Player Notes in the Draft (Jan 5)

Buffalo Sabres forward Drew Stafford suffered an upper-body injury on Thursday in a collision with the Minnesota Wild's Matt Cooke. The Sabres have listed him as out indefinitely with the upper-body injury, but haven't featured any more details on the injury, which doesn't come across as good news at all.  On Saturday, Stafford missed his first game with the injury, sitting out for the game against the New Jersey Devils.

Stafford has 13  points (4 goals, 9 assists) in 41 games this season.

Bad news for Benson, who now has three forwards on the shelf for an indefinite period of time, as Stafford joins both Pascal Dupuis and Tomas Hertl.  Benson's team has maintained 12th place in the standings in Week Fourteen, thus far.

Tyson Barrie of the Colorado Avalanche has now only played 25 games this season, which has got to be somewhat of a disappointment for the 2014 season and in those 25 games, he has only scored 2 goals and 6 assists.  Well, he was a healthy scratch again on Saturday night, as the Avalanche played against the San Jose Sharks, a game the Avs won, 4-3.  I don't imagine that Barrie will figure back in before too long without an injury.

Stuart's defense is well below-average this season, picking up only 46 points this season (average is 63) and Barrie is one of those reasons why his team has suffered in the back end.  Stuart finished Saturday night in 23rd, 6 points back of 22nd and 7 points up on 24th.

Beginning to wonder about the effects of the Winter Classic on Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk. Datsyuk didn't practice after the outdoor game and was held as a game-time decision for Saturday's game, which he was eventually held out of. Datsyuk has been dealing with a lower-body injury and is currently listed as out day-to-day for right now.

Datsyuk, much like most of the Red Wings, has had a rough season, playing 35 games, scoring 15 goals and 7 assists.  When he's in the line-up, he's an effective player, but he has missed some considerable amounts of time already.

Ryan V. finished up Saturday night in 22nd spot, but I don't think you could put too much of the fault on Datsyuk, who has missed eight games, but he has produced in the games he has played.  Ryan is now 10 points out of 21st, so he'll need Datsyuk back soon.

The Minnesota Wild placed defenseman Jared Spurgeon on the Injured Reserve on Saturday, but he is on with an undisclosed injury.  The Wild coaching staff seemed confident that Spurgeon will be out for at least a few weeks, so we'll make of that what we will.

Spurgeon has been decent for the Wild this year, picking up a goal and 11 assists in 43 games this year.  Might not be one of the better defensemen, but he hasn't hurt Chris' team at all.  His projected games for the next few weeks have been taken down, which will add some anxiety to a team already in the running for the Basement Dweller in Week Fourteen.

Both Joe Corvo and Patrick Weircioch were off the news/injury list all week, drawing into the Senators line-up without a hitch, until Saturday, that is. The two defenders have been in and out of the line-up on a regular basis and they both had seats in the press box on Saturday, as the team took on the Habs. With a 4-3 win, I would imagine that the Ottawa coaching staff will continue to ride the hot hands.

Corvo has 10 points in 24 games and Weircioch has 14 points in 29 games, neither are terrible point totals, but their two-way games are always held in question.

Both defensemen belong to bottom-third teams, as Leo has Corvo and Doug has Weircioch, neither have good offense numbers from their defensemen, but it is a drop in the bucket for their seasons.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Matt Read was pulled out of Tuesday's game early with an upper-body injury and was listed as questionable/probable for Saturday night's game against the Phoenix Coyotes, but in the end, he was held out of the game and continues to be listed as out day-to-day.  His upper-body injury is undisclosed, so we won't be able to speculate on when he might be able to return.

Read has been scoring at just under half a point-per-game pace this year, picking up 10 goals and 9 assists in 39 games this year.  The Flyers, as a whole, were not scoring a great deal at the beginning of the season and very few have picked up the pace on the team.

Mike has Read this year and isn't too far out of the race, only 30 points out of the prizes.  The way teams have made up some points this year, it doesn't seem out of reason that Mike could stage a comeback in the third segment.

Another name that has been on and off the news/injury list this season is San Jose's Matt Irwin.  On Saturday night, Irwin sat against the Colorado Avalanche, which didn't seem to help their cause much, as the Sharks lost the game.  The Sharks have seen some inconsistency in their game, so they're trying to find some ways to pull out some wins.  There was no indication as to whether or not Irwin will dress for the Sharks on Sunday, in Chicago.

Irwin belongs to Ryan M. this year, who sits in 13th place after Saturday, 17 points out of the top 10.  Ryan has been dealing with some new injuries, so these scratches are just piling on some recent problems.

