Let’s see if we can get up to speed on what’s happened while the NHL was away these past couple months between a slew of injuries and superstars being superstars no matter where they play.
Think of it as reading that kids notes from General Earth Science 102, who always goes to class so you know they’re legit and everything’s be indexed. Oh, and there’s a table of contents too, how convenient.
First, if you’re interested in participating in a commenter league this year, let us know in the comments below as those will be forming over the next few days and drafting this weekend into next week.
Moving ahead.. let’s take a look at any injuries that might end up playing a role in whether or not to draft a player for this shortened season.
Nathan Horton (Post Concussion symptoms) Agent stated he was cleared and ready to go back in November.
Nathan Gerbe (Spinal surgery) So yea.. that happened.. Gerbe had surgery this past summer but resumed skating in December and could play at some point but there’s not exact time table. Temper your expectation until more is known.
Tuomo Ruutu (Hip surgery) Out until at least April/May. Avoid on draft day.
Ryan Murray (Shoulder surgery) Out for the rest of the season. Avoid in non-keeper leagues.
Derek Roy (Off-season shoulder surgery) Started skating with the AHL Stars back in November and is said to be 100% once again. Draft lower than normal but still worth the selection if he stays healthy.
Anze Kopitar (Knee injury) His agent stated on Monday that he may need 3-4 weeks to recover from a grade 2 MCL sprain. Going to be reevaluated on Wednesday by team doctors in LA. Keep updated on this one as it could make a HUGE difference where he goes on draft day.
Jonathan Quick (Off-season back surgery) Has been rehabbing and is apparently ready to roll but has yet to be cleared. This is probably just a formality, but keep an eye on this situation as well.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard (Concussion) Still has yet to be cleared to play but should be in the next week. Should see time on the bottom half of the Wild roster but he will hopefully get some time on the PP. Draft with caution though as he’s a constant injury risk.
Tomas Plekanec (Upper body injury) Was hurt in the end of December but should only miss part of training camp and hopefully be ready to play when action resumes around the 19th.
Adam Henrique (Thumb surgery) Will most likely miss 3-4 weeks as he just had the cast removed after repairing a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. Draft later than you would normally in standard leagues.
Michael Grabner (Abdominal muscle tear) Happened in late November and hasn’t played since. Is set to be evaluated by team doctors this week to determine an exact return date.
Travis Harmonic (Concussion) Out since early December but is said to be on the up and up and should return to skating this week and hopefully game action by the end of the month with no setbacks.
Michael Del Zotto (Back tenderness) Makes me hungry for a nice tender cut of steak.. with that said, he should be fine in a week once things get going full swing.
Rick Nash (Groin) Nothing serious but something to keep an eye on… ok, don’t necessarily keep a watch on Nash’s groin.. but you get the point.
Marian Gaborik (Off-season shoulder surgery) Is said to be healthy and ready to start the season… we’ll see about that and just how long he lasts. Draft with caution people.
Jared Cowen (Hip surgery) What is this… an old folks home?! Hip surgeries and groin problems galore.. Alas, look for Cowen to return NEXT season hopefully.
Daniel Briere (Wrist injury) Occurred in late December and there’s some concern to the situation as you would think, but Briere has stated that it’s getting better each day and he’s not worried. Doctors shall be the deciding factor on that one Danny boy.
Chris Pronger (Concussion) How many fingers am I holding up Chris? Meh, nevermind…
Brett Burns (Off-season sports hernia surgery) Was cleared WAY back in early October, but things have been mighty quiet since then. Should not be a problem but just stating the obvious in case you’re wondering.
Jake Gardiner (Neck/Whiplash) His coach, Randy Carlyle, said he’d put Gardiner at about 90% at this point.
Ryan Kesler (Off-season shoulder surgery) In December, his agent said that he was ‘months away’, but there’s still no true time table for his return to action. Take a late round flier if he’s still on the board.
Nicklas Backstrom (WSH) (Neck) Suffered a neck bruise in late December and should be set to go next week.
Zach Bogosian (Off-season wrist surgery) If this kid could stay healthy and have bionic wrists, he’d be the next coming of Paul Coffey. With that out of the way, he’s just another injury risk who’s worth a later round pick given his return is slated for February at some point.
