The New Jersey Devils have more injuries than wins at this point in the season. You could say that's not a lot of injuries, but you would be jokingly wrong. With the positive week the Devils had, and seeing the list of the players who will eventually return, there's still hope for this season (So let's not get into trading the future Hall of Fame goalie to "salvage" the season). It's tough for one to keep track of all these injuries and updates; who's on the LTIR, who's practicing, who's skating, etc.. So every few days or so, I'll be updating this post when a handful of updates come about.
Here is Nov. 26th's Injury Report and here is an injury summary from the beginning of the month. The report continues after the jump.
UPDATE: Martin Brodeur will not play Thursday against the Canadiens
Bryce Salvador - Head/Concussion - Salvador was hit a couple times in a preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers. He was sent for tests, and it was determined he suffered a concussion and will be out indefinitely. This initially helped the Devils solve their cap issues when he was put in LTIR. On Nov. 16th, Salvador was spotted at The Rock, yet told Gulitti he's still not even allowed to exercise, but that has finally changed. Salvador worked out today on a stationary bike with the team. This is a big step for Salvador, who is still a long ways from returning. Until his symptoms fully dissipate, we won't be seeing him. There's no need to rush him and the Devils medical staff seems to be doing the right thing. I wouldn't expect him in a game until mid-January or even February.
Zach Parise - Torn Right Knee - Parise tore his meniscus in his right knee when he collided with a player against the Los Angeles Kings. It's been an ailing injury that began hurting him in training camp. He's been placed on LTIR on Nov. 12th retroactive to Oct. 30th. He had surgery on Nov. 2nd. His timetable of 3 months hasn't changed and he is expected back early February. From the TSN crew (during the Flames/Devils game), he will wear a cast for a couple more weeks, then begin rehabilitation.
Jacob Josefson - Torn Left Thumb - Josefson tore a ligament in his left hand against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 27th. He was slashed on the hand and then fell on it, though it can not be determined what actually caused the tear. He's scheduled to miss 6 to 8 weeks, which would be around the new year. He was spotted at the Rock with Parise in the team suite, perhaps taking a nap? There's been no update on him.
Anssi Salmela - Torn Right Knee - This was an off-season ACL injury that was reported in September that he was months behind. That turns out to be shorter than expected. He began skating in late October. His first full practice was Nov. 11th. He's expecting to be back in December, which is a little ahead of schedule. He's wants to be careful before getting into a game to risk further injury.
Mark Fraser - Broken Left Hand - Fraser suffered his injury against Buffalo on Oct. 13th, and the next day he found out he broke his hand, would need surgery to insert a pin, and would wear a cast for 4 to 6 weeks. Fraser had to stay off the ice and couldn't work out for a period of time because he couldn't sweat (because of the pin and cast). Fraser joined Salvador on the bike and is on schedule (8 weeks). His cast was removed over a week ago and wears a temporary one when he is not exercising. He expects to skate sometime this week, so we should be expect him to return the following week.
Matt Taormina - Sprained Left Ankle - The rookie defenseman twisted his ankle in practice on Nov. 14th. He's been out since, and hasn't skated. Per Gulitti, he's been placed on injured reserve retroactive to his last game played (Nov. 12th vs. the Edmonton Oilers).
Martin Brodeur - Bruised Right Elbow - Marty took a Patrick Kane shot to the elbow that irritated him and he left the game during the second half of the 2nd period against the Chicago Blackhawks. He tried to practice before a game against Our Hated Rivals, but no dice. He missed two games, then returned against the Edmonton Oilers. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs however, he again left the game in the 2nd period feeling discomfort in his elbow. About a week ago, it was reported he will miss a maximum of two weeks. Marty may practice before the Devils' next game, which means he would probably play Thursday. Per Rich Chere, Marty told a French-Canadien news website that he does not expect to play this week (The Devils play the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday as well). Here's the direct link of the article. Here's the Google Translation of the article.
Jamie Langenbrunner - Head/Neck - The captain went head first into the boards against the Buffalo Sabres, yet didn't leave the game. He even netted a goal and scored during the shootout. He was sore after the game. An MRI was ordered and they were negative. He's been out since, but he has been practicing. He's feeling better today and will be practicing this week. He re-aggravated a herniated disc from a decade ago and did not have a concussion. Baring any setback, we should be seeing the captain against the Habs on Thursday.
Matthew Corrente - Bruised Left Shoulder - After suffering a non-displaced broken hand, he returned to the ice on Nov. 15th. He has missed two games with an undisclosed upper body injury. He suffered the injury against the Calgary Flames. It appears it was just a sore shoulder and he's expecting to be ready against the Montreal Canadiens. It seems he's frustrated with all the time he's been out this season.
So overall, we may see Brodeur, Langenbrunner, and Corrente on Thursday, which would be great. This 5 day break comes at a great time for the team to heal up, especially with some important tough games coming this week. We should expect Fraser, Taormina, and Salmela to be healthy in the next couple weeks as well, which will help a defense that has been playing better recently. Times are getting better if you're a Devils fan.
Express your concern about the injuries in the comments. Who should be sent down when these players eventual return? What should the new lines look like? Who do the Devils need the most that is expected back soon? Thanks for reading.