NHL Player News

Spurgeon scored a power-play goal in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Bruins.

Spurgeon has a goal and three assists during his four-game point streak. While his tally came with the man advantage Sunday, Spurgeon may struggle to get power-play minutes now that Quinn Hughes is on the team. Spurgeon could continue to work on the second unit, but the Wild may want to save him for more defensive assignments. The 36-year-old blueliner has two goals, eight points, 35 shots on net, 45 hits, 61 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating over 33 appearances this season.

Hughes scored a goal on three shots in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Bruins.

Hughes wasn't in the lineup Saturday versus the Senators as he got settled in following Friday's trade. The 26-year-old slotted in for 26:55 of ice time and had the Wild's fourth goal of the contest, making an immediate impact in his team debut. He's now at three goals, 21 assists, 77 shots on net, 32 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating over 27 appearances when accounting for his time with the Canucks to begin the year. Hughes' scoring potential should tick up a bit with the Wild, who have a much stronger supporting cast.

Gustafsson was assigned to AHL Grand Rapids on Sunday.

John Leonard was recalled by Detroit in a corresponding transaction. Gustafsson has gotten into just one game with the Red Wings this year. The left-shot blueliner will link back up with the Griffins, with whom he's notched one goal, 14 points and a plus-13 rating over 14 appearances in 2025-26.

Jiricek exited Sunday's game against the Bruins due to a lower-body injury, Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News reports.

Head coach John Hynes didn't have an update on Jiricek's status following Sunday's matchup, so the defenseman's status for Tuesday's game against the Capitals isn't yet clear. Jiricek saw a relatively normal workload prior to his departure, as he logged 12:52 of ice time. If Jiricek is unable to suit up against Washington, Matt Kiersted will be a candidate to enter the lineup.

Gleason had three assists in AHL Iowa's 6-0 win over Manitoba on Sunday.

Gleason had been limited to one assist over his previous 11 games. He's at 10 points in 25 outings this season, though he also has a minus-13 rating. The defenseman has logged a pair of three-assist efforts, which obscures his generally lackluster play overall.

Nystrom has been assigned to AHL Chicago, the team announced Sunday.

Despite just signing a four-year extension, it's Nystrom who is the roster casualty for the Hurricanes with the return of Jaccob Slavin (lower body) from injured reserve. It makes sense given the 23-year-old doesn't require waivers to be moved down to the AHL. He departs the NHL roster with five assists and a plus-3 rating in 24 games played, but he will likely be the first call-up should another injury strike the Carolina defense corps.

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

Following a 29-game absence, Slavin appears to be ready to return to the lineup against Philadelphia on Sunday. He hasn't earned a point in two appearances this season while posting two shots on net and three blocked shots.

York (upper body) will play against Carolina on Sunday.

York will return to the lineup after missing the last four games. He has registered one goal, 11 assists, 19 shots on net and 46 blocked shots over 23 appearances this season. York will replace Ty Murchison in Sunday's lineup against the Hurricanes.

Carlson posted a power-play assist, two shots on goal, two hits, four PIM and a minus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Jets.

Carlson didn't have a great game, but he was able to get on the scoresheet in his second contest after missing three games due to an upper-body injury. The 35-year-old defenseman continues to provide quality offense in a top-pairing role this season. He's at 24 points (six on the power play), 62 shots on net, 40 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating through 28 appearances.

Chychrun scored a power-play goal on three shots and added two hits in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Jets.

With 3:28 left in the third period, Chychrun broke up Connor Hellebuyck's shutout bid. Through six outings in December, Chychrun has cooled off, earning three points and a plus-4 rating. The 27-year-old defenseman is at 12 goals, 26 points (six on the power play), 106 shots on net, 31 hits, 37 blocked shots, 31 PIM and a plus-23 rating over 32 outings. Even if his pace dips a bit, Chychrun is tracking toward the first 50-point campaign of his career.