The Hurricanes have an interesting injury situation, as they host the Nashville Predators on Sunday, as Eric Staal left Saturday night's game with a lower-body injury.  Details have been limited, given it is a pre-game announcement, but the Hurricanes have already called up Aaron Palushaj and placed Riley Nash on the IR to do so, it doesn't seem likely that the captain will play.  We'll hope for some updates for the Newsletter tomorrow.

Grant has opened up a sizable lead this week and could afford a game without Staal, but if this is a long-term injury at all, the landscape up at the top of the standings changes for the "more interesting."

The Toronto Maple Leafs also suffered an injury last night, but they are leaning towards it being a minor issue. Forward David Clarkson, who has already missed plenty of time to suspension this year, suffered a foot injury on Saturday night against the Rangers, in their 7-1 blowout loss. Clarkson's injury is believed to be a bruise, so he may be able to go on Tuesday, against the Islanders.

Wes has had another difficult year with injuries this season and Clarkson, his Waiver Draft pick-up, might add to those concerns.  Wes finished Saturday in 18th place, 30 points out of the top 10, which could be too far away from the prizes this year.

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.

Player Notes in the Draft (Jan 4)

The Edmonton Oilers were surprisingly without Jordan Eberle on Friday night, as they were in Anaheim facing the Ducks. Eberle was held out with an undisclosed injury, which was reportedly suffered the night before in San Jose, when he took a hit from Sharks forward Logan Couture.  The Oilers superstar is listed as out day-to-day with his undisclosed injury, with no set timetable for a return, but it doesn't sound like it will be too long.

Eberle is a key part of the 3rd place team, after Friday night, which belongs to Stacey C. this year.  Stacey is currently tied for 3rd place, but has the tie-breakers in his favour, and only sits 5 points out of 2nd place.  With how tight the pool has been and is getting again, an injury to a key forward like Eberle could be very harmful to his placing.

On New Year's Eve, New Jersey Devils captain Patrik Elias was hit hard early in the 1st period by the Pittsburgh Penguins' Tanner Glass, catching awkwardly trying to play a puck in the neutral zone.  Elias was not available for Friday night's game against the Chicago Blackhawks, as he is dealing with some "total body soreness."  Elias is also expected to miss the Devils' game on Saturday, away in Buffalo, and will be considered day-to-day after the fact.

This is another key injury in the prize area of the standings, as Chris, our 2nd place team, has Elias this season and has enjoyed some success with him, 25 points in 33 games played.  As you saw above, Chris only has a 5-point cushion on two teams tied for 3rd below him and is already working on a Basement Dweller week, with only 8 points through five nights.

Player Notes in the Draft (Jan 3)

The Carolina Hurricanes have some concerns about their goaltending situation, as they have three goalies on the roster, all of which would have to clear waivers and only two of them can play at one time. The return of Anton Khudobin was met with a lower-body injury to Cam Ward, so the problem has been ducked for a little while, but what will happen when Ward is deemed healthy? Nevertheless, Ward missed last night's game and is expected to miss Saturday night on Long Island.

The return of Khudobin gave a win to Ryan V. on Thursday night, as they beat the Washington Capitals and likely took a start away from Ward and Benson G., who ended up with nothing for the result.  Ryan could use the points, as he struggles near the basement of the standings, while Benson has fallen out of the top 10, sitting in 12th after Thursday.

Now, I only have the flu bug graphic up, because it is the only illness-type GIF I have for the blog, but it sounds like Josh Harding is still not feeling his best, related to his MS treatments.  Harding sat out Thursday night's game against the Buffalo Sabres and there is no indication as to when they might expect him back in the crease.  Harding is currently listed as day-to-day for right now, but he did just spend some time on the Injured Reserve, as he had made some changes to his treatments.

This was definitely the risk that needed to be assessed when taking a guy like Harding, no matter how good his numbers may be.  Unfortunately for Doug, Harding hasn't exactly gotten him out of the basement, like he hoped he would, which is really unlucky.

As it was mentioned in yesterday's notes, the Montreal Canadiens are not having a great time and the rotation of players in and out of the press box is the best indicator of how poorly they are doing.  Daniel Briere was a healthy scratch earlier in the week and he remained up there on Thursday night and then he was joined by defenseman Aleksey Emelin for the game as well.  The Habs managed to pull out a 6-4 win in Dallas, which was a definitely positive, but with these scratches done, you begin to wonder if the winds of change are ready to blow through this line-up.

For John, he has now missed back-to-back games from Briere and now Stacey M. has missed out on a game from one of her Waiver Draft pick-ups this season, as Emelin has sat for the first time in her service.  Stacey finished the night in 4th place, 1 point out of 3rd.

