Here are injuries that may have a significant fantasy impact on rosters in all formats

Joe Sakic - Colorado Avalanche
Injury: Strained Back
Fantasy Impact: Sure, he’s almost 40, but the twenty year veteran is still putting up the numbers to consider him a number one, possibly a number 2 center for your fantasy team. He seems to be progressing well and should be back in the lineup at some point in the upcoming week. We’re not too sure how many more seasons he has left in him, but if he can hit 70+ points this season, consider him a successful draft pick.

Paul Kariya - St. Louis Blues
Injury: Lower Body
Fantasy Impact: Kariya’s absence has certainly been felt in the organization. Since his injury, the Blues have lost 4 of 5 games and could certainly use Kariya’s leadership out on the ice. He came screaming out of the gate this season scoring 15 points in 11 games. We may see Kariya later on today, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. St. Louis’ next game after today is Friday, so expect him to take the rest of the week to get to 100% and insert him back in the lineup against the Ducks.

T.J. Oshie - St. Louis Blues
Injury: Ankle Sprain
Fantasy Impact: Oshie is an up and coming talent that should fit in nicely to St. Louis’ young organization. He’s battling an ankle sprain right now and should be on the mend for another couple of weeks. Oshie is a long term investment and for those of you in deep keeper or dynasty league, continue to ride out the injury. He could certainly fill the 2nd line center role for the Blues in the next couple of years as long as he stays out of trouble.

Kevin Bieksa - Vancouver Canucks
Injury: Broken Foot
Fantasy Impact: This is certainly a blow to the Vancouver back end as Bieksa is the top defensive scorer on the team right now. Throw him on reserve for now and look towards Willie Mitchell is a solid replacement until Bieksa returns to action. As a side note, Alexander Edler, another offensive threat from the blue line, is missing time with the flu, so Mitchell should be able to pick up some more responsibility over the next week. He scored the game winner last night in Toronto and leads the team in +/- with a +10 rating.

Alexander Semin - Washington Capitals
Injury: Upper Body
Fantasy Impact: I’m sure every Semin owner collectively held their breath when they heard he left the game the other night with an upper body injury. Fortunately, it doesn’t look too serious and he should be day-to-day for now. Semin is on a torrid pace right now and once Backstrom and AO start to heat up, this is going to be one helluva team to play.

Daniel Briere - Philadelphia Flyers
Injury: Groin
Fantasy Impact: Briere still is not skating but lucky for him that after today’s game, the Flyers don’t play again until Friday at Buffalo. Keep an eye on him this week and see how he progresses. There is no reason to go finding a replacement since they have Monday through Thursday off. If something does happen that keeps Briere out of the lineup for an extended period of time, keep Jeff Carter flagged as a possible replacement for Briere.

Mike Comrie - New York Islanders
Injury: Hip
Fantasy Impact: Comrie is off to a slow start to the season in terms of his expectations as a first line center. He’s going to be feeling some pressure from Frans Neilsen and Josh Bailey if he doesn’t step up his game here. He has already lost his top line spot to a scorching hot Doug Weight, so now may be a good time to try and move him around the league for another slow starting center with a bigger upside like Sam Gagner or Jochen Hecht.

Scott Gomez - New York Rangers
Injury: Ankle
Fantasy Impact: Nothing to fret about, really. He is listed as day-to-day with a sore ankle and is projected to be back early in the upcoming week.

Jonathan Cheechoo - San Jose Sharks
Injury: Upper Body
Fantasy Impact: Cheechoo was supposed to be back this past week but remained out with an upper body injury. The good news is that Cheech should be back this upcoming week. San Jose has a game Monday and then is off until Saturday, so they may hold him back just one more game to ensure that he is healthy enough to play. With that being said, Cheechoo’s replacements have been absolutely dominating opponents and it’s going to be interesting to see what McLellan will do with Clowe and Setoguchi. They have both made the best of their situation in Cheechoo’s absence, so keep an eye on their ice time when he returns to the lineup.

Evgeni Nabokov - San Jose Sharks
Injury: Lower Body
Fantasy Impact: The Sharks are not taking any chances with Nabby and appear to be making sure he is 100% before they bring him back. Brian Boucher has been stellar in the relief effort and will continue to start until they feel Nabakov is ready to return. Look at the Washington game on Saturday as a possible return day.

Kari Lehtonen - Atlanta Thrathers
Injury: Back
Fantasy Impact: Is Kari Lehtonen slowly losing his starting job in Hotlanta? The Thrash are playing some great puck and with Johan Hedberg playing extremely well and Ondrej Pavelec waiting in shadows, it may be curtains for Kari. We will monitor this situation very very closely for you and offer you the best possible advice on the situation. For those thinking short term, make a play for Hedberg. For those thinking long term, make a play for Pavelec and sit on him.

No timetable for return: Marian Gaborik, Steve Sullivan