NHL Player News

Frederic exited Wednesday's practice after suffering an undisclosed injury, Tony Brar of Oilers TV.

Brar believes Frederic was struck in the face with the puck. The 27-year-old Frederic has two goals, three points, 25 PIM and 71 hits in 30 appearances this season. If he can't play Thursday versus Detroit, then Edmonton might need to call a forward up from the minors.

Bjugstad (upper body) will be out of action for the next five days, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports Wednesday, which means he will be out for the Blues' next three games.

Bjugstad was injured against Boston on Tuesday and will now be facing about a week out of the lineup. In Bjugstad's stead, the team signed Robby Fabbri to a two-way contract and will insert him into the lineup versus the Predators on Thursday. For his part, Bjugstad has struggled offensively this year with just five points in 25 appearances. Don't be surprised to see Bjugstad land on injured reserve, given his recovery timeline.

Kuraly logged two assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blues.

Kuraly had been limited to just one helper over his previous 14 games. The 32-year-old had a hand in both of Mark Kastelic's tallies in Tuesday's contest. Kuraly is at eight points, 45 shots on net, 29 hits, 22 blocked shots and 20 PIM over 31 appearances this season, serving as a penalty killer and fourth-line center.

Zacha scored an empty-net goal on six shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blues.

Zacha has three goals and two assists over his four-game point streak to start December. He was limited to six points over 13 outings in November, but he's bounced back well, even with his ice time trending downward a little bit. The 28-year-old center has eight goals, 22 points, 49 shots on net, 29 hits, 20 PIM and a minus-3 rating through 30 appearances this season, primarily in a second-line role.

Cotter scored a goal on three shots in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Senators.

Cotter's goal gave the Devils their first lead of the game at 4:21 of the second period. The 26-year-old forward snapped his five-game slump with the tally. He's seen inconsistent offense as a bottom-six regular this year, earning seven points with 30 shots on net, 79 hits, 11 PIM and a minus-9 rating through 30 outings overall.

Kyrou (lower body) was designated for injured reserve Wednesday.

Kyrou is week-to-week, so his shift to injured reserve shouldn't come as a surprise. At this point, it seems likely that the 27-year-old winger will be out through the Christmas break, though an exact timeline for his return is unclear. To bolster the forward group in Kyrou's absence, the Blues signed Robby Fabbri on Wednesday to a two-way contract.

Fabbri inked a one-year, two-way contract with the Blues on Wednesday. He's expected to join the team in Nashville on Thursday.

It remains to be seen if Fabbri will make his season debut against the Predators on Thursday, but it wouldn't be surprising if he gets into a couple of practices before drawing into the lineup. When he plays for St. Louis, it will probably be in a bottom-six capacity. Fabbri had eight goals and 16 points in 44 appearances with Anaheim during the 2025-26 regular season.

Brassard agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Geneve-Servette HC of Switzerland's National League on Wednesday, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Brassard previously announced his retirement back in June of 2024. He last played in the NHL in the 2022-23 season as a member of the Senators. While a return to action at the top level in North America may not be in the cards, both Gabriel Landeskog and Jonathan Toews came back following extended stints away from the game due to health issues.

Eichel recorded two assists and four shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Islanders.

Eichel had the primary helper on Noah Hanifin's opening goal before picking up the secondary assist on a marker by Ivan Barbashev early in the third period. Eichel is up to 26 assists, 38 points and 114 shots on net through 29 games this season. The 29-year-old center has a pair of points in each of his last three games, tying him for eighth in the league in points. After a career-high 94 points through 77 regular-season games a year ago, Eichel should contend for a similar number this season while leading one of the league's best offensive groups.

Evans will miss Thursday's game against Pittsburgh for personal reasons.

Evans is expected to rejoin the Canadiens in New York, which leaves the door open for him to return Saturday versus the Rangers. He has four goals and eight points in 29 appearances in 2025-26. Owen Beck is likely to draw into the lineup Thursday due to Evans' absence.