The St. Louis Blues and their goaltending hasn't been the steadiest over the past few seasons and it was fair to think that it would continue right away in the 2014 season.  Remarkably, it took until the New Year before there was any call-up of Jake Allen, but it has happened, as Jaroslav Halak was sent home ahead o the team's game against the Kings, likely to keep the illness away from the rest of the team.  Halak is listed as out day-to-day and would have to be considered questionable for Saturday's game, home to the Blue Jackets.

This now puts both goalies for Doug on the shelf, both dealing with illnesses.  Doug sits 7 points back of 23rd place and may not have any help from the crease for the rest of the week.  This appears to be getting worse, before it gets better.

Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was the victim of a hit from behind by Blue Jackets forward Derek MacKenzie, forcing the talented blueliner from the game with potentially, a serious upper-body injury.  Reports on the injury have not been confirmed on Friday morning, but the NHL Department of Player Safety has already called MacKenzie for a hearing, so there should be some implications to their decision, based on the injury.

Scott is right in the thick of the prize race in the top 10, but if he loses out on one of his key defenders, this could put his prizing in jeopardy.  We will have to wait and see what the injury prognosis is, but being only 9 points out of the prizes, he could use all hands on deck.

Player Notes in the Draft (Jan 2)

The Anaheim Ducks might be one of the hottest teams in the NHL at the moment, but that doesn't mean that they're happy with their everyday line-up. On Tuesday night, Dustin Penner was a healthy scratch, like he has been in a number of games previously already this season.  Penner has 24 points in 33 games this season for the Ducks, but he has also been scratched eight times.

Penner was one of Tony's Waiver Draft picks this year and hasn't seen the same production rate that Penner has done all season, only picking up 7 points in 14 games this segment.  Since the Waiver Draft, Tony's team has dropped from 15th to 20th, through Wednesday night.

The Dallas Stars were without veteran forward Ray Whitney on New Years Eve in their game at home to the Los Angeles Kings.  Whitney was listed as out day-to-day with a bout of the flu and should be good to go when the Stars go again, tonight at home to the Montreal Canadiens.  Whitney has not had the usual season for himself, only scoring 4 goals and 12 assists in 33 games for the Stars this year.

Wes has Whitney this season and he hasn't enjoyed much success out of his 5th round pick this year.  Wes' team has dropped down to 19th place, where they have been hovering around since the Waiver Draft.

The season doesn't seem to be improving for Edmonton Oilers forward Nail Yakupov, who found himself in the press box as a healthy scratch again on New Years Eve, as his team was in Phoenix, taking on the Coyotes.  Yakupov has been scratched three times now this season and only has 14 points in 39 games.

Yakupov has been one of many problems on Stuart's roster, as his team has not gotten up past the 21st position in the standings this year, currently sitting in 22nd through Wednesday night's action.

The Montreal Canadiens were without forward Daniel Briere on Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, but there has been very little mentioned about why he was out of the line-up.  There is nothing in the injury report, which may suggest that the veteran winger was a healthy scratch for the game, which was something that would be considered unexpected.  Montreal is in Dallas tonight, where Briere would be expected back, if he was indeed a healthy scratch.

Briere belongs to John in the pool this year and John is enjoying a surge up the standings, now that his team has some more health and structure.  John was back in 24th place in Week Three, but has since climbed his way out of the basement and now sits in 15th place, 25 points out of the top 10.

The word out of the San Jose Sharks camp is that forward Tommy Wingels is dealing with an upper-body injury, which he sustained last weekend, forced him out of Tuesday night's game against the Anaheim Ducks and will be considered questionable for Thursday night's game, home to the Edmonton Oilers.

Wingels was a Waiver Draft pick-up for Ryan M. this season and since he went active, he has chipped in with 2 goals and 4 assists in 16 games, helping Ryan's team move up from 20th to 13th, since that Waiver Draft.

Leading up to Wednesday's Winter Classic game, Daniel Alfredsson missed out on Monday night's game against the Nashville Predators, as the team cited an upper-body injury.  Fortunately for the Wings, Alfredsson only missed that one game and was ready to go for Detroit in the outdoor game, where he scored a goal in the 3-2 shootout loss to Toronto.

Alfredsson has been one of Dale C.'s key forwards this year, scoring 30 points in 36 games for the Red Wings, making up for 9.7% of Dale's total scoring.  Dale goes into Thurdsay's action n 11th place, only 1 point back of 10th and 11 points out of the prizes.

The oft-injured Tampa Bay defenseman Sami Salo was in the press box, dealing with an upper-body injury on Wednesday night, as his team visited Salo's former team, the Vancouver Canucks.  Salo is listed as out day-to-day for now, likely questionable for Friday's contest in Calgary.

Salo belongs to Leo in the pool this year and hasn't been very good this season, scoring only 7 points in 34 games.  Leo's defense has been slightly below average this year, picking up 52 points in total, but that's just one of the reasons why his team is in 21st spot.