The Blue Jackets activated Johnson (shoulder) from injured reserve Thursday.

Johnson was off to a great start with two goals and three assists in his first four games before a shoulder injury knocked him out of the lineup, forcing him to miss 14 games. Johnson, who was selected fifth overall in 2021, is expected to play alongside Adam Fantilli and James van Riemsdyk on the second line Thursday when Columbus hosts Tampa Bay. He should also see power-play time on the second unit as he is eased back into the lineup.

Johnston had a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Sharks.

Johnston enjoyed an excellent start to the season and cracked the scoresheet in his first five appearances, but he's cooled off since then. This was his first multi-point outing of the campaign, and excluding that five-game stretch at the beginning of the season, he only has four points (two goals, two assists) in 13 contests. Given that Johnston had 65 points in 82 regular-season outings in 2023-24, this is not the kind of start neither he nor fantasy managers were hoping for.

Stephenson recorded three assists, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Predators.

The Kraken's second line carried the scoring, with Stephenson's three assists leading the way. He set up goals by Daniel Sprong and Brandon Montour before drawing a secondary helper on Yanni Gourde's empty-netter. This was the third time Stephenson has earned multiple assists in a game. He's settled into a playmaking role, though he's assembled just one point streak this season. The 30-year-old center has a goal, 12 helpers, 20 shots on net and a minus-3 rating over 20 outings, and fantasy managers likely want to see more consistency on a game-to-game basis.

Granlund (upper body) left Wednesday's game versus the Stars in the third period, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky didn't have an update on Granlund's status. The center was pulled from the game late in the third period after a high hit, so it's likely he was in the concussion protocol. The injury leaves him in doubt for Thursday's game against the Blues. Givani Smith would likely draw into the lineup and Alexander Wennberg would move up if Granlund can't play Thursday. Prior to his exit, Granlund scored a shorthanded goal and added his 400th career assist in the 5-2 loss.

Jarvis (upper body) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Flyers, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Head coach Rod Brind'Amour said Tuesday that Jarvis was "very, very doubtful" for Wednesday's matchup, so it isn't surprising to see the 22-year-old ruled out. Jarvis didn't travel with the team to Philadelphia, but Brind'Amour indicated Wednesday that the right-shot winger could join the Hurricanes later in their road trip, which includes games against New Jersey on Thursday and against Columbus on Saturday.

Thompson (lower body) won't play Wednesday against the Kings, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.

Thompson might also miss Friday's tilt versus Anaheim, but he's expected to return Saturday versus San Jose at the latest. The 27-year-old has 11 goals and 18 points in 16 outings with the Sabres in 2024-25. He should play on the top line and first power-play unit once he's healthy.

Verhaeghe recorded a power-play assist, three shots on goal and a minus-2 rating in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Jets.

Verhaeghe snapped a three-game slump with a helper on a Matthew Tkachuk goal in the third period. While he's filled a top-six role regularly this season, Verhaeghe has been a little cooler on offense than usual. He has 13 points (five on the power play), 69 shots on net, 23 hits, 18 PIM and a minus-10 rating through 19 appearances. There's reason for optimism though -- he's shooting just 5.8 percent so far, and he's never finished a full season lower than the 13.8 percent mark he had in a 34-goal, 72-point regular season in 2023-24.

Reinhart scored a power-play goal, added three hits and went minus-2 in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Jets.

Reinhart has racked up nine goals, including three on the power play, and eight assists during his 11-game point streak. He had four points over two contests versus the Jets as the team's split their season series. Reinhart continues to defy expectations for regression, accumulating 14 goals, 15 assists, six power-play points, 48 shots on net and a plus-11 rating through 19 contests. Reinhart is tied with Leon Draisaitl for second in the league in goals, and they'll have a chance to compete for the top spot while Alex Ovechkin (lower leg) is sidelined.

Vilardi notched an assist and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Panthers.

Vilardi didn't have the same success as linemates Mark Scheifele (hat trick) or Kyle Connor (goal and assist) in this contest. Still, Vilardi has kept a strong scoring pace and bounced back from his first multi-game drought since Oct. 20-22. The 25-year-old forward has seven goals, eight helpers, 37 shots on net and a plus-3 rating through 19 appearances this season. He's on pace to challenge for a 60-point campaign, and his 18.9 shooting percentage isn't a huge concern since he's been right around that level in each of the previous two seasons.

Bolduc logged an assist in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Wild.

The helper ended a three-game dry spell for Bolduc, who was also scratched three times in that span. His playing time is trending in the wrong direction -- in addition to the recent scratches, he saw a season-low 8:30 of ice time Tuesday. The 21-year-old has five assists, 14 shots on net, 24 hits and a plus-2 rating over 15 appearances, but it looks like he could benefit from a little more development time in the AHL if he can't find a groove on offense soon.