As a gift to all of our readers, Canucks Fanz takes a look at the most recent NHL line combinations for all 30 teams as of December 23rd, along with several injury updates on players around the league. Happy Holidays!

Courtesy of nyrblue2, nords at HockeyInformer.com

LINE COMBINATIONS:

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division

New York Rangers (12/18/07)
Straka - Gomez - Jagr
Dawes - Drury - Shannahan
Prucha - Dubinsky - Callahan
Strudwick - Betts - Orr

Roszival, Girardi, Tyutin

Philadelphia Flyers (12/22/07)
Hartnell - Richards - Lupul
Umberger - Briere - Upshall
Kapanen - Carter - Knuble
Cote - Dowd - Tolpeko

Timonen, Coburn, Vandermeer

New York Islanders (12/22/07)
Park - Comrie - Guerin
Bergenheim - Vasicek - Satan
Fedotenko - Sillinger - Hunter
Comeau - Hilbert - Jackman

Gervais, Campoli, Meyer

New Jersey Devils (12/18/07)
Elias - Madden - Gionta
Parise - Zajac - Langenbrunner
Brylin - Zubrus - Clarkson
Mottau - Pelley - Asham

Mottau, Rachunek, Martin

Pittsburgh Penguins (12/20/07)
Malkin - Crosby - Armstrong
Kennedy - Staal - Sykora
Roberts - Christensen - Hall
Ruutu - Taffe - Laraque

Gonchar, Whitney, Sydor, Letang

Northeast Division

Montreal Canadiens (12/22/07)
Higgins - Koivu - S. Kostitsyn
Kostitsyn - Plekanec - Kovalev
Kostopolous - Chipchura - Streit
Latendresse - Lapierre - Dandenault

Streit, Markov, Hamrlik, Komisarek

Toronto Maple Leafs (12/22/07)
Antropov - Sundin - Ponikarovsky
Blake - Wellwood - Tlusty
Steen - Stajan - Devereaux
Bell - Kilger - Tucker

Kaberle, Kubina, White, Stralman

Boston Bruins (12/22/07)
Sturm - Savard - Kessel
Axelsson - Metropolit - Kobasew
Schaefer - Sobotka - Lucic
Nokeleinen - Thornton - Reich

Chara, Wideman, Ference, Stuart

Ottawa Senators (12/22/07)
Heatley - Spezza - Robitaille
Vermette - Fisher - Alfredsson
Foligno - Kelly - Neil
McAmmond - Donovan - McGrattan

Corvo, Redden, Meszaros, Schubert

Buffalo Sabres (12/23/07)
Vanek - Roy - Stafford
Paille - Hecht - Pominville
Kotalik - Gaustad - Afinogenov
Ryan - Mair - Peters

Spacek, Campbell, Paetsch

Southeast Division

Carolina Hurricanes (12/22/07)
Whitney - Staal - Cole
Stillman - Brind'Amour - Walker
Ladd - Cullen - Nolan
Letowski - (empty) - Hamilton

Seidenberg, Kaberle

Tampa Bay Lightning (12/20/07)
Prospal - Lecavalier - Ward
Hlavac - Richards - St. Louis
Darche - Karlsson - Tarnasky
Jones - MacDonald - Roy

Kuba, Ranger

Atlanta Thrashers (12/18/07)
Kovalchuk - White - Recchi
Kozlov - Perrin - Hossa
Dupuis - Holik - Thorburn
Larsen - Slater - Boulton

Enstrom, Zhitnik

Florida Panthers (12/18/07)
Olesz - Jokinen - Stumpel
Campbell - Weiss - Horton
Dvorak - McLean - Zednik
Glass - Kreps - Stewart
Bouwmeester, Allen, Salei, Montador

Washington Capitals (12/22/07)
Ovechkin - Nylander - Kozlov
Semin - Backstrom - Fleischmann
Bradley - Laich - Pettinger
Brashear - Steckel - Laing

Green, Poti, Pothier

Western Conference:

Central Division

Detroit Red Wings (12/22/07)
Filppula - Datsyuk - Cleary
Hudler - Franzen - Samuelsson
Kopecky - Draper - Drake
Ellis - Hartigan - Downey

Lidstrom, Rafalski, Lebda, Kronwall

Chicago Blackhawks (12/22/07)
Kontiola - Lang - Havlat
Kane - Toews - Sharp
Byfuglien - Bolland - Ruutu
Samsonov - Perrault - Lapointe

