| Written by Tim Hays |
|
Posted on 12/12/2007 10:29:27 PM |
ON THE IR
Phillipe Boucher, D, DAL - Boucher underwent routine shoulder surgery to repair what is merely being called “wear and tear,” but will miss the next four weeks of action. He has been experiencing pain in the shoulder, but had been playing through it up to this point. Now that the Stars have D Mattias Norstrom back, Boucher can afford to get himself healthy again without too much of a blow to the Stars defensive unit. Norstrom will be logging a lot of minutes with Boucher on the shelf, so he could be a solid fantasy option, as well as D Sergei Zubov seeing even more minutes to rack up points with.
Manny Legace, G, STL - Legace has said that his knee is not going to get better on its own, and will likely need further surgery once the year is over. As for now, he plans on returning to the ice on Thursday as the Blues take on the Panthers. Legace believes that he can finish the season out with the bad knee, but this has become a recurring problem for the 34-year-old goaltender, and his body is not getting any younger as the days go on. Legace has been pretty solid all season, but if he canot stay on the ice, he is not much use in fantasy.
Jonathan Cheechoo, RW, SJ - Cheechoo injured his groin in the Sharks loss to Buffalo earlier in the week, and is expected to miss approximately a week of playing time. Cheechoo has been a pretty big fantasy disappointment so far this season, with only 4 goals in 28 games after leading the NHL in ’05-’06. His injury is not serious, but it seems as though the Sharks no longer expect him to put up the numbers that he has in the past, and a loss of faith means a loss in ice time for the young winger, so be careful with him on your fantasy team.
DAY-TO-DAY DILEMMAS
Marc-Andre Fleury, G, PIT - Bad news for the Penguins and for Fleury owners, as it seems as though the young goal keeper has a badly sprained ankle and will be out for at least six weeks. Fleury got off to a rocky start this season, but has not lost a game since November 21 and has been playing incredibly as of late. This ankle injury will not require surgery, but it is said that two months is the expected prognosis at this point. G Dany Sabourin has shown signs of promise this season and could be a solid fantasy starter while Fleury is on the shelf.
Ladislav Nagy, LW, LA - Nagy has struggled through the early stages of the season, and is now day-to-day with a hip flexor that caused him to miss the Kings game on Saturday. Nagy has only 14 points in 25 games this season, and was supposed to come in with veteran leadership and help the young Kings team develop. However, at this point it seems as though they have developed while leaving Nagy in the dust. Nagy should be on your bench, if he is on your fantasy team at all at this point, though the injury does not seem very serious.
Marco Sturm, LW, BOS - Sturm was struck near his eye with a puck on Monday night, causing the winger to leave the game. His eye was at one time completely swollen shut, but he is now able to open it, though there is still substantial swelling. Sturm did not play in Boston’s contest Wednesday against. Atlanta, and will be evaluated on a game-to-game basis until he is able to see enough to play at 100%. Keep Sturm on your fantasy bench until he is no longer handicapped.
SUPERSTAR SCARE
Roberto Luongo, G, VAN - Luongo has not played in Vancouver’s last two games due a bruised rib that is hampering pretty much every movement that the star keeper makes. Bruised ribs are a very painful thing, and there is nothing but time that heals them sufficiently, so G Curtis Sanford will be making a few starts in place of Luongo this week. Sanford had some value when he was on St. Louis and got his shot in net, so there is no reason to think that he will not have value on Vancouver. If you need some quick goalie help, Sanford could be your man. |
