NHL Player News

Thompson was assigned to AHL San Jose on Monday, per the NHL media site.

The Sharks activated Nico Sturm (upper body) from injured reserve in a corresponding move. Thompson has two goals, three assists, 17 shots on net and 20 blocked shots across 13 NHL outings this season.

Oesterle was recalled by Boston on Monday.

Oesterle was sent to AHL Providence on Sunday, but he'll rejoin the NHL club a day later. He's been a healthy scratch for Boston's last two games and will likely serve as an extra defender for Tuesday's game against the Canucks.

Vlasic (back) could be ready to make his season debut soon, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now on Monday.

Vlasic will accompany the Sharks on the team's upcoming six-game road trip, which begins Sunday in Seattle and ends against St. Louis on Dec. 12. He could be available to play at some point during that stretch. Vlasic registered six goals, 12 points, 72 shots on net, 108 blocked shots and 35 hits in 57 regular-season appearances with San Jose in 2023-24.

Lundkvist (lower body) will remain on the shelf against Carolina on Monday, Sam Nestler of DLLS Stars reports.

Lundkvist will miss his fourth game in the Stars' last five contests, with his last two absences due to his lower-body injury. Even when healthy, the 24-year-old blueliner is far from a lock for the lineup and will likely split time with Brendan Smith the rest of the way. As such, Lundkvist will be hard-pressed to offer more than low-end fantasy value, with most of that production coming from hits and blocked shots, though he's not an elite option in either of those categories.

Jones (upper body) is expected to return to action against St. Louis on Monday, according to Denis P. Gorman of Newsday.

Jones will return to his third-pairing role and see power-play time on the second unit following a one-game absence. He has one goal, four assists, 12 shots on net, 10 blocked shots and seven hits across 13 appearances this season. The Rangers don't have an extra defenseman on the roster after assigning Chad Ruhwedel and Victor Mancini to AHL Hartford on Sunday.

Zub won't play Monday against Calgary and is out indefinitely due to a fractured foot, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Zub didn't practice Sunday after blocking a shot in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Vancouver. A timeline for his return is unclear, but he will be out for a while. Travis Hamonic will move up to the top pairing alongside Jake Sanderson, while Jacob Bernard-Docker will return to the lineup. Zub has accounted for two assists, 13 shots on goal, 19 blocked shots and 16 hits through 11 appearances this season.

Kesselring produced an assist and four shots on goal in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Kesselring has been listed on the third pairing for a few games now, but he was over 20 minutes of ice time (20:25) Sunday, the first time he's reached that threshold since Nov. 7. The 24-year-old blueliner is also firmly on the second power-play unit. Kesselring has been asked to do more than expected due to injuries on Utah's blue line, and he's been up to the challenge with 11 points, 39 shots on net, 32 hits, 19 blocked shots, 19 PIM and a plus-8 rating over 21 contests this season. That level of offense is worth consideration in most fantasy formats, especially those that reward his non-scoring contributions as well.

Sergachev logged a power-play assist and two PIM in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.

The helper was Sergachev's first in seven games, though he had three goals in that span as well. The 26-year-old defenseman continues to look right at home on Utah's top pairing, playing heavy minutes in an all-situations role. He's up to 14 points, 34 shots on net, 36 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating through 21 appearances, a pace that could allow him to challenge for the second 60-point campaign of his career.

Tanev notched an assist in Sunday's 3-2 win over Utah.

Tanev snapped a six-game point drought with a secondary helper on Mitch Marner's first goal of the game. During the slump on offense, Tanev racked up 19 blocked shots. The defenseman has four helpers, 68 blocks, 10 shots on net, 10 PIM and a plus-4 rating while serving in a shutdown role on the second pairing.

Smith was assigned to AHL Chicago on Sunday.

Smith has been a healthy scratch 13 times in the NHL this season, including the last eight games. He has three assists in four AHL appearances during the 2024-25 campaign.