NHL Player News

Kulikov (upper body) could return to the lineup during the final week of the NHL regular season, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports Thursday.

Kulikov has already missed three games due to his upper-body injury and now seems poised to be out until the closing contests of the regular season. Considering the 34-year-old defenseman has managed just 13 points in 68 games, fantasy players probably shouldn't be banking on him suddenly providing offensive upside once given the all-clear.

Hronek recorded an assist in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.

Hronek has a goal and five assists over his last nine contests. The 27-year-old defenseman remains steady in a top-four role, and he also continues to see time on the second power-play unit. He's up to 28 points, 69 shots on net, 69 hits, 67 blocked shots, 38 PIM and a plus-1 rating over 51 appearances.

Forbort scored a goal in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.

Forbort has a point in each of the last two games, but that uptick in offense shouldn't be expected to last. The 33-year-old defenseman has played in a third-pairing role for the bulk of the season, and he's at nine points, 35 shots on net, 46 hits, 48 PIM and 69 blocked shots through 46 appearances. The game-winner was his first such goal since the 2022-23 campaign.

Parayko (knee) made the trip with the Blues and has started skating, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports Thursday.

Parayko's timeline won't have him back until mid-April, but the fact that he is skating could be an indication that he is ahead of schedule. The blueliner has already missed 10 games due to his long-term knee issue. Prior to his absence, Parayko was finding his offensive stride with points in five of his last six outings for a combined three goals and three assists.

Shea (upper body) will be in the lineup against Buffalo on Thursday, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.

Shea will suit up for the first time since March 9 versus the Wild due to his upper-body injury. While head coach Mike Sullivan didn't specifically say who would be coming out of the lineup to make way for Shea, it seems likely that Ryan Graves will find himself relegated to the press box. For his part, Shea has notched two goals, three assists and 10 hits in 30 NHL games for the Pens while logging 16:55 of ice time.

Chisholm (lower body) will not be in action versus Washington on Thursday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Chisholm has managed just one point in his last 24 appearances for the Wild, so few fantasy players are likely to be impacted by his continued absence. Even once given the all-clear, Chisholm could struggle to break into the lineup now that Jonas Brodin is healthy and available. If he does play down the stretch, Chisholm would likely take on a third-pairing role with Jon Merrill the strongest candidate to be dropped from the lineup.

McIlrath agreed to terms on a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension with Washington on Thursday.

McIlrath has seen action in just 11 NHL games this season, in which he notched two assists, 14 PIM and 23 hits while averaging a mere 10:54 of ice time. With six defensemen already under contract next year, not including Alexander Alexeyev, who will be a restricted free agent, McIlrath will be hard-pressed to secure significantly more ice time next year, even with a new deal in hand.

Korchinski was recalled from AHL Rockford on Thursday, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports.

Korchinski hasn't earned a point in nine NHL outings this season while posting seven shots on goal, seven blocked shots and one hit. He will be an option for Friday's matchup versus Vegas.

Levshunov picked up two assists, one on the power play, in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Devils.

The teenage blueliner continues to flash the skills that made him the second overall pick in the 2024 Draft. Levshunov has four points, all helpers, through his first eight NHL games, while chipping in 10 shots on net and 11 blocked shots. His minus-11 rating is a bit gruesome, but it's to be expected for a young player seeing significant ice time with the team that sports the second-worst record in the NHL -- Levshunov played a team-high 24:04 in Wednesday's loss, his largest workload so far for Chicago.

Hughes delivered three assists, two on the power play, in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Chicago.

The 21-year-old continues to thrive as the Devils' No. 1 defenseman in the absence of Dougie Hamilton (lower body). Hughes has five multi-point performances in 11 games since Hamilton was lost for the season, racking up a goal and 12 points over that stretch with seven of his helpers coming on the power play.