NHL Player News

Bennett (lower body) won't play Wednesday versus the Red Wings, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Bennett will finish the season on the shelf, missing three straight games. His status for the start of the 2026-27 campaign isn't known yet, but he should be fine if he doesn't need to get surgery. He had a career year offensively in 2025-26 with 58 points in 76 outings.

Verhaeghe (lower body) won't play Wednesday versus the Red Wings, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Verhaeghe will miss his third straight game to conclude the 2025-26 campaign. He ends with 25 goals and 55 points over 77 outings. The nature and extent of his injury are unclear, but if he avoids surgery, he should be good for the start of 2026-27.

Raddysh (undisclosed) is expected to be in the lineup Wednesday versus the Rangers, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.

Raddysh missed two games due to the injury. The Lightning will rest some other regulars, but Raddysh should be good for top-four minutes and power-play time in the regular-season finale.

Johansson (undisclosed) won't suit up Wednesday versus the Rangers, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Johansson will be out for a second straight game. The 30-year-old netminder will have his next chance to return in Game 1 of the playoffs versus the Canadiens. Johansson will likely be the backup once he's healthy, as Andrei Vasilevskiy will see the vast majority of the playing time for the Lightning's postseason run.

Vasilevskiy will not start Wednesday's home game versus the Rangers as previously expected, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Vasilevskiy appeared to be the starter after he was the first goalie off the ice at Wednesday's morning skate, but the Lightning have seemingly changed their plans. With Jonas Johansson (undisclosed) unavailable, Vasilevskiy will be Brandon Halverson's backup in Tampa Bay's regular-season finale.

Halverson will start at home versus the Rangers on Wednesday, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Halverson will get the nod after Andrei Vasilevskiy was initially expected to start. This is unlikely to be an injury-related issue -- Halverson is up with the team because Jonas Johansson (undisclosed) is unavailable. Halverson made a brief relief appearance Dec. 13 versus the Islanders but has otherwise spent the bulk of the campaign in the AHL.

Ellis will start at home versus the Stars on Wednesday, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.

Ellis will get the nod in Buffalo's regular-season finale. He'll likely open the postseason as backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, while Alex Lyon (lower body) is on the mend. Ellis earned his first career shutout in his last start, a 37-save effort Thursday versus the Blue Jackets.

Luneau was recalled from AHL San Diego on Wednesday.

Luneau made 13 regular-season NHL appearances for the Ducks between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns, but he was sent to the minors before the start of the 2025-26 season and hasn't been called up before Wednesday. Luneau will be an option for Thursday's regular-season finale against Nashville if the Ducks intend to rest some of their key contributors ahead of the playoffs.

Geekie was reassigned to AHL Syracuse on Wednesday, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.

Geekie saw action in 14 games for the Lightning this year, registering one goal, two assists and 10 shots while averaging 9:54 of ice time. With Geekie headed down to the minors, the club brought up Jakob Pelletier and Mitchell Chaffee for Wednesday's regular-season finale against the Rangers. Still, this likely won't be the last time Geekie shifts between levels.

Chaffee has been called up from AHL Syracuse on Wednesday, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.

Chaffee has made 10 appearances with the Lightning this year, earning 24 hits, four blocked shots and four PIM while averaging 9:11 of ice time. He'll rejoin the NHL club ahead of Wednesday's regular-season finale against the Rangers, but he could head back to the minors afterward.