NHL Player News

Vlasic produced two assists, one on the power play, in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Islanders.

Vlasic helped out on Taylor Hall's marker in the first period, and he added a secondary assist on the power play in the middle frame. In addition, Vlasic logged two shots on goal, two blocks, three hits and a plus-3 rating in a team-high 23:56 to round out a fruitful fantasy performance. The 23-year-old blueliner has been a key contributor for Chicago in December with two goals and five helpers through eight games -- Vlasic had just nine helpers through the first two months of the campaign. He leads Chicago's defensemen in scoring with two goals and 16 points through 31 contests.

Johnson (upper body) won't return to Sunday's game against the Hurricanes.

Johnson took a stick to the face in the opening frame, and he didn't return for the start of the second period. The left-shot blueliner should be considered day-to-day ahead of Tuesday's road matchup with the Lightning.

Santini was assigned to AHL Syracuse on Sunday.

Santini was a healthy scratch in Saturday's 5-1 win over Seattle after playing in Thursday's 8-3 victory versus Calgary. The Lightning also returned Declan Carlile to the minors. It's unclear if the moves were to save money on the salary cap or if Victor Hedman (lower body) will be ready to return against Columbus on Tuesday.

Carlile was reassigned to AHL Syracuse on Sunday.

Carlile made his NHL season debut in Saturday's 5-1 win over Seattle, scoring a goal and blocking two shots in 11:10 of playing time. The Lightning also sent Steve Santini to the minors, which could bode well for the availability of Victor Hedman (lower body) ahead of Tuesday's game versus Columbus. However, the demotions may be for salary cap purposes.

Del Gaizo played for a third straight game Saturday in a 5-2 loss to the Avalanche, logging three blocked shots.

He was scratched for six consecutive contests between Nov. 27 and Dec. 7, but injuries to Roman Josi (lower body), Alexandre Carrier (upper body) and Jeremy Lauzon (lower body) have allowed Del Gaizo to get back in the lineup. Del Gaizo has just three assists to go with 27 shots on net, 28 blocked shots and 29 hits through 19 outings. He may be at risk of losing his place in the lineup once the Predators' defense is healthier.

Johnson was loaned to AHL Rochester on Sunday.

Buffalo brought up Devon Levi from the minors in a corresponding move. Johnson hasn't earned a point in three NHL outings this season while posting three shots on goal, four blocked shots and one hit.

Ludvig has played just five times over 21 games since the start of November after being scratched Saturday versus the Predators.

The Avalanche have some flexibility with Keaton Middleton right now, and they have been juggling him up and down from the AHL rather than play Ludvig. Colorado claimed Ludvig off waivers from the Penguins before the start of the season, and he would need to clear waivers to be sent to AHL Colorado, so he's been hanging around with the NHL club as a healthy scratch. Ludvig has two helpers, nine shots on net, 16 hits and a minus-4 rating over eight contests this season.

Malinski was held off the scoresheet for the 17th game in a row Saturday in a 5-2 win over the Predators.

Malinski has moved up the depth chart in that time due to the injury absences of Josh Manson (upper body) and Oliver Kylington (upper body). Still, the larger role isn't leading to more offense. Malinski has four points, 45 shots on net, 50 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating through 32 appearances, down from the 10 points he put up over 23 regular-season outings last year.

Severson notched an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Ducks.

Severson has two goals and five assists over eight contests in December as he continues to chip in solid offense from the blue line. The 30-year-old defenseman is up to 17 points, 53 shots on net, 56 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating over 30 outings this season. He doesn't have a power-play point yet, but Severson is occasionally in the mix for time on the second unit, which gives him a little more potential among depth blueliners in fantasy.

Hanifin notched two assists, three hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Oilers.

Hanifin ended a seven-game slump by assisting on consecutive goals from Victor Olofsson and Ivan Barbashev in a span of 26 seconds in the second period. The 27-year-old Hanifin has had a handful of bursts on offense, but he's often been more cold than hot when it comes to point production. He's at three goals, 11 assists, 56 shots on net, 47 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 30 appearances.