Zyuzin, Seabrook, Barker

St. Louis Blues (12/20/07)
Kariya - McDonald - Boyes
Stempniak - Tkachuk - Perron
Backes - R. Johnson - Mayers
King - M. Johnson - Hinote

E. Johnson, Backman, Brewer

Nashville Predators (12/22/07)
Tootoo - Arnott - Dumont
Fiddler - Legwand - Radulov
Gelinas - Bonk - Ortmeyer
Smithson - Nichol - Hordichuk

Weber, Suter, Zidlicky, Hamhuis

Columbus Blue Jackets (12/21/07)
Nash - Federov - Chimera
Vyborny - Novotny - Zherdev
Shelley - Brule - Beech
Glencross - Fritsche - Boll

Hainsey, Klesla, Westcott

Northwest Division

Minnesota Wild (12/22/07)
Voros - Demitra - Gaborik
Rolston - Belanger - Bouchard
Parrish - Sheppard - Nummelin
Veilleux - Moore - Radivojivec

Burns, Johnsson, Skoula

Vancouver Canucks (12/22/07)
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Naslund
Cooke - Kesler - Burrows
Pyatt - Jaffray - Raymond
Isbister - Ritchie - Linden

Salo, Edler, Ohlund, Krajicek

Calgary Flames (12/18/07)
Huselius - Langkow - Iginla
Tanguay - Conroy - Boyd
Nystrom - Lombardi - Yelle
Primeau - Smith - Godard

Phaneuf, Aucoin, Eriksson, Regehr

Colorado Avalanche (12/21/07)
Wolski - Stastny - Hejduk
McLoed - Hlinka - Svatos
Brunette - Hensick - Jones
Guite - McCormick - Laperriere

Clark, Liles, Cumiskey

Edmonton Oilers (12/15/07)
Penner - Horcoff - Hemsky
Gagner - Nilsson - Pisani
Sanderson - Cogliano - Brodziak
Thoresen - Stoll - Reasoner

Souray, Pitkanen, Gilbert

Pacific Division

Dallas Stars (12/21/07)
Morrow - Ribeiro - Miettinen
Erikssson - Jokinen - Hagman
Lundqvist - Barnes - Barch
Ott - Modano - Halpern

Zubov, Robidas, Niskanen

Anaheim Ducks (12/19/07)
Bertuzzi - Getzlaf - Perry
Kunitz - Weight - Ryan
Moen - Pahlsson - R. Neidermayer
Carter - Marchant - Parros

Pronger, Schnieder, S. Neidermayer

Los Angeles Kings (12/21/07)
Cammalleri - Kopitar - O'Sullivan
Frolov - Handzus - Calder
Nagy - Armstrong - (empty)
Giuliano - Zeiler - Ivanans

Blake, Visnovsky, Stuart, Preissing

San Jose Sharks (12/22/07)
Roenick - Thornton - Setoguchi
Michalek - Marleau - Bernier
Pavelski - (empty) - Goc
Rissmiller - Mitchell - Grier

Rivet, Carle, Ehrhoff, Ozolinsh

Phoenix Coyotes (12/22/07)
Mueller - Reinprecht - Doan
Sjostrom - Hanzal - Vrbata
Tjarnqvist - Kapanen - York
Perrault - Winnik - (empty)

Jovanovksi, Morris


INJURY UPDATES:

BACK SOON:

BROWN:.......shoulder.....May play Wednesday

"Brown (shoulder) was able to skate in the morning before trainers held him out of Saturday's game, the LA Times reports. "I probably could play if this was a playoff game," Brown said. "I wanted to play, and I'm frustrated not being able to play. But there's no sense in risking it. It's already way ahead of schedule." The Kings are off until Wednesday and if he continues to make the same kind of progress he ought to be back by then but be aware that his style of play will need to ensure his shoulder is completely healthy before coming back." rotowire Dec 23
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CAMMALLERI:.......rib injury.....Believed not to be serious

"Cammalleri left Saturday night's game in the first period after suffering a rib injury and did not return...The Kings are downplaying the injury though, so it is believed to not be serious. "I don't think it's that bad, but who knows," coach Marc Crawford said. Consider Cammalleri day-to-day for now." LA Times Dec 23
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CHEECHOO:.......groin injury.....Expected back on Wednesday

"Coach Ron Wilson expects to have Cheechoo back in the lineup on Wednesday. Cheechoo suffered a groin injury on Dec. 7 and has been out ever since. Get ready to activate him and hope he has another terrific second half." SJ Mercury News Dec 24
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CONNOLLY:.....stomach illness.....Should play Wednesday

