NHL Player News

Brzustewicz was assigned to AHL Calgary on Friday.

Brzustewicz made his NHL debut Thursday against the Kings and recorded a hit, two PIM and a plus-2 rating while being held pointless in 18:23 of ice time. However, he'll head back to the minors to help the Wranglers in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Whitecloud (rest) participated in Friday's practice session, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll be available for Sunday's Game 1 against the Wild.

Whitecloud sat out Wednesday's regular-season finale against Vancouver due to rest purposes, but he'll unsurprisingly be back in action for the start of the playoffs. He recorded four goals, nine assists, 117 hits, 103 blocked shots and 37 PIM while averaging 17:31 of ice time over 74 appearances during the regular season.

Hanifin (rest) will be back in the lineup versus Minnesota on Sunday, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Hanifin sat out the last two games of the season. He ended the regular season with 10 goals and 29 assists in 80 games, including 10 points on the power play.

Lindgren (upper body) is set to return for Game 1 of Colorado's first-round series against Dallas on Saturday, per Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now.

Lindgren had four goals, 22 points, 40 PIM, 80 hits and 128 blocks in 72 regular-season outings between the Rangers and Colorado in 2024-25. He missed the final three outings of the regular season due to the injury, but he's projected to begin the playoffs serving on the third pairing alongside Josh Manson, who is returning from an upper-body injury.

Manson (upper body) has been activated off injured reserve Friday, according to the NHL media site.

Manson missed the final 15 games of the season with the injury. He played in only 48 regular-season games this season, scoring once, adding 14 assists with 105 hits and 59 blocked shots.

Hughes (rest) will return to action for Game 1 in Carolina on Sunday, per Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.

The Devils rested all their top players Wednesday against Detroit as the game was meaningless as far as the regular season was concerned. Hughes had seven goals and 37 assists in 71 regular-season contests this season. He will likely be demoted to the second power play during the playoffs as Dougie Hamilton (lower body) returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing 18 games.

Pesce (rest) is expected to play in Game 1 of New Jersey's first-round series versus Carolina on Sunday, according to Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.

Pesce had three goals, 17 points, 29 PIM, 24 hits and 138 blocks in 72 regular-season outings in 2024-25. He's projected to start the postseason on the top pairing alongside Luke Hughes.

Kovacevic (rest) practiced Friday and should be ready for Sunday's Game 1 against Carolina, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Kovacevic sat out Wednesday's regular-season finale against Detroit, but he should be back in action for the start of the playoffs. Over 81 regular-season appearances this year, he recorded a goal, 16 assists, 102 hits, 99 blocked shots and 72 PIM while averaging 19:49 of ice time.

Harris logged an assist and two hits in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Islanders.

Harris played in the Blue Jackets' last four games of the season after a 22-game stint as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old was limited to five points, 15 shots on net, 23 hits and 35 blocked shots over 33 appearances this season. He's one of three restricted free agents for the Blue Jackets this summer, who also have nine unrestricted free agents. Given his poor season, he probably won't be prioritized in negotiations, assuming he's given a qualifying offer.

Fabbro scored a goal on three shots, blocked five shots and went plus-3 in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Islanders.

Fabbro posted six points over 10 contests in April to end the season strong. The 26-year-old defenseman flourished with the Blue Jackets after getting claimed off waivers from the Predators. He ends the campaign with nine goals, 26 points, 89 shots on net, 67 hits, 143 blocked shots, 40 PIM and a plus-20 rating over 68 appearances. Fabbro is an unrestricted free agent this summer, one of nine UFAs on the Columbus roster, but general manager Don Waddell will likely have him near the top of the list for contract talks between now and July 1.