NHL Player News

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.

The Devils announced Monday that Hughes recently underwent successful shoulder surgery and is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp this fall.

Hughes made 71 regular-season appearances this year and recorded seven goals and 37 assists while averaging 21:09 of ice time. However, he sustained an injury during the team's playoff opener and was unavailable for the remainder of the first round. He'll face a recovery process during the offseason but should be ready for the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

Parayko notched an assist, two shots on goal, three hits and three blocked shots in Sunday's 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Jets in Game 7.

Parayko was hot in the playoffs, racking up a goal and five assists over the last five contests. The 31-year-old won't get to extend that streak after the Blues' season ended Sunday. The defenseman had a career year in the regular season with 16 goals, 36 points and a plus-12 rating over 64 appearances. His production was bolstered by a 12.8 shooting percentage, nearly double his previous high of 6.5 percent from 2023-24, so it's fair to assume some regression is in the cards for Parayko in 2025-26.

Samberg notched an assist, three shots on goal, two hits and a plus-1 rating in Sunday's 4-3 double-overtime win over the Blues in Game 7.

Samberg helped out on a Vladislav Namestnikov goal in the final two minutes of regulation. The 26-year-old Samberg isn't a big producer on offense, but he has three assists over his last four games. The defenseman has added 11 shots on net, seven hits, five blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over seven appearances. He played 44:00 in Game 7 due to Josh Morrissey's (upper body) early exit and the double-overtime factor, and Samberg will continue to see heavy minutes as a shutdown blueliner throughout the postseason.

Pionk logged three assists, three shots on net, six hits, four blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 4-3 double-overtime win over the Blues in Game 7.

Pionk was forced into heavy usage after Josh Morrissey (upper body) left the game in the first period. The 29-year-old Pionk stepped up with 46:15 of ice time, and he was productive in those minutes. His biggest helper was on Adam Lowry's goal at 16:10 of the second overtime frame. Pionk had five points, 14 shots on net, 21 hits, 10 blocks, 14 PIM and a plus-4 rating over seven contests in the first round. If Morrissey misses time, Pionk will take over on the top power-play unit while also seeing a hearty bump in overall usage.