NHL Player News

McAvoy suffered a right shoulder injury during Team USA's clash against Finland on Thursday. He returned to Boston but began to experience increasing pain, which led to him being diagnosed with an infection as well as a significant AC joint injury. He had a procedure Tuesday and is in the hospital to be treated with IV antibiotics, the Bruins announced Wednesday.

A timetable for McAvoy's return is unclear, but it will probably be a long-term absence. Interim head coach Joe Sacco expects the defenseman to be unavailable in the "short term," according to Eric Russo of the Bruins' official site, but didn't go into more detail. McAvoy has seven goals, 23 points, 46 PIM, 89 hits and 81 blocks over 50 appearances with Boston in 2024-25. Jordan Oesterle will probably play against Anaheim on Saturday due to McAvoy's absence.

Juulsen (undisclosed) won't travel for the start of the Canucks' road trip, which begins Saturday in Vegas, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports.

Juulsen's absence will allow Elias Pettersson to push Carson Soucy for playing time during the trip. It's unclear how long Juulsen will be out, but he is not a player that has much of an impact in fantasy.

Bortuzzo (lower body) remains on injured reserve and won't return to the lineup when play resumes after the 4 Nations Face-Off, per Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports on Tuesday.

Bortuzzo is day-to-day and has missed the last 18 games. He participated in Tuesday's practice. Bortuzzo has two assists, seven shots on goal, 26 blocked shots and 20 hits in 16 appearances this season.

Rutta (lower body) is healing slower than anticipated and is not expected back soon, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News adds that Rutta has not started skating following the resumption of practice Tuesday. It's possible Rutta will miss all of the Sharks' upcoming seven-game road trip, which runs through Mar. 6 at Colorado. The 34-year-old blueliner already missed six games prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off and is likely to be out a while longer, though his depth role on the Sharks' blue line means his absence doesn't make much of an impact in fantasy.

Durzi (shoulder) will be activated from injured reserve prior to Saturday's game versus the Kings, Brogan Houston of Deseret News reports.

Durzi hasn't played since Oct. 14 against the Devils, which was Utah's fourth game of the season. Durzi could be a candidate for power-play time, but it's likely his minutes will be limited at first after a lengthy recovery due to surgery. The 26-year-old blueliner could eventually handle top-four minutes.

Crevier (concussion) could be an option against Columbus on Saturday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Crevier hasn't played since Feb. 1 versus the Panthers, a stretch of three games on the shelf due to his concussion. If the 23-year-old blueliner is given the all-clear, he'll need to first be activated off injured reserve. The Hawks could place Jason Dickinson (ankle) on IR in a corresponding move.

Samuelsson (foot) practiced Tuesday and feels ready to return to the lineup, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

Samuelsson has missed the last two games after breaking a small bone in his foot. He has accounted for three goals, six assists, 39 shots on net, 55 blocked shots and 57 hits across 35 appearances this season. Jacob Bryson could be a healthy scratch for Saturday's game versus the Rangers if Buffalo removes Samuelsson from injured reserve.

Siegenthaler underwent a lower-body procedure during the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off and will be re-evaluated in 2-3 weeks, the Devils announced Tuesday.

Siegenthaler has missed the last two games and moved to injured reserve Tuesday. The Devils recalled blueliners Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey in corresponding moves. The 27-year-old Siegenthaler has two goals, nine points, 52 shots on net, 92 blocked shots, 75 hits and 44 PIM through 55 appearances this season.

Mayfield (lower body) told reporters he is hoping to be available for Sunday's matchup with Dallas, per Andrew Gross of Newsday.

Mayfield appears to have taken advantage of the time off during the 4 Nations Face-Off to get back to 100 percent when the Isles return to action Sunday. In order to suit up versus the Stars, the veteran blueliner will need to be activated off injured reserve and could step into the lineup for Dennis Cholowski or Adam Boqvist.

Lauzon (lower body) will be shelved for 4-6 weeks, the Predators announced Tuesday.

Given his recovery timeline, Lauzon will be out of action for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign due to his lower-body injury. The blueliner has been sidelined since Dec. 31 versus the Wild. Injuries have limited Lauzon to just 28 games this year in which he registered one assist, 25 assists and 37 PIM while dishing out 127 hits.