"Ruff is adamant that Connolly missed Buffalo's last two games because of a stomach illness and not a concussion or other ailment, according to The Buffalo News. Because of Connolly's bad history of concussions, the Buffalo press likes to develop conspiracy theories. It sounds like he is feeling much better after the illness and should play on Wednesday." rotowire Dec 24
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ERAT:.....sickness.....No concussion but not sure of severity of "sickness"

"Erat does not have a concussion according to head coach Barry Trotz. The Predators say that Erat has a sickness, but he has been tested for a concussion and it came back negative. "If something changes on that, I'll let you know,'' Trotz said. Erat has missed the last two games with the sickness. Consider him day-to-day until further notice." Nashville Tennessean Dec 24
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HEMSKY:.....knee.....Left Sunday game, severity not known

"Hemsky injured his knee in the second period on Sunday and did not return. He injured his left knee when hit by the Blackhawks Martin Lapointe. Hemsky will have an MRI done and the results should be known soon." Edmonton Journal Dec 25
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HOLMSTROM:.....knee.....MRI positive, could return after Xmas break

"Tomas Holmstrom's MRI revealed that his injured knee has not suffered any ligament damage. He could be available to return to the Detroit lineup sometime after the Christmas break." Detroit News Dec 23
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LEOPOLD:.....thigh laceration.....Likely return on Thursday

"Defenseman Jordan Leopold (thigh laceration) was held out against the Canucks. He is likely to return Thursday as well." Denver Post Dec 25
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MALONE:.....cut infection.....Skated Saturday, no timeline yet

"Ryan Malone skated by himself on Saturday. He had flu-like symptoms after a cut on his leg became infected. He has missed three games because of this injury." Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Dec 23
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G MURRAY:.....hip flexor.....Should miss another week

"Glen Murray should be out another week. Murray sustained a hip-flexor injury on Thursday and missed both weekend games." Boston Globe Dec 24
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PARISE:.....illness.....Missed Sunday, likely will be back next game

"Zach Parise missed Sunday's game. Parise was forced to sit with an illness. He should return after Christmas." Calgary Herald Dec 24
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ROLOSON:.....strep throat.....Missed Sunday's game

"Dwayne Roloson was out of the Edmonton lineup on Sunday. Roloson is suffering from strep throat." Edmonton Journal Dec 24
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SMYTH:.....stiff neck.....Missed Sunday, might be back Thursday

"Ryan Smyth skated for 45 minutes on Sunday morning, but did not play against the Canucks. The Avs are looking to Thursday's game as Smyth's return to the lineup. He has missed three games with a sore neck. Get ready to activate him." Rocky Mountain News Dec 24
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STAFFORD:.....upper body.....Left Saturday's game, seems not serious

"Drew Stafford left Saturday's game in the second period and did not return. Stafford suffered an upper body injury. He said he was all right after the game and the Sabres will update his situation on Sunday if there is anything to report." Buffalo News Dec 23
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WEBER:.....leg.....Questionable for Wednesday

"Shea Weber missed Sunday's game with a leg injury. Weber suffered the injury on Saturday against the Kings and participated in the pre-game skate on Sunday, but could not go in the game...He is questionable to return on Wednesday." Nashville Tennessean Dec 24
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ZETTERBURG:.....back spasms.....Missed Saturday, will likely play Wednesday

"Look for Henrik Zetterberg to return to the Detroit lineup on Wednesday. Zetterberg missed Saturday's game with back spasms. Zetterberg said that the injury was not at all related to the back injury last season that forced him to miss the last 19 games of the regular season." Detroit News Dec 24
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SHORT-TERM:
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ARNASON:.....wrist surgery.....Out for 4 weeks

"Tyler Arnason will undergo surgery on his fractured wrist this week. He sustained the injury on Wednesday night against Columbus and will be lost to the Avalanche for roughly four weeks." Denver Post Dec 16
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CLARK.....strained groin.....Downgraded to week-to-week

"Chris Clark's status has been downgraded from day-to-day to week-to-week with a groin injury." - Washington Post Dec. 12
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EAVES:.....separated shoulder.....Could return by end of December

"Patrick Eaves (shoulder - indefinite) could be back at the end of December. He skated prior to practice." TSN Dec 17
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GAGNE:.....concussion.....Full contact practice but still has mild headaches, neck stiffness

