Montreal prospect Jacob De La Rose is out week to week with a lower-body injury.
Hey, everybody, it’s your pal @NHLFantasyGuy coming at you with the first monthly instalment of the DobberProspects IR Report. In this report we’re going to break down some key prospect injuries for your favorite teams to help you make better-informed decisions.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the DobberProspects team scouts for their input. Without the contributions of our whole staff, this report would not have been possible.
Injury News
The St. John’s Ice Caps announced injuries to Max Friberg and Jacob De La Rose on Friday. Friberg is day to day with an undisclosed injury, which doesn’t seem serious. De La Rose, however, was less fortunate and is being called week to week with a lower-body injury. De La Rose, a former second-round pick for the Canadiens, has only one assist in six games for the Ice Caps this season. Friberg and De La Rose are solid prospects for the Canadiens, and this will be a big loss for their club.
Speaking of big losses; Ryan Pulock, star defensive prospect and potential difference-maker for the New York Islanders, has been sidelined with a lower-body injury. Pulock’s recovery time is stated at four to six weeks. Adam Pelech, another skilled defender in the Islanders' system, has been called up in the interim to fill the void left by Pulock’s departure. Pelech is also a strong prospect for the Islanders but is definitely not as highly touted as Pulock. Expect Pelech to get into the bulk of Islander games until Pulock returns before getting sent back to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Another top prospect, the Senators' Colin White, has been pulled from the lineup at Boston College and is considered week to week with an upper-body injury. White was Ottawa's first-round pick in 2015 and is expected to have a big year in Boston. While this likely isn’t serious, it’s important for White’s development that injuries don’t become a habit. Look for White to return sometime in November.
On Oct. 16 the Hurricanes announced that stud defensive prospect Jake Bean has been sidelined four to six weeks with a broken finger. Bean was hurt by a slash delivered by the Tigers’ Chad Butcher. Butcher was assessed a three-game.
Earlier in the month, undrafted A-rated goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was sidelined with pneumonia. Luukkonen helped Finland win the 2016 IIHF World Under-18s last year and will be one of the first goalies off the board next summer. He's expected to miss approximately four weeks before returning to HPK of Liiga.
Injury Updates
Derrick Pouliot is reported to be out “long term” with a lower-body injury suffered in his first NHL game of the season. What that means in terms of a time frame is open to interpretation right now, but it’s safe to assume that we won’t see Pittsburgh's top blueline prospect until closer to the new year.
Judging from this action in his junior days, ultra talented Derrick Pouliot can also handle the rough stuff.
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The Bruins’ Frank Vatrano had successful surgery on torn foot ligaments and will be out at least three months from the start of the season. Vatrano, who has been sidelined since before training camp, will need some serious rehabilitation on this injury and may see the majority of his year suffer as a result.
Tomas Jurco has been out since before the season began with a lingering back issue. Jurco first injured himself training at home over the summer and needed surgery to correct the problem. Jurco is reported to be improving slowly and will remain out until at least mid-November. Jurco will likely join the Red Wings sometime in the next four to six weeks.
Finally, there’s been no update on Leafs' winger Josh Leivo, who injured himself before the start of training camp. The Leafs have been relatively quiet on his status but Babcock recently alluded to some displeasure with the skilled young winger. Babcock also implied that the lower-body injury was suffered outside hockey activities.
Returning to Action
Joonas Korpisalo, who injured his groin in the first week of October, is expected back anytime now. Korpisalo has seen some significant time in the NHL with the Blue Jackets, and may see more time this year if the oft-injured Bobrovsky has another lower-body issue at some point this year.
Star prospect Mikko Rantanen made his season debut Friday for the Colorado Avalanche. Rantanen started on the top line in Colorado in a 1-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The young forward saw great deployment with over 18 minutes TOI, including more than three minutes on the power play. Rantanen has sneaky good pickup potential here if he stays on a line with MacKinnon.
