NHL Player News

Struble (upper body) isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Boston, per the NHL media site.

This is Struble's second straight game on the shelf. He had three goals, 10 points, 57 PIM, 121 hits and 53 blocks in 56 contests with Montreal in 2023-24. Struble isn't guaranteed to consistently play even when healthy.

Buium (undisclosed) was activated from the injured non-roster list and reassigned to AHL Grand Rapids on Thursday.

Buium is set to embark on his first full professional season after posting 36 points in 43 games with the University of Denver last season. He was dealing with a minor injury at the start of the season but is now ready to play.

Kaiser (illness) was taken off injured reserve Thursday.

Kaiser's activation saw Isaak Phillips sent down to AHL Rockford in a corresponding move. For his part, the 22-year-old Kaiser will need to edge out youngster Nolan Allan for a spot in the lineup against the Jets on Friday. If Kaiser does get into the lineup, he should offer decent mid-range fantasy value after racking up seven assists in 32 games last year.

Phillips was assigned to AHL Rockford on Thursday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Phillips began the regular season on Chicago's 23-man roster, but he didn't appear in the team's season-opening loss to Utah. He'll head to the minors after Wyatt Kaiser (illness) was activated from injured reserve Thursday.

Marino (upper body) remains in Utah on Thursday to be examined while his teammates begin a four-game road trip with a contest against the Islanders on Thursday. He's expected to miss "weeks," Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports.

Marino was put on injured reserve Monday and missed Utah's season-opening 5-2 victory over Chicago on Tuesday. He had four goals and 25 points in 75 contests with the Devils in 2023-24. Marino will probably serve in a top-four capacity once he's healthy.

Hatakka had surgery to repair his injured shoulder and will be sidelined indefinitely, the Devils announced Thursday.

Hatakka seems like a strong candidate for long-term injured reserve at this point. The fact that New Jersey couldn't offer a clearer recovery timeline certainly doesn't bode well for a short-term absence. Considering the 23-year-old defenseman logged just 12 regular-season appearances last year, he likely would have been headed to the minors to start the 2024-25 campaign even without his shoulder injury.

Girard logged two assists in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights.

Girard's first helper was the 200th point of his career, a milestone he reached in his 476th game. The 26-year-old blueliner is locked into a top-four role for the Avalanche, though he'll also be limited to the second power-play unit. He's topped the 30-point mark four times in his career, but he was held to 18 points in 59 regular-season outings in 2023-24 after a stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Girard has reached the 70-game mark in just four of his first seven seasons, so fantasy managers should expect him to sit out with injuries on occasion.

Whitecloud scored a goal and added two hits in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Avalanche.

Whitecloud's goal came in the second period while he was on the ice alongside the top line. The defenseman has been a regular for the Golden Knights over the last four years, but he has topped 60 games just once and has a career high of 19 points in a single season. As such, his fantasy value is limited to deeper formats that count hits and blocked shots, as he is unlikely to score enough in a third-pairing role to draw widespread appeal.

Makar provided two assists in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights.

Makar saw 26:15 of ice time in Wednesday's loss, by far the most of any skater in the contest. The right-shot blueliner is coming off a career-high 90 points last season, and that number should be within reach again this year playing alongside superstars such as Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Makar's ceiling is sky high, and the 25-year-old, health permitting, will be in the conversation to win the Norris Trophy in 2024-25.

Boqvist (face) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Ottawa, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Boqvist exited Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Bruins after taking a puck to the face, and he'll be unavailable for at least one game. However, head coach Paul Maurice said Thursday that the team is feeling good about Boqvist playing Saturday against Buffalo. Nate Schmidt is slated to make his season debut in Boqvist's absence.