NHL Player News
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Jason Polin RW | COL
Avalanche's Jason Polin: Back in bigs
Polin was recalled from AHL Colorado on Thursday.
Polin played three games at the NHL level this season, picking up eight hits and three blocked shots. He had 10 goals and 11 assists across 45 AHL games and will likely be in the Colorado lineup versus Seattle on Thursday for the regular-season finale.
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Oliver Moore C | CHI
Blackhawks' Oliver Moore: Healthy for Worlds
Moore (lower body) will play for the United States at the 2026 IIHF World Hockey Championship in May, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports.
Moore missed the last 19 games of the regular season with the injury. He was held out late in the campaign as the Blackhawks didn't want to risk further injury, but with the World Championship beginning May 15 in Switzerland, the extra four weeks will be more than enough for Moore to be back at full health. He ended the regular season with five goals and 19 points in 51 games and should vastly increase his point total next season as a 22-year-old.
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Daniil Tarasov G | FLA
Panthers' Daniil Tarasov: Cruises to win against Wings
Tarasov made 24 saves in Wednesday's 8-1 rout over Detroit.
Justin Faulk spoiled his shutout bid late in the second period, but Tarasov was still able to end the regular season on a high note. The 27-year-old posted a 13-15-3 record with a 3.05 GAA and .895 save percentage over 33 outings in 2025-26, and with both Tarasov and Sergei Bobrovsky headed into free agency, the Panthers' crease could look very different next season.
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Mike Matheson D | MON
Canadiens' Mike Matheson: Set for postseason
Matheson (rest) was back at practice Thursday after missing the final regular-season game Tuesday, per Eric Engels of Sportsnet.
Matheson had seven goals, 30 assists, 59 hits and 150 blocked shots in 78 regular-season games in 2025-26. He should see plenty of playing time in the playoffs, as a first-unit defenseman. He averaged 24:10 of ice time this season, the most among Montreal rearguards.
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Cam Talbot G | DET
Red Wings' Cam Talbot: Needed in relief in finale
Talbot allowed four goals on 12 shots after replacing John Gibson midway through the second period of Wednesday's 8-1 loss to the Panthers.
Neither goalie fared well in the regular-season finale, as the Red Wings seemed mentally checked out at the end of a massively disappointing campaign. Talbot will be a free agent this spring, and the 38-year-old could have trouble landing a secure No. 2 job given his 3.19 GAA and .883 save percentage over 34 outings in 2025-26.
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Mathieu Olivier C | CLB
Blue Jackets' Mathieu Olivier: Could have played in postseason
Olivier (upper body) told reporters Thursday he would have been ready for Game 1 of the playoffs, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
Olivier also mentioned that he might have tried to suit up in the regular-season finale had a spot in the playoffs been on the line. Overall, the 29-year-old winger played in 61 games this year, which stopped him from being able to produce a second straight 30-plus point campaign. If he can stay healthy in 2026-27, 20 goals and 40 points are both achievable thresholds.
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John Gibson G | DET
Red Wings' John Gibson: Gets hook in season finale
Gibson gave up four goals on 15 shots before being replaced by Cam Talbot midway through the second period of Wednesday's 8-1 rout at the hands of the Panthers.
The Red Wings apparently hit the links early to close out a massively disappointing season, hanging both their netminders out to dry in the process against a Florida lineup that was missing most of its stars. Gibson had something of a bounce-back campaign in Detroit despite a late fade, with his 29 wins being his highest total since 2017-18 with Anaheim. The 32-year-old goalie has one more year left on his current contract, but he could begin to get phased out next season by the Wings' top prospects Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine, who are both knocking on the door.
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Josh Anderson RW | MON
Canadiens' Josh Anderson: Ready for playoffs
Anderson (rest) practiced Thursday and is on track to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs this weekend, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Anderson sat out the final game of the regular season Tuesday. He finished the season with 14 goals, nine assist, 129 hits and 43 blocked shots over 72 games. He practiced on the fourth line, alongside Phillip Danault and Jake Evans, his likely role in the postseason.
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Phillip Danault C | MON
Canadiens' Phillip Danault: Practicing Thursday
Danault (rest) was on the ice for Thursday's practice session, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
After sitting out the regular-season finale, Danault was back in his usual fourth-line role ahead of the Habs' first-round series versus the Lightning. It's been an underwhelming 2025-26 campaign for the 33-year-old winger, as he managed just 12 points in 45 games for Montreal, giving him a combined 17 points this year. That's well off the 40-plus points he registered in each of the prior four campaigns.
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Owen Power D | BUF
Sabres' Owen Power: Two helpers against Dallas
Power notched two assists in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Stars.
The 23-year-old blueliner had a hand in tallies by Josh Norris in the first period and Alex Tuch in the second. Power built up a little steam heading into the playoffs with three assists in the final two games of the regular season, snapping a nine-game point drought in the process. He played a career-high 81 games and scored a career-high eight goals in 2025-26, but his 29 points were his lowest total in four NHL seasons.