Key NHL Players Sidelined as 2024-25 Season Begins

The National Hockey League’s 2024-25 season has begun, but the excitement on the ice is tempered by injuries affecting several key players. Vancouver Canucks‘ goaltender Thatcher Demko is among the notable absentees. Demko suffered a knee injury during the team’s 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs run, which has persisted. He sustained the injury during Game 1 of Vancouver’s opening-round series, resulting in his absence for the remainder of the postseason. Reports indicate that Demko will remain sidelined for approximately three to four weeks, positioning him for a potential early November return.

Meanwhile, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog continues his long road to recovery. Landeskog has not played since the 2022 postseason after needing arthroscopic knee surgery following the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup victory. Initially, it was announced he would miss the early months of the 2022-23 season. However, complications extended his absence through the entire campaign. In a further setback, Landeskog underwent cartilage transplant surgery, causing him to miss the entire 2023-24 season. The timeline for his return remains uncertain as he progresses in rehabilitation.

Other league players are also contending with various injuries. For example, a player recovering from appendectomy surgery hopes to return by early November, while another with lower-body issues has not set a return date after last playing in early October. Elsewhere, a player who required shoulder surgery is on the injured reserve list without a defined comeback date.

Continuing with the list of sidelined stars, a player who had hip and hernia surgeries is expected back by February 2025. An ankle surgery has kept another out of action since September 2024 and will delay their return until the 2025-26 season. Meanwhile, shoulder and upper-body injuries are plaguing other athletes, aiming for returns in late October or early November 2024.

Notably, one player, recovering from testicular cancer, anticipates returning to play by late October. Moreover, another player dealing with an undisclosed injury hopes to be back in action this month after missing games since May.