NHL Teams Most Impacted by Injuries in the 2015-16 Season
We're barely into the second month of the 2015-16 NHL season, but some of the game's biggest names have already been bounced into the trainer's room due to injuries.
Last year's most valuable player, Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, has been on the sidelines for more than a week with a lower-body injury and has now left his team for further medical evaluation, according to Arpon Basu of NHL.com.
Remarkably, Price's absence has caused barely a ripple of concern in hockey-mad Montreal so far. Rookie Mike Condon has guided the Canadians to a 3-0-1 record in Price's absence, and the otherwise-healthy team remains comfortably perched at the top of the NHL standings.
Elsewhere, the situation is different. Some teams have proved able to withstand injuries to key players so far, while others are sagging as they try to get by.
The Man Games Lost website does an excellent job of tracking which teams are most affected by injuries—in terms of games lost and the importance of those missing to their teams.
Working off that data, here's a look at the six NHL clubs that have felt the biggest impacts from injuries so far this season—and their relative successes in coping with the issues.
For purposes of this article, key injuries are defined as injuries that keep top players out of their teams' lineups for a meaningful period of time. Injuries with short time frames and to lower-tier players are generally not included.
6. St. Louis Blues
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Key Injuries This Season
- Patrik Berglund (C) had shoulder surgery in August and won't play until January, according to Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Robby Fabbri (C) missed six games after suffering a concussion on October 10. He returned to action on October 27.
- Kevin Shattenkirk (D) missed 10 games after suffering a groin injury on October 13, per James O'Brien of NBC Sports. He returned to action on November 7.
- Paul Stastny (C) suffered a broken foot on October 16. He'll be reevaluated later this month and won't return before November 28, according to Lou Korac of In the Slot.
- Jaden Schwartz (LW) suffered a fractured ankle in practice on October 23. He's expected to be reevaluated in 12 weeks following surgery, according to the St. Louis Blues website.
- Vladimir Tarasenko (RW) returned to the lineup on November 2 after missing one game with a leg injury.
How Has the Team Fared?
The St. Louis Blues are holding up remarkably well considering they rank fourth on the list of man games lost to injury—and most of those injuries have been to key players.
The Blues sit third in the NHL standings with 21 points in 14 games and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.
Shattenkirk's injury actually yielded a positive for the team, allowing it to uncover a gem in unheralded rookie Colton Parayko. His 10 points place him among the NHL's top 10 scorers on defense.
Outlook Going Forward
Even with Shattenkirk, Tarasenko and Fabbri back in the lineup, the Blues roster is stretched thin up front and could wear down over the course of a long season. To help compensate, St. Louis signed Scott Gomez as a veteran free agent early in the year, and it added Martin Havlat to the roster on November 6, per Rich Chere of NJ.com.
The sudden emergence of Parayko gives Blues general manager Doug Armstrong the option of potentially moving a blueliner for more help at forward if the right deal comes along.
5. Buffalo Sabres
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Key Injuries This Season
- Zach Bogosian (D) has been on injured reserve since training camp with a lower-body injury.
- Robin Lehner (G) suffered an ankle sprain on opening night that's expected to keep him out for six to 10 weeks.
- Evander Kane (LW) suffered a knee sprain on October 24. He's at least two weeks away from returning to the lineup, according to John Vogl of the Buffalo News.
How Has the Team Fared?
Pretty well, all things considered.
Despite the absence of three key pieces of their rebuild, the Buffalo Sabres are getting good contributions from new additions like Ryan O'Reilly and Jack Eichel, while Linus Ullmark is proving to be a solid substitute for the injured Lehner.
The Sabres are a respectable 5-5-0 in their last 10 games and nearly as close to a playoff spot (five points) as they are to the NHL basement (four points).
Outlook Going Forward
As good as it has been in years. Already, the Sabres are showing a heartbeat from their offseason changes and look like they're coming together as a team. Once Kane, Bogosian and Lehner join the group, Buffalo could make a move up the standings.
4. Chicago Blackhawks
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Key Injuries This Season
- Michal Rozsival (D) suffered an ankle injury October 3. He's expected to return within the next week, according to Brian Hedger of NHL.com.
- Duncan Keith (D) suffered a right knee injury October 20 and was expected to be out four to six weeks. Also per Brian Hedger, Keith skated for the first time on November 8, less than three weeks after the injury. He's not eligible to come off long-term injured reserve until November 14.
- Marian Hossa (RW) missed three games after suffering a lower-body injury on November 2. He returned to action on November 8.
How Has the Team Fared?
The Chicago Blackhawks haven't been bad this season, but they're going to need every point they can muster if they hope to avoid the fate of the Los Angeles Kings and become the second straight Stanley Cup champion team to miss the playoffs.
The Hawks have earned 17 points in 15 games, leaving them one point out of the Western Conference wild card through games played November 8.
