NHL Player News

Gaudette (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Gaudette sustained an upper-body injury Sunday against the Wild, and his placement on injured reserve isn't particularly surprising since head coach Ryan Warsofsky said Wednesday that the 29-year-old is expected to miss at least a week. Michael Misa will likely have a chance to step up in Gaudette's absence.

Necas signed an eight-year, $92 million contract extension with Colorado on Thursday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Necas has been a stud over the last two seasons, tallying 27 goals and 56 assists in 79 games in 2024-25, split between Carolina and Colorado. Over his first 11 regular-season appearances this year, he has seven goals, six assists and 22 shots, including four points on the power play.

Duchene (upper body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Lightning, Mike Heika of the Stars' official site reports.

Duchene will miss a fifth consecutive game due to his upper-body injury, and it's not yet clear when he'll be able to return. Roope Hintz (undisclosed) will also remain sidelined Thursday, so Tyler Seguin and Wyatt Johnston should continue to serve as the Stars' top centers.

Ostlund was reassigned to AHL Rochester on Thursday, according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

Ostlund was selected 16th overall in the 2022 opening round. He has yet to accrue a point in 12 career NHL games, including four this season. Ostlund has one goal and four helpers in four AHL games for the Amerks this season. The Sabres made the move, as Jordan Greenway (lower body) is expected to return to the lineup Thursday against the Bruins, once he is activated from injured reserve.

Frank (upper body) was put on injured reserve Thursday, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.

Frank sustained his upper-body injury Tuesday in Dallas. The journeyman winger has one assist in three games this season. There is no word on the extent of his injury, but he appears likely to miss more than one week.

Paul (upper body) returned to practice Thursday in a non-contact jersey, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.

Paul is on long-term injured reserve and is not eligible to return to the lineup until Sunday at the earliest after undergoing surgery at the beginning of training camp. Paul had 22 goals and 19 assists while averaging 16:27 of action over 76 regular-season games in 2024-25. He will be a middle-six forward upon his return to the lineup.

Strome (lower body) skated in a non-contact jersey ahead of practice Thursday, according to Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.

Strome sat out Tuesday's tilt in Dallas and should be considered doubtful Friday against the Islanders. Strome is off to a great start with two goals, eight assists and 16 shots on goal in nine appearances this season. Connor McMichael has taken over as the Capitals' top center during Strome's absence.

Washe scored twice and added an assist in AHL San Diego's 3-0 win over San Jose on Wednesday.

Washe is up to five points in six games in his first AHL campaign. The 24-year-old forward had a call-up earlier in 2025-26 but didn't get into a game with the Ducks. Should he continue to produce offense at a sufficient level, he may receive additional recalls later in the campaign, as he's likely one of the more NHL-ready forwards among the Ducks' younger options with the minor-league team.

Hebig scored twice on five shots and added an assist in AHL Tucson's 4-3 loss to Manitoba on Wednesday.

Hebig's performance put him up to four goals and eight points through eight games this season. He took a step forward with a 26-goal, 47-point effort over 67 regular-season outings in 2024-25, which was his best AHL campaign to date. However, the 28-year-old would likely need a lot of things to go his way to earn a call-up and his NHL debut with the Mammoth.

Barre-Boulet scored two goals in AHL Colorado's 2-1 win over Bakersfield on Wednesday.

These were Barre-Boulet's first two tallies of the season. He's added five assists and 26 shots on net over nine outings with the Eagles this year. The 28-year-old has some NHL experience, appearing in 70 games over parts of five campaigns, but he skated in just two regular-season contests for the Canadiens last year. As such, it would likely take numerous injuries to the Avalanche's NHL roster for him to earn a call-up.