ANDDD on to the fun stuff, the stats…
Overseas Top Performers
With Malkin leading the pack so far, it’s like hockey never stopped as he picked up right where he left off last season. Not to mention future Detroit standout, Damien Brunner, playing along side current and future teammate, Henrik Zetterberg, look out kids!
|
PLAYER |
Pos | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A |
PTS |
| Evgeni Malkin | F | Magnitogorsk Metallurg | KHL | 37 | 23 | 42 | 65 |
| Damien Brunner | F | Zug | Swiss-A | 33 | 25 | 32 | 57 |
| Alexander Radulov | F | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 38 | 19 | 31 | 50 |
| Tomas Plekanec | F | Kladno | Czech | 32 | 21 | 25 | 46 |
| John Tavares | F | Bern* | Swiss-A | 28 | 17 | 25 | 42 |
| Alexander Ovechkin | F | Moscow Dynamo | KHL | 31 | 19 | 21 | 40 |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | F | St. Petersburg SKA | KHL | 34 | 18 | 22 | 40 |
| Tyler Seguin | F | Biel | Swiss-A | 29 | 25 | 15 | 40 |
| Nikolai Kulemin | F | Magnitogorsk Metallurg | KHL | 36 | 14 | 24 | 38 |
| Pavel Datsyuk | F | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 31 | 11 | 25 | 36 |
| Joe Thornton | F | Davos | Swiss-A | 33 | 12 | 24 | 36 |
| Daniel Briere | F | Berlin Polar Bears | DEL | 21 | 10 | 24 | 34 |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov | F | Chelyabinsk Traktor | KHL | 40 | 16 | 18 | 34 |
| Erik Karlsson | D | Jokerit Helsinki | SM-liiga | 30 | 9 | 25 | 34 |
| Mikkel Boedker | F | Lukko Rauma | SM-liiga | 29 | 21 | 12 | 33 |
| Ales Hemsky | F | Pardubice HC | Czech | 27 | 14 | 18 | 32 |
| Henrik Zetterberg | F | Zug | Swiss-A | 23 | 16 | 16 | 32 |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | F | St. Petersburg SKA | KHL | 31 | 14 | 17 | 31 |
| Artem Anisimov | F | Yaroslavl Lokomotiv | KHL | 36 | 12 | 18 | 30 |
| Calle Jarnkrok | F | Brynas IF Gavle | SEL | 36 | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| Jason Spezza | F | Rapperswil-Jona | Swiss-A | 28 | 9 | 21 | 30 |
| Sergei Kostitsyn | F | Omsk Avangard | KHL | 27 | 9 | 20 | 29 |
| Sergei Gonchar | D | Magnitogorsk Metallurg | KHL | 37 | 3 | 26 | 29 |
| Raphael Diaz | D | Zug | Swiss-A | 32 | 7 | 22 | 29 |
| David Krejci | F | Pardubice HC | Czech | 24 | 16 | 11 | 27 |
| Bryan Bickell | F | Znojmo Orli HC | Austria | 28 | 9 | 18 | 27 |
| Mark Streit | D | Bern | Swiss-A | 32 | 7 | 19 | 26 |
| Christian Ehrhoff | D | Krefeld Penguins | DEL | 32 | 8 | 18 | 26 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | F | Moscow Dynamo | KHL | 19 | 10 | 15 | 25 |
| Marek Zidlicky | D | Kladno | Czech | 25 | 3 | 22 | 25 |
| Mikhail Grabovski | F | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 29 | 12 | 12 | 24 |
Junior & Minor League Leaders
Some names you might recognize and some you may not, either way there are quite a few youngsters tearing it up in the minors so far this season.
