Injury Report: 2024-2025 Injury thread | HF’s Longest Thread Just Got Longer

[Muffin]

I don't get the De Hann hate. The De Hann-Malinski pairing was statistically our best pairing.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I think the best thing to do is just hold Landy out until the playoffs. We've actually got a team that with a 3C upgrade and a 3rd pair LD we can make some real noise. That's even if Landy doesn't come back during the playoffs. Sacrificing that in any way without having certainty on Landy's ability would just be unwise.

Landy would probably hit me straight in the mouth for saying this, but I think he's going to be doing a shit ton of skating on his own until the playoffs. I really don't think anyone in the NHL will be upset if Gabe all of sudden showed up for Game 1 of the playoffs and I'm kind of expecting it to go that way this season.

 

[Hennessy]

Just watch - the league will suddenly have an issue with these shenanigans if Landeskog does the Stone/Kucherov.

 

[Foppa2118]

I think the best thing to do is just hold Landy out until the playoffs. We've actually got a team that with a 3C upgrade and a 3rd pair LD we can make some real noise. That's even if Landy doesn't come back during the playoffs. Sacrificing that in any way without having certainty on Landy's ability would just be unwise.

Landy would probably hit me straight in the mouth for saying this, but I think he's going to be doing a shit ton of skating on his own until the playoffs. I really don't think anyone in the NHL will be upset if Gabe all of sudden showed up for Game 1 of the playoffs and I'm kind of expecting it to go that way this season.

Part of me wonders how bad his setback was, versus not having the cap space to activate him?

I say hold him out all year if they need to. It's time they exploited this loophole like other contenders in Vegas, Tampa, Chicago, etc. They're putting themselves at a disadvantage by not doing it when others are.

I don't think he will be as ineffective as others do with all the games missed either. Timing for sure will be off, but he can still be effective.

I think layoffs were a bigger issue for players in the past as well. It's not that uncommon now for guys to step in after a long layoff (not as long as Gabe's obv) and play well.

They keep themselves in good shape, they diet well, and there's a lot of muscle memory to the game, especially with all the high speed skill drills they do to make everything second nature now. Bednar's Avs do this as much as anyone else.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Part of me wonders how bad his setback was, versus not having the cap space to activate him?

I say hold him out all year if they need to. I don't think he will be as ineffective as others do with all the games missed. Timing for sure, but I think layoffs were a bigger issue for players in the past.

It's not that uncommon now for guys to step in after a long layoff (not as long as Gabe's obv) and play well. They keep themselves in good shape, they diet well, and there's a lot of muscle memory to the game, especially with all the high speed skill drills they do to make everything second nature now. Bednar's Avs do this as much as anyone else.

I've often wondered if once Landy actually gets back on the ice, he might not actually see some benefit of having gone two years without folks hitting him the knees, ankles and everywhere else for two years. There's been a lot of time for all those nagging injuries that just continue to build up over a players' career to just heal. It's a complete unknown... Which is why I'm stresssing the right thing to do, is to keep him out until the playoffs even if he's chomping at the bits and think he's ready now. Just smartly use the available cap space and deminishing assets available to stack the roster for this spring and then if we can add Gabe at the playoffs, even better! But this way, if for some reason he finds he can't go, we won't be as screwed as we would be if we count on him, shed salary to activate him and then find out there's an issue?

 

[Foppa2118]

I've often wondered if once Landy actually gets back on the ice, he might not actually see some benefit of having gone two years without folks hitting him the knees, ankles and everywhere else for two years. There's been a lot of time for all those nagging injuries that just continue to build up over a players' career to just heal. It's a complete unknown... Which is why I'm stresssing the right thing to do, is to keep him out until the playoffs even if he's chomping at the bits and think he's ready now. Just smartly use the available cap space and deminishing assets available to stack the roster for this spring and then if we can add Gabe at the playoffs, even better! But this way, if for some reason he finds he can't go, we won't be as screwed as we would be if we count on him, shed salary to activate him and then find out there's an issue?

Yeah, I've wondered the same. Gabe plays about as hard a style on the body as you can in the NHL. The time off surely helped his body in some ways, though obviously hurt in others.

He also looks like he lost a fair bit of weight and probably muscle mass. Just looking at his face you can see it. It's a lot thinner.

I wonder if that was intentional to put less weight/stress on his knee when he gets back. His playing style may change a bit too. He's talked about having to learn a new skating stride as well.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Yeah, I've wondered the same. Gabe plays about as hard a style on the body as you can in the NHL. The time off surely helped his body in some ways, though obviously hurt in others.

He also looks like he lost a fair bit of weight and probably muscle mass. Just looking at his face you can see it. It's a lot thinner.

I wonder if that was intentional to put less weight/stress on his knee when he gets back. His playing style may change a bit too. He's talked about having to learn a new skating stride as well.

Could be that he just wants to be able to hit people at a faster velocity and shed wait to gain speed.

I'm just kidding. If I had to guess, I'd say the weight loss (if any) is more about not playing competitive hockey and keeping that schedule of workouts, skating, training and eating for two years. These athletes have to seriously EAT to keep up with the calories they burn. I'm sure Gabe probably had to change his diet somewhat due to everything and it might have led to him taking on less calories.

