NHL Player News

Vaakanainen (lower body) is available to be in the lineup versus the Islanders on Saturday, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.

Vaakanainen has missed two straight games. The 26-year-old's not guaranteed to be in the lineup, but if he returns to action, he'll likely be on the third pairing in place of Matthew Robertson.

Mackey was loaned to AHL Hartford on Saturday.

Mackey was a healthy scratch in two straight games during his latest stint in the NHL. He hasn't played in any games with the Rangers this season, but he has two assists in nine AHL outings this year. Mackey's demotion may bode well for the availability of Urho Vaakanainen (lower body) ahead of Saturday's matchup against the Islanders.

Mateychuk (undisclosed) is a game-time decision for Saturday's clash in Vancouver, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Mateychuk missed Wednesday's 5-1 loss to Calgary because of the injury. He has three goals and five points in 12 appearances with the Blue Jackets in 2025-26. If Mateychuk is able to return Saturday, then Dysin Mayo will probably be a healthy scratch.

Evans (upper body) was activated off injured reserve Saturday, according to Sound of Hockey.com.

Evans has been out since training camp, missing the first 13 games of the campaign. Evans managed five goals and 20 assists in 73 regular-season games in 2024-25. He will see some time on the power play upon his return, but he'll have a tough time beating out Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour, who are ahead of him on the depth chart when the Kraken have the man advantage. Evans could return to the lineup as early as Saturday in St. Louis.

Parekh (upper body) is week-to-week and has been placed on injured reserve, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

Calgary recalled Daniil Miromanov in a corresponding move. Parekh absorbed a hit from Chicago's Nick Foligno on Friday in a 4-0 loss. The 19-year-old Parekh has already played 11 games this season, burning one year of his entry-level contract. However, that doesn't close the door on a potential return to junior hockey if the Flames want him to play more once he's healthy.

Chatfield (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.

The Hurricanes recalled Gavin Bayreuther in a corresponding move. Chatfield is out indefinitely after being injured in Thursday's 4-3 win over Minnesota. He has collected three assists, 20 shots on goal, 14 blocked shots and 10 hits in 13 appearances this season. Charles-Alexis Legault will replace Chatfield in Saturday's lineup against Buffalo, while Joel Nystrom will skate alongside K'Andre Miller.

Hunt logged an assist and went plus-2 in Friday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.

Hunt made his second appearance of the season, and it appears he might have some momentum to stay in the lineup over David Jiricek. The 23-year-old Hunt has added one shot on net and two hits across his two outings. Even if he stays in the lineup, he's unlikely to be a power-play option, which will limit his scoring potential.

Bayreuther was recalled from AHL Chicago on Saturday.

Bayreuther has spent all season in the AHL. The 31-year-old defenseman has three goals and three assists in nine AHL contests after spending last season overseas with Lausanne HC of the Swiss League. The Hurricanes placed Jalen Chatfield (upper body) on injured reserve in a corresponding move. Bayreuther could see action as the Hurricanes' sixth defenseman, or he could be a healthy scratch as the seventh man.

Faber scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.

Faber has scored in back-to-back games and has four points over his last three contests. The 23-year-old defenseman looks to be getting back to productivity on offense after a slow start to the campaign, though it helps that the Wild have scored 16 goals over their last four games. Faber is at nine points, 39 shots on net, 30 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating through 16 appearances.

Miromanov was recalled from AHL Calgary on Saturday.

Miromanov was recalled as the Flames are down to six healthy defensemen, after Zayne Parekh was forced to leave Friday's game with an upper-body injury after being hit into the boards by Chicago's Nick Foligno. Miromanov played one game with the Flames earlier in the season, blocking two shots in 17:49 of action, and had one goal and three assists in seven AHL games before his recall.