NHL Player News

Gudbranson (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

Gudbranson suffered an upper-body injury during Tuesday's game against the Panthers, and head coach Dean Evason said after the game that the injury was "not looking good." As a result, it's not very surprising to see Gudbranson land on IR, but it's not yet clear when he'll be in the mix to return. David Jiricek could take on a third-pairing role for the Blue Jackets in Gudbranson's absence.

LaCombe (illness) will be shelved for a third straight game when the Ducks face Utah on Wednesday, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

LaCombe should be close to getting back in the lineup but will have to wait at least one more game. Once given the all-clear, the 23-year-old defenseman should challenge Olen Zellweger for a spot in the lineup, which will also see Urho Vaakanainen stuck in the press box as a healthy scratch.

Toews (lower body) will miss Wednesday's matchup versus Boston, Avalanche play-by-play announcer Conor McGahey reports.

Toews will be out of action for his second straight contest due to his lower-body injury. Without the blueliner in the lineup, Sam Malinski saw minutes with the No. 2 power-play unit but is far from a lock to maintain that role long-term. Oliver Kylington will continue to fill in for Toews on the top pairing with Cale Makar as well.

Carrier produced an assist and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Kraken.

Carrier was the only Nashville defenseman to break even in plus-minus rating Tuesday, though he is minus-2 on the year. The helper was his first point to go with four blocked shots through three contests. Carrier may be trending upward -- he's still listed on the third pairing, but Dante Fabbro has seen less ice time while playing alongside Roman Josi at even strength. Carrier has reached 20 points in two of the previous three seasons while also being a strong shot-blocking presence, so he could have appeal in deep fantasy formats.

Oleksiak recorded two assists, three blocked shots and a plus-4 rating in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Predators.

Oleksiak and Brandon Montour have formed a strong second pairing for the Kraken early in the campaign. Tuesday's performance marked Oleksiak's first offensive contributions, but he's been as steady as ever with his physical play, adding 10 hits, nine blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over four contests. In deeper formats that reward the rough stuff, Oleksiak is an option as a depth defenseman, but his scoring ceiling is roughly 20 points.

Evans scored a goal on two shots, added two hits and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Predators.

Evans opened the scoring just 3:37 into the game. Through four contests, Evans has a goal, two assists, six shots on net, five hits and four blocked shots. The 22-year-old defenseman has mostly played on the third pairing, but he played alongside Adam Larsson when Vince Dunn missed Sunday's contest with an upper-body injury. Evans was limited to nine points in 36 outings during the 2023-24 regular season, but he's poised to shatter those marks in his first full NHL campaign.

Faber picked up a power-play assist and added two hits in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Blues.

Faber has two helpers, six shots on net, five hits and a plus-3 rating over four contests this season. The 22-year-old defenseman was paired with Jacob Middleton at even strength in this contest due to the absence of Middleton's usual partner Jared Spurgeon (lower body). While Faber hasn't taken a massive step forward yet in 2024-25, his spot on the top pairing and first power-play unit is secure, as he has the most scoring potential among Wild blueliners.

Leddy wasn't on the ice for Wednesday's practice session due to a lower-body injury, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Leddy hasn't been ruled out versus the Islanders on Thursday yet but could still be held out. The fact that the Blues are carrying eight defensemen on their 23-man roster might also factor into the decision to put Leddy on the shelf for a game even if his lower-body injury is deemed minor. Pierre-Olivier Joseph appears to have the inside track for replacing Leddy if necessary, though Scott Perunovich is also waiting for an opportunity to play.

Zub will miss at least a week after being diagnosed with a concussion, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports Wednesday.

Based on Zub's timeline, the blueliner can be expected to be out of action for at least Ottawa's next three contests. As such, fantasy players shouldn't be surprised to see him land on injured reserve in the coming days. The 29-year-old Russian is pointless through three games this year while contributing just three hits and one block. Jacob Bernard-Docker should slot into the third pairing with Zub on the shelf.

Kulikov scored a goal and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Kulikov's goal was initially credited to Sam Reinhart, but the defenseman's shot got through cleanly to tie the game at 2-2 at 11:59 of the second period. Even in a seven-defenseman lineup, Kulikov was able to log 19:20 of ice time -- he's been above 18 minutes in four of the Panthers' first five games. The 33-year-old blueliner's goal was his first point of the season to go with three shots on net, seven hits and four blocked shots as he occupies a top-four role.