Fantasy Hockey Injury News: Leon Draisaitl, Chandler Stephenson and Kaiden Guhle Return, Plus More

Edmonton can rejoice in getting a star back at just the right time. We also have a couple more players return to the ice for a last push for advancing in the standings, as we get close to the NHL playoffs with about 10 games left.

More importantly, we are in the thick of fantasy playoffs, so these returns are nothing but a good thing (if they are on your team, that is). 

And as always we will check on the goal scoring record as we get within five!

As a bonus we have a couple key players practicing, so we will touch on that too, but otherwise let's get into it.

Leon's Backpack

The Edmonton Oilers got one half of their dynamic duo back, and Leon Draisaitl put the team on his back and carried them across the finish line. A two-goal, one-assist effort, Draisaitl seemed unstoppable in his return in the battle of Alberta against the rival Calgary Flames. He scored his second goal, winning the game in overtime.

Despite teammate Connor McDavid still being on the sidelines, it did not stop Draisaitl from being a one-man wrecking crew, and the Oilers need all the help they can get.

Right now, they are holding on to the third spot in the Pacific, however looking in from the outside of a second wild card spot is only three points away. The Oilers need to continue to push forward and stack wins if they want to make the playoffs, let alone make a deep run. Draisaitl needs to hold the fort while waiting for McDavid to return.

Draisaitl has 51 goals, 53 assists, and 31 powerplay points as a forward in 69 games played. He also has 237 shots on goal, 22 hits, and 25 blocked shots.

Seattle Centre

Chandler Stephenson of the Seattle Kraken returned on Saturday, March 29 against the Dallas Stars. He has been sidelined for three games due to an upper body injury. He did play a diminished role since his return, so fantasy owners or streamers should be mindful of this.

Stephenson has 11 goals, 37 assists, and 18 powerplay points as a forward in 70 games played. He also has 68 shots on goal, 32 hits, and 45 blocked shots.

Montreal Blueline

The Montreal Canadiens got the heavy-hitting Kaiden Guhle back on March 28. He suffered a lacerated quadricep and missed 21 games before returning against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Guhle returned to pairing up with Lane Hutson, which is a lethal duo for the retooling/rebuilding Canadiens - most certainly the start of a defensive core of the future. 

While Hutson is racking up assists and promoting offensive play, Guhle supports from behind and makes the pairing especially difficult to play against. The two of them combine for over 210 blocked shots, to boot!

This return is all good news. It's good for the Canadiens, who are still in close proximity to the extremely close wild card spots in the East, as they currently hold the second wild card spot with 77 points. There are four teams in their rear view mirror though, with only three points separating all five teams.

It is also good for Guhle owners, especially if you are chasing a hits category, and Hutson owners who may hope to spark some previous chemistry. Having Guhle on his left side gives Hutson the freedom of playing an offensive game without having to worry as much about backchecking.

Guhle has four goals, 10 assists, and 29 penalty minutes as a defenseman in 46 games played. He also has 59 shots on goal, 75 hits, and 105 blocked shots.

Wild Practices

The Minnesota Wild have had two elite impact players start to practice with the team, although both are still considered week-to-week and are not joining the team in their road trip. It is not great news for fantasy players, as this may indicate neither will return for games in the regular season, which is terrible for your playoff run.

Franchise player Kirill Kaprizov and elite forward Joel Eriksson Ek have both resumed practicing with the team, in non-contact jerseys. If either returns, I would definitely slot them in, but both Kaprizov and JEEK are likely not to be rushed back as the Wild sit comfortably in the top West wild card spot by six points and are unlikely to get bumped out.

Kaprizov has 23 goals, 29 assists, and 12 powerplay points as a forward in only 37 games played. He also has 128 shots on goal, 12 hits, and 15 blocked shots.

JEEK has nine goals, 15 assists, and eight powerplay points as a forward in 42 games played. He also has 123 shots on goal, 69 hits, and 31 blocked shots. 

Ovi Five Away

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals scored again against the Buffalo Sabres on March 30, bringing his career goal tally up to 890. He needs 894 goals to tie Wayne Gretzky's goal scoring record, and needs 895 goals to beat it. 

It was a wild game with the Sabres beating the Capitals 8-5. You would think a game with 13 goals, Ovi would have more than one, but sadly we will have to wait a little longer. He has nine more games this season to get four or five goals - depending on what end you want to see this season. 

Again, personally I want to see him tie the record so we have the summer to anticipate the record being broken early next season. That said, if he scored in the preseason it would kind of take away from it, wouldn't it? I am having second thoughts now.

Ovi has 37 goals, 26 assists, and 16 powerplay points as a forward in 57 games played. He also has 211 shots on goal, 100 hits, and 11 blocked shots.