NHL Player News

Meyers was placed on injured reserve Thursday and is out week-to-week due to a lower-body injury.

Jacob Melanson was recalled from AHL Coachella Valley as a result of Meyers landing on injured reserve. The 27-year-old Meyers will now be forced to miss at least the next three games. The Minnesota native's first opportunity to get back into the lineup will be Jan. 29 against Toronto.

Dickinson (illness) will miss Thursday's game against Carolina, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Dickinson has six goals, 10 points, eight PIM, 41 hits and 27 blocks in 36 outings in 2025-26. Colton Dach was originally projected to be a healthy scratch due to Andre Burakovsky's (illness) return, but Dickinson's absence is slated to keep Dach in the lineup.

Eriksson Ek (lower body) was activated from injured reserve Thursday, Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News reports.

Eriksson Ek was considered a game-time decision ahead of Thursday's matchup against Detroit, and he'll be able to suit up following his six-game absence due to a lower-body injury. Over 45 appearances this year, he's recorded 11 goals, 21 assists, 68 hits, 20 PIM and 19 blocked shots while averaging 19:34 of ice time.

Chytil (upper body) will be a game-time call against New Jersey on Friday after head coach Adam Foote told reporters, "It looks promising," Randip Janda of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Chytil hasn't played since Oct. 19 versus the Capitals due to his upper-body injury, spending the last 44 games on injured reserve. Injuries have plagued the Czech center over the last few years, limiting him to just 72 regular-season appearances over the previous three seasons. At this point, the 26-year-old Chytil is unlikely to reach the 10-goal or 20-point thresholds this year, given his lengthy absence.

Kopitar (lower body) didn't skate with the Kings on Thursday, but he will join the team for their upcoming six-game road trip, Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports.

Given that Kopitar isn't skating with the team yet, he probably won't be ready to return when the road trip starts Saturday in St. Louis, but he might be an option later in the trip. He hasn't been in the lineup since Jan. 5. Kopitar has six goals and 21 points in 37 outings in 2025-26.

Huberdeau (lower body) is slated to play Friday versus Washington, per Derek Wills of Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

Huberdeau missed one game due to the injury. He has eight goals and 21 points in 44 outings in 2025-26. His return might result in Martin Pospisil being a healthy scratch against the Capitals.

Zegras notched two power-play assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Mammoth.

Zegras has two goals and three helpers over his last five outings. He set up Bobby Brink and Christian Dvorak's second-period tallies in this contest. For the season, Zegras is up to 19 goals, 27 helpers, 16 power-play points, 109 shots on net and 34 PIM through 49 appearances. His career high is 65 points, set in 81 games in 2022-23 with the Ducks, but that looks like a mark he'll be able to surpass if he stays steady for the rest of the campaign.

Schmaltz logged two assists, including one on the power play, and two PIM in Wednesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Flyers.

Schmaltz has five points over his last three games and a total of six goals and seven helpers through 10 outings in January. He's found success centering Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse lately on Utah's top line. Schmaltz is up to 46 points (18 goals, 28 helpers), 120 shots on net, 32 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating across 50 contests.

Hayton scored a power-play goal on two shots and added two PIM in Wednesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Flyers.

Hayton has tallied in consecutive contests after going 13 games without a goal. The 25-year-old center is still in a top-six role with power-play time, which should allow him to get his offense back on track. For the season, he's earned 15 points (four on the power play), 73 shots on net, 22 blocked shots, 34 PIM and a plus-4 rating across 45 appearances.

Lorentz logged an assist and two hits in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Red Wings.

Lorentz has gone 14 games without a goal, picking up four assists, 29 hits, 18 shots on net and a plus-4 rating in that span. While his offense has been middling for much of the season, he's seen steady time on the fourth line. He's now at 14 points, 47 shots on net, 93 hits, 26 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 43 appearances. Lorentz has come up one point shy of 20 on two different occasions in his career, but he's on pace to reach that threshold in 2025-26.