 

[Foppa2118]

Could be that he just wants to be able to hit people at a faster velocity and shed wait to gain speed.

I'm just kidding. If I had to guess, I'd say the weight loss (if any) is more about not playing competitive hockey and keeping that schedule of workouts, skating, training and eating for two years. These athletes have to seriously EAT to keep up with the calories they burn. I'm sure Gabe probably had to change his diet somewhat due to everything and it might have led to him taking on less calories.

Yeah, but it should in theory be the opposite.

A serious knee injury preventing you from skating and probably getting on the bike or running, means you can't do much cardio, and all you have time to do is eat and lift weights.

To me that means he had to make a big effort to diet much better than he was before, and probably not lift much. But I'm just speculating.

 

[forsbergavs32]

Just watch - the league will suddenly have an issue with these shenanigans if Landeskog does the Stone/Kucherov.

If it was just the season after we won, sure. But he’s been out for damn near 3 years. I doubt the league will say anything

 

[Gumballhead]

Yeah, but it should in theory be the opposite.

A serious knee injury preventing you from skating and probably getting on the bike or running, means you can't do much cardio, and all you have time to do is eat and lift weights.

To me that means he had to make a big effort to diet much better than he was before, and probably not lift much. But I'm just speculating.

I was under the impression it was mostly certain parts of skating that were the thing he really couldn’t fully do - I’ve assumed he’s been busting ass otherwise, within reason and according to doctor’s instructions. But we are in the dark on most of this so we just conjectulate on here.

 

[Balthazar]

Landy has been out for too long to just jump into the playoffs. IMO someone is waiting to get a surgery and will go straight to LTIR if Landy comes back and that someone is likely Toews.

My prediction: Toews goes LTIR right after the 4 nation tournament and he's the one that comes back for the playoffs.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Landy has been out for too long to just jump into the playoffs. IMO someone is waiting to get a surgery and will go straight to LTIR if Landy comes back and that someone is likely Toews.

My prediction: Toews goes LTIR right after the 4 nation tournament and he's the one that comes back for the playoffs.

As long as we acquire a LD that can step into a second pairing while Toews is out, I’m okay with this.

Playoffs:

Drouin - MacKinnon - Rantanen
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Nichushkin
Landeskog - Colton - O’Connor
Wood - Kelly - Kiviranta
Ivan/Wagner

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
XXX - Malinski
de Haan

Blackwood
Wedgewood

Stanley Cup.

 

[ABasin]

I don't get the De Hann hate.

I don't either. He's nothing special, but he's the 6D on the team.

 

[the_fan]

I don’t get the de Haan hate either. He’s not any better or worse than JJ was as that 6D

 

[Tralfamadore]

CDH just looks more awkward out there than JJ so he gets more hate. He's also a little worse in his own end.

 

[the_fan]

CDH just looks more awkward out there than JJ so he gets more hate. He's also a little worse in his own end.

Honestly I don’t see much difference between de Haan and JJ

 

[Raucherhusten]

Honestly I don’t see much difference between de Haan and JJ

But you're probably right.

 

[Gumballhead]

I don't either. He's nothing special, but he's the 6D on the team.

He’s got some jam, he can make an outlet pass and he can pass and shoot a little too. He’s sturdy enough to play the JJ role. It would be a nice luxury to have another sturdy D and have DeHaan on nachos more often.

 

[sethro109]

Honestly I don’t see much difference between de Haan and JJ

I disagree here. JJ was more solid in his own end by a fair margin and wasn't so aggressive in the offensive zone. JJ knew how to play within his own capabilities and de Hann seems to want to be something more than he's capable of being. If he was a young rookie, I'd be fine with that kind of play. But this is a veteran and we need him to act like one.

 

[Metallo]

I don't see that as a possibility. If they did and then Landy can't go more than 2-3 games without going back on IR or has a major setback and can't come back at all...then they're out Landy AND Colton.

Personally, I believe at this point with the cap being the way it is that IF Landeskog is coming back, it's going to be for the playoffs.

I just don't see the Avs doing a bunch of cap gymnastics to activate him. We're already in mid-December.

You are 100% right on the setback risk. I would also like to have the emotional lift from Landy's return used for playoff games and not wasted on a meaningless game in February. Couple that with the benefit of busting the cap and all signs point to stashing Landy until the playoffs.

 

[LOFIN]

I know we will re-acquire JJ, and it will be a glorious moment

 

[forsbergavs32]

I know we will re-acquire JJ, and it will be a glorious moment

I wouldn’t be upset

 

[The Kingslayer]

I don’t get the de Haan hate either. He’s not any better or worse than JJ was as that 6D

hes better than JJ

 

[dahrougem2]

De Haan is smarter than JMFJ to me which says a lot because at one point this year he was running into Manson once every game for no reason other than confusion.

JMFJ skates better, is more physical and has better puck skills but he's a defensive pair killer.

This team doesn't need to re-acquire JMFJ. De Haan just has to work on his puck skills a lot as we go through the year because he fumbles so many passes.

 

[Balthazar]

De Haan just has to work on his puck skills a lot as we go through the year because he fumbles so many passes.

He's 33 and has been in the league forever, he isn't going to get better puck skills. He is what he is.