Fantasy Hockey Injury Roundup: Hedman Steps Away as Injuries Hit at Worst Time

Hey folks. Today, we're diving into a timely injury roundup at a point in the season where every single roster decision can swing a matchup. With fantasy playoffs now in full motion, losing even one key contributor - whether short term or longer - can quickly turn a contender into a pretender.

We've got one major absence to unpack along with a mix of short- and long-term injury situations that could quietly shape this week's outcomes. The names here carry real weight in fantasy lineups, and understanding how to react is everything right now, so let's dive right in.

Make sure to check out our Fantasy Hockey Projections. Outlooks at your fingertips that always give you an in-depth snapshot and an accurate outlook of what you expect from every player -  all season long. Powered by AI; refined by our experts.

Victor Hedman - Tampa Bay Lightning

The timing here couldn't be much worse for Tampa Bay, with playoffs just around the corner and their top defenseman stepping away from the team. That said, this goes well beyond hockey - and the hope here is simply that everything is alright.

Hedman had already missed a couple of games before the team officially announced a leave of absence for personal reasons, adding another layer of uncertainty to the situation.

From a fantasy perspective, this is tough because there's no clear timeline. In playoff matchups, holding a player with an undefined return can be a risky bet depending on your depth. If you have an IR spot, that's the easy move - stash and wait. If not, managers may be forced into short-term replacements just to stay competitive this week.

With him out, the Bolts have leaned on depth to fill minutes, but the bigger fantasy ripple is on the powerplay and overall blue line distribution. There's not a one to one replacement for what Hedman brings, so this becomes more of a spread the production situation rather than a direct add. In most formats, you're looking at streaming rather than finding a true replacement.

Hedman has one goal, 16 assists, and 6 powerplay points in 33 games played as a defenseman. He also has 50 shots on goal, 19 hits, and 44 blocked shots. 

Anton Lundell - Florida Panthers

This one flies a bit more under the radar, but it shouldn't for fantasy managers still alive in their playoffs. Lundell is now expected to miss anywhere from 2-6 weeks with a rib injury, which effectively takes him out of the fantasy equation for most, if not all, remaining matchups.

He had already missed a couple of games before this timeline was confirmed, but now we have clarity - and it's not good. In deeper leagues especially, Lundell has been a quietly reliable contributor, chipping in across categories and providing solid secondary scoring with powerplay involvement. Losing that kind of steady production hurts more than it might seem on the surface.

From a fantasy standpoint, this is a clear drop in most redraft formats unless you have deep IR flexibility. Unlike a day-to-day situation, there's no real incentive to hold and wait this out during the playoffs. You need active roster spots producing right now.

The opportunity angle here is worth watching though. Florida will need to redistribute those minutes, and that could open the door for someone to step into a more fantasy relevant role. This is where sharp managers can get ahead - not by replacing Lundell directly, but by identifying who benefits from his absence and capitalizing on that increased deployment.

Anton Lundell has 18 goals, 26 assists, and 15 powerplay points in 64 games played as a forward. He also has 138 shots on goal, 75 hits, and 35 blocked shots. 

Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins

This one carries serious weight for fantasy managers, especially given the kind of season he's been putting together. Malkin is currently dealing with an upper-body injury, missed practice Wednesday, and has already been ruled out for another game - making this at least a short-term absence during a crucial playoff window.

What makes this tougher to navigate is the context. He's been producing at a level we haven't consistently seen from him in years, operating at a point-per-game pace and driving offense in key situations, particularly on the powerplay. Losing that kind of production, even for a couple of games, can swing a tight matchup.

The good news here is that he's being labeled day-to-day, so this doesn't carry the same uncertainty as a longer-term injury. Still, we've seen him miss time already this season, so there's a bit of volatility baked in. Fantasy managers should be preparing for at least another missed game, and possibly more if the team plays it cautiously.

In terms of replacements, this is more about covering categories than finding a direct substitute. You're not replacing Malkin outright - you're looking to patch together production, whether that's streaming powerplay exposure or targeting players with strong deployment in the short term. If you're in a tight matchup, this is a spot where being proactive can make the difference.

Malkin has 15 goals, 37 assists, and 19 powerplay points in 50 games played as a forward. He also has 129 shots on goal, 22 hits, and 16 blocked shots. 

Tony DeAngelo - New York Islanders

This is another situation that popped up quickly, with DeAngelo leaving Wednesday's game against Chicago after just a handful of shifts due to a lower-body injury and not returning. At this point, he's being evaluated, but anytime a player exits that early, it's something fantasy managers need to keep a close eye on heading into the next slate.

For the Islanders, this isn't great news on the blue line. DeAngelo has been a key puck moving option and a contributor on the powerplay, so even a short absence creates a bit of a void in how they distribute minutes and offensive responsibility from the back end.

In the short term, Adam Boqvist stepped in to take over some of that role, including powerplay usage, making him an immediate name to watch in deeper formats or as a speculative add if you're chasing points from the blue line. This is a classic playoff scenario where opportunity can quickly turn into value if the deployment sticks.

From a fantasy perspective, this falls into that uncertain day-to-day bucket for now. If you have the flexibility, you can try to hold and monitor updates, but if you're in a tight matchup, this may be another spot where streaming the position becomes the safer play.

And zooming out, it puts a bit more pressure on the rest of the group, including young franchise sensation Matthew Schaefer, to stabilize things in the meantime. Not ideal timing here, so you're hoping this ends up being a short-term issue rather than something that lingers into next week.

DeAngelo has five goals, 28 assists, and 6 powerplay points in 72 games played as a defenseman. He also has 139 shots on goal, 30 hits, and 67 blocked shots.