NHL Player News

Smith was recalled from AHL Chicago on Sunday.

It's unclear if Carolina is dealing with an injury to one of its blueliners, but Smith might serve as the club's seventh defenseman if the Hurricanes have no new injuries. The 24-year-old has registered two assists through three games with AHL Chicago in 2024-25. The former first-round selection by New Jersey in 2018 hasn't made an appearance in the NHL since the 2022-23 campaign with Pittsburgh.

Fowler (upper body) won't play in Sunday's home matchup against the Blue Jackets, according to Derek Lee of The Hockey News.

Fowler skated in warmups for a second consecutive game, but he's not yet ready to return. The Ontario native has picked up two assists over 12 games this season. The 32-year-old's next chance to suit up will be at home Thursday versus the Golden Knights.

Walman (upper body) won't suit up for Sunday's contest against the Devils, according to Max Miller of NHL.com.

Walman will miss his second straight game due to the injury. The left-shot blueliner skated with the team Sunday morning, so he could suit up in the second half of a back-to-back versus the Flyers on Monday. Jack Thompson will replace Walman in the lineup Sunday, and Henry Thrun will slide up to the top defense pair alongside Cody Ceci.

Cholowski scored a goal and added two PIM in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Devils.

With the Islanders' left side of the defense decimated by injuries, Cholowski has played in seven of the last eight games. He has two goals, four shots on net, five blocked shots and two PIM while averaging a mere 9:22 of ice time. Cholowski looks to be the first man out once Alexander Romanov (upper body) is ready to return, though he may still compete with Grant Hutton for minutes until Mike Reilly (upper body) or Adam Pelech (jaw) returns. With the emergence of Isaiah George, Cholowski could be waived eventually.

Fabbro was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jackets, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Fabbro will get another chance in the NHL after he was waived by Nashville on Saturday. The 26-year-old blueliner failed to record a point in six games with the Preds this season after logging 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 56 regular-season appearances in 2023-24. Fabbro figures to step into a top-four role in Columbus.

Seeler notched an assist, four blocked shots and two PIM in Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Panthers.

Seeler has been an occasional contributor on offense while adding defensive production in a bottom-four role. He's earned two assists over his last five outings and has four points through 10 contests overall. The defenseman also has 13 hits, 24 blocked shots and four PIM while averaging 17:00 of ice time per game, right in line with where he was at in 2023-24.

Ristolainen notched an assist, four hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Panthers.

Ristolainen ended a six-game point drought with the helper. The 30-year-old defenseman has played firmly in a top-four role over the last eight games, a span that includes all three of his points through 15 outings this season. He's added 12 shots on net, 31 hits, 22 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating. Ristolainen had all of four points over 31 contests in 2023-24, so he looks to be poised for a bounce-back campaign by virtue of being healthy in 2024-25, though he is four years removed from his last 30-point season.

Schmidt scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Flyers.

Schmidt has three points and a plus-1 rating over his last five contests. The 33-year-old defenseman has seen time on the third pairing and second power-play unit in that span after opening the campaign in a more limited role when the Panthers were forced to dress seven blueliners. He's up to five points, nine shots on net, 21 hits, eight blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through 14 appearances. If Schmidt can chip in offense somewhat consistently, he could be helpful in deep fantasy formats.

Kulikov scored a goal on two shots, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Flyers.

Kulikov ended a four-game dry spell with his second-period tally. The defenseman is up to four points, 14 shots on net, 24 hits, 14 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating through 15 contests. He's filling a second-pairing role this season, but it comes with no power-play time, so don't expect him to do much more than the 20 points he produced over 76 regular-season outings in 2023-24.

Walman (upper body) will be a game-time decision Sunday versus the Devils, according to Max Miller of NHL.com.

San Jose may dress seven defenders and 11 forwards against New Jersey. Walman was on the top pairing and worked on the second power-play unit during Sunday's morning skate, both positive signs for a potential return from a two-game absence. He has registered one goal, eight assists, 35 shots on net, 22 blocked shots and 16 hits across 13 appearances this season.