NHL Player News

Hutson picked up two assists Tuesday in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Flyers.

Hutson has 74 assists in 97 games, the third-most by an NHL defenseman before reaching the 100-game mark. The two others? Mark Howe (78) and Sergei Zubov (75). That's heady company. Hutson is on a seven-game, nine-point scoring streak that includes eight assists and eight shots. His future is sky high.

Gudas (lower body) won't play Tuesday versus the Panthers, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

This will be Gudas' fifth straight absence. It's unclear if he'll be available for the Ducks' upcoming two-game road trip with stops in Dallas on Thursday and Vegas on Saturday. Ian Moore remains in the lineup on the third pairing while Gudas recovers.

Wilsby (lower body) won't be in the lineup against Minnesota on Tuesday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Wilsby remains day-to-day and will miss his fourth straight game. It's unclear when he will receive the green light to return to the lineup. He has recorded two assists, 11 shots on goal, seven blocked shots, four hits and 10 PIM across 11 appearances this season.

Pickering was assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh recalled Ryan Graves from the minors in a corresponding move. Pickering hasn't earned a point in four NHL outings this season while supplying one shot on goal, two blocked shots and one hit. He has one goal and three assists in seven AHL appearances this campaign.

Graves was called up from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday.

Graves was called up while Owen Pickering was sent down to the minor-league team in a corresponding move. With injuries stacking up around the Penguins' roster, it appears they want to take a more veteran approach to their lineup for a while. Graves will contend for third-pairing minutes in the NHL while Pickering takes on a large role on the farm.

Hanifin (lower body) was activated from injured reserve Tuesday, per the NHL media site.

Hanifin appears poised to return to the lineup against Detroit on Tuesday after missing the last 10 games. He logged 24:00 of ice time, earning three shots on goal and two hits, in Vegas' season-opening 6-5 shootout loss to the Kings on Oct. 8 before the injury.

Leddy (upper body) participated in Tuesday's practice, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Leddy will accompany the Sharks to Seattle ahead of Wednesday's game, but a return to the lineup is unlikely. Mario Ferraro skipped Tuesday's session for maintenance, giving San Jose eight healthy blueliners on the roster. Still, Leddy appears to be nearing a return after missing the last six games.

Crozier (undisclosed) will be back in the lineup against Colorado on Tuesday, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Crozier will suit up for the first time since Oct. 14 versus the Capitals, a stretch of eight games on the shelf due to his undisclosed injury. Prior to his absence, the 25-year-old defenseman notched three assists in four outings. With Crozier back, Charle-Edouard D'Astous could be relegated to the press box as a healthy scratch.

Oleksiak scored a goal in Monday's 3-1 win over the Blackhawks.

Oleksiak's tally was his second of the year, which is all of his offense so far. The 32-year-old has seen a reduced role in 2025-26, averaging 16:57 of ice time over 12 games, down 1:50 per contest from last year. He's added 13 shots on net, 19 hits, 21 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating. He fills a shutdown role, and while he can be expected to be in the lineup regularly, he may lose some minutes once Ryker Evans (upper body) is able to make his season debut.

Blankenburg scored a goal on two shots and added three hits in Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Canucks.

Blankenburg has a goal and an assist over the last two games. He's filling a top-four role while Roman Josi (upper body) and Adam Wilsby (lower body) are out, but this could be a good chance for Blankenburg to stake a claim to a more permanent spot in the lineup over Spencer Stastney or Justin Barron. Blankenburg was pretty steady over 60 games in 2024-25, earning 16 points and a minus-2 rating on a weak Nashville team that hasn't shown much improvement over the first month of 2025-26.