, which was definitely able to be reached, if the draft participation gets to around 24 teams again.  You might want to avoid him until the Waiver Drafts.

Another huge blow to a team's roster on Wednesday morning, as the New York Rangers lost Derek Stepan to a broken leg of his own in practice.  The actual word on the injury is a fractured tibia, which may not be as bad as Staal's injury, but it should keep Stepan out of the first few weeks of the season, regardless.  There is no actual timetable published for Stepan at the moment, but don't count on him being ready for opening night.

Stepan was poised to really break out with the Rangers this year, but take off on his season will be delayed and his projections will be adjusted.  If word comes down that his return is sooner, rather than later, he may work out to be a decent late-round pick, assuming he can still break out offensively.

The injuries just keep on rolling in on Wednesday morning, as an update came from the Red Wings on their number one guy, Pavel Datsyuk. The results of the MRI that Datsyuk had on Monday came in and they are not good.  Datsyuk is expected to miss the next 4-to-5 weeks with a 2nd-degree shoulder separation.

This would likely mean that Datsyuk would miss about the first three weeks of the season, which will probably mean he'll get drafted on Saturday, but nowhere near where he should be picked.  His projections will take a serious hit before draft day.

An updated list of injuries can be found here.