Three of the six goaltenders selected for this weekend's NHL All-Star Game, as well as two of the Pittsburgh Penguins' top offensive talents, are not taking part due to injuries.
"Injury replacement" seems to be a trending phrase as the NHL adds players to fill in for the folks who are hurt for this weekend's festivities. In addition to Pekka Rinne, Jimmy Howard, Sergei Bobrovsky, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Erik Johnson will miss the weekend as well.
Johnson's and Crosby's ailments are said to be minor. Though missing the All-Star Game means they aren't available to return to their team's next game after the break, they should be ready for the one after that. The fantasy impact should be kept at a dull roar.
Bobrovsky's injury is definitely a concern, since it would have to be significant for him to miss his own team hosting the game. Lower-body injuries can be tricky for NHL netminders, and though this does create an opportunity for value, Curtis McElhinney didn't do anything with the same opportunity earlier this season. Like the owners of Pekka Rinne, Bobrovsky fantasy owners will have to look elsewhere for help. Devan Dubnyk remains available in more than 70 percent of ESPN leagues. While he hasn't cemented the starting job for the Minnesota Wild, he is still their best option at the moment since Darcy Kuemper has proven inconsistent over the long haul. Fantasy owners could also look to see if Joni Ortio comes back up from the AHL following the All-Star break. He had a poor performance in the Calgary Flames' final game, but it's hard to ignore a 4-1 record and 1.98 goals-against average overall.
Rinne and Howard were both sidelined earlier and are both due for at least one more week away from returning to fantasy rosters. Howard is targeting a Jan. 31 return at the earliest for his groin injury. That date is the low end of Rinne's low end of his original prognosis for a sprained knee. Rinne will be re-evaluated following the All-Star break and we should have a better sense then of his return. Petr Mrazek remains a spot start option for all fantasy owners behind a responsible Detroit Red Wings team, while Carter Hutton is a boom-or-bust choice.
That brings us to the mystery of Malkin's ailment. He was pulled suddenly before Wednesday's game, and the Penguins are keeping his lower-body issue a secret for now. The team has said he won't return immediately following the break, which is a cause for some concern. There isn't as much chance for some fantasy opportunity here in Malkin's absence, as he is responsible for the Pens' second line having fantasy value. But an extended absence would leave an opening on the top power play and would give either Brandon Sutter or Mark Arcobello the job of playing second-line center while Crosby draws away the opponents' best defenders. Those players aren't going to replace Malkin's value, though. For that, consider the criminally underowned Josh Bailey or Mark Stone, who have both been hot for their respective clubs and have the chance to continue their hot streaks.
Looking for skaters
Arizona Coyotes: The loss of leading scorer Mikkel Boedker to a ruptured spleen is a kick to a franchise that is already down. That said, the team isn't void of fantasy options, especially when the schedule is good. The Coyotes have four games against some teams that don't mind allowing a few goals. The still Steve Mason-less Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators are particularly ripe for the picking next week. Shane Doan has been the steady producer for the offense (aside from Boedker). He's quietly been a top-75 forward for the past month, despite missing some time with injury. Doan also brings the benefit of some penalty-minute potential to the table. While he will miss Boedker as a linemate, Antoine Vermette is still available to help, and Doan is still on the first power-play unit with Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Washington Capitals: On one hand, some consistency in approach would make things easier for fantasy owners. On the other, there are still some potential lottery tickets floating on the Capitals depth chart to help fantasy owners for the stretch run. Coach Barry Trotz just won't settle on a linemate for Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Tom Wilson, Andre Burakovsky, Eric Fehr, Jay Beagle, Troy Brouwer, Joel Ward, Jason Chimera, Marcus Johansson ... the list of folks with a reasonable number of appearances there this season is extensive. Now, Ovechkin and Backstrom owners are the first to realize that the third body on the line is of no consequence to the superstars' value. Ovechkin has slipped into second place on the ESPN Player Rater among skaters this season and Backstrom is a perfectly respectable No. 22. That said, the potential is still there for a third amigo to permanently cement a role and become another source of fantasy value. Of all the potential candidates, we'd like to endorse Burakovsky heading into the season's second half. He went into the break as the linemate for Ovechkin and Backstrom with three points in his last two games. Burakovsky spent a lot of December in the doghouse, but has been seeing his most ice time of the season in January. The rookie is available in 97 percent of ESPN leagues and should be a nice player to start for the week coming out of the All-Star break, as the Capitals have four games on the docket.
Looking for goaltenders
Anton Khudobin, G, Carolina Hurricanes: Difficult opponents shouldn't faze your hopes for Khudobin next week. He has turned the tide in his favor as the Hurricanes' starter with Cam Ward's recent struggles. While Ward will get a chance again following the break, Khudobin hasn't had a poor start since Dec. 13. He'll start at least two of the three Canes games and offers a near-guarantee for good ratios, even if they can't beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers or St. Louis Blues.
Avoid if you can
Colorado Avalanche: While Carter Hutton isn't as imposing as Pekka Rinne, the Nashville Predators are no slouches on defense. The Avs only have two games next week and both of them are against the Predators. You'll maybe want to start Semyon Varlamov for lack of better options, but there are no must-starts on this team next week.
Quick Hits
• If Patrick Maroon is going to suddenly start putting up stats on a line with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, we should be able to easily forgive him for all the times in the past he has failed to do so in the same situation. Maroon has five points in the past three games and overall has seven points in 11 games since Perry's return from injury.
• Deeper leagues might want to consider Brett Ritchie coming out of the All-Star break. Before being placed on the injured reserve last week with an undisclosed ailment, he was performing as well as any player has this season on the Dallas Stars top line with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. He may get another shot over Colton Sceviour when healthy again.
Infirmary
A few players to consider looking at coming out of the All-Star break, who might be ready to return from recent ailments are Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Granlund and Jaromir Jagr. Toffoli is recovering quickly from his bout with mono, Granlund was close to being in the lineup on Tuesday in his return from a wrist injury, and Jagr should be recovered from his illness by next week.
Both Patric Hornqvist and Blake Comeau will be close to a return to the Penguins following the break. Both wingers are hopeful that X-rays will have good enough news to have them skating again next week, with a return coming as early as the next week. As discussed in Monday's Open Ice, the Penguins' top-six deployment is in flux once everyone is healthy.
Ryan Murray, D, Columbus Blue Jackets: A participation in practice this month is enough to put Murray back on our radar again. The up-and-coming blue-line talent has had a rough development early in his career with injuries, but he still projects as a top-end NHL talent, which means fantasy potential. As discussed in this space last week, the Blue Jackets' defensemen have all been mediocre for fantasy value this season, with James Wisniewski, Jack Johnson and David Savard all slotting in as No. 4 fantasy defensemen, at best. There is room for Murray to carve out some value if it turns out that an injury was the only thing preventing a breakout season at 21 years old. We definitely saw some flashes of his upside last season.