NHL Player News

Lyubushkin (lower body) is doubtful to play against St. Louis on Tuesday, according to Robert Tiffin of D Magazine.

Lyubushkin didn't participate in Sunday's practice and will likely miss at least one game. He is poised to accompany the Stars on the team's three-game road trip, but it's unclear if he'll return to the lineup before the trip ends against Utah on Saturday. Lyubushkin has one goal, six assists, 24 shots on net, 67 blocked shots and 54 hits in 39 appearances this season.

Carlile's point drought extended to 13 games in Saturday's 8-5 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Carlile has just two helpers over 20 appearances during his current stint in the NHL. Despite the lack of offense, he may be pressed into a larger role as the Lightning deal with a potential availability crisis on the blue line. Max Crozier (illness) was out Saturday, while Charle-Edouard D'Astous (undisclosed) and Erik Cernak (upper body) left the contest with injuries. The Lightning are also missing Victor Hedman (elbow), Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed) and Ryan McDonagh (lower body) at this time, and it's unclear who will fill out the blue line for Monday's game versus the Mammoth. Carlile has three points over 29 outings but may end up getting top-four minutes if none of the injured defensemen are available.

Werenski notched two assists and three shots on goal in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Lightning.

Werenski is now tied with Cale Makar and Evan Bouchard atop the points list for defensemen -- all have 55, though Werenski has done it in fewer games than the other two. This was his fourth multi-point effort in January. For the season, the 28-year-old is at 19 goals, 36 helpers, 170 shots on net, 61 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating. Injuries are the only thing that have slowed down Werenski over recent years, and he's managed to limit his absences to four games in 2025-26, setting him up to match his 82-point effort from last season.

Maatta was scratched for the 16th consecutive game in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Predators.

Maatta returned from an upper-body injury Dec. 12 versus the Kraken and played in three straight games. Since then, he's been scratched in favor of Nick DeSimone. As long as the Mammoth's defense stays healthy, it will be tough for Maatta to carve out a full-time role. Even an injury may not open a door if the team opts to bring up Dmitri Simashev or Maveric Lamoureux for a look with the big club. Maatta has just one assist with nine shots on net and 16 blocked shots over 19 outings this season.

Kesselring logged an assist, three blocked shots and two PIM in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Islanders.

Kesselring has been working back to full strength after an ankle injury cost him most of January. That's his third lengthy absence of the season. Kesselring has mostly worked in a third-pairing role on Buffalo's deep blue line, picking up one assist, 26 shots on net, 27 blocked shots, 16 hits and 23 PIM over 19 outings.

Spacek has been reassigned to AHL Iowa by the Wild, the team announced Sunday.

Spacek played two games in the time he spent with the Wild, the first being his NHL debut. The 22-year-old didn't record a point, had a minus-1 rating, and posted one hit and two blocked shots in those two outings. He will head back to AHL Iowa, where he has three goals and 16 assists in 35 games.

Toews (upper body) won't play against Toronto on Sunday, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.

He will miss his 10th straight game. According to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette, Toews accompanied the Avalanche on the team's four-game road trip, which ends against Detroit on Saturday. Toews has contributed one goal, 13 points, 68 shots on net, 58 blocked shots and a plus-26 rating across 40 appearances this season.

McAvoy dished out three assists, blocked two shots and recorded two hits in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Canadiens.

McAvoy played a hand in each of the final three goals scored by the Bruins, including when he slid the primary helper on Morgan Geekie's go-ahead goal in the back half of the third period. Overall, McAvoy is up to 29 assists, 33 points, 58 shots on goal, 52 hits and 78 blocks across 40 games this season. Since Dec. 31, the 28-year-old blueliner is tied for sixth among NHL defensemen with 14 points. He also ranks in the top 15 in blocked shots with 26. Boston's top blueliner remains a category-coverage machine when it comes to fantasy, giving McAvoy elite value down the stretch in most league formats.

Chatfield picked up two assists in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Senators.

Both helpers came in the first period as the Hurricanes grabbed a 3-0 lead, as Chatfield had a hand in tallies by William Carrier and Taylor Hall. Chatfield led all Carolina blueliners with 19:40 of even-strength ice time Saturday as Shayne Gostisbehere (lower body) missed a fifth straight game, but the former hadn't taken much advantage of the extra workload so far. Saturday's assists were Chatfield's first points since Jan. 8.

Carlson logged a pair of assists and two blocked shots in Saturday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Oilers.

Carlson continues to roll in January. He has five helpers over his last three games and a total of one goal and 13 assists in his last 11 outings. For the season, the 36-year-old defenseman is up to nine goals, 34 assists, 102 shots on net, 70 blocks, 24 PIM and a plus-11 rating through 49 appearances in his usual top-four role.