This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
When Valeri Nichushkin was drafted tenth overall by the Stars in 2013 he immediately became a prospect of note due to his size, speed, and skill. He had a nice rookie campaign last year putting up 34 points and a plus-20 rating in 79 games and finding an on-ice rapport with superstars Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Despite the Stars bringing in veteran skill guys Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky in the off-season, big things were expected of Nichushkin. Sadly, it looks like his sophomore season will be cut short, as he will have surgery on his hip and be out up to four months.
It's a bitter pill for the Stars who have ambitions to compete in the tough Western Conference and no doubt thought Nichushkin would be a big part of their efforts this year. Their start to the season has put them in a hole already as they find themselves well out of a playoff spot. Now they know they are looking to fill his production for the long run and will either need to adjust their play or make a move to compensate.
In fantasy, the question is whether he is worth waiting for? In re-draft leagues the answer is almost certainly, no. If his prognosis holds, Nichushkin will miss almost the entire remainder of the regular season and once he is healthy he will need time to get back up to speed. In keeper and dynasty leagues, the young Russian has more than enough upside, despite the injury, to maintain his value. That said he now also becomes an asset that could be worth including as part of a package when talking with owners playing for next year in your league.
Regardless, it's disappointing news for a young player who is a lot of fun to watch. Thankfully his future remains bright despite the set back.
Now, onto the preview of Sunday's games.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
San Jose Sharks (Antti Niemi) at Carolina Hurricanes (Anton Khudobin*), 5:00 PM
Winnipeg Jets (Michael Hutchinson) at Minnesota Wild (Niklas Backstrom), 5:00 PM
Montreal Canadiens (Dustin Tokarski) at Detroit Red Wings (Jimmy Howard), 7:00 PM
Dallas Stars (Anders Lindback) at Chicago Blackhawks (Corey Crawford*), 7:00 PM
Florida Panthers (Roberto Luongo) at Anaheim Ducks (Jason LaBarbera), 8:00 PM
Arizona Coyotes (Mike Smith) at Edmonton Oilers (Ben Scrivens), 9:00 PM
*Confirmed Starters
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
San Jose Sharks
Mike Brown, RW - Brown skated Saturday morning without the small cast that has been on his hand since he suffered his injury on Oct. 11, the San Jose Mercury News reports. (11/8/2014)
Alex Stalock, G - Stalock underwent minor surgery on his left knee Thursday and is expected to miss around two-to-four weeks, Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News reports. (11/13/2014)
Carolina Hurricanes
Alexander Semin, LW - Semin will miss Saturday's game against the Bruins with an upper-body injury. (11/15/2014)
Jay Harrison, D - Harrison (lower body) will not play Saturday against the Bruins. (11/15/2014)
Winnipeg Jets
Anthony Peluso, RW - Peluso (upper body) was cleared to play Tuesday and is expected to be activated from IR in the near future, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports. (11/5/2014)
Minnesota Wild
Jonas Brodin, D - Brodin (illness) will not travel with the Wild to Dallas for Saturday's game, Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. (11/15/2014)
Matt Cooke, LW - Coach Mike Yeo indicated after Tuesday's morning skate that Cooke (lower body) is not close to returning, Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Tribune reports. (11/11/2014)
Zach Parise, LW - Coach Mike Yeo said Parise (concussion) is "progressing well" and could return to the lineup Sunday against the Jets, Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. (11/15/2014)
Josh Harding, G - Harding (foot) is getting close to returning, Rachel Blount of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. (11/10/2014)
Marco Scandella, D - Scandella (illness) isn't traveling with the Wild to Dallas for Saturday's game against the Stars, Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. (11/15/2014)
Montreal Canadiens
Michael Bournival, C - Bournival (shoulder) skated on his own before Saturday's morning session, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports. (11/15/2014)
Detroit Red Wings
Stephen Weiss, C - Weiss (groin) is expected to return to the Red Wings after playing one game with AHL Grand Rapids next weekend as part of a conditioning stint, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports. (11/14/2014)
Dallas Stars
Patrick Eaves, RW - Eaves (lower body) didn't practice Friday, but his injury isn't serious, Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News reports. (11/14/2014)
Valeri Nichushkin, LW - Nichushkin (hip) will undergo surgery this week and will be out four months, according to the Dallas Morning News. "We had it diagnosed and decided surgery is the best thing," general manager Jim Nill said. (11/15/2014)
