NHL Player News

Dickinson (illness) is good to play Thursday versus Nashville, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Dickinson was battling the illness during the Olympic break, but he won't end up missing a game due to it. He has six goals and 13 points in 43 outings in 2025-26. Dickinson is projected to serve on the third line alongside Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev on Thursday.

Dach (undisclosed) won't play Thursday versus the Predators, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

It's unclear if Dach is still injured after exiting the Blackhawks' last game prior to the Olympic break. It's possible he's just a scratch, but there has been no update on his status. His next chance to play is Saturday versus the Avalanche.

Zibanejad (illness) is slated to play against Philadelphia on Thursday, according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic.

Zibanejad was questionable for the match after missing Wednesday's practice because of the illness. He has 23 goals and 52 points in 56 outings with the Rangers in 2026-27. Zibanejad is set to play on the top line alongside J.T. Miller and Gabe Perreault on Thursday.

Nelson scored a goal on four shots in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Mammoth.

Nelson had 18 points over 14 contests in January, and the American Olympian has added two goals in three NHL outings in February. The 34-year-old reached the 30-goal mark Wednesday, doing so for the fourth time in the last five years -- all since his age-29 campaign after falling short of the milestone in his first eight NHL seasons. He's at 50 points, 129 shots on net, 43 blocked shots, 28 hits and a plus-8 rating across 56 appearances in his first full campaign with the Avalanche.

Cooley logged an assist in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Cooley missed 28 games due to a lower-body injury. The 21-year-old center will resume a top-six role and should have significant upside in fantasy for the rest of the campaign if he can stay healthy. He's at 24 points, 60 shots on net, 34 hits, 22 PIM and a plus-7 rating across 30 appearances this season.

Steel scored a goal and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.

Steel stretched the Stars' lead to 3-0 with the middle tally of a three-goal burst in a span of 4:31 early in the second period. The 28-year-old went 13 games without a goal prior to the Olympic break, earning seven assists during that stretch. For the season, he has eight goals, 24 points, 65 shots on net, 59 hits and an even plus-minus rating over 58 appearances. That's in line with his usual full-season production, so it's possible this will be the first year he hits the 30-point mark.

Sundqvist (upper body) isn't expected to play in Thursday's game against Seattle.

Sundqvist underwent surgery during the Olympic break and will be unavailable for at least one matchup following the league's three-week layoff. It's not yet clear when he'll be able to return to action, but head coach Jim Montgomery suggested last week that Sundqvist could be cleared to play soon.

Uchacz was assigned to AHL Henderson on Thursday.

The Golden Knights were without several key players following the Olympics during Wednesday's win over the Kings, so Uchacz suited up after being recalled Tuesday. He recorded shot on goal, a hit, a blocked shot and a minus-1 rating in 12:38 of ice time against Los Angeles but will head back to the minors a day later, which signals that the Golden Knights will likely be much closer to full strength against the Capitals on Friday.

Laczynski was assigned to AHL Henderson on Thursday.

Laczynski was called up by Vegas on Tuesday and appeared in Wednesday's win over the Kings, recording three assists and a plus-2 rating while several of the Golden Knights' key contributors were sidelined following the Olympics. Despite his strong performance against Los Angeles, Laczynski will head back to the minors, where he should have more consistent opportunities for playing time.

Eichel (not injury related) was taken off the non-roster list ahead of Friday's matchup with Washington, per the NHL media site.

Eichel was given an extra day off to recover from his travel back from the Olympics. Going back to before the break, the 29-year-old center is riding a four-game point streak during which he racked up two goals and five helpers, including one power-play point. Eichel should reclaim his spot on both the top line and the No. 1 power-play unit.