NHL Player News

Rielly (upper body) is still considered day-to-day and won't play Monday against Florida, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Although Rielly will miss a fourth consecutive contest Monday, he's reportedly close to 100 percent healthy and is expected to practice Tuesday. A return to action Wednesday versus Tampa Bay appears to be a real possibility for the 30-year-old defender, who's racked up 51 points through 65 contests this campaign.

Sandin (lower body) was on the ice for Monday's practice, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Sandin was a late scratch for Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Bruins, but his return to the ice is a good sign he could be ready in time for Tuesday's game against Buffalo. The 24-year-old had three points in his previous six games prior to the injury.

Cernak (coach's decision) is expected back in the lineup against the Red Wings on Monday, Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida reports.

Cernak was held out of Saturday's game versus the Islanders after missing a team meeting but it seems his punishment won't carry beyond that one game. The defenseman had just two assists and two shots on goal over 10 games in March. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to break out of his 17-game goal drought any time soon.

Drysdale (upper body) will be in the lineup against the Islanders on Monday.

Drysdale has been out of action since Feb. 25 versus the Penguins, a stretch of 16 games on the shelf due to his upper-body injury. With just one point in his 11 games prior to getting hurt, the blueliner probably shouldn't be expected to offer much in the way of fantasy value moving forward. With Drysdale back in action, Adam Ginning figures to be relegated to the press box or even sent back to AHL Lehigh Valley.

Rifai was brought up from AHL Toronto on Monday.

Rifai has two goals, 17 points and 56 PIM in 49 AHL outings this season. He also has one shot on goal and four hits over two NHL appearances during the 2023-24 campaign. Rifai has been serving as an extra defender recently because of injuries to Morgan Rielly (upper body), Timothy Liljegren (upper body) and Joel Edmundson (undisclosed).

Lindstrom logged an assist in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Ducks.

Lindstrom has two helpers over his last six contests. He continues to see steady playing time while Radko Gudas (upper body) is out, and it's unclear when Gudas might return. For the season, Lindstrom has produced nine points, 26 shots on net, 49 hits, 51 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating through 39 appearances between the Ducks and the Canadiens.

Shea was demoted to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Sunday, per CapFriendly.

Shea has not seen any NHL action since Dec. 8 despite various callups. The rookie blueliner is scoreless through 22 NHL games this season.

Zellweger scored a goal on four shots in Sunday's 3-2 loss to Vancouver.

Zellweger got the Ducks on the board 3:37 into the third period, beating Arturs Silovs with a wrister for his first NHL goal. The 20-year-old blueliner now has just four points through his first 19 games with Anaheim, though he flashed his offensive promise in 44 contests earlier this year with AHL San Diego, logging 12 goals and 25 points. Zellweger should continue to see heavy usage alongside Cam Fowler on the Ducks' first pairing while also logging time on their top power-play unit.

Mintyukov (lower body) won't play Sunday against Vancouver.

Mintyukov has four goals, 28 points, 88 shots on net, 65 blocked shots and 84 hits in 63 games this season. He will be replaced in the lineup by Jackson LaCombe.

Rifai was sent down to AHL Toronto on Sunday.

Rifai didn't get into Saturday's lineup against Buffalo and will now head back to the minors. He has 17 points in 49 AHL appearances this season. With several injuries on the Maple Leafs' blue line, Rifai could be promoted again before Monday's tilt with Florida.