NHL Player News

Kulikov underwent surgery for his upper-body injury and is expected to be shelved for at least five months, Sean Shapiro of DLLS Sports reports Wednesday.

Kulikov's extended absence is another significant injury blow to a Panthers team that is already missing forwards Aleksander Barkov (knee) and Matthew Tkachuk (groin). At this point, the veteran Kulikov could be out of the lineup until mid-March. With Kulikov unavailable for the last two games, Uvis Balinskis has been skating on the third pairing.

The Rangers announced Wednesday that Borgen is being evaluated for a lower-body injury, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports.

Borgen saw a season-high 20:32 of ice time during Tuesday's loss to Edmonton, but he's apparently dealing with a lower-body issue following the matchup. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available for Thursday's game in Toronto, but Connor Mackey and Scott Morrow are candidates to enter the lineup if Borgen is sidelined.

Morrow was recalled from AHL Hartford on Wednesday.

Morrow has yet to make his Rangers debut after being acquired by the club from the Hurricanes in the K'Andre Miller deal. Even with his promotion, the 22-year-old Morrow is far from a lock to suit up versus the Maple Leafs on Thursday and would likely need to beat out Urho Vaakanainen for a spot in the lineup.

Korczak scored a goal while adding two PIM, two shots on goal, four hits and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Flames.

Korczak registered his first point of the season thanks to a snap shot in the early stages of the third period. However, as a bottom-pair defenseman known more for his physical contributions, he's not likely to be a factor in most fantasy formats.

Samuelsson (upper body) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against Ottawa, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

Samuelsson skated on his own Wednesday and could be an option for Saturday's game against Florida. However, he'll be on the shelf for a second consecutive matchup. Ryan Johnson will presumably remain in the lineup against the Senators.

Skjei posted an assist, three shots on goal and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Maple Leafs.

The helper was Skjei's first point in four games this season. He's added eight shots on net, six blocks, three hits and a plus-2 rating while averaging 22:56 of ice time per contest. Skjei is back on the second pairing, with Roman Josi healthy and productive on the top pairing. Skjei is best suited to a supporting role, but his fantasy profile lacks a standout characteristic, though he has a safe floor as a 30-point blueliner.

Josi scored a goal on four shots, blocked three shots and went minus-3 in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Josi's offense has been up to par so far -- he has a goal and two assists over four games. The defensive side hasn't been quite as good, as the Swiss blueliner has a minus-2 rating with 11 blocked shots. Josi missed 29 games in 2024-25, so he may still be shaking off some rust. He's playing a massive role in all situations as usual, so fantasy managers should be cautiously optimistic about his production for the remainder of the campaign.

Perbix scored a goal on two shots, added an assist and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Perbix got his first two points as a member of the Predators. The 27-year-old has been a stable defender early in the year with a plus-5 rating and seven blocked shots. He finished between 19 and 24 points in his first three NHL campaigns with the Lightning, but Perbix may struggle to get to that level with his new team, which doesn't have as strong an offense.

Benoit notched an assist and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Predators.

Benoit picked up his first point of the season on an Oliver Ekman-Larsson tally in the first period. The 27-year-old Benoit has brought plenty of grit to a third-pairing role, adding 10 hits, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over four appearances. His lack of offense is too much to overcome for most fantasy managers -- the defenseman has never had more than 10 points in a season, but he has topped the 200-hit mark in three straight campaigns.

McCabe scored a goal, dished an assist, logged three hits, blocked three shots and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Predators.

McCabe opened the scoring at 8:42 of the first period and then helped out on a William Nylander empty-netter late in the third. These were McCabe's first two points of the season, but he's been as reliable as ever in his own zone. He's posted a plus-6 rating, eight blocks and six hits to provide decent non-scoring production. McCabe looks to be a lock for top-four minutes as a shutdown blueliner. He's topped 20 points in each of the last four seasons, which gives him appeal in deeper fantasy formats.