January 14 Fantasy Hockey Injury Reports: Shayne Gostisbehere Returns to Lineup, Filip Hronek is Gametime Decision, and Yegor Chinakhov Getting Close

I’ve got a few injury reports that could impact your rosters. As we start the second half of the NHL season, injuries continue to affect team performance and standings.

Stay up to date on the latest player news here at FantasySP. We have the most comprehensive player news for the NHL. Sync your leagues and automatically get alerted of breaking news.

Let’s take a look at some injury updates:  

Carolina Hurricanes - The Return of Ghost Bear

Shayne Gostisbehere returned the lineup on January 12 for the Hurricanes. Gostisbehere missed eight games for the Canes with an upper body injury. This was a big impact to their blueline as despite him being shuffled between pairings, he is the quarterback to their number one powerplay.

This has a direct impact on the aging Brent Burns. Burns' fantasy value continues to fall as he had his powerply spot usurped this year with the addition of Gostisbehere to the roster. Burns did have the opportunity to move up in the powerplay during Gostisbehere’s absence, but was relevated back to powerplay two in their last game.

Burns also saw his ice time dip to the lowest it’s been since replacing Gostisbehere. Watch for him to drop back down to streamer status with Ghost Bear’s return.

Gostisbehere continues to hold mid round value and is very often overlooked, but throughout the season has gained some traction amongst those savvy enough to dig deep into the numbers. If he hasn’t been on your radar - he should be for the remainder of the season.

Ghost Bear has six goals, 21 assists, and an impressive 18 powerplay points in 36 games played this season. He also has 69 shots, 29 hits, and 30 blocks which add to his sneaky peripherals. His main value is added by his quarterback role on the top powerplay unit playing with elite talent such as Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho (the good one), Seth Jarvis, and Martin Necas.

Hronek is a Gametime Decision

Filip Hronek of the Canucks is a gametime decision tonight as per Elliotte Friedman. Hronek has been out of action since early December and his absence has been devastating for the defensive prowess of the Canucks blueline.

Since being out of the lineup the Canucks Captain and legend amongst the locker room and fan base, Quinn Hughes, has also missed significant time. Further, top goaltender Thatcher Demko returned and has been spotty at best, now seeing split crease time with Kevin Lankinen.

Hronek’s return was scheduled to be late January, but this latest news from Friedman could be an absolute game changer for the Canucks, and your roster. Hronek is a defence first blue liner with great peripherals who will be bolstering the defence in front of the crease.

What does this mean for you? Well it could have the potential to bring Demko out of his funk having more help in front of him - making him a potential buy low candidate who could potentially see an immediate bump in ice time. The split between Demko and Lankinen could start to sway in Demko’s favour.

It also means Hughes having his left defense partner back means he will have the opportunity to get back to a more offensive style play without having to worry about staying back to defend, because having Hronek on the ice will ease his mind. Watch for Hughes to break out.

Prior to injury Hronek put up one goal and eight assists with two powerplay points in 21 games played. Of note he was +18 for +/-, and that was without Demko. He also had exceptional peripherals that included 24 shots on goal, 36 hits, and 21 blocked shots.

If Hronek is on your waiver wire and wasn’t held by someone, he is a must add. Grab him now, as being a game time decision to play - even if he doesn't skate tonight, he will be on the Canucks’ roster this matchup.

Columbus Blue Jackets - Chinakov Nearing Return

If you read my article last week on the Columbus Blue Jackets then you know they have multiple injuries and as each piece gets added back to the board, they will see more and more success. Already punching above their weight class, the Jackets are posed to have a strong second half of the season.

Mentioned in my article was Yegor Chinakhov. A huge depth up and comer in this lineup. A top streaming option in some leagues, but a potential hold in deeper leagues - Chinakhov was a key part of the Blue Jackets’ success before going down with an upper body injury in Late November.

Chinakhov has been skating and is expected to return to the lineup on January 18, making him a potential pickup for the next matchup. This timeline has not been confirmed, however with his resumption of skating and a report from The Hockey News stating he was a couple weeks away early last week - his return is imminent. 

Chinakhov will likely be filling a middle six forward position as he was previously, and seeing significant powerplay time.

Chinakhov has seven goals, seven assists, and five powerplay points in just 21 games played this season. He also adds to his fantasy value with a whopping 55 shots on goal, 32 hits, and 10 blocks.

Some Final Thoughts on Injury Tips

In most leagues, you are locked into your roster once the first game of the night starts. That is why it is so critical to keep your finger on the pulse, and take advantage of injury updates and information that is available.

Sometimes this may be a gamble, as you may have to bench a player on the chance that another may be activated off of the injured reserve list, or worse you may have a drop a player to make room - however it is these small details and decisions that could win or lose you a matchup.

Keep yourself informed, stay updated, and you will continue to have the advantage in your leagues or be able to snipe returning players off of the waiver wire before your opponents can act.