2009 has been an awful year for injuries thus far – a staggering 9 of the top 30 rated forwards at the start of the year are, are expected to be, or have been, on the shelf for at least two weeks or longer: Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalchuk, D.Sedin, Savard, Staal, Gagne, Toews and Elias. Four of those nine (Kovalchuk, Sedin, Gagne and Elias) were all expected to be gone for six weeks or longer.

As if that weren’t enough, 4 of the top 12 rated defensemen are also currently out of action: Weber, Souray, Markov and Gonchar.

What’s especially surprising is that aside from Simon Gagne and Sheldon Souray, most of these players do not have a reputation for being injury prone. Consider for example that Daniel Sedin has missed one game in the past five seasons. Or that Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, Malkin and Savard have missed a cumulative total of 21 games in the past three seasons combined. On draft day, these players seemed to be as close to a sure bet as there could be – nevertheless, as we enter week 5 of the fantasy season, these injuries have left many owners panicking as they watch their team start to slip in the standings. Here’s the latest injury updates heading into the weekend.

Alexander Ovechkin, Washington – Out with a shoulder injury until next Wednesday at the earliest. Ovechkin was in a non-contact coloured jersey in practice on Thursday, and did not skate on a line, so keep him benched for the weekend.

Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh – Also nursing a shoulder injury (October 29), Malkin is rehabbing and resting his shoulder but has not yet resumed skating. Coach Bylsma recently commented that things are progressing well with Malkin, but don’t expect him back in the lineup before week 7. Especially considering Malkin’s importance to Team Russia in the upcoming Olympic tournament, I would imagine there is a substantial amount of pressure from the Russian Hockey Federation not to rush his comeback until he is 100% healthy.

Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta – Kovalchuk suffered a broken bone in his right foot in the team’s Oct 24 loss to the Sharks and isn’t expected back until late-November at the earliest. Kovalchuk has had a great start to his year, and this being a contract year as well, one would expect very big things from him when he returns.

Simon Gagne, Philadelphia – Hopefully you didn’t waste an early-round draft pick on this guy. Gagne has had three surgeries in his abdominal/groin area in the past three years , and is now looking at a fourth. He’s currently listed as out of commission for the next 6-8 weeks, but knowing his history with groin problems this could drag on much longer. As his return approaches the 2 week mark, look to trade him to an desperate owner looking for some goals. Whatever you get in return will be a bonus.

Daniel Sedin, Vancouver - Daniel finally got the cast removed from his fractured left foot on November 1st, but he is still wearing a walking boot. His earliest return seems to be towards the middle of week 7. Look for Steve Bernier to be demoted once Sedin returns.

Marc Savard, Boston – Savard actually played the first seven games of the season with a broken left foot from a shot taken in the preseason. He never realized that it was actually broken until he took yet another shot off his foot against Phoenix on October 17, and the medical staff found the break in a X-ray. The good news is that he has shed the protective boot and is working out, a definite step in the right direction. Nevertheless, don’t look for him to return until the end of November. The Bruins could really use him as their offense is averaging a meagre 2.2 goals per game overall.

Eric Staal, Carolina – Talk about an iron man – Staal has only missed one NHL game in his career, having played 349 consecutive games, the longest in the Hurricanes’ history. The nature of the injury is being closely guarded, aside from the fact that it’s an upper-body injury. Team reports indicate that he’ll be out 2-4 weeks. This would be an ideal time to try and score Staal from a frustrated owner and stash him on your IR. He’s had a slow start to the season, but much of that is due to Erik Cole’s injury. Cole is now back, and when both Staal and Cole are healthy and on the same line, Staal is a point-per-game player. See the previous posting for more details.

Jonathan Toews, Chicago - Toews is officially listed as day-to-day with a concussion, after being bulldozed by the Canucks’ Willie Mitchell. Toews is looking like he’s making progress and there is even a possibility that he may play this weekend. Concussions are a scary thing and very unpredictable however, so be weary if any of those symptoms return.

Patrik Elias, New Jersey – Elias is looking to make his debut tonight against the Islanders after recovering from groin surgery in September. Elias will likely start off centering the second line between Langenbrunner and Halischuk, but should see time on the first power play unit as a point man.

Shea Weber, Nashville – After taking a Brendan Morrow shot off the left foot on October 31st, Weber is expected to be out for one to two weeks. The injury is not considered serious, and in fact Weber was able to finish the second period and play on into the third.

Sheldon Souray, Edmonton – This is an injury that could be a real drag. Souray took a vicious shot to the head after being slammed into the boards by Jarome Iginla on October 8. The initial prognosis was for one or two weeks, but it’s now looking like it will be more like two months before the stud defenseman makes it back. Souray met with Oilers’ coach Pat Quinn last week and said he felt really good, but the next day his headaches returned to the extent that he couldn’t even come to the rink. A week later Souray has started to feel better and work out again, but it sounds like this is an injury that could linger the entire season, and even when he returns, he is no sure thing considering his physical style of play. Look to package Souray in a trade for a more certain asset.

Sergei Gonchar, Pittsburgh – Gonchar is expected to have the cast of his broken left wrist next week, when the Pens return from their road trip. The team has really struggled without him in the lineup, going 3 for 32 on the powerplay. When healthy, Gonchar is one of the top defenseman in the league. Look for him to return by week 8.