Friday, October 10, 2014

Player Notes in the Draft (Oct 10)

After what was described as a rough night in the home opener against the Canucks, Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman was tabbed as a guy who could make room in the team's second game on back-to-back nights, as the coaching staff wanted to shoot a little life into the line-up.  You could probably argue that the move actually helped the team, as the Flames defeated the Oilers, 5-2 in Edmonton.

I couldn't see Wideman staying out of the line-up for too long, but having one of the highest paid players in the press box for a night will likely get some people talking.  Tony is just hoping that he can get his blueliner back to playing, as his team is doing well through two nights.

Doesn't sound like things are getting any easier for Patrick Wiercioch in Ottawa, as his 2014 season was littered with healthy scratches and some inconsistent ice-time and the Senators open the season with the 24-year old rearguard in the press box. Last season, Wiercioch was good for 23 points in 53 games for the Sens, but he really hasn't had the chance to play a full season, thanks to the lack of trust from the coaching staff.

Wiercioch was Dale C.'s 14th round pick this year, so there isn't a lot of risk in him taking up a roster spot, although, it would be much better if he was taking a roster spot on the ice for the Sens, I'm sure.  Dale is near the top of the standings after two nights, so there might be a little bit of forgiveness to give... for now.

The Winnipeg Jets opened the season with a thumping of the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night, walking away with a 6-2 victory, but it did come at a cost.  Jets forward Evander Kane left the game with a lower-body injury, which is believed to be a right knee injury, when he collided with teammate Mark Schiefele.  There was no immediate update on Kane's condition on Friday morning, likely waiting for swelling to go down and then some tests to check out the extent of the damage, but no one really seems to be very optimistic.  Time to wait and see, I guess.

I don't think this is part of the Week One curse, but Grant K., who sits on top of the standings after two nights is running into some injury concerns, which likely means he may not be leading by Monday morning, if these injuries start to pile up.

An updated list of injuries can be found here.

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