NHL Player News

Spurgeon (upper body) won't play Tuesday versus the Jets.

Minnesota's defense will be tested even more as Spurgeon is out. He had been filling in on the top pairing and second power-play unit for Brock Faber (skull). David Spacek is likely to get the call as the next blueliner in the lineup for this contest, while Spurgeon's status for Thursday versus the Blues remains up in the air.

Matinpalo (upper body) won't play against St. Louis on Tuesday, and there is no timeline for his return, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Matinpalo suffered an upper-body injury in Monday's 4-1 win over New Jersey. He hasn't earned a point in six appearances this season, but he has posted four shots on net, eight blocked shots and four hits. Jorian Donovan will replace Matinpalo in Tuesday's lineup against the Blues.

Grzelcyk (lower body) suffered a "flare-up" and could be out for at least "a few days," head coach Lindy Ruff told Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News on Tuesday.

Buffalo placed Grzelcyk on injured reserve Tuesday. He hasn't played since Opening Night against Columbus on Oct. 1. With Rasmus Dahlin (upper body) and Grzelcyk unavailable, the Sabres recalled Dennis Gilbert from AHL Rochester to play against Montreal on Tuesday.

Ralph was assigned to AHL Springfield on Tuesday, per the NHL media site.

As expected, Ralph's temporary call-up was a salary-cap-related move by the Blues. St. Louis placed Torey Krug (ankle) on long-term reserve after bringing Ralph up from the minors.

Gudas (undisclosed) is day-to-day and won't play against Columbus on Tuesday, per Rob Darragh of the Panthers' official site.

Gudas will miss at least one game, though it's unclear when he will be available to return to the lineup. He hasn't earned a point in six appearances this season, but he has registered three shots on net, 11 blocked shots and 13 hits. Uvis Balinskis will replace Gudas in Tuesday's lineup against the Blue Jackets.

York (upper body) isn't expected to play against Seattle on Tuesday, according to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

York was on the ice before Tuesday's morning skate, but he will miss his third straight game. He hasn't earned a point in five appearances this season, but he has contributed six shots on net, 10 blocked shots and five hits.

Helleson (lower body) was activated from injured reserve ahead of Tuesday's matchup against the Flames, per the NHL Media Site.

Helleson is set to make his season debut in Tuesday's clash after sustaining a lower-body injury in the preseason. The 25-year-old blueliner is expected to take on a larger role this season following the departure of Jacob Trouba, which leaves room for Helleson to occupy a top-four pairing. He posted two goals, 15 points, 39 shots on net, 63 hits and 79 blocked shots across 60 regular-season games in the 2025-26 campaign. Helleson is a solid stash in deep fantasy leagues given the Ducks' lack of experience on the blue line.

Walman (upper body) will not be available versus Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oilers' TV reporter Paige Martin reports.

Walman will be out of the lineup for his second straight game due to his upper-body problem. The 30-year-old blueliner will have to wait at least one more game before getting a chance to register his first point of the 2026-27 campaign. Even once Walman returns to action, he likely won't offer enough offensive upside to produce more than low-end fantasy value.

Andersson scored a goal on four shots in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Wild.

Andersson got the Golden Knights on the board at 2:37 of the second period. The 29-year-old defenseman is off to a bit of a slow start with two points over seven games this season. His other production is lagging as well, with two hits, six blocked shots, 14 shots on net, eight PIM and a minus-7 rating. Andersson sees top-four minutes and power-play time, but Shea Theodore appears to be the top blueliner for Vegas in the early going.

Hughes produced two assists, including one on the power play, and added two shots on goal in Monday's 4-2 win over the Golden Knights.

Hughes has been locked in from the start of the season, earning at least one point in all six games. He's up to two goals, seven assists, 19 shots on net and a plus-2 rating over six appearances. While Hughes doesn't add as much all-around production as other top blueliners, he can go point-for-point with virtually all of them.