| PLAYER | Pos | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | PTS |
| Seth Griffith | F | London Knights | OHL | 42 | 28 | 39 | 67 |
| Ryan Strome | F | Niagara IceDogs | OHL | 32 | 22 | 40 | 62 |
| Alex Galchenyuk | F | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 33 | 27 | 34 | 61 |
| Nick Cousins | F | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 41 | 17 | 43 | 60 |
| Tim Bozon | F | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 41 | 25 | 32 | 57 |
| Daniel Catenacci | F | Owen Sound Attack | OHL | 39 | 21 | 31 | 52 |
| Reid Boucher | F | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 40 | 30 | 22 | 52 |
| Jordan Eberle | F | Oklahoma City Barons | AHL | 34 | 25 | 26 | 51 |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | F | Quebec Remparts | QMJHL | 30 | 29 | 21 | 50 |
| Brett Ritchie | F | Niagara IceDogs | OHL | 32 | 27 | 23 | 50 |
| Vincent Trocheck | F | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 35 | 24 | 26 | 50 |
| Michael St. Croix | F | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 40 | 21 | 28 | 49 |
| Justin Schultz | D | Oklahoma City Barons | AHL | 34 | 18 | 30 | 48 |
| Mark Scheifele | F | Barrie Colts | OHL | 29 | 21 | 27 | 48 |
| Matej Stransky | F | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 40 | 22 | 26 | 48 |
| Connor Brown | F | Erie Otters | OHL | 40 | 20 | 28 | 48 |
| Ty Rattie | F | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 30 | 19 | 28 | 47 |
| Boone Jenner | F | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 32 | 27 | 20 | 47 |
| Brenden Kichton | D | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 39 | 11 | 36 | 47 |
| Henrik Samuelsson | F | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 40 | 22 | 25 | 47 |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | F | Saint John Sea Dogs | QMJHL | 30 | 16 | 29 | 45 |
| Phillip Danault | F | Victoriaville Tigres | QMJHL | 29 | 14 | 30 | 44 |
| Josh Leivo | F | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 34 | 19 | 25 | 44 |
| Andreas Athanasiou | F | Barrie Colts | OHL | 39 | 19 | 25 | 44 |
| Zach Stepan | F | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 27 | 17 | 26 | 43 |
| Dougie Hamilton | D | Niagara IceDogs | OHL | 32 | 8 | 33 | 41 |
| Yannick Veilleux | F | Moncton Wildcats | QMJHL | 39 | 19 | 22 | 41 |
| Cody Ceci | D | Ottawa 67’s | OHL | 42 | 11 | 29 | 40 |
| Charles Hudon | F | Chicoutimi Sagueneens | QMJHL | 29 | 20 | 19 | 39 |
| Mark McNeill | F | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 35 | 13 | 26 | 39 |
| Mitch Wahl | F | Utah Grizzlies | ECHL | 30 | 11 | 28 | 39 |
| Cam Atkinson | F | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 33 | 17 | 21 | 38 |
| Martin Frk | F | Halifax Mooseheads | QMJHL | 28 | 13 | 25 | 38 |
| Scott Kosmachuk | F | Guelph Storm | OHL | 39 | 19 | 19 | 38 |
| Alex Broadhurst | F | London Knights | OHL | 42 | 14 | 24 | 38 |
| Derrick Pouliot | D | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 35 | 8 | 28 | 36 |
| Tyler Johnson | F | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 33 | 20 | 15 | 35 |
| Mike Winther | F | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 37 | 14 | 21 | 35 |
| Taylor Hall | F | Oklahoma City Barons | AHL | 26 | 14 | 20 | 34 |
| David Broll | F | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 41 | 13 | 21 | 34 |
| Jonathan Audy-Marchessault | F | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 33 | 11 | 22 | 33 |
| Nino Niederreiter | F | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 33 | 17 | 16 | 33 |
| Brayden Schenn | F | Adirondack Phantoms | AHL | 33 | 13 | 20 | 33 |
| Tyler Biggs | F | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 34 | 15 | 18 | 33 |
| Matt Beleskey | F | Coventry Blaze | EIHL | 26 | 12 | 21 | 33 |
| Jason Zucker | F | Houston Aeros | AHL | 31 | 15 | 17 | 32 |
| Gustav Nyquist | F | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 33 | 12 | 20 | 32 |
| Ryan Sproul | D | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 24 | 13 | 19 | 32 |