In nine games since Keith came out of the lineup, the Blackhawks are 5-3-1, with a 1-1-1 record when both Keith and two-way forward Marian Hossa were sidelined.
Outlook Going Forward
Explosive offense from Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin has been keeping the Blackhawks in games while dealing with the injury issues.
Keith's return and the addition of the trusty Rozsival for the first time this season should help to solidify a blue line that tied for the lowest goals-against last season but is currently ranked 16th in the NHL, averaging 2.53 goals-against per game.
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3. Tampa Bay Lightning
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Key Injuries This Season
- Cedric Paquette (C) missed the first four games of the season with a foot injury then played just five games before suffering a leg injury that kept him out for five more games. He returned to the lineup on November 5.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (G) returned to the lineup on November 1 after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg in early September.
- Jonathan Drouin (LW) returned November 7 after missing five games with a lower-body injury.
- Ondrej Palat (LW) is sidelined for three to five weeks with an ankle injury suffered November 7, according to NHL.com.
How Has the Team Fared?
Not great. The blood clot issue for Vasilevskiy was the most impactful, forcing starter Ben Bishop to play heavy minutes in the early going, and it may have lingering effects now that the backup has returned to the lineup.
Though his performance numbers have been better than last season—a .920 save percentage and 2.24 GAA—Bishop has lost his last five starts.
What's puzzling is that the high-powered Tampa Bay Lightning have struggled to score. Victor Hedman's a great defenseman, but who expected him to be leading his team in points through 16 games over players like Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson?
Outlook Going Forward
Bumpy. With 16 points in 16 games, the Lightning are clinging to the third seed in the Atlantic Division, but they are struggling to find the chemistry that made their team so formidable last season. Tampa Bay is just 3-5-2 in the last 10 games.
With only Palat currently on the injured list, it's time for the Lightning to get in the groove and try to climb the standings.
2. Detroit Red Wings
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Key Injuries This Season
- Pavel Datsyuk (C) is expected to return to the lineup soon, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com. Datsyuk underwent ankle surgery on June 26.
- Johan Franzen (RW) was placed on injured reserve with concussion symptoms after playing just two regular-season games.
- Danny DeKeyser (D) joined the lineup on October 17 after a preseason foot injury.
- Darren Helm (LW) joined the lineup on October 17 after a preseason shoulder injury.
- Brad Richards (C) has been sidelined since October 21 with a back injury.
- Kyle Quincey (D) was sidelined due to a concussion on October 23. He's now looking at possible ankle surgery that could keep him out another six weeks, according to George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.
- Mike Green (D) returned to the lineup on November 8 after missing six games with an upper-body injury.
How Has the Team Fared?
Year after year, the Detroit Red Wings seem to rank near the top of the list of the NHL's most injured teams. And year after year, the Red Wings make the playoffs.
So far, the 2015-16 season is shaping up to be status quo at Joe Louis Arena. The Wings rank first in the NHL with 51 man games lost, but they sit just two points below the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
Outlook Going Forward
Probably more of the same. The Wings will get a boost when the ever-dazzling Datsyuk steps into the lineup and are happy to welcome back their power-play specialist Green. Longer-term losses of Richards and Quincey—and a possible end to Franzen's career—are all ominous signs, but the Wings will probably find a way to press through to the postseason once again.
1. Edmonton Oilers
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Key Injuries This Season
- Jordan Eberle (RW) returned to the lineup on November 6 after suffering a shoulder injury during preseason on September 29, per NHL.com.
- Griffin Reinhart (D) returned to the lineup on November 3 after missing six games with an undisclosed injury, per Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal.
- Matt Hendricks (LW) also returned to the lineup on November 3 after missing six games with a foot injury, also per Ireland.
- Justin Schultz (D) last played October 25. He's expected to miss two to four weeks due to a back injury, per the Oilers' official Twitter account.
- Connor McDavid (C) is out indefinitely after suffering a broken clavicle on November 3.
How Has the Team Fared?
The Edmonton Oilers rank eighth on the list of man games lost, but McDavid's broken clavicle is by far the biggest headline of the year on the NHL injury front.
The 18-year-old had found his stride after a slow start and had just been named the NHL rookie of the month for October when he crashed awkwardly into the boards on the penalty kill against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Oilers hung on to beat the Flyers on the night McDavid was injured, raising their record to 5-8-0. Since he has been sidelined, Edmonton has gone 0-2-0 against two tough opponents—the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks.
Outlook Going Forward
McDavid brought big contributions to the Oilers on the ice. He also brought fans a bright ray of hope for the future of their franchise.
It'll be tough for players, coaches and management to try to manufacture a similar air of positivity around their team while McDavid remains out of action.
Roster and transaction details come from the NHL Moves page of the Hockey News website unless otherwise noted.
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