NHL Player News

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky said Wednesday that Rutta (lower body) is expected to return shortly after the 4 Nations Face-Off, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

San Jose's first game after the tournament is set for Feb. 23 versus Calgary. Rutta has two goals, eight points, 28 PIM, 37 hits and 76 blocks over 51 outings in 2024-25. Jack Thompson is a candidate to play regularly while Rutta is unavailable.

Ekholm didn't participate in Wednesday's practice session due to an illness, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Ekholm has been hot recently, as he's in the midst of a three-game point streak in which he's racked up a goal and three assists. He hasn't yet missed a game this season, but it's unclear whether he'll be able to suit up Thursday against the Red Wings due to his illness.

Guhle is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a lacerated quadricep muscle.

Guhle has four goals, 14 points, 67 hits and 100 blocks over 44 appearances in 2024-25. Jayden Struble will likely play regularly during Guhle's absence. Montreal will also likely call up a defenseman from the minors since the team is down to six healthy blueliners.

Head coach Ryan Huska said Wednesday that Bahl (upper body) is considered week-to-week, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Bahl has missed the last two games due to his upper-body injury and appears to be facing a somewhat lengthy absence. He has two goals, 14 points, 67 hits and 79 blocks over 47 appearances in 2024-25. Tyson Barrie is a candidate to play regularly during Bahl's absence.

Manson produced an assist, two shots on goal, two hits, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Islanders.

Manson has seven helpers over 16 contests since he returned from an upper-body injury. That offense is fine, but he has been unsteady on defense despite a plus-1 rating and 18 blocked shots in that span. The physical blueliner is still playing on the second pairing -- the Avalanche don't necessarily have anyone buried on the depth chart who can replace what he brings. He's at 13 points, 52 shots on net, 88 hits, 52 blocked shots, 24 PIM and a minus-9 rating through 40 appearances this season.

Durzi (shoulder) will practice with the team but isn't expected back prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports.

Durzi's latest update seems to be slightly more positive than his previous one which indicated he might not be back until April. The blueliner has been out of action since mid-October, appearing in just four games this season before he sustained his shoulder injury. At this point, Durzi will be hard-pressed to reach the 25-point threshold, which would be the first time he's missed that mark in his NHL career.

Perunovich notched an assist, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.

Perunovich has a chance at a fresh start after exhausting his opportunities with the Blues, which resulted in him being traded to the defense-needy Islanders. His tenure with his new team is off to a positive start -- he logged 18:52 of ice time in a third-pairing role in his team debut. Perunovich should play regularly while Noah Dobson (lower body) and Ryan Pulock (upper body) are out. Perunovich has seven points, 11 shots on net, 22 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over 25 appearances this season.

Romanov scored a goal on five shots, added six hits and blocked four shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.

Romanov is in position to play a large role while Noah Dobson (lower body) and Ryan Pulock (upper body) are out. This was Romanov's third straight game on the scoresheet (two goals, two assists), and he also provides ample physicality. For the season, the 25-year-old blueliner has 13 points, 49 shots on net, 92 hits, 82 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating over 35 appearances. Despite missing 14 contests due to various injuries, Romanov still has a reasonable chance of surpassing the 22 points he put up in each of the last two campaigns.

Petry (undisclosed) isn't expected to join the Red Wings for their upcoming four-game road trip, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports Wednesday.

The trip will begin Thursday in Edmonton and conclude Feb. 4 in Seattle. The Red Wings' next home game is versus Tampa Bay on Feb. 8. Petry, who hasn't been in the lineup since Jan. 2, has a goal and six points over 34 outings in 2024-25.

Doughty (ankle) will make his season debut against the Panthers on Wednesday, George Richards of FloridaHockeyNow.com reports.

Doughty has been sidelined since sustaining an ankle injury in training camp, but he worked in a regular sweater at practice last week and has been cleared to make his season debut on the road Wednesday. Doughty appeared in all 82 regular-season games for the Kings last year and logged 15 goals, 35 points, 142 blocked shots, 109 hits and 44 PIM while averaging 25:48 of ice time. It's possible that the Kings monitor his playing time slightly following his lengthy absence, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him reclaim a prominent role soon.