Nicolas Roy was originally off from a practice for a maintenance day. A few days later, something goes wrong and he doesn't show up at practice again. A couple of weeks later, he's placed on IR from an upper-body injury, retroactive to December 16. It's a curious case for the Vegas Golden Knights, who've dealt with numerous injuries in the past.
But this curious case doesn't just stem from Roy. Mark Stone also had this issue after November 6 against the Edmonton Oilers. The Captain was designated as day-to-day with a lower-body injury after that game. No big deal, right?
Stone missed a month before returning on December 6 against the Dallas Stars. Since that game, he has had two goals and seven assists, providing a much-needed spark to the Golden Knights offense.
However, it goes back to the interesting phenomenon that Golden Knights players are extending their stay off the ice. Granted, Stone's rehabilitation had a bump in the road and caused him to miss time. There's also Roy being able to be activated at any time.
But it's still a peculiar case that has struck the Golden Knights this season. Fortunately, the team hasn't dealt with an overwhelming wave of injuries like previous seasons thus far. Still, it's worth watching this phenomenon and seeing where it leads. But there's another player who could be a perfect example of this.
What about Ivan Barbashev?
On December 15, Marcus Foligno of the Minnesota Wild got tangled up with Ivan Barbashev. The Russian forward left the game and never returned. The aftermath was Barbashev being out day-to-day with the possibility of returning in the next week or two. That sounds like good news, right?
However, recent history indicates that this might be dragged out further. Stone missing an entire month from a day-to-day designation proves that this could await Barbashev. That's especially true if his injury doesn't heal up properly like Stone's didn't.
Another factor is the current stretch of games the Vegas Golden Knights are playing in. They don't play a team currently in playoff position until January 12 against the Minnesota Wild. The Golden Knights could look at that stretch as a means of resting their top-line player up. That way, he can be activated when the tougher stretch comes.
The good news is they've also picked up the slack without their key players. Adin Hill has had an excellent December heading into Friday's game against the San Jose Sharks (2.00 GAA, .931 save percentage, one shutout). When players like Hill pick up the slack, it helps the team weather the tougher games. That also goes for having superstars like Jack Eichel (47 points) around, providing a much-needed spark.
If Vegas has key players step up, it'll make life easier when facing teams like the Wild or Carolina Hurricanes. Now's a good time to accumulate as many points as possible with inferior competition in front of the Golden Knights. Therefore, don't be surprised if you don't see Barbashev for a few more games, especially if he doesn't need to return when the team's rolling.