Player Notes in the Draft (Oct 7)

It sounds like there is a legitimate chance that Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa is not suited up for opening night against the Flames on Wednesday, as he is nursing some knocks from the preseason action.  Bieksa didn't skate with the team on Monday and was notable to the coaching staff for not being on the ice, but there were no definitive updates about his condition.  They are hopeful that the veteran blueliner can return to the ice before the game, but there should be some preparation, just in case he cannot.

Bieksa belongs to an interesting blueline on Dale B.'s team, heading into the new season.  Dale saved three of his four of his defense picks until the end of the draft and Bieksa was his 12th round pick, 265th overall.  It will be interesting to see how that strategy pays off.

It sounds like Brandon Dubinsky was missing from Blue Jackets practice on Tuesday morning, which isn't necessarily a concern, but it is worth mentioning, as we near opening night for the Jackets.  Columbus doesn't open their regular season until Thursday night, which may mean that Dubinsky is getting an extra day of rest before the season starts, as he is more of a rough & tumble player in the line-up and could use those rest days, just to heal up the bumps and bruises.  He'll be day-to-day at the very worst.

Another name on the list for Dale B., who went from not having a name on the injury list to two players in a matter of one blog post.  Dale is running with some risky players on his roster this year, having some injury-happy type guys in his forward ranks, so it could either be a tough year or an amazing season, depending on the results he gets.

It looks like the back spasms that have sidelined Lubomir Visnovsky are enough to have him start the season on the Injured Reserve. The Islanders, in the midst of all their cuts on Tuesday, they have placed the veteran defender on the IR, opening up a roster spot for one of their youngsters, on what is now a bustling blueline.  There is no immediate timetable for Visnovsky's return, but the placement is retroactive to earlier in camp, so he is eligible to come off at any point.  The Islanders would have to send down a player to make room, when the time comes.

More bad luck for Allan, who hasn't had much luck with his new team in this preseason.  Defensemen are much harder to replace in this preseason waiver draft and he has already had to replace one aged veteran, I wonder if he pulls the trigger on replacing another.

Much like Dubinsky above, it sounds like Chris Kunitz may have received a maintenance day from practice, since the Penguins are not scheduled until Thursday night, home to the hard-hitting Anaheim Ducks.  Kunitz is no stranger to the injury bug, although, I don't believe he has been worthy of the injury prone list (yet!), but he is always worth keeping an eye on.  I think we should still expect him in the line-up, until something changes from management.

Tony has a line-up that is out to score some goals this year and could be in the running for top spot in that statistical department, but if Kunitz cannot get off the marks early, that could hurt his cause.  Still don't think it's much, but we keep an eye on him... just in case.

A "minor" injury picked up in a preseason game for the Bruins' David Krejci is reportedly healing slower than expected and the team has been keeping a close eye on him, as the season nears.  The Bruins are opening up on Wednesday night and the team is going to make a final assessment on his health tomorrow morning, so he should now be listed as questionable for the game against Philadelphia, but still considered day-to-day.  With how early in the season it is, I can't see the Bruins going out and risking one of their key offensive players, especially against a Flyers team that would possibly target him.

Another injury concern for Benson, who is also having some terrible luck these days.  This is player number four on the injury list, but he should be getting one back on opening night, so it isn't quite as bad as it looks.  Krejci would be a tough hit, as his 4th round pick isn't too healthy at the moment.

An updated list of injuries can be found here.