Chicago Blackhawks
Patrick Sharp, LW - Coach Joel Quenneville said Thursday that Sharp (knee) is "making good progress" in his recovery, Tracey Myers of CSNChicago.com reports. (11/13/2014)
Florida Panthers
Sean Bergenheim, LW - Bergenheim (lower body) is not expected to play in Friday's game against the Islanders, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. (11/14/2014)
Dave Bolland, C - Bolland (groin) is expected to travel with the Panthers on their four-game road trip beginning Sunday in Anaheim, Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. (11/12/2014)
Dmitry Kulikov, D - Kulikov (knee) will resume skating Friday, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports. (11/13/2014)
Brandon Pirri, C - Pirri (concussion) skated Wednesday morning, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports. (11/12/2014)
Anaheim Ducks
Devante Smith-Pelly, RW - Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said he's hopeful Smith-Pelly (upper body) will be able to play Sunday against the Panthers. (11/15/2014)
John Gibson, G - Gibson has been diagnosed with a groin injury, but has avoided any kind of tear, Curtis Zupke of NHL.com reports. (11/5/2014)
Kyle Palmieri, RW - Palmieri (ankle) was sent to AHL Norfolk on a conditioning stint, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (11/13/2014)
Corey Perry, RW - Perry (illness) will be a game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Panthers. (11/15/2014)
Francois Beauchemin, D - Beauchemin (illness) received an IV fluid treatment at the hospital Friday and has since been cleared to return home, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (11/14/2014)
Dany Heatley, LW - Heatley was placed on injured reserve Friday with a groin injury, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (11/14/2014)
Arizona Coyotes
David Moss, RW - Moss (upper body) practiced with the team in a non-contact jersey Monday, Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports. (11/10/2014)
Edmonton Oilers
Taylor Hall, LW - Hall (knee) could return to action Sunday against the Coyotes, Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun reports. (11/15/2014)
Hot
Vladimir Tarasenko, RW – Picking the hottest player in the NHL is a bit cheap, but somehow Tarasenko may not be getting the recognition he actually deserves. Since he hasn't scored a "goal of the year" candidate in his past few games, it may be easy to overlook that he has 12 points in his last games; or, the fact that he is tied for fourth in league scoring going into Saturday. Some people are still a bit skeptical (one recently updated top 250 list has him ranked at #60, one spot behind Niklas Kronwall), so if you can get him for a modest price – do it.
Cam Ward, G – Ever since he won the Conn Smyth in leading the Canes to their only Stanley Cup, Ward has been frustrating fantasy owners. Regardless, there is no denying that Ward has hit a hot streak recently – he hasn't given up more than two goals in his last seven starts while posting a 94.2% save percentage and one shutout. Playing behind such a bad team means the streak will come to an end at some point, but if you own Ward he should be worth riding a bit longer.
Cold
Jamie Benn, C – The Stars are struggling and their captain is too. Benn has just two assists and is minus-2 in his past eight games. He has buffered the lack of scoring by taking 31 shots and adding 15 PIM in that span, but fantasy owners were expecting another step forward after he produced point-per-game production last year. Since there is no news of an injury it stands to think he will right the ship, especially as he continues to line up with Tyler Seguin, and the patience of his owners will pay off.
Patrick Kane, RW – The Hawks are also off to a surprisingly poor start, currently sitting fourth in the Central Division and outside a playoff spot, and Kane's performance hasn't helped. Kane has just 11 points in 17 games and in his last nine games he has just four points. He also has just two multi-point games and has recorded points in back-to-back games just twice as well. He should get hot soon, but he is certainly cold like a mid-winter day in his hometown Buffalo right now.
Recommended Pickup
Nick Foligno, LW – Foligno was mentioned in the Sunday Daily Puck three weeks ago when his hot start was getting notice. He hasn't slowed down much since then, but remains available in plenty of leagues (64% ownership in Yahoo leagues). Foligno has 18 points (nine goals) in 15 games with half of those coming since November 1 and 10 points on the power play. Lining up next to Ryan Johansen certainly helps, but in the early going Foligno has also upped his shot game with 33, good for more than 2 shots per game, which if he keeps it up will be by far the best rate of his career. As the Blue Jackets come up on the quarter poll in the season, Foligno is showing he could be in the midst of a breakout campaign and should be owned in all leagues.
