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Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like there have been an awful lot of injuries so far this season. With that in mind, we are going to take a look at some of the injuries and what their teams have done to compensate for the loss of that player. 1. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins: Malkin was lost to the Penguins for two to three weeks with a strained shoulder. Not a major injury, but one the Penguins want to take care of early in the season rather than let it linger on. In his absence, the Penguins will want Jordan Staal to step up his play in five on five situations and on the power play. Staal is still just a baby at 21 years of age; he has plenty of talent, and now will be given a chance once again to show it. 2. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks: Sedin has already been out of the lineup for three and a half weeks with a broken bone in his foot. The Canucks signing of Mikael Samuelsson looks like an even better move now with the loss of Sedin. Samuelsson has gotten off to a great start in Vancouver with eight goals, and in the short term can offset the loss of Sedin. 3. Johan Franzen, Detroit Red Wings: Franzen tore his ACL and is out until after the All-Star Break. This is a loss that really hurts since the Wings lost Marian Hossa and Samuelsson to free agency, and Jiri Hudler to the KHL. Luckily for the Wings Tomas Holmstrom has stepped up his play as he has eight goals in 13 games. The Wings needed someone to puck the puck in the net as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg have gotten off to a slow start. If not for Holmstrom, the Wings would be in even more trouble.  4. Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals: Now there is no way to replace Ovechkin. The Capitals may have caught a break as the shoulder injury he suffered may not be as severe as first thought. Ovechkin is even hoping to return this weekend. Hopefully for the Capitals, the NHL, and his fantasy owners, he is able to get back in the lineup sooner rather than later.5. Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens: Like Franzen, Markov also won’t return to the lineup until after the All-Star Break. He had a tendon sliced in his leg when the skate of his own goalie caught him. Markov was the leader of the Montreal defense and their power play quarterback. In his absence the Canadiens signed Marc-Andre Bergeron to help out on the power play. Bergeron is not at his best on defense, but he has a rocket shot that can certainly help out from the point with the man advantage. 6. Sergei Gonchar, Pittsburgh Penguins: Gonchar was lost to the Penguins for four to six weeks with a broken bone in his wrist. Like Markov in Montreal Gonchar’s loss with be especially felt on the power play and we all know what a lethal power play the Penguins possess. The good news for the Penguins is that they have a pair of defensemen who have quite an upside in Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang. Those two should be able to handle Gonchar’s minutes, and the Penguins shouldn’t miss a beat. 7. Sheldon Souray, Edmonton Oilers: Souray has been out for a few weeks now with a concussion. Concussions are always hard to deal with because it’s impossible to predict when the symptoms will fade. For Souray he has barely been able to skate since the injury, and the Oilers haven’t been able to replace him because the flu has been ravaging their team, leaving them with a short roster for a few games. 8. Devin Setoguchi, San Jose Sharks: Setoguchi has missed the last five games with a leg injury that the Sharks are keeping very quiet. They have put no timetable on his return but do admit that he has been able to ride a stationary bike. The Sharks have the offensive fire power to withstand the loss of Setoguchi and the player to watch in his absence has been Ryan Clowe. Clowe got off to a slow start but is starting to come around now. 9. Jason Arnott, Nashville Predators: Arnott has been out with an arm injury since mid-October. The good news is that he is expected back this week, and that is great news to Nashville as they just don’t have the depth to survive an injury to one of their better players. 10. Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks: Another player with a concussion so his return is still a little cloudy. The Hawks are loaded with young talent in Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, and will soon have the services of Hossa back as he returns from shoulder surgery. 11. Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers: Like the Predators, the Thrashers are not equipped to handle an injury to one of their better players, more or less a superstar like Kovalchuk. Rich Peverly has played very well in his absence and could be quite a pick up if he continues to do so. 12. Simon Gagne, Philadelphia Flyers: As good a player as Gagne is, he is also extremely injury prone and this season is no different as he will miss the next six to eight weeks to undergo surgery on two hernias. The player to be looking at here is James van Riemsdyk. He has 13 points in 10 games and should only get better as he is a top six forward and will get more time on the power play. 13. Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes: Staal has an upper body injury and although it’s not something that will keep him out long-term, it’s another injury to a top player that the NHL cannot afford. Ray Whitney and Sergei Samsonov need to pick up their play in order to replace the offense that is missing when Staal is not in the lineup. 14. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks: Luongo fractured some ribs and has been out a couple of weeks. You can’t replace the best Goalie in the league, but you can hope that Andrew Raycroft can hold the fort until Luongo returns. 15. Marc Savard, Boston Bruins: Savard also broke his foot and is out four to six weeks. The Bruins need David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron to take over first line Center duties for him. Unfortunately, Krejci still looks a step slow since undergoing hip surgery in the offseason, and Bergeron has never been the same since his concussion a few years ago. Trackback(0)
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Tags: Evgeni Malkin Jordan Staal Daniel Sedin Vancouver Canucks Mikael Samuelsson Johan Franzen Detroit Red Wings Marian Hossa Jiri Hudler Tomas Holmstrom Pavel Datsyuk Henrik Zetterberg Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals Andrei Markov Montreal Canadiens Marc-Andre Bergeron Sergei Gonchar Pittsburgh Penguins Alex Goligoski Kris Letang Sheldon Souray Edmonton Oilers Devin Setoguchi San Jose Sharks Ryan Clowe Jason Arnott Nashville Predators Jonathan Toews Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane Patrick Sharp Kris Versteeg Ilya Kovalchuk Atlanta Thrashers Rich Peverly Simon Gagne Philadelphia Flyers James van Riemsdyk Eric Staal Carolina Hurricanes Ray Whitney Sergei Samzonov Roberto Luongo Vancouver Canucks Andrew Raycroft Marc Savard Boston Bruins David Krejci Patrice Bergeron
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