NHL Player News

Thrun has played in six of the Sharks' 10 games in December.

Thrun is filling a part-time role, competing with other young defensemen like Timothy Liljegren and Shakir Mukhamadullin. One of those blueliners will likely exit the lineup when Jake Walman (lower body) returns from his injury. The 23-year-old Thrun was in the power-play mix early in the year but hasn't seen much time in that situation lately. He has gone seven games without a point and has recorded eight assists, 25 shots on net, 24 hits, 37 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 30 appearances this season.

Englund has been scratched for 17 straight games dating back to Nov. 13.

Even with the Kings routinely deploying seven defensemen lately, Englund hasn't been able to get into the lineup. Kyle Burroughs has instead filled the role of enforcer while dressing as the seventh blueliner, while Englund remains a veteran capable of stepping in at a moment's notice. Over eight contests this season, he has one goal, four shots on net, 12 PIM and 17 hits while averaging 11:48 of ice time. He doesn't need to be rostered in fantasy as long as he's stuck in the press box.

Helleson drew into the lineup for the first time in eight games when he played in Monday's 3-1 loss to the Golden Knights.

The Ducks' trades swapping Urho Vaakanainen for Jacob Trouba and dealing away Cam Fowler to St. Louis have led to a more balanced blue line between righties and lefties. Helleson is one of three right-shot defensemen, but he has sat out at times in favor of Pavel Mintyukov or Jackson LaCombe. Helleson has four points, 12 shots on net, 14 hits, 15 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through 11 appearances this season. As a young blueliner, Helleson is likely to fill a part-time role as long as he remains on the NHL roster.

Dumoulin remains in a third-pairing role but has not registered a point since Nov. 25, a span of 13 contests.

Dumoulin continues to see bottom-four minutes for the Ducks even after the team made some trades to reshape its blue line. The 33-year-old has not been a strong source of offense this year, picking up just six assists with 34 shots on net and a minus-1 rating over 33 contests. Dumoulin has added 32 hits and 54 blocked shots and should continue to make the most of his impact in the defensive zone.

Kleven has not recorded a point over his last 12 games since scoring Nov. 27 versus the Sharks.

The 22-year-old defenseman has just two points through 34 outings this season. Kleven has seen steady time on the Senators' third pairing but as more of a shutdown presence. He's added 29 shots on net, 44 hits, 37 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating while averaging 14:22 of ice time. Kleven's lack of offense gives him minimal fantasy appeal.

Schmidt has not recorded a point over 11 games in December.

Schmidt has averaged 15:54 of ice time per game this month, raising his season average to 15:12. He's also still a part of the second power-play unit, but it hasn't helped his offense. The 33-year-old defenseman has eight points, 22 shots on net, 39 hits, 20 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating through 34 appearances. Barring an uptick in scoring, Schmidt is not a particularly strong fantasy option.

Holl has been scratched just once over 11 games in December.

Holl doesn't have a point and has gone minus-5 with seven hits and 11 blocked shots over his 10 appearances this month. The 32-year-old defenseman has been holding a large share of playing time in a bottom-four role, and he's had a little more ice time while the Red Wings deal with injuries to Simon Edvinsson (upper body) and Ben Chiarot (upper body). Holl is at three points, 34 blocked shots, 16 hits and a minus-2 rating over 26 contests this season.

Johansson has played in four of the Red Wings' first 11 games in December.

The 23-year-old defenseman has been in a part-time role for the bulk of the season. Johansson has just one point to his name while adding 14 shots on net, 13 hits, 22 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating over 17 appearances. He likely won't get much playing time once Simon Edvinsson (upper body) and Ben Chiarot (upper body) are cleared to play again.

McIlrath suited up as a seventh defenseman in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Bruins.

The Capitals rarely go with seven defenseman, and McIlrath saw just 1:45 of ice time in the contest. That experiment may be scrapped if Alex Ovechkin (lower leg) can play Saturday in Toronto. McIlrath hadn't played since Nov. 3, and he's stuck in the press box as an extra defenseman. He has two assists, 23 hits, 14 PIM and seven blocked shots over 11 appearances this season.

Lohrei provided an assist, two shots on goal, three blocked shots and two PIM in Monday's 4-1 win over the Capitals.

Lohrei has earned three helpers over his last five games since he was a healthy scratch Dec. 12 in Seattle. The 23-year-old remains in a third-pairing role at even strength, but he has typically seen larger minutes than that position in the lineup would suggest. He's up to a goal, 14 helpers, 29 shots on net, 36 blocked shots and a minus-11 rating through 31 appearances. It's already a career year for Lohrei, who has earned seven of his assists on the power play to fuel his uptick in offense.