NHL Player News

Hovorka was called up from AHL Charlotte on Wednesday.

Hovorka made his NHL debut Feb. 5 versus the Lightning. He could be in line to play in Thursday's clash with the Bruins due to several injuries on the Florida blue line. In the minors, the 24-year-old defenseman has tallied four goals and 12 assists in 53 contests. The Czech native will be hard-pressed to offer much in the way of fantasy value, given his limited offensive upside.

Bjornfot was recalled from AHL Charlotte on Wednesday.

Bjornfot has appeared in 11 NHL games for the Panthers this year, generating two goals, one assist, nine shots on net, eight hits and eight blocked shots while averaging just 11:33 of ice time. He will probably play in Thursday's matchup against Boston after Aaron Ekblad (hand) and Dmitry Kulikov (head) suffered injuries in Tuesday's 6-3 win over Ottawa.

Jiricek signed a two-year, $3 million contract extension with the Flyers on Wednesday.

Jiricek has four goals and 20 points in 34 AHL outings between Iowa and Lehigh Valley in 2025-26. He also had no points, 14 PIM, 15 shots, eight hits and 19 blocks in 25 appearances with Minnesota this season before he was dealt from the Wild to Philadelphia on March 6 in exchange for Bobby Brink. Although Jiricek is in the minors, his new contract suggests that Philadelphia anticipates him playing in the NHL next season.

Klingberg (upper body) will be a healthy scratch Wednesday versus Anaheim.

Klingberg missed the last three games due to injury. He's now available to play at any time, but the Sharks opted not to put him back into the lineup yet. The 33-year-old defenseman has 10 goals and 24 points in 54 outings in 2025-26.

Byram scored an empty-net goal on two shots and blocked three shots in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Islanders.

Byram ended a 31-game goal drought with the empty-netter, which ended up as the game-winner when the Islanders scored late. Byram earned seven points, 27 shots on net, 17 hits and 12 blocked shots over 15 outings in March. He's matched his career high of 38 points and set a personal best with 11 goals through 75 outings this season. The defenseman has added 104 shots on net, 87 blocked shots, 49 hits, 48 PIM and a plus-13 rating while filling a top-four role.

Clifton notched an assist, two hits and a plus-3 rating in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Red Wings.

Clifton avoided getting skunked in March, with the helper being his first point in 15 games. The 30-year-old defenseman is going to have a heavy competition on his hands for a third-pairing job, but it looks to be his over Jack St. Ivany for now. The Penguins also have Ryan Graves, Ilya Solovyov and Caleb Jones on their roster for defensive depth. Through 44 appearances this season, Clifton has just six points with 30 shots on net, 168 hits, 70 blocked shots, 42 PIM and a plus-3 rating.

Gudas (lower body) is expected to miss Wednesday's game in San Jose, per Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune.

Gudas also missed Saturday's game against Edmonton before playing through the injury in Monday's match against Toronto. He fought Max Domi and drew roughing penalties from Michael Pezzetta and Jake McCabe. Gudas has two goals, 13 points and 160 hits in 55 outings in 2025-26. He also has 62 PIM this season, including 32 from his past two games against Toronto.

Chiarot's point drought reached 19 games in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Penguins.

Chiarot has 28 shots on net, 45 hits, 36 blocked shots, 12 PIM and a minus-5 rating during the slump. His last point was a goal Jan. 29 versus the Capitals. He's stuck on 12 points with 94 shots, 156 hits, 150 blocks, 62 PIM and a minus-6 rating over 74 appearances. He'll fall short of the 20-point mark for the third time in four years with the Red Wings, and he needs one more point to match his output from last season.

Chisholm was scratched for the 10th straight game in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Flyers.

After the arrival of Cole Hutson, the Capitals have five left-shot blueliners and nine total defensemen on the roster. That has left Chisholm as one of the regular scratches, even with fellow lefty Rasmus Sandin playing his off-side. Chisholm hasn't been anything more than a part-time option in his first year with the Capitals, earning seven points, 20 shots on net, 22 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over 26 appearances.

Iorio has played in just six of 20 games since the Rangers claimed him off waivers from the Sharks in late January. He was a healthy scratch Tuesday versus the Devils.

Iorio's playing time looked to be picking up after the Olympic break, but the Rangers have a healthy Adam Fox and are also giving a long look to Drew Fortescue for now. That leaves Iorio as the odd man out. In 27 total appearances between the Rangers and the Sharks, Iorio has three assists, 15 shots on net, 15 hits, 39 blocked shots, 12 PIM and a minus-4 rating. It's unclear if he'll be anything more than a part-time option late in the campaign.