NHL Player News

Eriksson Ek is being evaluated by team doctors Friday after sustaining an apparent injury during Thursday's loss to the Islanders, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

While the exact nature and severity of Eriksson Ek's injury aren't yet clear, his status for Sunday's game against the Capitals appears to be up in the air. The 29-year-old has had a solid start to the 2026-27 campaign, recording five goals, seven assists, 20 hits, 10 PIM and five blocked shots while averaging 20:08 of ice time. A better idea of Eriksson Ek's status for Sunday's matchup could come into focus based on whether he participates in Saturday's practice session.

Head coach Todd McLellan said Friday that Appleton (undisclosed) is still 10 days to two weeks away from returning to game action, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

Appleton has been considered week-to-week since landing on injured reserve in early October, and he'll require more time on the shelf despite practicing in a non-contact sweater Friday. The 30-year-old will presumably have opportunities to increase his activity level at practice in the near future before presumably being considered to return to game action around mid-November.

Head coach Todd McLellan said Friday that Kasper (upper body) is still 10 days to two weeks away from returning to game action, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

Kasper skated in a non-contact jersey during Friday's practice session, but he isn't expected to return to game action for over a week as he continues to recover from an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old has been on injured reserve since Oct. 6 and has been considered week-to-week since then, but it appears as though he'll be in the mix to return around mid-November.

Head coach Todd McLellan said Friday that Johansson (undisclosed) will miss at least three more games, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

Johansson has missed the last two games due to his undisclosed injury, and he's set to miss more time over the weekend and early next week. Given his updated return timetable, the earliest that he'd be in the mix to return would be Thursday against the Golden Knights, and it seems possible that the Red Wings will choose to place him on injured reserve if they need an additional roster spot.

Gibson will start Saturday's home game against the Blues, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

Gibson has alternated wins and losses across his past three appearances, but he'll attempt to pick up a second consecutive win Saturday. Across his last four outings, the 33-year-old has gone 3-1-0 with a 2.41 GAA and .892 save percentage.

Shaw was reassigned to AHL Iowa on Friday.

Shaw spent nearly a week with the NHL club, but he didn't appear in any of Minnesota's four games across the past several days. The 27-year-old hasn't appeared in a regular-season game at the NHL level since the 2023-24 campaign, and he should see more consistent playing time in the minors.

Lambos was reassigned to AHL Iowa on Friday.

Lambos was called up by the Wild on Thursday, but he didn't appear in the team's 4-3 loss to the Islanders. He'll head back to the minors a day later but will be a candidate to be called back up at some point if Minnesota needs additional depth on the blue line.

Sergeev was recalled from AHL Calgary on Friday.

Sergeev got his first taste of NHL action late last season, and he'll rejoin the Flames ahead of Friday's game against the Kraken. Dustin Wolf has already been named the starter against Seattle, but Sergeev's promotion suggests that Devin Cooley (lower body) may be unavailable as a backup. Across six appearances in the AHL to begin the regular season, Sergeev has gone 4-2-0 with a 2.86 GAA and .907 save percentage.

Stromgren was recalled from AHL Calgary on Friday.

Stromgren was sent down by the Flames ahead of the regular season, but he'll rejoin the NHL club to provide additional depth while Brennan Othmann (upper body), Jonathan Huberdeau (hip) and Samuel Honzek (lower body) are sidelined. Stromgren made his first three regular-season appearances at the NHL level last year, and he was held scoreless with two shots on goal while averaging 7:17 of ice time.

Wolf will start Friday's home game against the Kraken, Pat Steinberg of QR Calgary 770 AM reports.

Wolf entered Wednesday's game against the Oilers at the start of the second period after Devin Cooley (lower body) exited the matchup. It's not yet clear whether Cooley will be available to dress as the backup for Friday's matchup, but Wolf will draw his first start since Oct. 15. Across six appearances to begin the regular season, he's gone 1-4-0 with a 4.81 GAA and .839 save percentage.