Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey Injury Report. The season is now in full swing, and so are the injuries. You can’t avoid them, but we can get a head start and plan around them. The injury report will be out every week to help you plan the rest of your fantasy hockey week. Let’s take a look at which key players are dealing with injuries

 

Matthew Tkachuk - Calgary Flames - Winger

Injury: upper-body, day-to-day.

Calgary forward Matthew Tkachuk is considered day-to-day as he deals with an upper-body injury. The injury came as a surprise, as he was declared out for Calgary’s game against the Coyotes on Tuesday. It’s presumed that he suffered the injury in Monday’s game against Colorado, but initial reports are that he shouldn’t miss too much time. If anything, Tkachuk returns to the lineup on Thursday against the Leafs.

Cale Makar - Colorado Avalanche - Defence

Injury: upper-body, day-to-day

Rookie sensation Cale Makar is day-to-day as he deals with an upper-body injury. He’s already missed two games due to this injury, and there’s no word on whether he might be available to play on Friday against New Jersey. The 2017 fourth overall pick is having a breakout season, and many consider him to be a legit candidate to challenge John Carlson for the Norris Trophy. The Avalanche are going to be extra cautious with their talented defenceman, so don’t be surprised if they keep him on the sidelines till he’s 100%. For  now, fantasy owners can find a short-term solution on the waiver wire to help fill the void.

Philipp Grubauer - Colorado Avalanche - Goalie

Injury: lower-body, day-to-day.

Avalanche starting goalie Philipp Grubauer left Saturday’s game against the Bruins after the first period and hasn’t been able to return to action. He has practiced three consecutive days, so his return should be soon, but that doesn’t help fantasy owners who are down a goalie. Colorado is in action tonight (Wednesday), and he’s already been confirmed out of the lineup. Their next game is Friday, so hopefully he will be ready to go by then. We should get an update on his status again on Thursday.

Travis Konecny - Philadelphia Flyers - Winger

Injury: concussion, out indefinitely.

Flyers winger Travis Konecny suffered a concussion in Saturday’s game against the Senators and is out indefinitely. The 22-year-old was having a phenomenal start to the season, and now, he could be out multiple weeks. Concussion recovery times vary a lot, so there really is no timetable for his return. The first step is for him to resume skating, and it’s unlikely that he’s able to do that this week. Right now, fantasy owners are advised to place him on IR and wait for more information in the coming weeks. Hopefully, this doesn’t linger too far into the new year.

Eric Staal - Minnesota Wild - Center

Injury: ?, day-to-day.

Minnesota Wild centerman Eric Staal left Tuesday’s game against Anaheim after colliding with a linesman and did not return. Bruce Boudreau was unwilling to talk about the injury-- telling reports after the game that he didn’t have an update-- so fantasy owners are now left wondering what to do with the veteran winger. He isn’t the same player he was at the beginning of his career, but he does have 21-points in 31 games this season, so he’s still fantasy relevant in deeper formats. Hopefully Boudreau will give all of us an update on Staal’s injury, so we can at least plan around it over the next few days. Should he be out for a couple of weeks, you can drop him if you don’t have an IR spot free.