NHL Player News

Forbort (undisclosed) is expected to be in the lineup Wednesday versus the Capitals, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports.

Forbort was labeled a game-time decision but does not appear to be at risk of missing a contest with the issue. The 32-year-old blueliner should be able to take on a little less ice time now that Quinn Hughes is back in action. Forbort has three assists and 16 blocked shots over 13 appearances this season.

Suter produced an assist, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Wild.

Suter ended his 11-game skid with the helper. While he saw first-pairing minutes for a large segment of the season following Nick Leddy's lower-body injury and a knee issue that sidelined Philip Broberg for nearly a month, the Cam Fowler trade has bolstered the Blues' defense enough to keep Suter on the third pairing now. He's unlikely to generate as much offense in a more limited role. The 39-year-old is at eight points, 33 shots on net, 53 blocked shots, 26 hits and a plus-1 rating through 42 appearances.

Faulk notched two assists, three shots on goal and a minus-3 rating in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Wild.

Faulk helped out on goals by Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou, with the latter's tally coming on the power play. This was Faulk's first game back after missing two due to an upper-body injury. The defenseman has six points over his last four outings, and he also earned his first power-play point since Dec. 10. For the season, the 32-year-old has 15 points, 68 shots on net, 48 hits, 52 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating over 38 appearances, but it looks like his offense is coming around.

Jiricek was recalled by the Wild on Wednesday.

Jiricek has spent nearly a month at AHL Iowa, but he'll rejoin the NHL club Wednesday since Brock Faber sustained an upper-body injury Tuesday against the Blues. Jiricek's role will likely depend on whether Faber is able to suit up in the near future, beginning with Thursday's home game against the Avalanche. However, Travis Dermott is also a candidate to enter the lineup in Faber's place, which would presumably leave Jiricek as an extra defenseman. Jiricek made six NHL appearances for the Blue Jackets earlier this year before being traded to Minnesota, and he logged an assist, six hits and four blocked shots while averaging 11:12 of ice time.

Mikkola (upper body) is set to be a game-time decision Wednesday versus Utah, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Mikkola is expected to take part in warmups before a determination on his status is made. He has four goals, 14 points, 53 hits and 47 blocks in 36 outings in 2024-25. Aaron Ekblad (undisclosed) is also a game-time call, so Florida has a lot of unknowns when it comes to its defense Wednesday.

Ekblad (undisclosed) is considered a game-time decision for Wednesday's matchup against Utah, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Ekblad missed Monday's road game against the Avalanche due to an undisclosed issue, and his status for Wednesday's game is up in the air. Head coach Paul Maurice said that Ekblad will go through pregame warmups Wednesday and will play if he feels good afterward. Over his last 15 appearances, Ekblad has logged a goal, six shots, 22 hits, 19 blocked shots and 12 PIM while averaging 23:55 of ice time.

Merrill scored a goal and added two PIM in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Blues.

The Wild's defense started the scoring party Tuesday, with Merrill getting his first goal of the season 2:12 into the first period to establish a 2-0 lead. The 32-year-old blueliner hasn't even been a lock for the lineup at times this year, but with injury concerns for Jared Spurgeon (lower body) and Brock Faber (upper body), Merrill will likely play regularly over the next few weeks. Overall, Merrill has four points, 21 shots on net, 36 blocked shots, 18 hits and 14 PIM through 33 appearances in 2024-25 while filling a bottom-four role.

Graves was scratched for the second game in a row in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.

Kris Letang's return from a lower-body injury has given the Penguins a full complement of blueliners. Graves played in 10 of 13 games in December, but he may not see as much playing time as long as the team's blue line stays healthy. Graves has had a miserable 2024-25 with zero points over 31 contests while posting a minus-8 rating, 23 shots on net, 36 hits and 40 blocked shots. For now, Owen Pickering and Pierre-Olivier Joseph have the upper hand for third-pairing minutes.

Werenski provided a power-play assist in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Penguins.

Werenski helped out on Adam Fantilli's game-tying tally late in the third period. During his four-game point streak, Werenski has a goal and six assists while adding a plus-3 rating, 27 shots on net and nine blocked shots. The 27-year-old is showing just how good he can be when he has good health on his side. Overall, Werenski is at 12 goals, 34 helpers, 161 shots on net, 71 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating through 41 appearances. He's 11 points away from matching his career-best total from last season, and if his second half of 2024-25 is as good as the first, he could be up for Norris Trophy consideration.

Borgen produced an assist, two hits and four blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Stars.

Borgen opened his Rangers tenure with no points over seven contests, extending a drought from his time with the Kraken. He has now gotten on the scoresheet in consecutive games with a goal and an assist in that span, doubling his point total for the campaign to four. The 28-year-old is unlikely to suddenly become a dynamic scorer -- he plays a physical shutdown game, though it helps that he's seen top-four minutes with the Rangers after being limited to the third pairing in Seattle. For the season, Borgen has two goals, two assists, 33 shots on net, 64 hits, 53 blocked shots and a minus-13 rating over 42 appearances.