NHL Player News

Iorio was put on waivers by San Jose on Friday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Iorio has three assists, 12 PIM, 11 hits and 32 blocks in 21 outings in 2025-26. He's spent the Sharks' past six games as a healthy scratch, so if he clears waivers, San Jose will likely send him to the minors so that the 23-year-old can get some playing time.

Rinzel was promoted from AHL Rockford on Friday.

Rinzel will likely provide some emergency coverage for the Hawks' blue line, which currently has only six defensemen on the roster. In 28 appearances for Chicago this season, the 21-year-old blueliner has generated one goal on 39 shots, seven assists and 26 hits while averaging 16:32 of ice time.

Mayfield notched an assist in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.

Mayfield ended a nine-game point drought when he helped out on Carson Soucy's first goal as an Islander late in the second period. Even with the addition of Soucy, Mayfield's spot on the third pairing appears to be safe for now, though it's unclear if the Islanders will look to add more to their blue line. Mayfield has picked up eight points, 45 shots on net, 51 hits, 64 blocked shots and 61 PIM through 52 outings this season.

Schaefer scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.

Schaefer has a goal and an assist over the last two games, which followed a three-game slump. The 18-year-old defenseman has done an excellent job of limiting his quiet stretches as a rookie, and he's been steady defensively even if he doesn't chip in on offense. For the season, Schaefer is up to 14 goals, 36 points, 131 shots on net, 71 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating across 54 outings.

Samuelsson scored a goal in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Kings.

Samuelsson has a goal and seven helpers during a five-game point streak. It's not the first time he's gotten hot this season, as the 25-year-old has had a breakout year that has cemented his status in the Sabres' top four. He's now at nine goals, 32 points, 70 shots on net, 82 hits, 105 blocked shots and a plus-28 rating over 51 appearances. He's unlikely to see power-play time, but the rest of his production has been excellent throughout the campaign.

Fabbro (lower body) will not be in the lineup versus Chicago on Friday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Fabbro will miss his fifth straight game due to his lower-body injury. With the Jackets heading into a back-to-back, it seems unlikely the 27-year-old blueliner will be available versus the Blues on Saturday either. Prior to his absence, Fabbro was struggling to produce, managing just one point in his last 16 contests.

Slavin recorded an assist and blocked two shots in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Mammoth.

Slavin helped tie the game when he tallied the secondary helper on Shayne Gostisbehere's goal with less than 90 seconds remaining in the contest. Overall, the 31-year-old Slavin is up to three assists, 10 shots on goal and 21 blocked shots across 13 games this season. When healthy, Slavin has been a strong source of blocks per game and already has four games of three-plus blocks this season. All three of his assists on the year have been in his last eight games, which could be an indication that he's starting to find his groove in Carolina's offense. Barring injury, the shutdown blueliner is a solid fantasy option moving forward.

Soucy scored his fourth goal of the season in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.

Traded to the Islanders from their cross-town rivals early in the week, Soucy opened the scoring and ended a 23-game goal drought in just his second appearance for his new club when he snuck a shot past Jonathan Quick from a bad angle late in the second period. Soucy isn't in the lineup for his offense, and through 48 games on the season between both New York teams, he's delivered nine points, 73 hits, 67 blocked shots, 43 shots on net, 18 PIM and a plus-5 rating.

Pionk (lower body) will practice in a non-contact jersey Friday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Pionk has missed the Jets' last eight games while on injured reserve due to his lower-body injury. With his return to practice, the 30-year-old blueliner seems to be trending in the right direction and could get into a game prior to the Olympic break. Whenever he does return, Pionk will likely reclaim a spot in the top four as well as linking up with one of the power-play units.

Aspirot notched two assists in Thursday's 6-3 win over Philadelphia.

The 26-year-old rookie produced his first career multi-point performance in his 35th NHL game, helping to set up tallies by Pavel Zacha (upper body) in the first period and a Marat Khusnutdinov empty-netter in the third. Aspirot has handled a regular shift on the Boston blue line since returning from his own upper-body injury after Christmas, and over the last 16 games he's contributed one goal, five points, 27 hits, 23 PIM, 16 blocked shots, 11 shots on net and a stunning plus-13 rating.