NHL Player News

McBain (upper body) is available for Thursday's game against St. Louis, Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports reports.

McBain suffered an upper-body injury during Tuesday's game against Colorado, but the issue won't prevent him from suiting up two days later. Over his first seven appearances of the season, he's recorded a goal, 15 hits, seven blocked shots and 13 PIM while averaging 13:42 of ice time.

Highmore was promoted from AHL Bridgeport on Thursday.

Highmore has four assists in four outings with Bridgeport this season. Marc Gatcomb, who was a healthy scratch in New York's past four games, was sent to the minors in a corresponding move. Highmore might see use as a member of the Islanders' bottom six, but it's also possible that he'll spend most, if not all, of his stint with the Islanders as a healthy scratch.

Rooney was recalled from AHL Tucson on Thursday.

Rooney will trade places with Andrew Agozzino, who was sent down in a corresponding move after passing through waivers. In four games with the Roadrunners this year, the 32-year-old Rooney has notched three goals and one helper. Whether Rooney suits up against the Blues on Thursday will likely depend on the health of Jack McBain (upper body).

Dach (lower body) will return to the lineup in Edmonton on Thursday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Dach missed three games with the injury. The center has one goal and one assist in five games this season. Dach is expected to center the second line, alongside Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher versus the Oilers.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch said Thursday that Hyman (wrist) is targeting a return around Nov. 1, Tom Gazzola of Edmonton Sports Talk reports.

Hyman has been out since the Western Conference Final, as he broke his wrist May 27 and eventually required surgery. Hyman is likely going to play alongside Connor McDavid on the top line upon his return, as McDavid has only one goal and seven assists in seven games, which is considered a slow start for the NHL's top star.

Barron (undisclosed) is expected to play at home versus Seattle on Thursday.

Barron sat out practice Wednesday. The 26-year-old center has three goals and two assists in six games this season. He is projected to play on the fourth line, between Tanner Pearson and Cole Koepke.

Mercer logged two assists, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Wild.

Mercer shuffled down to the third line to center Connor Brown and Paul Cotter in the absence of Cody Glass (upper body). This was Mercer's second multi-point effort of the season, and he's off to a strong start with three goals and four helpers over seven contests. The 23-year-old has added 13 shots on net, 10 blocks, four hits, four PIM and a plus-7 rating. Consistency will be key for him to challenge his career-high mark of 56 points from 2022-23.

Duchene (upper body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Kings, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Duchene has been dealing with an upper-body injury for the past week, and he'll be unavailable for a second consecutive matchup Thursday. It's not yet clear whether he'll be able to suit up Saturday against Carolina.

Marchessault (lower body) has been ruled out of Thursday's tilt against Vancouver, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Marchessault will miss his third consecutive game. The 34-year-old got off to a nice start this season with a pair of goals and two assists in five games. He could return to the lineup as early as Saturday at home versus Los Angeles.

Sundqvist (lower body) has been removed from injured reserve ahead of Thursday's clash with Utah, per the NHL media site.

Sundqvist started practicing with the team Monday and appears to be good to go after missing the Blues' first six games of the year. With the veteran center back in action, he figures to fill a bottom-six role, which will likely relegate Alexandre Texier to a spot in the press box as a healthy scratch.