Preseason Equals Injuries For Many NHL Players

The NHL is just a few days into its preseason schedule and yet already, there have been a number of significant injuries to players on various teams.

First, there’s Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin, who was injured during training camp drills on Thursday. He fell on his right hand after getting bumped during a drill.

Drouin was held out of camp activities over the weekend, and now it’s been reported that he’ll miss three to four weeks with a fracture in his right thumb.

Then on Monday, Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk left a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins with a shoulder injury.

He later had an MRI and will miss two to four weeks with the shoulder injury.

Tuesday’s game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Carolina Hurricanes saw injuries on both sides. Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk left the game after playing just one shift – 54 seconds long. Pysyk suffered an upper body injury.

It was originally reported that he’d be out indefinitely, but updates this afternoon from the team say that the injury is not as serious as it was originally thought to be. Pysyk is considered day-to-day.

Also injured during Tuesday’s game in Buffalo was Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal.

Staal was injured after a hit by Josh Gorges; he was helped off the ice and couldn’t put any weight on his leg.

It was later discovered that he broke a bone in his right leg. There is no timetable for his return, but it’s expected that he’ll miss a good chunk of time, which could be a blow to the Hurricanes early in the season.

The most recent injury suffered by an NHL player: a fractured fibula, suffered by New York Rangers center Derek Stepan Wednesday morning during practice.

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Puck Prose

Stepan suffered a foot contusion during an informal skate on September 9 but returned to the ice Wednesday morning. He fell during an on-ice conditioning test and suffered the injury.

He was helped off the ice by teammates, and as of right now, there is no timetable for his return.

Barely a week into NHL training camps and already quite a few players have suffered injuries that may keep them out for weeks.

Add to that the injuries already ailing guys like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, unknown issues that they suffered during the summer while preparing for camps, and you’ve got a nice roster of guys whose status going forward is unknown. (Note: Crosby has since returned to practice.)

You never like to see players get hurt, no matter when in the season it is, but it’s especially difficult to see guys getting injured in the preseason or in training camp. It’s already a blow to some of these teams’ lineups before the regular season has even begun, and do I dare ask — what else can go wrong?