NHL Player News

Saros will be between the pipes for Team Finland's game against Slovakia on Wednesday in the preliminary round of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Shawn Roarke of NHL.com reports.

As expected, Saros will get the starting nod over Joonas Korpisalo and Kevin Lankinen. The 30-year-old Saros has been struggling of late with the Predators, allowing at least three goals in nine straight games while going 4-2-2 in that span. The Finns are heavy favorites heading into Wednesday's matchup against the Slovaks -- the disparity in the talent up front between the two teams is substantial.

Rakell (lower body) is expected to play against Italy on Wednesday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.

Rakell sat out Pittsburgh's 5-2 loss to Buffalo on Thursday before the Olympic break, but he will be available to play in Sweden's tournament opener. He has been skating alongside Elias Pettersson and Mika Zibanejad during practices. The 32-year-old Rakell has 10 goals, 24 points, 103 shots on net, 30 blocked shots and 50 hits across 35 NHL appearances this season.

Nylander (groin) is expected to be a game-time decision for Team Sweden's matchup against Italy on Wednesday in the preliminary round of the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet.

Nylander did not practice with his Swedish teammates Tuesday at Milano Santagiulia Arena. The right-shot winger is seemingly still managing his groin issue -- he returned to the Maple Leafs' lineup Jan. 31 after missing seven consecutive games due to the injury. With respect to Nylander's status for Wednesday's game, Sweden head coach Sam Hallam said, "It's a maintenance thing. He's done two full practices with us and felt after yesterday a bit sore, so just give him an extra day. We'll see for tomorrow if he's ready to go or it's going to be a pretty late decision." If Nylander ends up sitting out Wednesday, Pontus Holmberg and Marcus Johansson will be options to draw into the lineup.

Necas (lower body) will be available to play against Canada on Thursday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, per Dominik Dubovci of hokej.cz.

Necas skated on Czechia's top line alongside David Pastrnak and Tomas Hertl during Sunday's practice. The 27-year-old Necas missed Colorado's final three games before the Olympic break, but he will be good to go for the start of the tournament. He has amassed 22 goals, 62 points, 124 shots on net and 57 hits across 52 NHL appearances this season.

Luchanko scored a goal and added an assist in OHL Brantford's 5-2 win over Kingston on Sunday.

Luchanko's scoring pace has dropped since he was traded to the Bulldogs. He posted 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 11 games with Guelph before the trade, but he's picked up just four goals and 11 helpers over 19 contests with Brantford. That puts him at 31 points in 30 appearances, down from his 1.22 points per game pace in the 2024-25 regular season. Luchanko still has time to find a groove for his production, though he'll likely be doing so in the AHL in 2026-27.

Hughes (lower body) will be available to play for the United States against Latvia on Thursday, Bill Price of NHL.com reports.

Hughes missed New Jersey's final three games before the break, but he will be good to go for the beginning of the 2026 Winter Olympics. He was a full participant in Sunday's practice and feels fine to return to action. Hughes has compiled 12 goals, 36 points and 127 shots on net through 36 NHL outings this season.

Landeskog (upper body) has been cleared to participate in the Olympics for Team Sweden, Shawn Roarke of NHL.com reports.

After appearing in 41 consecutive games to start the season, Landeskog missed the final 14 games before the Olympic break due to an upper-body injury. He has been cleared in time for the start of the Olympic tournament. The 33-year-old captain of Team Sweden has 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 41 games for the Avalanche in the NHL this season.

Marchand (undisclosed) will be good to go for Canada's opening game of the 2026 Winter Olympics against Czechia on Thursday, per Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston of The Athletic.

Marchand missed 10 of Florida's final 15 games before the Olympic break while nursing a lingering injury. He has accounted for 25 goals, 50 points and 127 shots on net in 46 NHL appearances this season. According to Mark Masters of TSN, Marchand skated on Canada's second line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Nick Suzuki during Sunday's practice.

Rondbjerg (undisclosed) has been replaced by Team Denmark in the Olympics with Malte Setkov, the IIHF announced Sunday.

Rondbjerg missed the last two games entering the Olympic break with an undisclosed injury and was considered week-to-week. The injury is serious enough to keep him off Team Denmark's roster in the Olympics as well. The 26-year-old has one assist in four games on the season, as he has spent most of the year with AHL Henderson.

Ahcan notched three assists in AHL Colorado's 6-2 win over Chicago on Saturday.

Ahcan has eight assists during a five-game point streak. The defenseman is up to five goals, 32 points and a plus-20 rating over 34 outings this season. He's received some call-ups to the Avalanche in 2025-26 as well, earning two assists over nine contests. Ahcan has typically been the first blueliner to be recalled when the NHL roster is at less than full strength on defense.