NHL Player News

Pietrangelo (illness) won't play in Game 1 of the second round versus the Oilers on Tuesday.

Pietrangelo was a late scratch, but the illness label suggests his absence isn't all that concerning in the long run. Kaedan Korczak will draw in alongside Nicolas Hague for Game 1. Pietrangelo's next chance to play is Thursday in Game 2.

Stanley (undisclosed) is day-to-day and will be a game-time call for Game 1 against the Stars on Wednesday, per Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site.

Stanley missed Game 7 against the Blues on Sunday due to his undisclosed injury, and Haydn Fleury replaced him on the third pairing as a result. Stanley skated in a non-contact jersey at Tuesday's practice, so even if he can't suit up Wednesday, the 2016 first-round selection shouldn't be sidelined long term. The 26-year-old did not record a point over five games in the first round but logged a whopping 42 PIM.

Krug (ankle) is not expected to resume his playing career according to general manager Doug Armstrong, per Lou Korac of NHL.com on Tuesday.

Armstrong wouldn't completely rule out a return -- which isn't surprising after Gabriel Landeskog came back from a three-year absence -- but said he doesn't expect to have Krug back in the future. With two years left on his deal, the expectation at this point will be for Krug's contract to spend those two years on long-term injured reserve. Assuming this is the end of the road, Krug will retire having played 13 seasons in the NHL for the Bruins and Blues, racking up 89 goals and 394 assists in 778 games along the way.

Morrissey (upper body) is day-to-day and is shaping up to be a game-time decision for Game 1 versus Dallas on Wednesday, per Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press.

Morrissey participated in Tuesday's optional skate while wearing a non-contact jersey. He logged only 2:09 of playing time in Sunday's 4-3 double-overtime win over St. Louis in Game 7 after getting hurt in the first period. The 30-year-old blueliner has three assists, 11 shots on goal, 10 blocked shots and 15 hits through seven appearances this postseason. If Morrissey and Logan Stanley (undisclosed) are unavailable for Wednesday's matchup, Haydn Fleury and Colin Miller could be in the lineup versus the Stars.

According to general manager Doug Armstrong, Tucker (lower body) would have been sidelined for the remainder of the postseason if the Blues had advanced past the first round, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports Tuesday.

Tucker was injured against the Jets in Game 4 of St. Louis' first-round series defeat. The 25-year-old logged one goal, four PIM and 12 hits over three postseason appearances. Armstrong did not provide any information with respect to Tucker's recovery timeline, so it's currently unclear if the left-shot defenseman will be ready for training camp in 2025-26.

Kral inked a contract with Czech club Kormet Brno on Tuesday.

Kral spent the 2025-26 campaign playing in the minors with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. With the Baby Pens, the 25-year-old blueliner notched seven goals and 22 helpers in 61 outings. Despite solid numbers, Kral failed to make an NHL appearance for Pittsburgh. Considering Kral has logged just two NHL games in his career, he could be hard-pressed to work his way back and could finish his career abroad.

Ekblad has served his two-game suspension and will be eligible to play in Game 2 against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

Ekblad has appeared in just two of the Panthers' last 24 games due to a pair of suspensions. In those lone pair of outings, the 29-year-old blueliner generated one goal on three shots, six hits and four blocks while averaging 21:15 of ice time. With Ekblad back in the lineup, Uvis Balinskis figures to be relegated to a spot in the press box as a healthy scratch.

Tanev scored a goal and added an assist Monday in the Maple Leafs' 5-4 win over the Panthers in Game 1 of their second-round series.

After managing just one assist in six games during the first round against the Senators, the veteran blueliner got a lucky bounce in the second period on a puck he flipped toward the net from the blue line, and it snuck under Sergei Bobrovsky's arm. Tanev had a productive regular season -- his 31 points in 75 appearances were the second-best total of his career -- but Monday's tally was only his second career goal in 67 playoff games.

Matinpalo signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract extension with the Senators on Monday.

After appearing in just four games with Ottawa during the 2023-24 campaign, Matinpalo made 41 appearances for the Senators this year, logging a goal, three assists, 29 blocked shots, 25 hits and 20 PIM while averaging 12:37 of ice time. He'll be under contract with the team for two more years and should have an opportunity to continue his development during that time.

Head coach Pete DeBoer said Monday that he doesn't yet know whether Heiskanen (knee) will be available for Wednesday's Game 1 against Winnipeg, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Heiskanen has been on long-term injured reserve since early March, but he's been considered day-to-day recently. He participated in Monday's practice session, but it's unclear whether he'll be able to suit up to begin the Stars' second-round series. Even if Heiskanen is unavailable for Game 1, it certainly seems possible that he'll be back in action at some point during the second round.