NHL Player News

Davidson was reassigned to AHL Laval on Saturday, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

The Canadiens acquired Phillip Danault from the Kings on Friday, pushing Davidson down the depth chart one more spot. He had been a healthy scratch in his four previous games and needs the playing time he will see at the AHL level. Davidson has one assist in 10 NHL games this season.

Poehling scored a goal and blocked three shots in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Stars.

Poehling kept his recent success on offense going by ending a 19-game goal drought. In that span, he had eight assists, five of which have come within the last five contests. The bottom-six center is at 12 points, 28 shots on net, 34 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating across 28 appearances this season.

Granlund scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Stars.

Granlund has two goals and a helper over his last two outings following a six-game slump after he returned from a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old has mainly played in a third-line role this season, though he's getting power-play time as well. Granlund is at five goals, 12 points, 35 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating over 17 appearances.

Faksa notched two assists, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 8-3 win over the Ducks.

Faksa has four helpers over his last five games. The 31-year-old helped out on goals by linemates Oskar Back (shorthanded) and Adam Erne. Faksa remains a quality defensive center, but any bursts of offense are likely to remain fairly short and sporadic. He's at 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) with 18 shots on net, 43 hits, 26 blocked shots, 12 PIM and a plus-7 rating over 35 outings this season.

Back scored a shorthanded goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Friday's 8-3 win over the Ducks.

Back scored for the second time in three games when he opened the scoring with a shortie 2:37 into the first period. This was his first career shorthanded goal. The 25-year-old forward is up to three goals, six points, 17 shots on net, 14 blocked shots, 11 hits and a plus-6 rating over 26 appearances this season. Back is likely to remain a key part of the Stars' bottom six as a defensive forward, but he has minimal fantasy appeal due to a lack of offense.

Steel scored a goal in Friday's 8-3 win over the Ducks.

Steel ended a six-game point drought with the tally. The 27-year-old's offense has declined lately -- he has just four points over his last 21 appearances. He's at five goals, 11 points, 39 shots, 35 hits, 18 PIM, 16 blocked shots and a minus-8 rating through 36 outings overall. Steel saw some top-six minutes earlier in the year, but he's currently centering the third line, which will likely keep his offense limited.

Hischier logged two assists, including one on the power play, and five shots on goal in Friday's 2-1 win over the Mammoth.

Hischier entered this contest on a five-game point drought before setting up tallies by Stefan Noesen and Connor Brown. The 26-year-old Hischier won't lose ice time even when his offense is cold, as his defensive play is too valuable to the Devils. The center is up to 28 points, 86 shots on net, 34 blocked shots, 27 hits, 14 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 35 contests.

Barron scored a shorthanded goal on two shots in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Barron has three goals and an assist over his last five games. The Jets have given him a middle-six role lately since he's one of the few forwards on the roster making a positive impact. His fantasy usefulness remains limited since he doesn't have a power-play job. Barron is up to six goals (two shorthanded), 11 points, 43 shots on net, 60 hits, 18 blocked shots, 18 PIM and a plus-6 rating over 28 appearances this season.

Scheifele scored a power-play goal on two shots and added two PIM in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Scheifele ended a four-game goal drought with his third-period tally. It was his first power-play contribution since Nov. 13 versus the Kraken. The center has remained fairly steady on offense, but he's one of the few Jets who that applies to recently. Scheifele is up to 17 goals, 41 points (seven on the power play), 71 shots on net, 22 PIM and a plus-9 rating across 34 appearances.

Gaunce (personal) was placed on the non-roster list Friday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Gaunce and his wife are expecting a baby, and the Blue Jackets made this move to create a roster spot after acquiring Mason Marchment from the Kraken. It's unclear if Gaunce will have a chance to play regularly once he returns from his personal leave -- he may ultimately end up on waivers since he's played 12 games during his current stint with the big club, though he wouldn't be eligible for that to happen until after the NHL's holiday roster freeze expires Dec. 28.