Monday Injury Analysis
By Ray Calder
Goaltenders ;
Detroit's Chris Osgood is nursing a strained groin but should return this week in one of the two games against the Blackhawks.
The Islanders Rick Dipietro is back but will not play back to back games early on according to Newsday . He hasn't had any setbacks but the team is going to be very careful after he missed 30 plus games .
Tampa Bay's Olaf Kolzig has an upper body (believed to be a shoulder) injury which has him day to day but he's likely out longer than that . Mike Smith is the starter and Kari Ramo will backup in the short term.
Vancouver's Roberto Luongo hopes to skate by the end of the week if he has no setbacks from his groin injury according to TSN .
Washington's Simeon Varlamov was demoted to the AHL today according to the Washington Times. Brent Johnson is feeling well enough to back up Jose Theodore . If Varlamov has been dropped in any of your leagues pick him up - he'll be back soon enough .
Forwards:
Buffalo's Nathan Gerbe is likely out through the end of this week with an upper body injury .
Colorado's Paul Stastny will have surgery on his fractured forearm early this week and will miss at least 4-6 weeks according to the Denver Post . This is a huge blow to the Avs who are already without Joe Sakic .
The Stars Joel Lundqvist is suffering a minor shoulder injury according to the Dallas Morning News . It sounds as though he's out at least this week . He's another guy growing frustrated with what is considered a nagging injury and the team wants to err on the side of caution so when he returns he does so ready to contribute with little chance of a setback .
Dallas also has Fabian Brunnstrom out on a day to day basis with a foot injury . According to the Dallas Morning News he was in a walking boot Sunday . Look for other options this week at least.
Florida's Rostislav Olesz has a substantial groin injury and there is still no timetable for his return . Hold him out this week and likely next at a minimum.
Minnesota's Marian Gaborik missed Sunday's game and will miss Monday's as well according to the teams official website . It's believed they are just being cautious with an injury that caused him to miss nearly half of this season, but I guess it is possible he's also being held out so that he may be kept healthy and traded when the holiday trade freeze comes of for the NHL .
Montreal's Saku Koivu has a high ankle sprain that is expected to sideline him only a week . That would be a first - high ankle sprains are 4-6 week injuries so maybe he has a different ankle injury, or maybe the team is not being forthright with how much time he'll miss . Keep him out of your lineups this week and likely beyond .
The Flyers Scottie Upshall is out 10-14 days with a knee injury . The club recalled Claude Giroux to take his place on the roster, so watch to see what the prospect can do in his limited audition .
Also in Philadelphia, Daniel Briere could be back in about 10 days from Long Term Injury Reserve . The club will need to be creative making some cap space for his return so you'll have some indication when he's close by what the team does in the transaction column .
The Blues Paul Kariya is having hip surgery and could miss the rest of the season . Those in one year leagues should cut Kariya and find a long-term replacement they would be comfortable with .
San Jose's Devin Setoguchi will miss Monday's game to attend his grandmothers funeral according to the San Jose Mercury News . He should be back in time for the clubs next game .
Toronto's Matt Stajan will miss the next 2 weeks with hyphema which is blood gathering in a pool in his right eye . According to the Toronto Sun he suffered the injury while warming up prior to a game with a soccer ball .
Vancouver's Taylor Pyatt broke his foot late last week and is out at least the next 4 weeks .
Washington's Alex Semin has a nagging back injury and while he's day to day, I'd hold him out this week as the club wants to make sure he's healthy before letting him get back into game action.
Also on the Caps , Tomas Fleischmann has pneumonia and should miss at least this coming week .
Defensemen ;
Anaheim's Brett Hedican suffered an upper body injury on Sunday and is out on a day to day basis.
Atlanta has Zach Bogosian back this week from his fractured fibula and he should be in the lineup by weeks end . I'd hold him out until he gets some of the rust off as he's been out since late October .
The Rangers Michal Rozsival missed Saturday's game with family issues but was back with the team at practice Sunday and is expected to play this evening .
Philadelphia's Matt Carle has a bone bruise in his ankle according to the Philly Daily News . I'd hold him out this week as he's day to day, but probably misses a couple more games at a minimum .
Pittsburgh's Ryan Whitney has returned from his foot injury and is safe to have back in your lineups . According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he is packing his foot in ice on non-game days . He should be fine going forward so roll with him .Also in Pittsburgh, Kris Letang has missed the last 3 games with a foot injury and is out on a day to day basis .
Last week we noted here that the Blues Jay Mckee would miss 4-6 weeks with a broken finger . There was a published report this past weekend in the Buffalo News that suggested that the finger is not healing correctly and that it may even need to be amputated . Obviously if that report is true, the injury is more significant than a simple break . Either way don't look for a return inside 6 weeks .
Toronto's Mike Van Ryn has his second concussion in the past 6 weeks and is out at least this week and probably much longer . Get him out of your lineup as this situation is pretty serious when you consider what Van Ryn has already been through this season .