NHL Player News

Werenski (lower body) won't play against the Islanders on Sunday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Werenski will miss his second straight game, and it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup. He has amassed 14 goals, 40 points, 132 shots on net and 52 blocked shots across 35 appearances this season.

Morrissey scored a goal and fired four shots on net in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to Minnesota.

Morrissey was involved early in Saturday's game, as he scored Winnipeg's first goal of the night off a feed from Kyle Connor. With the twine finder, Morrissey is up to six goals, 30 points, 67 shots on net and 68 blocks through 36 outings this season. Both he and Quinn Hughes joined the 30-point-defenseman club Saturday, which currently features seven blueliners. Despite the Jets' struggles as a team, Morrissey has remained as steady as ever and is on pace for his third consecutive 60-point, 100-block season. The 30-year-old blueliner is a high-level option across all fantasy formats for the foreseeable future.

Hughes distributed three assists in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Jets.

Hughes made Saturday's contest one to remember, as he tallied his first multi-point performance with the Wild. He excelled with the game on the line, as he assisted the game-tying goal with 22 seconds remaining before laying off a pass for Matt Boldy's game-winning slapshot in overtime. Hughes is up to 27 assists, 30 points, 86 shots on goal and 39 blocks through 33 games this season. Since the move from Vancouver, he has seven points in as many games and has begun to consistently lead the Wild's first power-play unit on the blue line. The change of scenery could be exactly what the 26-year-old defenseman needed to turn around his season, as he is tracking to reach 70 points for the fourth consecutive year.

Ceci notched an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Ducks.

Ceci ended a 15-game slump with the helper. The 32-year-old defenseman has filled a bottom-four role throughout the campaign, and the Kings' general scoring troubles have given him few opportunities to get involved on offense. Ceci is at seven points, 32 shots on net, 48 blocked shots, 19 hits and a minus-2 rating, a level of production that offers little fantasy interest.

Dumoulin logged two assists, three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Ducks.

Dumoulin has earned both of his multi-point efforts this season versus the Ducks. He's now at eight helpers, 38 shots on net, 51 blocked shots, 20 hits, 10 PIM and a plus-3 rating over 37 appearances. Dumoulin continues to see steady playing time for the Kings but plays mainly in a bottom-four role without enough all-around production to make him intriguing in fantasy.

Clarke logged two assists, including one on the power play, and added two PIM and three blocked shots in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Ducks.

Clarke has earned four assists (two on the power play) over his last five games. The 22-year-old defenseman is still working on consistency, but he has regularly filled a top-four role this season as he grows used to the NHL level in his second full campaign. He's now at 18 points, 72 shots on net, 59 blocks, 20 PIM, 19 hits and a plus-7 rating through 37 outings this season.

Doughty scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Ducks.

Doughty has gotten on the scoresheet in three straight games (one goal, two assists). The 36-year-old defenseman is up to three goals, 13 points, 42 shots on net, 41 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating through 30 appearances this season. Doughty continues to play a prominent role for the Kings in the top four, but his production is a touch lower than it was last year when he was limited by an ankle injury.

Murphy posted an assist, three blocked shots and two PIM in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Stars.

Murphy's helper ended a 22-game point drought for the defenseman. He has seen steady usage on the third pairing this season, but his offense is virtually nonexistent, as he's filling a heavily defensive role to shelter the Blackhawks' younger blueliners. Murphy is at four assists, 33 shots on net, 32 PIM, 37 hits, 53 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating over 37 appearances.

Vlasic notched two assists and two blocked shots in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Stars.

Vlasic has three helpers over his last three games. The 24-year-old defenseman is firmly in a top-four role at even strength, though he remains out of the power-play mix. He's up to eight points, 34 shots on net, 57 blocked shots and a minus-11 rating through 36 outings. Vlasic can be a decent source of defensive stats, but don't count on him for offense just yet, even though he's starting to trend in the right direction.

Sebrango was scratched for the 10th straight game in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Lightning.

Sebrango overtook Uvis Balinskis for a spot on the third pairing in November, but the two have flipped roles in December. That swap has led to Sebrango sitting in the press box most of the time, though the Panthers may be hesitant to waive the blueliner since they snagged him off waivers from the Senators in October. Sebrango has two assists, eight shots on net, 18 hits, 11 blocked shots, 14 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 12 appearances this season, but he'll have to continue to wait for his next opportunity to play.