Injury Updates: Larsson, Murphy, Hagelin, Lewis

The Oilers have been without blueliner Adam Larsson after he sustained a broken leg in the first game of the season (one that he played through for two periods) but it appears that he’s getting closer to returning.  He told Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that he feels he’s a bit ahead of schedule and is hoping to return in about a week and a half.  Larsson is presently on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) but as Edmonton is currently in salary cap compliance even if he was back on their books, they won’t have to make any moves to activate him when he gets the green light to return.

More injury notes around the league:

• Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy appears to be on track to be activated off LTIR on November 16th, notes Jimmy Greenfield of the Chicago Tribune. That’s the first day he’s eligible to come off as he has to miss at least ten games or 24 days.  The veteran has skated a couple of times in recent days as he works his way back from a groin injury.  Murphy has been an important part of Chicago’s back end as they’ve won just 12 of 39 games that he has missed over the past two seasons while posting a .578 points percentage when he has been in the lineup.
• Capitals winger Carl Hagelin won’t play tonight due to an upper-body injury, reports Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. Hagelin didn’t miss any action during his last game on Thursday and head coach Todd Reirden indicated the issue was discovered on Friday.  He’s currently listed as day-to-day.  With Richard Panik eligible to return off LTIR on Monday and Washington’s tenuous salary cap situation, Hagelin’s issue, even though it appears to be minor, could complicate things for them on the cap compliance front.
• The Kings will be without forward Trevor Lewis for today’s game against Montreal at the very least but head coach Todd McLellan told reporters, including Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, that Lewis will be out longer than originally anticipated though he didn’t specify how long he’ll be out. Lewis sustained the lower-body injury early in Thursday’s overtime loss to Ottawa.