NHL Player News

Larsson logged an assist, three shots on goal, three hits and a plus-4 rating in Monday's 5-2 win over Utah.

Larsson ended a 10-game slump with this performance. The 32-year-old defenseman has maintained his usual spot on the top pairing this season, but the additions of Brandon Montour and Ryker Evans to the Kraken's blue line have resulted in Larsson getting fewer minutes. His ice time is down by more than two minutes from last year (22:57 per game in 2023-24, 20:49 this season). He's picked up seven points, 52 shots on net, 53 hits, 81 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating through 38 appearances.

DeMelo scored a goal and added two hits in Monday's 3-0 win over the Predators.

DeMelo broke up the goaltending duel with a second-period tally past Juuse Saros, which stood as the game-winner for the Jets. The goal was DeMelo's first of the season, and he's earned four points with a plus-8 rating, 18 hits and 13 blocked shots over 14 appearances in December. The 31-year-old defenseman is up to seven points, 34 shots on net, 62 hits, 43 blocked shots, 20 PIM and a plus-17 rating over 38 games in a top-four role this season.

Lindgren scored a goal, blocked three shots and added two PIM in Monday's 5-3 loss to the Panthers.

Lindgren has a point in back-to-back games for the first time this season. This is unlikely to be the start of a big run of offense for the 26-year-old defenseman -- he can chip in a few points but rarely finds sustained success. He's now at two goals, four assists, 25 shots on net, 22 PIM, 43 hits and 53 blocked shots over 31 appearances this season in a top-four role.

Boqvist logged an assist and two shots on goal in Monday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.

Boqvist has played in Florida's last two games because Niko Mikkola (upper body) is sidelined. This was Boqvist's first point since he scored Dec. 3 versus the Penguins, and it was the lone assist on his brother Jesper Boqvist's second tally of the game. Through 15 appearances this season, Boqvist has racked up five points, 20 shots on net and a minus-5 rating while filling a part-time role on the Panthers' blue line. He routinely sees power-play time when in the lineup, but he'll likely be a scratch again once Mikkola can return.

Pickering (concussion) will remain sidelined for Tuesday's game against the Red Wings despite fully participating in the Penguins' morning skate, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.

Pickering has been sidelined due to a concussion for the past week and a half, but his full participation in Tuesday's practice suggests that he's trending in the right direction. It's not yet clear when he'll be able to return to action, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him cleared for game action in early January.

Kulikov recorded an assist and two hits in Monday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.

Kulikov ended a 10-game point drought with his helper on a Mackie Samoskevich goal in the first period. The 34-year-old Kulikov produced three assists, 20 PIM, 20 hits and 14 blocked shots over 13 outings in December while maintaining a spot on the second pairing. He's up to eight points, 41 shots on net, 62 hits, 37 blocks, 28 PIM and a plus-9 rating over 38 appearances. Kulikov is behind last year's pace in almost every category despite an increase of 3:03 of ice time per game (16:31 in 2023-24 compared to 19:34 this season).

Forsling registered an assist, two shots on goal, three hits, five blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.

Forsling was limited on offense in December, earning three points with 47 shots on net, 22 blocked shots, 13 hits and a plus-2 rating over 13 games for the month. He made an early contribution by setting up Eetu Luostarinen's opening goal at 3:04 of the first period. Forsling remains in a top-pairing role, where he's earned 14 points, 95 shots on net, 42 blocks, 34 hits and a plus-19 rating over 38 appearances this season.

Olofsson was reassigned to AHL Coachella Valley on Tuesday.

Olofsson hasn't made an NHL appearance with Seattle this season. The Swedish blueliner will link back up with the Firebirds, where he's provided two goals and nine helpers through 27 appearances in 2024-25. Olofsson could be back with the big club at some point, as Seattle now has just six healthy defensemen on its roster.

Dumba (upper body) was activated off injured reserve and will return to the lineup for Tuesday's game against Buffalo, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports.

Dumba missed the last eight games due to his upper-body injury, but he'll be back in action for the final game of the calendar year. The 30-year-old has been relatively quiet over 19 appearances this year, recording an assist, 31 hits, 16 blocked shots and 19 PIM while averaging 15:33 of ice time.

Letang (lower body) won't play in Tuesday's road game against the Red Wings, according to Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Letang was injured in Saturday's loss to the Islanders, as he was unable to suit up in Sunday's rematch against New York. He'll miss his second straight game Tuesday, and given that he's not skating, the right-shot blueliner's status for Friday's contest against Florida seems murky at best. Marcus Pettersson (lower body) might be able to return Tuesday in Detroit, which would help offset the loss of Letang.