NHL Player News

Kuntar was reassigned to AHL Rochester on Saturday, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News.

Kuntar made his NHL debut Thursday, picking up one hit over 5:12 of ice time. The 24-year-old had nine goals and four helpers in 24 AHL games before his recall. The Sabres recalled Noah Ostlund from Rochester in a corresponding move.

Joshua (illness) is not at morning practice Saturday.

Joshua should be a game-time decision. He has five goals and four assists across 29 games this season. The flu bug could be going through the Maple Leafs' dressing room as William Nylander is also absent from practice due to an illness.

Cooley (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Friday, per the NHL media site.

Utah activated Olli Maatta (upper body), who played in Friday's 5-3 win over Seattle, in a corresponding move. Cooley has been out since Dec. 5 against Vancouver and will be out for a minimum of eight weeks. He has amassed 14 goals, 23 points, 59 shots on net and 34 hits through 29 appearances this season.

Winterton posted an assist in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Mammoth.

Winterton ended his 11-game point drought by helping out on a Ben Meyers goal late in the contest. The 22-year-old Winterton continues to be a bottom-six regular for the Kraken, but he's yet to find consistent offense due to the team's overall scoring struggles. He's at five points, 24 shots on net, 34 hits, 14 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 29 appearances.

Meyers scored a goal and added two hits in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Mammoth.

Meyers' tally late in the third period -- after two Mammoth empty-netters -- was his first goal in a Kraken uniform. He's done fairly well when called upon this year, earning four points, nine shots on net, 16 hits and a minus-1 rating over 11 appearances. Meyers will likely have a chance at a fourth-line role as long as Jared McCann (lower body) and Jaden Schwartz (lower body) are out.

Stenlund notched three assists and blocked two shots in Friday's 5-3 win over the Kraken.

Stenlund has a pair of multi-point efforts over his last five outings, totaling a goal and four assists in that span. The center is up to two goals, seven helpers, 30 shots on net, 22 hits, 24 blocked shots, 16 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 33 appearances. While he remains listed on the fourth line, he's trusted to help protect leads and play a shutdown role, so he'll often see far more ice time than his linemates.

Schmaltz scored a goal on two shots and added two assists in Friday's 5-3 win over the Kraken.

Schmaltz has two goals and five helpers over seven outings in December. The 29-year-old forward stole the puck and scored Utah's first goal at 8:09 of the second period in this contest, and he added helpers on Dylan Guenther's power-play tally and Lawson Crouse's empty-netter in the third. Schmaltz is up to 12 goals, 29 points, 75 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 33 appearances this season. He's tracking toward a career year in goals and points.

Thomas logged two assists in Friday's 3-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Thomas has three goals and three helpers during a four-game point streak. The 26-year-old is up to 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) with 42 shots on net, 17 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 29 appearances this season. He continues to be a strong playmaker in a top-line role, but he's behind the pace he'd need to reach the 80-point mark for the third straight campaign.

Gawdin scored a pair of goals in AHL Ontario's 3-2 win over Colorado on Friday.

Gawdin went 10 games between his two-goal efforts, racking up six helpers in that span. The veteran forward has earned five goals, 16 points, 44 shots, 35 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 23 appearances this year with the Reign. He's behind the pace that saw him log career highs in goals (26) and points (62) during the 2024-25 regular season.

Gorzynski scored a goal and added an assist in WHL Calgary's 4-1 win over Red Deer on Friday.

Gorzynski has gotten above a point-per-game pace with this effort. He's now at 12 goals and 15 helpers over 26 appearances for the Hitmen this year. The Stars prospect should continue to grow his offense, though he's far from a top prospect in that regard, instead leaning on his defensive skills.