NHL Player News

Jones (upper body) was moved from regular IR to long-term injured reserve Monday, per PuckPedia.

Placing Jones on LTIR counters activating Matthew Tkachuk (groin) from LTIR in terms of the cap implications. Jones was already believed to be week-to-week, and this move further cements the reality that the defenseman isn't close to returning. Jones has six goals and 24 points in 40 appearances in 2025-26. He last played Jan. 2.

Clayton was acquired by Vancouver from San Jose along with a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 second-round selection in exchange for Kiefer Sherwood on Monday.

Clayton has two goals, five points and 21 PIM in 33 appearances with AHL San Jose in 2025-26. The 25-year-old blueliner hasn't made his NHL debut, and he's likely to remain in the minors for the remainder of the campaign.

Fabbro (lower body) might be back in a week or so, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports Monday.

Fabbro left Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over Pittsburgh because of the injury. He has three goals, seven points, 16 PIM, 42 hits and 81 blocks in 48 appearances with Columbus this season. Jake Christiansen is likely to draw into the lineup Tuesday versus Ottawa due to Fabbro's injury.

Gostisbehere (lower body) is set to miss Monday's game against Buffalo, according to Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal.

Gostisbehere also missed Carolina's previous two games. He has six goals and 32 points in 35 outings in 2025-26. His next opportunity to return will come Thursday versus Chicago.

Ekholm notched two assists, two PIM and a plus-3 rating in Sunday's 5-0 win over the Blues.

Ekholm snapped a six-game slump with this effort, helping out on both of Zach Hyman's tallies. The 35-year-old Ekholm hadn't posted a multi-point effort since Dec. 4 versus the Kraken. The veteran defenseman has 21 points (three goals, 18 assists), 86 shots on net, 81 blocked shots, 48 hits, 20 PIM and a plus-15 rating over 50 appearances. He's on pace to reach the 30-point mark for the fifth straight year, and he offers decent non-scoring production even though his offense has faltered at times.

Sandin-Pellikka scored a power-play goal in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Senators.

Sandin-Pellikka earned his first power-play point since Dec. 27 versus the Hurricanes when he scored at 7:16 of the first period. The defenseman is still listed on the second pairing, but his ice time has been dropping lately -- he has logged fewer than 15 minutes in six of the last 10 contests. He's now at six goals, 18 points, 50 shots on net, 47 blocked shots and a minus-16 rating through 50 appearances in a sheltered bottom-four role.

Brunet scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Providence's 6-2 win over Cleveland on Sunday.

Brunet reached the 20-point mark with this performance, doing so in 36 games this season. He has earned six of those points over his last seven outings. Brunet is five points back of his total from 69 regular-season contests last season, and if he continues his strong play, the 22-year-old could play himself into a call-up.

Pettersson was recalled from AHL Abbotsford on Sunday.

Pettersson will rejoin the NHL club after spending the past week in the minors. He's made 38 appearances for Vancouver this year, recording a goal, five assists, 64 hits, 42 blocked shots and 12 PIM while averaging 13:40 of ice time.

Mancini was assigned to AHL Abbotsford on Sunday.

Mancini spent the past week with the NHL club and appeared in four games during that time, recording no points, seven blocked shots, a hit and a minus-3 rating while averaging 16:32 of ice time. He'll head back to the minors after Elias Pettersson was called up in a corresponding move.

Whitecloud, Abram Wiebe, a 2027 first-round pick and a conditional 2028 second-round pick were traded to the Flames from the Golden Knights on Sunday in exchange for Rasmus Andersson, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Whitecloud had been with the Golden Knights since signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2018, but he'll be on the move ahead of the Olympic break in early February. The 29-year-old has recorded two goals, five assists, 73 hits, 63 blocked shots and 20 PIM while averaging 18:46 of ice time over 47 appearances with Vegas this year, and he should have an opportunity to carve out a prominent role with the Flames over the second half of the season.