"Simon Gagne was cleared for full-contact practice on Tuesday. Gagne took some minor hits and bumps in practice on Wednesday, but still has a few mild symptoms. His mild headaches and neck stiffness mean that a return to game-action isn't imminent. He will likely return some time after the Christmas break or in the new year." South Jersey Courier Post Dec. 20
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M. KOIVU:.....cracked fibula.....Skating in pain, Lemaire would like him back by end of Dec

"Mikko Koivu suffered from pain in his injured leg while skating on Monday morning. The fracture in Koivu's left leg has healed, but he still needs to rebuild it's strength. Coach Jacques Lemaire would ideally like to see Koivu return before the end of December." sportsnet.ca Dec. 17
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MODIN:.....back.....Skating, still out indefinitely

"Fredrik Modin is skating, but he is not able to resume practices with the team. He is still out indefinitely, but said he is pleased with his progress of late. " Columbus Post-Dispatch Dec 23
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SAKIC:.....groin.....Probably won't return until 2008

"Joe Sakic has missed the Avs last 12 games with a groin injury. Colorado has not missed their captain very much as they are 8-3-1 in his absence. Sakic probably won't return until after the New Year so adjust your lineup accordingly." Rocky Mountain News Dec 25

" Sakic (groin) did not skate Sunday, and his time frame for returning remains uncertain." Denver Post Dec 25
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VOLCHENKOV:.....broken finger.....Practising, will not return before Xmas

"Head coach John Paddock extinguished any rumors on Saturday that Volchenkov (broken finger) would be returning before Dec. 23, according to TSN.ca. He's still participating in full-team practices, more than likely to keep himself in shape, but it looks like there will be "no early Christmas gift" for the Senators, according to Paddock." rotowire Dec 15
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JA WILLIAMS:.....groin.....Starting to work out, positive signs

"Jason Williams is progressing from his groin injury. He has been given the green light to fully test his ailing groin in workouts, which he will resume next week. "Trainers were telling me [Saturday] morning that we're going to start doing tougher stuff with him next week," coach Denis Savard said. "We'll see where he's at. Hopefully he goes through the week pretty well. We'll bring him along slowly and get him back on track." Chicago Tribune Dec 16
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LONG-TERM:
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BIEKSA:.....deep cut through muscle.....Out 2-4 months

"Bieksa said he could be out anywhere from two to four months depending how quickly the muscles in his calf stitch together after a deep skate cut suffered Nov. 1." Nov 19
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P. BOUCHER:.....shoulder surgery.....4 weeks before being evaluated

"Philippe Boucher began to rehab his injured shoulder. Boucher had surgery on his shoulder on December 5th. He's four weeks away from being reevaluated." Dallas Morning News Dec.12
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BOYLE:.....wrist surgery.....sounds good, month after surgery

"Boyle received encouraging news from orthopedic surgeon Thomas Graham regarding his condition, four weeks after a second surgical procedure to repair severed tendons in his wrist. Tampa's trainer conveyed that Graham was "pleased" with the results and that Boyle is "progressing nicely." Unfortunately, there is still no estimate for when he might return but, after his ill-fated early return in late October, this might actually be for the better." rotoworld Dec. 8
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CARCILLO:.....knee.....No surgery, will miss 6-8 weeks

"Daniel Carcillo will be lost to the Coyotes for the next six to eight weeks after suffering a knee injury. "No surgery, that's the big thing," he said. "I'm just trying to get back as quickly as possible." Arizona Republic Dec 23
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CLOWE:.....ACL.....Not sure how a DUI affects his return

"Ryan Clowe was arrested on Monday morning for suspicion of driving while intoxicated." TSN Dec 25

"LW Ryane Clowe is far from returning to action after undergoing surgery for torn knee ligament on Oct. 27, but he's traveling with the team to take full advantage of the team's training staff." CBS Dec 6
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FLEURY:.....high ankle sprain....Out for 6-8 weeks

"Marc-Andre Fleury will be out for the next six-eight weeks with a high ankle sprain. Fleury was injured on Thursday in a game against Calgary....Fleury returns...should be after the All-Star game in very late January or early February." TSN Dec 12
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J LEHTINEN:......sports hernia surgery.....Out 8-10 weeks

"The Dallas Stars placed Jere Lehtinen on the injury reserve on Monday.
Lehtinen is out 8-10 weeks after undergoing a sports hernia surgery." rotoworld Dec. 3
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MCCABE:.....broken hand.....Out for 6-8 weeks

