NHL Player News

Head coach Lindy Ruff said Monday that Bryson could clear the concussion protocol ahead of Tuesday's game against Columbus, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

The 27-year-old has been in the league's concussion protocol for just over a week, but the defenseman could be an option for Tuesday's matchup. Over five appearances this year, Bryson has logged an assist, four blocked shots, a hit and two PIM while averaging 9:28 of ice time.

Head coach Lindy Ruff said Monday that he anticipates Kesselring (lower body) playing Tuesday against the Blue Jackets, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

The Sabres will wait to see how Kesselring fares during Tuesday's morning skate before officially determining his status, but he appears to be trending toward making his regular-season debut. The 25-year-old appeared in all 82 regular-season games for Utah last year, recording seven goals, 22 assists, 87 hits, 67 blocked shots and 89 PIM while averaging 17:41 of ice time.

Tanev (upper body) could return by the end of this week, Anna Dua of Sportsnet reports Monday.

Tanev has missed the last two games while on injured reserve due to his upper-body issue, and while he'll be unavailable for Tuesday's game against the Flames, he could return Wednesday against Columbus or Saturday against Philadelphia. He appeared in each of the Maple Leafs' first seven games of the season, racking up an assist, eight blocked shots, two hits and a plus-3 rating while averaging 17:42 of ice time.

Romanov (upper body) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against Boston but will travel with the Islanders during their upcoming three-game road trip and is expected to play at some point, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Romanov has missed the last four games due to his upper-body injury, but he's drawing closer to a return. While he'll be unavailable for at least one more matchup, he'll likely be able to suit up Thursday against Carolina or Friday against Washington. Adam Boqvist and Marshall Warren have filled in on the Islanders' blue line in Romanov's absence.

Sandin (upper body) will not make the trip for Tuesday's road game versus the Stars, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.

Sandin will miss his third straight game due to his upper-body issue. Prior to getting hurt, the 25-year-old blueliner was still looking for his first goal of the season, though he's registered only four shots over seven games, which doesn't make it easy for him to find the back of the net.

Bjornfot was assigned to AHL Charlotte on Monday.

Bjornfot hasn't seen any NHL action yet this season. He was a healthy scratch in seven straight games with the Panthers after being recalled from the AHL on Oct. 13. He has appeared in only one contest in the minors this campaign, and he didn't earn a point.

Theodore provided an assist and blocked five shots in Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss to Tampa Bay.

Theodore grabbed an assist on William Karlsson's tally, but he was mainly tasked with helping shut down the Lightning to force the game into an extra period. Theodore led the defensive unit with five blocks, and the six blueliners as a whole combined for 19 blocked shots. Overall, the 30-year-old blueliner has three assists, 19 shots on goal and 23 blocks through nine games this season. While his offensive production is a step behind his career-best 57-point campaign he posted in 67 regular-season games last year, Theodore is miles ahead of the pace he needs to set a new career high in blocks. His additional category coverage this season makes Theodore a solid fantasy option in all formats while he looks to return to consistently contributing on offense.

Pettersson notched an assist and two blocked shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers.

Pettersson has played in all 10 games to begin the season, but his helper Sunday was his first contribution on offense. The 21-year-old has mostly been in a limited third-pairing role, but he was up to 20:22 of ice time in this contest due to Quinn Hughes' (lower body) absence and Victor Mancini's (undisclosed) early exit. Pettersson has accumulated six shots on net, 12 hits, 13 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating to begin 2025-26. He's got some potential, but fantasy managers can leave him on the waiver wire until he shows up on the scoresheet more often.

Pettersson notched an assist and two PIM in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers.

Quinn Hughes (lower body) missed the game and Victor Mancini (undisclosed) left early, leaving plenty of minutes for other defensemen to pick up. Pettersson was part of that equation, and it helped him earn his first point of the season on Brock Boeser's opening goal in the first period. While offense has been absent for Pettersson, he's at 17 blocked shots, five hits, eight PIM and a plus-1 rating across 10 appearances this season. He won't be a strong fantasy option unless his scoring reaches a more consistent level, but his ice time could increase while Hughes is out.

Toews provided an assist and two shots on goal in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Devils.

Toews has had a rough start to the year on offense, but he's remained in a top-pairing role alongside Cale Makar. The 31-year-old Toews helped out on a Nathan MacKinnon tally in the first period Sunday to get on the scoresheet for the first time in 10 games. Toews has added 16 shots on net, 11 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating. His shutdown defensive abilities will keep him in a prominent role, and more offense should follow -- he's logged at least 44 points in each of the last four regular seasons.