NHL Player News

Vaakanainen will miss Friday's game with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day beyond that.

Vaakanainen sustained the injury Wednesday versus Vegas. The 25-year-old defenseman could be in the mix to cover for the absence of Cam Fowler (upper body) once Vaakanainen is able to return.

Fowler (upper body) is expected to be out for 2-4 weeks.

Fowler will miss his fourth straight game Friday and is unlikely to be back until late November at the earliest. The Ducks will rely on Pavel Mintyukov and Drew Helleson to pick up the slack in Fowler's absence.

Vaakanainen (undisclosed) missed Thursday's practice, per Derek Lee of The Hockey News, and consequently isn't expected to play Friday versus Detroit.

Vaakanainen suffered the injury during Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Vegas. He has an assist in five appearances with Anaheim in 2024-25. When healthy, Vaakanainen is an option for the third pairing, though he also spends time in the press box.

Lohrei recorded an assist, two blocked shots and a minus-3 rating in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Stars.

Lohrei had been held off the scoresheet over his last nine games before helping out on a Charlie Coyle tally in the first period. The 23-year-old Lohrei has a chance to carve out a larger role in the absence of Hampus Lindholm (lower body), who is expected to be out multiple weeks. In addition to top-four minutes at even strength, Lohrei also appears to have the first chance to replace Lindholm on the second power-play unit. Lohrei is at five points, 15 shots on net, 15 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating through 14 appearances in 2024-25.

Harley notched an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Bruins.

Harley has three helpers over six games in November, providing steady scoring for a defenseman. The 23-year-old is up to eight points, 30 shots on net, 17 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating through 15 outings. The Stars are still toying around with their defensive pairings, but Harley continues to see significant minutes in all situations and should provide stable production throughout the campaign.

Bryson notched an assist, two blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Blues.

Bryson has earned two helpers over the last three games. The 26-year-old has played in six straight contests and continues to hold the upper hand over Henri Jokiharju and Connor Clifton for a top-four spot. Bryson won't be a factor on the power play and likely won't add much offense, but he looks to be a lineup regular moving forward.

Liljegren scored a goal in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers.

The tally was Liljegren's first point in six games with the Sharks, and it came on a fluky bounce. The 25-year-old has gotten more playing time since he was traded from Toronto in late October, averaging 19:45 per game with San Jose. He's at nine shots on net, seven hits, seven blocked shots, six PIM and a plus-4 rating over seven appearances this season. Liljegren will likely continue to see top-four minutes and power-play time, though his role could shrink a bit once Jake Walman (upper body) returns.

Jones was placed on injured reserve by the Kings on Friday.

Jones sustained the injury during Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Colorado, so this move is presumably retroactive to that date. Even when he's ready to return, Jones might not draw into the lineup. He's often been a healthy scratch in 2024-25, appearing in just five games with the Kings, and the 27-year-old will likely continue to spend the majority of Los Angeles' action in the press box after he recovers.

Hamonic notched an assist in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Flyers.

The assist, which came on a Brady Tkachuk goal in the first period, was Hamonic's first point of the campaign. What he's lacked in offense, he's made up for in blocked shots, tallying 33 of them over 16 contests. Hamonic has added 22 hits, 22 shots on net, six PIM and a minus-7 rating. The 34-year-old appears to have the upper hand for the last spot on the blue line over Jacob Bernard-Docker, but Hamonic's lack of offense severely limits his fantasy value.

Chabot notched two assists, three shots on goal and two PIM in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Flyers.

Chabot set up third-period tallies by Josh Norris and Adam Gaudette, with the latter's goal coming on the power play. With five helpers over his last four contests, Chabot is providing steady offense from the blue line. The 27-year-old defenseman is up to 11 points (two on the power play), 43 shots on net, 34 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating through 16 outings this season. He's topped the 50-point mark just once over his first seven campaigns, but that's a plausible level for him if he can avoid injuries in 2024-25. He's never exceeded 71 games played in season.