Hardly a prospect at this point but still notable (and still eligible as an NHL rookie), Matt Murray has backed up Marc-Andre Fleury in two games with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Murray, who broke a hand at the World Cup playing for North America, is expected to be on the bench again today as Fleury tries to improve his 5-2-1 record. With the expansion in Las Vegas, it is possible that Murray becomes the No. 1 guy in Pittsburgh. If you’re looking to get him by trade in your fantasy league now might be your best chance.
It’s almost Timo Time in San Jose. Timo Meier made his return to hockey for the San Jose Barracuda this week and was relatively ineffective. Unsurprisingly, Meier is going to need some conditioning time before he makes his way to the Sharks' lineup. Meier will make his NHL debut this season.
Finally, Oscar Lindberg made his return to the Rangers' lineup Oct. 23 and has no points in three matches. Lindberg had been sidelined due to hip surgery, and will likely need a few matches to get up to speed.
Other Injuries from October
Jean Dupuy – Buffalo Sabres – Upper-body injury – week to week – out
Vaclav Karabacek – Buffalo Sabres – Lower-body injury – week to week – out
Eetu Tuulola – Calgary Flames – Lower-body injury – week to week – out
Dillon Dube – Calgary Flames – Lower-body injury – week to week – out
Tyler Parson – Calgary Flames – Lower-body injury – day to day – returned
Keegan Kolesar – Columbus Blue Jackets – Hernia – 6 weeks – returning soon
Ben Street – Chicago Blackhawks – Upper-body injury – week to week – returned (not 100%)
Dan Renouf – Chicago Blackhawks – Undisclosed – day to day – returned
Julian Nantel – Colorado Avalanche – Foot injury – week to week – out
Roope Hintz – Dallas Stars – Undisclosed – week to week – returned
Jason Dickinson – Dallas Stars – Hip surgery – week to week – returned
Chris Martenet – Dallas Stars – Upper-body injury – day to day -returned
Vili Saarijarvi – Detroit Red Wings – Wrist surgery – week to week – out
Mike Borkowski – Detroit Red Wings – Undisclosed – day to day – returned
Brandon Davidson – Edmonton Oilers – Lower-body injury – 6-8 weeks – out
Iiro Pararinen – Edmonton Oilers – Leg injury – 4-6 weeks – returning soon
Jayce Hawryluk – Florida Panthers – Broken hand – 4-6 weeks – returning soon
Kyle Clague – L.A. Kings – Undisclosed – week to week – returned and won CHL player of the week
Spencer Watson – L.A. Kings – Undisclosed – 3 months – out
Martin Reway – Montreal Canadiens – Suspected Lyme Disease – Indefinite – out
Cole Bardreau – Philadelphia Flyers – Abdominal surgery – Undisclosed long term – out
Teddy Blueger – Pittsburgh Penguins – Lower body injury – 2-4 weeks – out
Thomas Di Pauli – Pittsburgh Penguins – Lower body injury -2-4 weeks – out
Sean Maguire – Pittsburgh Penguins – Concussion – 2-4 weeks – out
Lukas Bengtsson – Pittsburgh Penguins – Suspected Lyme Disease – week to week – out
Stuart Percy – Pittsburgh Penguins – Lower-body injury – week to week – out
Nikita Soshnikov – Toronto Maple Leafs – Lower-body injury – week to week – returned
Antoine Bibeau – Toronto Maple Leafs – Lower-body injury – day to day – returned
Anton Rodin – Vancouver Canucks – Knee injury – Indefinite – out
Cole Cassels – Vancouver Canucks – Undisclosed – week to week – out
Brendan Lemieux – Winnipeg Jets – Foot injury – week to week – returned
That’s all I could come up with for October. Please comment below if I’ve missed anyone or if you have any information regarding any of the prospects listed above. You can follow me on Twitter @NHLFantasyGuy. Until next month.
Mike Drover