Morning Player Notes in the Draft (Jan 21)

I'm not 100% sure how many times I have actually forgotten that Connor Murphy has been taken in the draft this year, but I know he has been scratched a few more times than I have captured on the blog site this year, just because the Blackhawks have been rotating defensemen like mad.  Last night was another one of those examples, with the Blackhawks playing the Islanders, Murphy came out as a healthy scratch, but will likely draw back in for their next game, after getting killed by the Islanders, 7-3.

Brian's team was trying to recover somewhat this week, finishing Saturday night with 16 points under his belt, which isn't too bad.  His team is still stuck in 15th place though, 47 points out of the money.

Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm caught the bug that was floating around ahead of Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers and he was unable to dress for the game.  He's considered to be day-to-day with the illness and will likely be considered probable to return on Tuesday, when the Predators host the Lightning.

Just a small hiccup for our pool leader, Dale B., who actually saw his lead shrink so far this week.  His team only holds a 7-point advantage over Stuart's team, heading into Sunday, and both teams have a handful of games to be played on the last day of the week.

Costly day out for the New Jersey Devils, as they lost a couple of players to injury in their game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon and both of them were Waiver Draft pickups in Week Nine. Forward Brian Gibbons blocked a shot with his hand early on in the 1st period and never returned to the game, while starting goalie Keith Kinkaid suffered a lower-body injury midway through the 1st period, also not able to return. With Cory Schneider back upstairs, likely nursing that illness again, Keith Appleby had to make his NHL debut.

There have been no updates on the injured players, as of yet, but both Steve and Stuart are anxiously awaiting the news.  With a week left before we start drafting the second time around, these injuries may play a part.

That flu bug is fairly nasty this year, also biting New York Rangers forward Michael Grabner on Saturday, shutting him down for the day/night, likely keeping him in bed for some extra rest.  The Rangers have already taken quite the kicking in the injury department and no matter how minor this injury may be, it certainly wasn't helping the team, which dropped a 3-1 decision in Colorado on Saturday afternoon.  The Rangers are in Los Angeles today and Grabner's status is probably questionable, at best.

Another tough day for Steve, losing Gibbons in Jersey and Grabner on the road for the Rangers, as his team is trying to take back 24th place from Scott's team, which had passed him again this week.  Both teams will have reasonable prizes at the Week Eighteen Waiver Draft, among forwards available, so it might not be the worst thing to lose and have your pick of the litter.

Number one netminder for the San Jose Sharks, Martin Jones, has been reported as dealing with a minor injury, something that kept him from dressing on Saturday night, when the Pittsburgh Penguins came to town.  The coaching staff said that they don't believe that the injury is too significant, but he's not expected to be ready to go for the second half of back-to-backs tonight, when they travel down the road to Anaheim for a game against the Ducks.  For now, Jones is considered to be day-to-day.

Chris' team could have really used Jones tonight, as his team is only 1 point clear of the Basement Dweller nod this week, having only 9 points through Saturday night's action.  His team has dropped down to 14th in the process and has somewhat lost touch with the group ahead of his team in the standings.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly was held out of Saturday night's contest against the Ottawa Senators, due to the lingering effects of a jolt he took in the team's previous game, Thursday night in Philadelphia.  Rielly is considered to be day-to-day, as he was somewhat of a game-time decision last night.  The Leafs have been one of the more tightly-lipped teams, in terms of injury, this season, so even if the injury is more significant than a game-time decision, we'd probably never know.

For Stacey M., her team is right in the thick of the group ahead of Chris, where 5 points separates 6th from 11th, and these points are getting awfully valuable, as we near the final third of the season.  Here's hoping that Rielly isn't out too long for her side, as he has been a valuable piece.