NHL Player News

Carrick (arm) is apparently further ahead of schedule than anticipated and is expected to rejoin practice Tuesday. Head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters Monday, "(He's) going to see our doctors today and thinks he's further along than maybe I portrayed yesterday. So, with good news, he could join our team back in practice tomorrow, which is great news. That would put him a little bit ahead of schedule."

While this news doesn't guarantee Carrick will be ready to play for Game 1 against the Canadiens on Wednesday, it certainly doesn't seem like he'll miss the entire second round as previously reported. Even once given the all-clear, Carrick figures to slot into a fourth-line role, where he is unlikely to offer much fantasy value outside of hits and PIM.

Bastian (hand) told reporters Monday that he could have suited up for Game 6 against the Wild, Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports reports.

Bastian hadn't played in an NHL game since March 28 against the Penguins, missing the last nine contests of the regular season as well as all six of the Stars' playoff games. The 28-year-old winger will head into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Considering he logged just six goals and an assist over 36 regular-season outings, fantasy managers will probably want to look elsewhere for forward depth.

Legault was assigned to AHL Chicago on Monday.

Legault was a healthy scratch in Carolina's 3-0 playoff win over Philadelphia on Saturday in Game 1 of Round 2. His demotion to the minors makes him an option for AHL Chicago's postseason matchup against Texas on Tuesday.

Hintz (hamstring) believes he was close to returning to the lineup after dealing with a setback in his recovery, according to Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News on Monday.

Hintz, who tore his hamstring in two spots, was hopeful that he could have played in Game 2 or 3 had the Stars advanced to the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, he will have the summer to recover fully after Dallas' first-round exit at the hands of Minnesota on Thursday.

Seguin (knee) expects to be available for the start of training camp in the fall, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports Monday.

Seguin appeared in only 27 games during the 2025-26 regular season, providing seven goals and 17 points. He underwent surgery in mid-December to repair a torn ACL. Seguin's inability to stay healthy over the last three regular seasons will likely hurt his fantasy stock ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Andersen is expected to protect the home net in Game 2 against Philadelphia on Monday, per Walt Ruff and Peter Dewar of the Hurricanes' official site.

Andersen opened Round 2 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 19 saves in a 3-0 shutout win over the Flyers on Saturday. He has surrendered only five goals on 129 shots en route to a 5-0 record this postseason.

Nikishin (concussion) isn't expected to play in Monday's Game 2 against the Flyers, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Nikishin sustained a concussion during Game 4 of the Hurricanes' first-round series against Ottawa, and he'll be unavailable for a second consecutive matchup to begin the second round. However, he was cleared for contact late last week and seems to be trending in the right direction in his recovery process.

Siegenthaler (undisclosed) won't participate in the 2026 IIHF World Championship because of an injury, Sam Kasan of the Devils' official site reports Monday.

Siegenthaler still plans on being around the Swiss team during the tournament, but he won't be an option to play due to a late-season injury. He finished the 2025-26 campaign with 16 assists, 60 shots on goal, 135 blocked shots and 92 hits across 82 appearances.

Vasilevskiy stopped just seven of nine shots in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Canadiens in Game 7.

Tampa Bay dominated play and out-shot Montreal 29-9 in the game, but Vasilevskiy got beat twice on shots he had almost no chance at -- one a Nick Suzuki redirection in the first period, and the second in the final frame when Alex Newhook batted the puck out of midair on his backhand from an almost impossible angle and had it deflect home off the netminder's leg. Vasilevskiy will head home and await the results of the Vezina voting after posting a 2.18 GAA and .897 save percentage over seven playoff games, following a regular season in which he had a 39-15-4 record with a 2.31 GAA and .911 save percentage over 58 outings.

Engstrom was assigned to AHL Laval on Monday.

Engstrom had 10 goals and 34 points in 45 minor-league games during the 2025-26 regular season. It wouldn't be surprising if he played in Tuesday's playoff matchup against AHL Toronto.