NHL Player News

McLeod (upper body) will be in the lineup versus Edmonton on Saturday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.

McLeod will make his return to the ice following a three-game stint on the shelf due to his upper-body injury. It's not immediately clear where the 25-year-old center will line up, as he was filling in on defense at practice Friday for Rasmus Dahlin, who was taking a maintenance day. Regardless, McLeod is unlikely to take on a top-six role, more likely slotting in as the third or fourth-line center, which will limit his offensive upside.

Lafferty notched an assist, two hits and two PIM in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Flames.

Lafferty ended a four-game drought with the helper. The 29-year-old has played on the fourth line this season, leading to limited chances on offense, but he has four points over his last 12 outings. Overall, he's at five points, 26 shots on net, 51 hits, 22 PIM and a minus-6 rating through 37 appearances this season.

Sharangovich scored an empty-net goal on four shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Sabres.

Sharangovich gave the Flames a two-goal lead with 2:45 left in the third period. The 26-year-old forward has picked up four points, including three goals, over his last five games while filling in at center for the injured Connor Zary (lower body). Sharangovich had had modest production this season with nine goals, six assists, 83 shots on net and a minus-6 rating over 39 appearances, but he's trending in the right direction.

Backlund scored a shorthanded empty-net goal on two shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Sabres.

Backlund has three goals over nine outings in January. The 35-year-old center hasn't added a ton of offense in a second-line role, but he's been steady in his own zone as a shutdown forward. He's collected 10 goals, 20 points, 121 shots on net, 28 hits and a plus-8 rating through 46 appearances in 2024-25.

Khusnutdinov was held off the scoresheet for the 13th consecutive game in Thursday's 4-0 loss to Utah.

Khusnutdinov was not alone in futility Thursday, but he has done little while operating in a fourth-line role this season. He's at four points over 45 contests -- matching his total from 16 games in 2023-24. He's added just 22 shots on net, 35 hits, 26 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating in 2024-25. Khusnutdinov didn't see much extra ice time while the Wild were missing several key players earlier in January, and his role could potentially even shrink as the team gets healthier.

Stephenson (upper body) is expected to be a game-time decision Saturday versus Pittsburgh, per Alison Lukan of the Kraken Hockey Network on Friday.

Stephenson left Thursday's 3-0 loss to Washington because of the injury, but he skated on his own Friday. The 30-year-old has eight goals and 33 points over 48 appearances in 2024-25. Jared McCann (undisclosed) and Ryker Evans (undisclosed) are also expected to be game-time decisions, making it difficult to project the Kraken's lineup. It wouldn't be surprising if Seattle called up reinforcements from the minors before the start of Saturday's clash.

McCann is considered a game-time decision for Saturday's matchup against the Penguins for an undisclosed reason, Alison Lukan of the Kraken Hockey Network reports.

McCann didn't participate in Friday's practice session, and head coach Dan Bylsma revealed afterward that the 28-year-old is deemed a game-time decision for Saturday. While it's not yet clear what issue he's dealing with, Tye Kartye could enter the lineup if McCann is unavailable.

Brown was reassigned to AHL Providence on Friday.

Brown's demotion could just be a temporary cap-saving measure ahead of Saturday's clash with Colorado, though Cole Koepke (upper body) may be ready to suit up against the Avs. For his part, the 32-year-old Brown has logged just two games at the NHL level in which he generated five hits, three shots and two blocks while averaging 11:02 of ice time.

Fantilli logged two assists and two shots on goal in Thursday's 7-4 loss to the Hurricanes.

Fantilli has five points over his last two contests and a total of 13 points through 11 outings in January. The 20-year-old has played on the top line for a majority of the month due to Sean Monahan's (wrist) absence. Fantilli has equaled his number of games played from 2023-24 (49), and he's picked up one extra point so far this season. He's at 14 goals, 14 helpers, 100 shots on net, 66 hits and a minus-5 rating and should continue to show growth on offense in the second half of the campaign.

Staal logged two assists, three shots on goal, two hits and two PIM in Thursday's 7-4 win over the Blue Jackets.

Staal earned his first multi-point effort since Jan. 10 versus the Canucks, though he still chipped in two points over the five games in between. The 36-year-old center has had a fantastic January with 13 points over 12 outings. That level of offense won't last, but he's been a big part of the Hurricanes' success in a two-way role. He's up to 10 goals, 17 helpers, 71 shots on net, 88 hits and a plus-12 rating over 49 appearances this season, putting him three points shy of matching his 80-game total from the 2023-24 regular season.