"Bryan McCabe underwent surgery on his broken left hand. The surgery was a success and Toronto hopes to have McCabe back in six-to-eight weeks." TSN Dec 17
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MORRISON:.....wrist surgery.....Out at least 3 months, might be back for H2H playoffs

"Brendan Morrison will be out at least three months after undergoing wrist surgery (Six weeks in a cast, at least six weeks of rehab). He hopes to be back during the final month of the season and play in the playoffs." TSN Dec 17
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OUELLET:.....dislocated shoulder.....Out for 4-6 weeks

"Michel Ouellet will be shelved for four to six weeks with a dislocated shoulder that he suffered on a hit from Robyn Regehr in Tampa's 9-6 loss to Calgary on Thursday night." Tampa Bay Tribune Dec 15
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TORRES:.....torn ACL.....3-4 weeks before they can assess if he needs season-ending surgery

"Raffi Torres has a torn ACL in his knee, but he is hoping that it will not require season-ending surgery. Torres and the Oilers will wait a few weeks before making that decision." Calgary Herald Dec 18

"Raffi Torres suffered a knee injury on Saturday against Detroit, and it will be three or four weeks before they assess whether or not he needs surgery." TSN Dec 17
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VAN RYN:.....wrist surgery......8-10 weeks seems optimistic

"Mike Van Ryn underwent successful surgery on his right wrist on Tuesday. The work was extensive as the surgeon repaired two torn ligaments, re-attached a torn nerve ending and cleaned up scar tissue. Coach/GM Jacques Martin said that Van Ryn could be back in the lineup within eight to 10 weeks. This is the defender's third surgery on his wrist, and that timetable seems rather optimistic." Miami Herald Dec 21
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WHO KNOWS??? (aka Forsberg Section)
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BERGERON:.....concussion.....Progress stalled Friday, season in question

"Patrice Bergeron tried the stationary bike on Friday. Bergeron sustained a concussion in late October and has been unable to do much since. His progress seemed to stall on Friday. "He was just OK," said GM Peter Chiarelli. "He got nauseated pretty quickly." Although Bergeron seems to think he can, he may not return to the ice this season." Boston Herlad Dec 24
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FORSBERG:.....mangled ankles.....This section is named for him

"Fading star Peter Forsberg, often rumored to be a Red Wings target in free agency, received an encouraging evaluation of his surgically repaired foot, according to Swedish newspaper Expressen, via the Denver Post. The 34-year-old forward is working out in his native Sweden for a possible return to the NHL, and ESPN identified the Wings, Senators, Avalanche and Flyers as the front-runners to sign him. - Detroit Free Press" Nov 27
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HAVLAT:.....groin.....Missed Sunday, he automatically goes to this section

"Martin Havlat did not play on Sunday. Havlat injured his groin on Sunday and is considered day-to-day right now." Chicago Tribune Dec 24
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MURPHY:.....bruised shoulder.....No word on return timetable

"There is still no word on when Cory Murphy will be able to return to the Florida lineup. Murphy has missed 17 games in a row with a shoulder injury that has yet to be diagnosed. A bone scan showed no break, but also did not specify the injury that Murphy sustained. Needless to say, Murphy is frustrated. 'It's tough to be [at games] watching, especially for this amount of time," Murphy said. "I want to be on the ice. I want to be playing. "I don't have a torn labrum. I'm looking at the bright side -- that I don't need to be thinking about next year right now. I think about day-to-day, and it's going to get better. Hopefully I'll be back very soon." Miami Herald Dec 25
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SULLIVAN:.....back surgery.....Still no timetable, don't expect much

"There is still no timetable for the return of Steve Sullivan. Sullivan underwent two back surgeries during the off-season. "When I saw him Monday, he was optimistic and feeling good, but again, it was the same exercises,'' GM David Poile said. "Maybe he's doing them with a little more intensity, maybe for a little longer and maybe there is more aerobic activity on a daily basis. But nothing that would lead you to a conclusion that he would be playing hockey real soon.'' Don't expect much, if anything, from Sullivan this season." rotoworld Dec 21
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OUT FOR SEASON?:
________________________________________

FERNANDEZ:.....injured knee......Had knee surgery, probably out for rest of season

"Fernandez had knee surgery on Wednesday and likely will be sidelined for the rest of the season." CBS Dec 13
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JU WILLIAMS:.....torn ACL......Should be ready for training camp

"Justin Williams has a torn left ACL that will sideline him for the rest of the season. He will undergo major reconstructive surgery some time next week and will be out of action for 4-6 months. He should be ready for training camp this coming September." TSN Dec 21