| Tom Wilson | F | Plymouth Whalers | OHL | 29 | 11 | 21 | 32 |
| Scott Laughton | F | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 30 | 13 | 19 | 32 |
| Garret Meurs | F | Plymouth Whalers | OHL | 39 | 18 | 14 | 32 |
| Zach Boychuk | F | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 36 | 15 | 16 | 31 |
| Logan Nelson | F | Victoria Royals | WHL | 34 | 8 | 23 | 31 |
| Adam Pelech | D | Erie Otters | OHL | 40 | 6 | 25 | 31 |
| Petter Holland | F | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 33 | 12 | 18 | 30 |
| TJ Brennan | D | Rochester Americans | AHL | 33 | 12 | 18 | 30 |
| Brett Connolly | F | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 33 | 13 | 17 | 30 |
| Drew Miller | F | Braehead Clan | EIHL | 23 | 15 | 15 | 30 |
| Rickard Rakell | F | Plymouth Whalers | OHL | 30 | 13 | 17 | 30 |
| Ryan Rupert | F | London Knights | OHL | 31 | 6 | 24 | 30 |
| Tomas Tatar | F | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 33 | 13 | 16 | 29 |
| Damon Severson | D | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 40 | 5 | 24 | 29 |
| Sean Couturier | F | Adirondack Phantoms | AHL | 31 | 10 | 18 | 28 |
| Jakob Silfverberg | F | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 32 | 13 | 15 | 28 |
| Michael Sgarbossa | F | Lake Erie Monsters | AHL | 34 | 13 | 15 | 28 |
| Richard Panik | F | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 34 | 17 | 11 | 28 |
| Matt Puempel | F | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 27 | 21 | 7 | 28 |
| Brendan Gaunce | F | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 31 | 15 | 13 | 28 |
| Stefan Matteau | F | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | 33 | 18 | 10 | 28 |
| Morgan Rielly | D | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 33 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| Matt Finn | D | Guelph Storm | OHL | 33 | 11 | 17 | 28 |
| Slater Koekkoek | D | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 40 | 6 | 22 | 28 |
| Marcus Foligno | F | Rochester Americans | AHL | 33 | 10 | 17 | 27 |
| Cory Conacher | F | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 34 | 12 | 15 | 27 |
| Alex Killorn | F | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 34 | 13 | 14 | 27 |
| Linden Vey | F | Manchester Monarchs | AHL | 35 | 8 | 19 | 27 |
| Tyson Barrie | D | Lake Erie Monsters | AHL | 36 | 6 | 21 | 27 |
| Tomas Hyka | F | Gatineau Olympiques | QMJHL | 29 | 10 | 17 | 27 |
| Nick Ebert | D | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 39 | 6 | 21 | 27 |
| Frank Corrado | D | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 41 | 6 | 21 | 27 |
| Erik Haula | F | U. of Minnesota | WCHA | 19 | 9 | 17 | 26 |
| Tyler Toffoli | F | Manchester Monarchs | AHL | 34 | 16 | 10 | 26 |
| Andy Miele | F | Portland Pirates | AHL | 34 | 11 | 15 | 26 |
| Teemu Hartikainen | F | Oklahoma City Barons | AHL | 35 | 11 | 15 | 26 |
| Drew Shore | F | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 36 | 8 | 18 | 26 |
| Stuart Percy | D | Mississauga Steelheads | OHL | 38 | 10 | 16 | 26 |
| Danny Kristo | F | U. of North Dakota | WCHA | 18 | 10 | 15 | 25 |
| Nazem Kadri | F | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 26 | 7 | 18 | 25 |
| Ryan Johansen | F | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 33 | 13 | 12 | 25 |
| Landon Ferraro | F | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 33 | 12 | 13 | 25 |
| Ben Smith | F | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 35 | 14 | 11 | 25 |
| Xavier Ouellet | D | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | 26 | 5 | 20 | 25 |
| Radek Faksa | F | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 29 | 7 | 18 | 25 |
That wraps up our brief but not so brief update on life outside the NHL lockout.
Look for an overall rankings list at some point Tuesday followed by some sleepers, busts and potential calder candidates later on this week!
Don’t forget to comment below if you’re interested in competing in a commenter league this year.
