NHL Player News

Werenski's status for Monday's game against the Canadiens is in question due to a left leg injury, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Werenski said after Monday's morning skate that his injured left leg is "feeling OK," but a decision on his status against Montreal won't come until closer to puck drop. Following Monday's game, the Blue Jackets will have three days off due to the league's Christmas break, so he could sit against Montreal to give himself extra time to rest.

Chiarot (upper body) won't play versus St. Louis on Monday,

Chiarot will miss at least one game after being injured in Saturday's 5-1 loss to Montreal. He has generated one goal, four assists, 40 shots on net, 70 blocked shots, 49 hits and 39 PIM in 33 appearances this season. With Chiarot and Simon Edvinsson (upper body) unavailable, Albert Johansson and William Lagesson will be in Monday's lineup.

Edvinsson (upper body) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Blues.

Edvinsson was on the ice for Monday's morning skate, so he appeared to be trending in the right direction after missing the last two games due to an upper-body injury he sustained Wednesday against Philadelphia. However, he'll be unavailable for a third consecutive matchup. Due to the league's upcoming Christmas break, he'll have several days to rest before the Red Wings face the Maple Leafs on Friday, and he's expected to be back in action for that matchup, per Ansar Khan of MLive.com.

Middleton was reassigned to AHL Colorado on Monday.

Middleton has made nine appearances for the Avalanche this year, and he's been held without a point but has recorded 13 hits and nine blocked shots while averaging 10:31 of ice time. The Avalanche don't play again until after the NHL's Christmas break, so it's possible that Middleton will be back with the club following the league's layoff.

Clurman was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday.

Clurman spent a day with Pittsburgh last week but didn't make his NHL debut. However, he'll rejoin the Penguins after Owen Pickering (concussion) was placed on injured reserve Monday. Clurman has recorded a goal and four assists over 18 appearances in the AHL this year, and he'll likely serve as an extra defenseman during his time on the NHL roster.

Pickering (concussion) was placed on injured reserve Monday.

Pittsburgh brought up Nate Clurman from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a corresponding move. Pickering will miss at least the next two games, starting with Monday's matchup versus Philadelphia, after being injured in Saturday's 3-0 loss to New Jersey.

Ruhwedel notched an assist and three hits in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

This was Ruhwedel's first point in five NHL appearances this season. He's played in four straight contests and should continue to have a spot in the lineup as a veteran on the third pairing. Zac Jones and Urho Vaakanainen are likely to compete for the last spot in the lineup -- they're both left-handed defensemen, whereas Ruhwedel's a righty, with an opening on that side of the blue line following the Rangers' trade of Jacob Trouba to the Ducks. Ruhwedel likely won't produce enough offense to be a factor in fantasy, as his career high in points is 13 from the 2021-22 campaign.

Orlov posted an assist and two blocked shots in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Rangers.

This was Orlov's second helper over the last four contests. The 33-year-old defenseman continues to play on the second pairing, chipping in a little depth offense while adding heavy physicality. He's up to 16 points, 43 hits, 20 blocked shots and a plus-18 rating through 33 outings, making the biggest impact in his own zone with enough offense to warrant some consideration in fantasy.

Makar scored a power-play goal on seven shots, dished two assists, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Kraken.

Makar opened the scoring at 10:05 of the first period and helped out on two of Joel Kiviranta's three tallies in the game. This was Makar's third multi-point effort in a row and his third three-point performance this season. The superstar defenseman has two goals and seven assists during a five-game point streak. For the season, he's at 11 goals, 34 helpers, 19 power-play points, 114 shots on net, 51 blocked shots, 30 hits and a plus-7 rating through 36 appearances.

Clarke notched a power-play assist, three shots on goal and a minus-2 rating in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Capitals.

Clarke had the secondary helper on Kevin Fiala's goal in the second period. With three assists over his last five games, Clarke has gotten back on track after starting December cold. The 21-year-old defenseman is up to 19 points (seven on the power play), 71 shots on net, 60 blocked shots, 22 PIM and a plus-4 rating through 34 outings overall. He continues to see top-four minutes and a spot on the first power-play unit.