Injuries are a part of everyday fantasy hockey life. They drive you bonkers and make you run to your waiver wire faster than Usain Bolt. People have fun every year gambling on those coming off a significant injury or surgery. It never fails.
What we simply are going to do is going to give you four players who are on the mend. Will they bounce back or will they have the early season blues? Let’s go with another “Four For The Road”!
The Impatient Patient
1. Jonathan Quick hurt his wrist.
The latest is that Jonathan Quick will be just fine for training camp. Will he be a little rusty? Sure. Will he have a bit of a Stanley Cup hangover? Probably. What Quick will we see this year? Hopefully the one that was near a .930 save percentage and less the one near the league average. We have been down this road before and it did not go quite as well. Hopefully Darryl Sutter doesn’t start Quick a whole bunch of times early in the year. That will be something that there will be a better grip on coming the first week of October.
2. Nathan Horton hears an ab muscle tear.
It is unfortunate but Nathan Horton had a series of injuries last year. He recovered from a shoulder injury only to tack on a couple more maladies. Horton wound up having abdominal surgery which caused him to miss the Columbus playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a long year for the right winger who expected to have a bit more success. Horton had a full summer to work out and get into better shape. Remember last year’s long recovery from shoulder surgery but that is long over now. This should be a 2014-15 season with much better returns for Horton fantasy owners.
3. John Tavares had a boo-boo on his knee.
Okay John Tavares had to be shut down for the year but honestly this is the one that may be even better than ever. The knee injury was just enough to keep him out for the balance of the regular season but his summer workout routines have been the stuff of legend. He is a top three or four player ladies and gentlemen so why should that change. If anything, the Islanders forward will only get better fantasy hockey fans.
4. Alexander Semin is still feeling pain in his wrist.
Unfortunately Alexander Semin has not recovered as expected from off-season wrist surgery. As a matter of fact, he is now finishing said recovery in the United States which simply means there are definitely some significant problems. Will he be ready by the start of the season? The answer is likely yes but will his production suffer? That may be a likely yes as well. Keep an eye further on the situation as it develops in Carolina because setbacks are always a possibility.
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That ends another “Four For The Road”…..what say you readers?
