NHL Player News

McDonagh (undisclosed) told reporters, "We'll see," when asked if he would be ready to play against Los Angeles on Thursday, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.

McDonagh has been on the shelf since Nov. 8 versus the Capitals, a stretch of 18 games on injured reserve due to his undisclosed injury. Prior to his absence, the veteran blueliner was struggling offensively with just one point in his last eight outings. If McDonagh is cleared to play Thursday, it would likely come at the expense of Declan Carlile or Steve Santini.

Seider distributed two power-play assists in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Islanders.

Seider recorded the primary helper on both power-play goals scored by Alex DeBrincat in the third period. With the pair of apples, Seider is up to 20 assists, 24 points, 79 shots on net, 60 hits and 70 blocks through 34 games this season. Tuesday's performance ended his four-game streak without a point, putting him back on track to have a career year in the offensive zone. The 24-year-old blueliner remains one of the league's best defenseman in covering all stat categories and is near the pace needed for his fifth consecutive season with 150-plus blocks and 150-plus hits. Seider is well on his way to becoming a fantasy superstar.

Sandin-Pellikka scored a goal and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Islanders.

After the Red Wings were blanked across the first two periods, Sandin-Pellikka put the team on the board to help spark the comeback win. With the twine finder, the 20-year-old blueliner is up to four goals, 13 points, 36 shots on net and 33 blocks through 34 games this season. The rookie defenseman has been on a tear offensively with seven points in as many games. He is developing into a strong secondary source of offense from Detroit's blue line behind Moritz Seider. Sandin-Pellikka is a solid streaming option in fantasy with his recent run of points and is a lock to receive top-four minutes for the foreseeable future. He could become an everyday option in deep leagues if he maintains his heightened level of play.

Brodin (lower body) was moved to injured reserve Wednesday.

Brodin has already missed enough games that his placement on IR won't impact his recovery timeline. The 32-year-old blueliner will miss his fourth straight game against Columbus on Thursday, and it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup despite being considered day-to-day.

Forsling (undisclosed) will be in the lineup versus Los Angeles on Wednesday, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.

Forsling won't miss additional time after leaving Monday's 5-2 win over Tampa Bay early. He hasn't scored a goal in 10 straight games while recording a mere 10 shots, including three consecutive outings without registering a single puck on net. The 29-year-old Swede will face an uphill battle in reaching the 10-goal mark for the fifth straight campaign, which may impact his chances of hitting the 30-point threshold for a fifth consecutive season. He has 14 points, 26 hits and 37 blocked shots through 32 appearances this season.

Mayfield tallied a goal, blocked three shots and served two PIM in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Detroit.

Mayfield helped the Islanders tie the game at two goals apiece after they lost their 1-0 lead a few minutes prior. The goal was his first of the season, bringing his season totals up to five points, 33 shots on net and 46 blocks through 32 games this year. After a solid start to the year offensively with three points across New York's first seven games, Mayfield has started to get involved once again with two points over the last three contests. His lack of a consistent scoring output leaves him off the fantasy radar, but he remains on track to post his eighth consecutive season with 100-plus blocks.

Mitchell was reassigned to AHL Bridgeport on Wednesday.

Mitchell's demotion could be a temporary move, as the team is off until a back-to-back versus Vancouver and Buffalo on Friday and Saturday, respectively. By moving the blueliner to the minors, he can suit up for Bridgeport in Wednesday's matchup with AHL Syracuse before being recalled ahead of Friday's roster freeze.

Murphy has gone 19 games without a point after coming up scoreless in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.

For the season, Murphy has three helpers, 28 shots on net, 46 blocked shots, 29 hits, 26 PIM and a minus-5 rating in 33 appearances. He's been a regular in the lineup as a third-pairing option. The Blackhawks went with seven blueliners early in the year but have switched to the traditional six defensemen recently, which could put Murphy at risk of occasionally being a scratch going forward. While his non-scoring production is steady, fantasy managers can find better options on the waiver wire in most formats.

McCabe logged an assist, two hits and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Blackhawks.

McCabe helped out on Dakota Joshua's game-winning goal with 3:01 left in the third period. McCabe has three straight games with a helper, and he has four assists over seven outings in December. For the season, the defenseman has 14 points, 23 shots on net, 23 PIM, 47 hits, 82 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating over 32 appearances. As long as he's chipping in offense semi-regularly, McCabe makes for a decent depth defenseman in fantasy.

Makar logged two assists, including one on the power play, and added two shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Kraken.

This was Makar's first multi-point effort since Nov. 20 versus the Rangers. He has rattled off a seven-game point streak consisting of a goal and seven assists. The 27-year-old defenseman continues to be one of the Avalanche's most reliable contributors with 40 points (11 on the power play), 96 shots on net, 57 blocked shots and a plus-31 rating through 33 contests this season.