Key Returns in the Draft This Week (Jan 4)

Things are starting to get back to normal after the holidays and this Saturday morning, I've found some time while watching the Sweden/Russia semi-final to possibly get some more info out there for you guys. Some days, we just don't get to see who returns to their team's line-up in the week, so I've got a little something for that this morning, hopefully it will carry on for the rest of the year.

Starting at the top of the standings, Grant S. goes into Saturday with an 11-point lead, one of the largest leads we've seen this season. On Friday night, he was fortunate enough to welcome Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman back in the line-up, as he has been deemed good to go from a fractured hand, back at the end of November.  At the time of the injury report, Grant was already in 1st place in the pool, so his team has been able to hold on to top spot, despite the injury.

Grant is still dealing with an injury in his best forward, Alex Steen, but the rest of his team is keeping him afloat.  In terms of health, Grant's team ranks 6th in skater games played and 16th in goalie minutes played, so he is getting all kinds of production from his healthy players.

One of the real surging teams in the hockey pool over the last few weeks was able to welcome back one of their key players, as Cindy saw Ryan Callahan come back from injury on Friday night as well.  Callahan missed nearly four weeks with a sprained MCL, which was the best-case scenario for the injury, but it has already been an ugly year for the Rangers captain, who has missed plenty of time this year.

In his return, Callahan failed to register a point, playing in just over 14 minutes of ice-time, but he is certainly more help to Cindy in the Rangers' line-up, then he is on the injured list.

When Callahan left Cindy's line-up in Week Eleven, her team was sitting way back in 14th place, but the loss of the power forward didn't hinder her team at all, as it rocketed up to 7th place, where it sits going into Saturday's action, only 9 points out of the prizes.

Now in 8th place, Allan may get some relief this week, as Sergei Bobrovsky has been activated off the Injured Reserve, where he was listed with a groin strain for nearly a month.  Bobrovsky was in the Columbus line-up on Thursday night, when his team visited the Phoenix Coyotes, but it was Curtis McElhinney who ended up with the start that night, shutting out the desert dogs, 2-0, for the win.  There is an expectation that Bobrovsky will still get the start on Saturday, away to St. Louis, so his return will be complete.  

When Bob left Allan's line-up in Week Ten, the lead that Allan held was only at 2 points and now, in the midst of Week Fourteen, Allan fell to 8th place, now 26 points out of top spot and 10 points out of 3rd & 4th.

Allan's line-up also returned to full health this week with Brooks Laich returning fully to the Washington Capitals line-up and Ryan Murphy earning a bit more confidence in the Carolina Hurricanes line-up.  The rise could be on for our first segment winner.

It was a 3-week absence from the Chicago Blackhawks line-up for Corey Crawford and when he left, he was Dale C.'s best player, and now upon his return, things really hadn't changed, as Crawford's 35 points is still tops on his roster.

Crawford returned on Thursday night, in time to face the Islanders on Long Island, where he suffered a 3-2 overtime loss to mark his return from a lower-body injury.  The veteran keeper made 31 stops, but gave up an opening minute goal in overtime for the loss, but should be back in the saddle on Sunday, when the Hawks host the Sharks.

When Dale lost his best player to injury, his team sat in 8th place, 15 points out of 4th place and now going into Saturday's action, the team sits in 10th place, 14 points out.  Thankfully, the rest of his team was able to keep him within striking range, but the teams around him did get a little bit better, so it will be a tough road back up through the teams that passed him.

It has been a rough year for teams that hit top spot in the standings, as Kristy & Don held the pinnacle position for four weeks, Weeks Three through Six, but then they ran into some goalie trouble.  On Saturday, they will get one of their top two picks in the draft back, as Jonathan Quick, newly named to the USA Olympic Team, will get his first start since the middle of November, but will it be too late?

The pool duo were already without Nashville starter, Pekka Rinne, when Quick went down, they held an 6-point lead, near the end of Week Seven, but the wheels came off and they finished that week in 3rd place, starting the drop from grace.

Since then, with no Quick or Rinne, until now, the duo have dropped down to 18th place, heading into Saturday, 43 points out of the prizes, 59 points out of the lead.  The best the duo can hope for now will be a jersey prize in the third segment, since they rank last in the second segment, with only 95 points through five and a half weeks.