Player Notes in the Draft (Nov 21)

The Carolina Hurricanes are in the thick of the tanking competition for the best odds in the NHL Entry Draft Lottery and it's hard to gauge whether or not that's where they want to be or not. Alex Semin and John-Michael Liles were scratches again for the club, which should come as no surprise, as the team has continued to struggle and these two have been identified as problematic players.

I can definitely see both of these players being dropped at the Waiver Draft, since they are not going to be any good for Dale B. or Stacey C. down the stretch.  Dale could use the offensive boost to climb back into the money conversation, as he stands 26 points out of 3rd after Thursday, while Stacey C. is starting to make the climb out of the basement, now 16 points clear of last place.

With what is thought to be a minor upper-body injury, Andrew Shaw sat out from Thursday's game between the Blackhawks and the Flames. There are no details on the injury, but the team is thinking that he'll be out for the short-term, listed as out day-to-day.

Sounds like a minor speed bump for Stacey M., who is back in the thick of the money race, sitting in 5th place, 6 points out.  Stacey's team has been pretty healthy to start the year, ranking 7th in skater games played.

Sounds like Alex Tanguay was on the wrong end of an Alex Ovechkin shot, as the puck struck him in the jaw and forced him from the game against in the Capitals.  There's no word on the damage done on Friday morning, but when you take a shot, especially from a guy like Ovechkin, in the face, you would have to believe that he'll miss a few days worth of practice and game action.  He'll likely be day-to-day, unless there was some significant damage done.

The defending champ, Allan, has had a mediocre start to the season, but his teams usually seem to find a way back into the competition before too long.  His team sits in 14th after Thursday night, 27 points out of the money and now down a forward.

How about some positive news today, yes? The Philadelphia Flyers, who have seen their share of injuries on the blueline, got one back on Thursday night, as Andrew MacDonald returned from his lower-body injury, which had kept him out since the third week of October.  MacDonald wasn't able to help in the scoreboard, which didn't help the team earn the 'W,' but at least a key body back in their line-up could lead to more positive things.

When MacDonald left the Flyers line-up, Dale B. was in 4th place, 2 points out of the money.  As you saw above, he now sits 26 points back and is having other roster problems.  Hopefully, the return of MacDonald can give him a bit of a push or at least help his team tread water until the Waiver Draft.

The Vancouver Canucks are waiting for the official word on the severity of the injury to defenseman Dan Hamhuis, who left Thursday night's game early in the 1st period with a lower-body injury. The coaching staff didn't sound overly optimistic that it was a minor thing, so we're expecting something relatively serious. His status for Sunday night in definitely doubtful.

Tough news for Brian, who didn't quite load up on goalies or defensemen in the draft this year and his standing really only reflects the forwards that he has, which are not too bad, ranking 4th in points.  Sadly, his defensemen are closer to the bottom, 8 points below the pool average.  This injury will only further that issue.

An updated list of injuries can be found here.