NHL Player News

Zub (foot) was activated from long-term injured reserve on Thursday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Zub will return to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 23, a span of 16 games. The blueliner had two assists, 16 hits and 19 blocked shots in 11 games before his injury. Look for Zub to line up on the third pairing, alongside Tyler Kleven.

Murphy will not practice Thursday due to a groin injury, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

At this point, Murphy should be considered questionable heading into Friday's matchup with the Canadiens. The 31-year-old blueliner is pointless in his last five outings while recording 15 blocks, 12 hits and seven shots and averaging 19:32 of ice time. If Murphy does miss time, Wyatt Kaiser figures to step into his spot on the blue line.

Spurgeon (lower body) will not play in Washington on Thursday, Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Spurgeon was slew-footed by Zachary L'Heureux on Tuesday in the middle stanza, and did not return. Spurgeon was on crutches and wearing a leg brace after Tuesday's tilt and could be out a while. Travis Dermott will draw into the lineup in place of Spurgeon on Thursday.

Middleton inked a two-year contract extension Thursday.

Middleton is currently with AHL Colorado, where he has four assists in 17 games this season. Middleton has also seen action in 10 games with the Avalanche but has yet to garner a point.

Fehervary (face) will be in the lineup versus Minnesota on Thursday, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

Fehervary did not return to action Tuesday after he was hit in the face as he underwent concussion protocol late in the game and there was no time to return. Fehervary's x-ray was negative and while there is some bruising and soreness, he is good to go. He has seven assists, 69 hits and 79 blocked shots in 37 contests this season.

Mikkola (upper body) has already been ruled out versus Carolina on Thursday and is also expected to be sidelined for Friday's clash with Pittsburgh, Alex Baumgartner of Five Reasons Sports reports.

Mikkola reportedly could play if needed but instead will sit out both ends of the Panthers' back-to-back. Through 36 appearances this year, the 28-year-old defender has notched four goals and 10 helpers, setting himself up to reach the 20-point threshold for the first time in his six-year NHL career.

Stillman was assigned to AHL Chicago on Thursday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Stillman has been shuffled between the AHL and NHL several times this season, but he hasn't yet appeared in a game for the Hurricanes during the 2024-25 campaign. He's made nine appearances for the Wolves this year, tallying a goal, three assists and 11 PIM.

Moverare notched an assist and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Devils.

Moverare made the most of limited action (7:52 of ice time) by earning the secondary helper on Andre Lee's first NHL tally. This was Moverare's second straight game with a helper, and he has three assists over his last six outings. The 26-year-old blueliner has added 15 shots on net, 23 blocked shots, 18 hits and a plus-4 rating over 19 NHL contests this season, though his limited role on the third pairing gives him low fantasy value.

Spence produced an assist in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Devils.

Spence has racked up six assists over his last seven outings. He completed an aerial stretch pass to Andre Lee for the Kings' opening goal at 6:23 of the second period. Spence continues to offer decent scoring from the blue line with 13 points, 36 shots on net, 42 blocked shots, 29 hits and a plus-9 rating over 36 appearances this season.

Anderson recorded two assists in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Devils.

Anderson helped out on third-period tallies by Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe. This was Anderson's third multi-point effort of the season, and it ended his six-game point drought. The 25-year-old defenseman remains in a shutdown role on the top pairing, but he's managed a respectable 12 points with 42 shots on net, 56 hits, 59 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating over 37 appearances this season.