NHL Player News

Willander notched an assist and four blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Panthers.

Willander has a pair of helpers over eight outings in March. He's gotten a chance to play regularly in a top-four role, and that should remain available to him down the stretch. The 21-year-old rookie has 18 points, 46 shots on net, 56 blocked shots and a minus-12 rating over 55 appearances for a decent first impression in the NHL.

Schaefer put up a power-play assist in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

Schaefer has 10 points (two goals, eight assists), 29 shots and one power-play point in his last 10 games. Overall, the rookie defender continues to impress with 20 goals and 29 assists in 68 games. That puts Schaefer in a tie with Erik Karlsson for 11th in the NHL from the blue line. Perhaps more impressively, he's flirting with a 60-point pace. If he achieves that, Schaefer would be the 11th rookie defender in NHL history to achieve that mark. That would get him into Nicklas Lidstrom territory.

Reid scored a goal and added two assists in OHL Kitchener's 6-2 win over Flint on Tuesday.

Reid has three goals and four assists over seven contests in March. For the season, the defenseman has career-high marks with 15 goals, 41 assists and 56 points this season. He's added a plus-25 rating, 113 shots on net and 29 PIM.

Samuelsson (undisclosed) is expected to be in the lineup Tuesday versus the Golden Knights, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.

Samuelsson missed one game due to the injury. He'll return to his usual top-four role with a spot on the penalty kill. The 26-year-old has had a career year on offense, but he has earned just two points over his last 10 outings.

Emberson (undisclosed) won't play Tuesday versus the Sharks, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Emberson is expected to return at some point this week. The 25-year-old defenseman is set to miss his fourth straight contest. Once he returns, he'll likely compete with Spencer Stastney for playing time.

Gudbranson (upper body) is expected to return in Tuesday's home clash against the Hurricanes, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.

Gudbranson joined Columbus for line rushes in warmups, which indicates that he'll likely play in Tuesday's tilt. The 34-year-old blueliner missed each of the team's last three games due to the upper-body injury he sustained March 9. Across 21 games this season, he has three points, 19 shots on net, 27 hits and 29 blocked shots. He's in line to suit up on the Blue Jackets' third defensive pairing Tuesday and will likely be eased back into his usual amount of playing time.

Ekman-Larsson (personal) is slated to be in the lineup Tuesday versus the Islanders, Dave McCarthy of NHL.com reports.

Ekman-Larsson was considered a game-time decision after he welcomed a newborn into the world. The 34-year-old looks good to go after skating in warmups, and he should be back in the power-play mix as well. Simon Benoit is set to be scratched for Ekman-Larsson's return after a one-game absence.

Aitcheson signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders on Tuesday.

Similar to other key prospects around the league, Aitcheson is signing an entry-level deal to potentially make an impact at the NHL level this season. The highly-regarded blueline prospect has had an excellent season with the Barrie Colts of the OHL, posting 28 goals, 70 points and a plus-45 rating across 54 games. If the Islanders elect to call up Aitcheson, the 19-year-old defenseman will join Matthew Schaefer and the rest of the Islanders' solid defensive core as they look to secure a playoff spot in the competitive Metropolitan Division. If he can work his way into the lineup, Aitcheson is an exciting name to keep an eye on in fantasy and is a strong waiver-wire pickup in dynasty formats.

Jones (upper body) was activated from long-term injured reserve and will play in Tuesday's road game against the Canucks, per Panthers play-by-play announcer Steve Goldstein.

Jones is set to make his long-awaited return to the lineup after sustaining his upper-body injury during the Winter Classic on Jan. 2. Before going down, the 31-year-old blueliner had 24 points, 78 shots on net, 38 hits and 47 blocked shots across 40 games this season. He'll likely return to one of Florida's top two defensive pairings and work his way back into a sizable role for the remainder of the regular season. If not already rostered, Jones is a strong waiver-wire pickup in nearly all fantasy formats.

Burns scored a goal on five shots in Monday's 7-2 loss to the Penguins.

Burns ended a six-game point drought with the tally. The 41-year-old blueliner hasn't logged more than 20 minutes in a game since the start of February, averaging just 17:07 per game in that span compared to 19:04 overall. He's at 10 goals, 29 points, 136 shots on net, 78 blocked shots and a plus-28 rating over 66 appearances, matching his point total from 82 regular-season outings with the Hurricanes last year. Burns may simply be having his minutes managed as the Avalanche prepare for what they hope will be a deep playoff run.