NHL Player News

Couturier (personal) will return to the lineup for Monday's game against the Penguins, Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Couturier missed Saturday's matchup against Columbus while tending to a personal matter, but he'll be back in action following a one-game absence. Over 32 appearances this year, he's logged six goals, 11 assists, 25 hits, 21 blocked shots and 15 PIM while averaging 18:16 of ice time.

Trenin (upper body) was activated from injured reserve Monday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Trenin should return to the lineup against Chicago on Monday after missing the last five games. He has accounted for two goals, one assist, 22 shots on net, 15 blocked shots and 82 hits across 29 appearances this season. The Wild made room for Trenin to occupy a bottom-six role by sending Travis Boyd to AHL Iowa on Sunday.

Ostapchuk was loaned to AHL Belleville on Monday.

Ostapchuk has three assists, six shots on goal, seven blocked shots and 42 hits in 20 NHL outings this season. He will probably be back with the big club after the holiday break. Ottawa's road trip resumes in Winnipeg on Saturday.

Staal notched an assist and five hits in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Rangers.

Staal has earned four assists over his last four contests while playing in his usual third-line role. The 36-year-old center helped out on a William Carrier tally that tied the game at 1-1 in the second period. Through 33 games, Staal has three goals, 10 assists, 43 shots on net, 49 hits and a plus-8 rating. His role isn't going to change -- he's a shutdown center who will be on the ice for the toughest matchups, so offense is secondary to defense for him.

Beniers notched an assist and two shots on goal in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Beniers won a draw to new linemate Kaapo Kakko, who surprised Mackenzie Blackwood with a quick shot for the Kraken's second goal. The helper ended a four-game point drought for Beniers. The 22-year-old center also won eight of 13 faceoffs, a rare successful day at the dot -- he's won 46.8 percent of his draws this year and isn't finding much success in that aspect of the game early in his career. Beniers has also been middling on offense with 18 points, 62 shots on net and a plus-5 rating through 36 appearances, though he remains in a top-six role.

Wright produced an assist and added two hits in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Head coach Dan Bylsma continues to tinker with his lines, and that resulted in Wright playing alongside Jared McCann and Yanni Groude. The trio combined on McCann's first-period tally. It's a good spot for Wright, who has taken strides in recent weeks and will now get to play alongside a strong scorer and a steady defensive forward until the next shuffle. Wright has three goals and six assists through 11 games in December, and he's at a total of 16 points (six on the power play), 32 shots on net, 23 blocked shots, 22 hits and a minus-1 rating through 33 appearances.

McCann scored a goal on two shots and went minus-2 in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.

McCann finished a tic-tac-toe play at 17:55 of the first period, burying a goal from close range to tie the game at 1-1. The 28-year-old has struggled with just four points over 11 outings in December. He's been shuffled onto a line with Shane Wright and Yanni Gourde, who assisted on McCann's goal. McCann is at 12 tallies, 27 points, 92 shots on net, 25 blocked shots, 18 hits and a plus-2 rating over 36 contests this season. It's important for the Kraken to get his offense back on track as he's generally been one of their most consistent forwards.

MacKinnon notched two assists, two shots on goal and two blocked shots in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Kraken.

MacKinnon helped out on Cale Makar's power-play goal in the first period, and he generated a rebound for Valeri Nichushkin to bury in the middle frame. This was MacKinnon's third straight multi-point effort. The center has racked up five goals and 11 assists over his last seven outings, though he hasn't had a point streak longer than three games since opening the year on a 13-game heater. While there's been the occasional goose egg on his ledger, the superstar leads the league with 57 points (18 on the power play) while adding 138 shots on net, 32 blocked shots, 20 hits, 20 PIM and a plus-6 rating through 36 appearances.

Cousins scored a goal, logged two hits and added two PIM in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Oilers.

Cousins' tally tied the game at 1-1 early in the second period, but the Senators couldn't get another puck past Stuart Skinner. The 31-year-old Cousins has two goals and an assist during his three-game point streak, and he's put up seven points through 11 outings in December. It's a solid run for the third-liner, though it's not likely to be sustainable. For the season, he's at five goals, six assists, 47 shots on net, 50 hits, 25 PIM and a plus-3 rating through 32 appearances.

Janmark logged an assist in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Senators.

Janmark has four helpers over 10 games in December. After Viktor Arvidsson returned from an undisclosed injury, Janmark had been bumped down to the fourth line, but the latter moved back up to the third line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (illness) unavailable Sunday. The 32-year-old Janmark has contributed 14 points, 17 shots on net and a minus-1 rating over 34 appearances this season. He fills a defensive role in the bottom six, and while he's never been a volume shooter, his low shot total in 2024-25 doesn't bode well for sustaining offense in the long run.