NHL Player News

McDonald was recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

McDonald made his NHL debut this year during Philadelphia's regular-season finale, but he was sent back down after the game. However, he'll rejoin the NHL club as one of the Black Aces for the playoffs. He recorded six assists and 92 PIM across 65 appearances with Lehigh Valley this year.

Grans was called up from AHL Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Grans was one of five Black Aces brought up by the Flyers on Wednesday. The 23-year-old blueliner shouldn't be expected to play in the postseason, but he will serve as an emergency depth option should the need arise. With the Phantoms this year, Grans racked up three goals and 11 helpers in 61 contests and could be under consideration for a spot on the Opening Night roster heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

Gaucher was called up by Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Gaucher is expected to serve as a Black Ace, which means he'll be around the team and attend practices for the experience, but the 25-year-old isn't expected to draw into any playoff games. Gaucher finished the 2025-26 regular season with 20 goals, 36 points and 44 PIM in 69 outings with AHL Lehigh Valley, as well as four shots and three hits in four appearances with Philadelphia.

Eklind was recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Eklind made 49 appearances in the AHL this year, recording nine goals, six assists, 24 PIM and a plus-4 rating. He hasn't yet made his NHL debut, but he'll be among the Flyers' Black Aces for the playoffs.

Bjarnason was recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Bjarnason was one of five players included in the Flyers' Black Aces promotions, players who are not expected to actually play during the playoffs. In the minors this year, the 20-year-old backstop went 14-11-4 with an .877 save percentage in 32 games with the Phantoms. At this point, Bjarnason is likely still a few years away from being a legitimate NHL option.

Panarin scored a power-play goal in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Avalanche in Game 2.

Panarin has scored both of the Kings' goals this postseason, and they've both been on the power play. While it's good to see the Kings' big trade acquisition live up to the hype, Panarin can't carry the team all by himself, as they're now facing a 2-0 deficit in this first-round series. Look for Panarin to remain a threat to produce offense as the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday and Game 4 on Sunday.

Forsberg allowed two goals on 36 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Avalanche in Game 2.

Forsberg has allowed just six goals on 87 shots over his last three outings, but he's gone winless in those games. The 33-year-old is still playing well enough to keep the Kings competitive, so it seems likely he'll get a chance to show what he can do on home ice in Game 3 on Thursday. Forsberg will need more than one goal of support per game, which is all the help he's received so far this postseason.

Manson logged an assist, two shots on goal and three hits in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Kings in Game 2.

Manson dealt with an upper-body injury late in the regular season, which cost him three games. The 34-year-old defenseman snapped a five-game point drought when he set up Nicolas Roy's game-winning tally in overtime. Manson had a strong regular season with 31 points, 128 shots on net, 174 hits, 99 blocked shots, 91 PIM and a plus-42 rating over 79 appearances. Over seven previous postseason runs, the defenseman has earned 21 points across 65 outings, including eight points over 20 games during the Avalanche's Stanley Cup championship run in 2022.

Kadri logged an assist in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Kings in Game 2.

Kadri missed the last five games of the regular season due to a broken finger. The 35-year-old center is filling a third-line role to begin the playoffs, though he could shuffle up to the top six if the Avalanche run into adversity or injury troubles. Between Calgary and Colorado in the regular season, he produced 50 points, 213 shots on net and a minus-30 rating over 77 appearances. Kadri is a veteran of seven previous postseason runs, in which he collected 19 goals and 44 points over 52 appearances, including 15 points over 16 contests when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Roy scored the game-winning goal, added three hits and blocked three shots in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Kings in Game 2.

The goal was Roy's first since March 22 versus the Capitals, which was the last game he played prior to an upper-body injury. He had two assists over the last six games of the regular season, giving him a total of 25 points across 74 appearances between Colorado and Toronto for the year. Roy will likely occupy a bottom-six role for much of this postseason. In previous playoff runs, the veteran forward has earned 10 goals and 32 points over 79 appearances over five postseasons, including the Golden Knights' 2023 Stanley Cup championship.