NHL Player News

Carrier logged an assist in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Carrier has two helpers over his last four outings after putting up just one assist across the previous 14 games. The 28-year-old has seen top-four minutes for the bulk of the campaign, but that hasn't led to more offense amid the Predators' struggles. The blueliner is at a reasonable seven points with 21 shots on net, 28 hits, 43 blocked shots, 12 PIM and a minus-12 rating through 26 contests. He's on pace to reach the 20-point mark for the third time in four years.

Stecher (ear) is expected to be available against the Blue Jackets on Thursday, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports.

Stecher was hit in the ear by a puck versus Vegas on Tuesday but appears to be no worse for the wear. While the 30-year-old blueliner remains stuck in a season-long goal drought, he has picked up helpers in three of his last four contests as he seems to be finding his offensive stride. Considering Stecher hasn't reached the 20-point threshold since the 2018-19 campaign when he was with Vancouver, fantasy managers probably shouldn't be expecting him to produce consistently.

Hronek (lower body) was placed on long-term injured reserve Thursday, retroactive to Nov. 27.

Hronek had successful surgery Tuesday and will be out of action for approximately eight weeks. He had a career-best year in 2023-24, accumulating 48 points over 81 regular-season games. This season, the 27-year-old has a goal, eight assists, 36 hits and 21 blocked shots across 21 appearances.

McCabe (upper body) will not be in the lineup Friday against Washington, according to Mark Masters of TSN.

Head coach Craig Berube said Thursday that McCabe is feeling better, but the defenseman will sit out a third consecutive game. McCabe has five assists, 52 hits and 46 blocked shots over 23 appearances this season. He was without a point in 11 straight games before his absence. He could return as early as Saturday in Pittsburgh.

Dahlin (back) will not be an option against the Jets on Thursday but isn't expected out long-term after head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters, "It should be short-term, but you never know."

Dahlin will be replaced in the lineup by Dennis Gilbert, but it's Jacob Bryson who should see the biggest uptick in ice time. On the top power-play unit, Alex Tuch will join up with the No. 1 group in Dahlin's stead. For his part, the 24-year-old Dahlin was stuck in a four-game pointless streak prior to getting hurt and will no have to wait a bit before getting a chance to end his slump.

Samuelsson (lower body) is getting close to a return but will require a few more practices before he can return to the lineup, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports Thursday.

Samuelsson has missed the last nine games after he was slew-footed by the Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky on Nov. 11. Samuelsson has one goal over 13 appearances this season.

Head coach Craig Berube announced Thursday that Hakanpaa recently underwent a procedure on his knee that should allow him to resume skating soon, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Hakanpaa hasn't played since Nov. 16 due to a lower-body injury that appears to be related to the knee injury that sidelined him earlier this season, and he was officially placed on injured reserve Monday. It's not yet clear when the 32-year-old will be able to return to game action, but the Maple Leafs seem hopeful that he'll be back on the ice in the near future.

Vlasic scored his first goal of the season in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Bruins.

The 2019 second-round pick opened the scoring early in the first period, taking a feed from behind the net by Nick Foligno and wiring the puck past a scrambling Jeremy Swayman. Vlasic continues to handle first-unit power-play duties with Seth Jones (foot) on the shelf, and the 23-year-old blueliner has produced four points over the last seven games, with all three of his helpers during that stretch coming on the man advantage.

Lohrei notched two assists with four blocked shots and a plus-1 rating in Wednesday's 4-2 win over Chicago.

The 2020 second-round pick is emerging as a productive option on the Boston blue line. Lohrei has collected seven assists over the last 11 games -- three of them on the power play -- and he's added 15 blocked shots during that stretch. His minus-9 rating on the season leaves a lot to be desired, but with the Bruins turning things around defensively under interim head coach Joe Sacco, Lohrei's performance in that category should improve.

Johnson was recalled by the Sabres on Thursday, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports.

Johnson made 41 appearances for Buffalo last year, tallying seven assists, 39 blocked shots and eight hits while averaging 13:52 of ice time. He was sent to AHL Rochester ahead of the 2024-25 regular season but will join the NHL club after Rasmus Dahlin (back) exited Tuesday's game against the Avalanche. Johnson and Dennis Gilbert are candidates to enter the lineup if Dahlin is forced to miss time.