NHL Player News

Johnson (illness) will miss Wednesday's contest against Toronto, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

It will be Buffalo's fourth straight game without Johnson. He has three points (all goals), 93 hits and 68 blocks in 50 contests this season. When Johnson's available, he might serve on the third pairing.

Seeler (lower body) was put on injured reserve Wednesday.

The move can be retroactive to when Seeler sustained the lower-body injury Monday, which enables him to be activated ahead of Tuesday's contest against the Sharks. The 30-year-old has a goal, 12 points, 78 PIM, 112 hits and 184 blocks in 63 appearances this season. While Seeler is unavailable, Ronnie Attard might draw into the lineup.

Ginning was recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Ginning has just one game of NHL experience in which he registered two hits, two PIM and two blocks in 16:40 of ice time. Even with Nick Seeler (lower body) going on injured reserve in a corresponding move, Ginning is far from a lock for a spot in the lineup, with Ronnie Attard also on the roster.

Sandin signed a five-year, $23 million contract extension Wednesday.

That represents a sizable raise over Sandin's existing two-year, $2.8 million deal. He was eligible to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. Sandin has three goals, 20 points, 57 hits and 85 blocks in 52 contests while averaging 21:19 of ice time this season. The 23-year-old has more offensive upside than he's demonstrated this year -- he finished the 2022-23 campaign with seven goals and 35 points in 71 outings between Toronto and Washington.

Bouchard notched two assists in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Bruins.

Boston stifled the Edmonton offense for nearly 59 minutes, but it wasn't good enough as Bouchard helped set up two Leon Draisaitl tallies, one with 80 seconds left in regulation and the other with a little over two minutes gone in OT. Bouchard has five multi-point performances in the last 12 games, a stretch in which the 24-year-old blueliner has racked up four goals and 16 points.

Graves picked up two assists in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Both helpers came in the first period, giving the 28-year-old blueliner his first multi-point performance since Nov. 11. Graves hasn't scored a goal in 17 straight games, and his fantasy value comes from other categories -- on the season he has three goals and 13 points in 60 contests, but that offense comes with 61 hits, 119 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating.

Peeke produced an even-strength goal and a shorthanded assist in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Penguins.

The second-period goal was his first of the season, while the points were his first since Jan. 13, snapping a seven-game point drought that had seen him be a frequent healthy scratch. Peeke only drew into the lineup Tuesday due to some missing bodies among the forward ranks, as the Blue Jackets went with seven defensemen, but this performance was good enough that it might earn him a spot among the team's regular pairings.

Matheson had an assist, two shots on net, one block and one hit in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Predators.

Matheson supplied the secondary helper on Nick Suzuki's winner in OT. It was Matheson's 36th assist, tops on the Canadiens' roster. If you can ignore Matheson's minus-24 rating, the defenseman's giving fantasy managers some value with a career-high 44 points through 62 games.

Savard scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over Nashville.

On the ensuing faceoff following the Canadiens' first goal, Savard harmlessly sent the puck into the Predators' zone. While goalie Juuse Saros waited behind the net for it to circle around the boards, the disc took an odd bounce off the stanchion and directly into the net. Montreal wiped out Nashville's two-goal lead in six seconds. The goal was Savard's fifth in 40 games and his first in 22 contests.

Rutta posted an assist in Tuesday's 7-6 overtime loss to the Stars.

This was Rutta's third helper in the last six contests. The 33-year-old blueliner has been solid in a top-four role lately, though his offense remains modest at best. He's up to 15 points, 54 shots on net, 89 blocked shots, 58 hits, 36 PIM and a minus-11 rating through 55 outings overall. Rutta's likely to maintain his current role, but his fantasy value is limited to deeper formats.