Smith underwent successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee Tuesday and is expected to make a full recovery in 3-4 months.

Smith suffered his injury during the Blue Jackets' Dec. 29 win over Ottawa, and he was placed on injured reserve Friday. His return timetable signals that he'll likely be sidelined until at least early April, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Blue Jackets shut him down for the remainder of the year, especially since the team is currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Drysdale (undisclosed) is slated to miss Thursday's clash against Toronto.

Head coach Rick Tocchet said Thursday that Drysdale is improving and feeling better, but he is still doubtful after getting hurt Tuesday versus Anaheim. Drysdale has three goals, 15 assists and 41 blocked shots across 41 games this season. Noah Juulsen will enter the lineup and see third-pairing minutes Thursday while playing alongside Emil Andrae.

Brzustewicz notched an assist in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Canadiens.

The 21-year-old rookie recorded his first NHL point in his 12th game when he helped set up a Joel Farabee tally late in the second period. Brzustewicz, a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, has yet to make a big impact as he gets his feet wet in the pros, but he flashed his offensive upside in his final season with OHL Kitchener back in 2023-24, racking up 13 goals and 92 points in 67 games.

Engstrom was reassigned to AHL Laval on Thursday.

Engstrom has played 11 games with Montreal, failing to pick up a point in any contest. The defenseman was a healthy scratch the last three games, and the Canadiens decided to give the 22-year-old playing time in the AHL. Engstrom was an offensive defenseman in the AHL, tallying five goals and 16 points in 20 games before being recalled.

Edmundson logged two assists, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Sharks.

Edmundson had a hand in third-period goals by Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere. The 32-year-old Edmundson has three helpers over his last five outings. For the season, the veteran defenseman is at 16 points, 59 shots on net, 51 hits, 42 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating over 42 appearances. He's on pace for a career year and could have some appeal in deep fantasy formats thanks to his steady physical play.

Tucker scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Blackhawks.

Tucker scored just 27 seconds into the game. He's played in nine straight contests, earning three points, 14 hits, seven blocked shots and a plus-1 rating in that span. The 25-year-old defenseman continues to hold an edge over Matt Kessel for bottom-four minutes. Tucker is at two goals, a career-high eight points, 42 shots on net, 47 hits, 27 blocked shots, 43 PIM and a minus-6 rating through 39 appearances this season.

Grzelcyk notched two assists and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Blues.

Grzelcyk has chipped in with six assists and a minus-2 rating over his last 14 appearances. The 32-year-old defenseman's effort Wednesday was his first multi-point effort of the campaign. He's now at 10 assists, 49 shots on net, 21 hits, 33 blocked shots, 18 PIM and a plus-3 rating through 43 appearances. Grzelcyk is seeing time on the second power-play unit but still has a fairly limited role at even strength.

Murphy scored a goal on two shots, added an assist, blocked four shots, logged two PIM and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Blues.

Murphy scored at 8:57 of the second period and helped out on a Landon Slaggert goal just 3:30 later. The 32-year-old Murphy has done little on offense this season, though he has earned five points over his last seven outings. He's up to a total of one goal, seven assists, 38 shots on net, 43 hits, 63 blocked shots, 39 PIM and a minus-3 rating through 43 appearances, mainly in a bottom-four role.

Crevier scored a goal on two shots, added an assist, logged two hits and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Blues.

Crevier earned his third multi-point effort of the campaign, setting up Jason Dickinson's goal late in the second period before scoring one of his own in the third. The performance ended a nine-game dry spell for Crevier, who had just two points in all of December. The 24-year-old defenseman is up to four goals, 13 points, 62 shots on net, 63 hits, 36 blocked shots, 37 PIM and a plus-2 rating over 42 appearances. He's been in a top-four role for about the last month, but serving as a shutdown blueliner makes it challenging to expect much from him offensively.

Zub logged an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Mammoth.

Zub ended an 11-game point drought with the helper on Ridly Greig's goal in the first period. The 30-year-old Zub doesn't have to score much to maintain his top-four role as a shutdown blueliner. He's managed 13 points over 41 outings this season, matching his total from 56 regular-season games a year ago, giving him a chance to reach the 20-point mark for the third time in his career. Zub has added 46 shots on net, 59 blocked shots, 46 hits, 28 PIM and a plus-8 rating so far in 2025-26.