Noon Player Notes in the Draft (Feb 20)

We'll start with some relatively new information on the blog, as Bryan Little is not expected to be in the Winnipeg lineup tonight, as they are in Florida to take on the Panthers.  Little was reportedly hurt in Tampa Bay on Thursday, taking a tough hit from Anton Stralman in that game, suffering an upper-body injury, possibly to the neck, so he's being held out for precautionary measures, at the very least.  We certainly hope to get more info soon on this one.

As much as you can hope for a quick recovery, there may not be one here, which is pretty bad news for Stuart, who is in the thick of the money race, but fading recently.  His team sits in 7th place, 23 points out of 3rd and this is a pretty big blow.

Good news on the Ryan McDonagh front for the Rangers, the captain of the team did not suffer a concussion on the hit that saw Leafs forward Leo Komarov suspended for three games.  McDonagh, who was already coming off a concussion, was hit in his second game back and was forced from that game as well.  The tests were okay through the concussion protocol, but he is suffering from a jaw contusion and some neck spasms.  He'll be day-to-day on the list for right now.

That could have been much worse for Derek W.'s team, but one would think that there will be some time missed on this one.  His team is currently in the upper half of the standings, in 12th place, but it's close between 11th and 17th, only separated by 9 points.

Finally, a quick update on Evgeni Malkin, as he was placed on the Injured Reserve, more than likely retroactive to the beginning of the month, as he has not been in a game for quite some time. The Penguins were in need of a roster spot, so the jump to the IR was an easy one and one that he can come off of at any time, when he is ready.

Wes could really use his services in the scoring department, not that it matters too much, but he could also use him in the PIM pool, as Malkin is a little reckless from time to time, already earning 57 PIM this season.

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