The clock is ticking toward the Feb. 29 NHL trade deadline, and the race for postseason positioning is beginning in earnest.
As teams around the league reach the three-quarter pole for 2015-16, quite a few of them have significant holes in their lineups thanks to injuries to key players.
Depending on the situation, the impact of these injuries manifests in different ways. In some cases, one key player will be the difference between a team making or missing the playoffs. Often, injury absences will lead to more aggressive trade-deadline maneuvering by the affected general managers. In rare cases, GMs become more likely to stand pat with the players they have rather than taking chances on lineup tweaks.
The seven players here each fits one of those categories. Some are expected to be out for extended periods of time, while the status of others remains in doubt—adding yet another layer of uncertainty for their teams.
Here's a look at the players whose injuries are making the biggest impact on their respective teams' playoff chances this season.
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Article written by Carol Schram
The Most Important Injuries Impacting the 2015-16 NHL Playoff Race
February 22nd, 2016 by Carol Schram Leave a reply »
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