Less than a month into the NHL season, countless key players have already popped up on injury reports from coast to coast. While stars like Kris Letang and Sam Gagner near returns from medical issues, a handful of other big names are likely to remain absent for some time. Injuries to the following stars will be giving coaches and fans fits for at least the next few weeks:
Taylor Hall – Edmonton Oilers – Knee:
The last place Oilers will have a hard time climbing out of the Pacific Division basement without their best player, who is expected to miss four weeks with an injured left knee. Hall picked up the injury in a game against the Ottawa Senators on October 19. Prior to that, he put up eight points in as many games Since being selected first overall back in 2010, Hall has become an elite goal-scorer, but he has struggled to stay healthy. Though he missed just three games in the lockout-shortened 2013 season, he failed to play more than 65 games in either of his two previous NHL seasons. By the time he returns in late November, the Oilers may already be out of the playoff picture.
Loui Eriksson – Boston Bruins – Concussion:
Eriksson got off to a slow start in his first few games with the Bruins, but he was starting to find his stride until being knocked out by an October 25 cheap shot from John Scott. The 6-foot-8 Buffalo Sabres goon has been suspended indefinitely for seemingly targeting the Eriksson’s head near center ice. The Bruins are particularly wary of head injuries given the continuing Marc Savard saga. Concussion issues have kept Savard off the ice since 2011. Eriksson missed Boston’s victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night and there is currently no timetable for his return. The Swedish star has three points in eight games so far this season.
Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators – Hip:
No team in the NHL depends more heavily on its’ goaltender than Nashville, and the Tennessee team will now be without their rock in net for some time. A recent scope of Rinne’s hip will force the club to roll with backup Carter Hutton for at least four weeks. Rinne appeared in 43 games last season. Only Winnipeg’s Ondrej Pavelec took the ice more often. The offensively challenged Preds are surprisingly 2-0 in front of Hutton, but both wins have come against the struggling Jets. If the Predators continue to rank 26th in goals per game, they could rack up quite a few losses before their franchise puck-stopper returns.
Cam Ward – Carolina Hurricanes – Lower-body:
The Carolina Hurricanes are currently weathering a howling storm of injuries. With key players Jeff Skinner, Tim Gleason and Joni Pitkanen already on the shelf, the Canes were in no position to surrender their goaltender to the training room. Ward’s expected three-to-four week absence will be especially trying considering capable backup Anton Khudobin is himself nursing an injury. Until either Ward or Khudobin is able to return, Justin Peters and Mike Murphy will try to defend Carolina’s precarious position near the top of the Metropolitan Division. Peters posted an abysmal 4-11 record last season as the Canes failed to overcome another Ward injury.
The New York Rangers – Various Injuries:
So far this season, no team has been crippled by injuries quite like the New York Rangers. The number of key Rangers sitting in a sky box each night directly correlates to the team’s swollen number in the loss column. New head coach Alain Vigneault was deprived of Ryan Callahan, Rick Nash, Carl Hagelin and Henrik Lundqvist for Thursday’s nights loss to the miserable Philadelphia Flyers. Now in last place, the Rangers are unsure of how long they will be without their stars. Lundqvist has returned to practice, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his undisclosed injury is behind him. Hagelin has also begun to practice after off-season shoulder surgery. Nash’s concussion issues could linger for some time, and Callahan’s broken thumb will keep him out of action for nearly a month. The Broadway Blue Shirts will have to heal up quickly if they are ever going to wake up from their current nightmare.
