NHL Player News

Brodie has two assists in his last four games.

Brodie isn't really a fantasy guy, so the points aren't much of a help. His usual steady defensive game has been somewhat queasy this season, though, and that's a troubling trend for the Leafs. Brodie's turnover rate has jumped, and his defensive zone exit success has declined. More troubling, the Leafs have allowed 39 goals at 5-on-5 with Brodie on the ice (44 games), which is one more than they did in his 58 games last season. And he has really struggled when pressured by opposing forecheckers, coughing up the puck a lot more often and failing to get clean exits on dump-ins. None of this reflects on his fantasy line, but it does influence the lines of his goaltenders. And it could get Brodie shifted off the top pairing and away from Morgan Rielly.

Head coach Peter Laviolette did not have an update on Lindgren (upper body) after Friday's loss to Vegas, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today reports.

Lindgren logged just 2:35 of ice time before exiting Friday's contest. He's still being evaluated and his status for Saturday's game against Ottawa is currently unknown.

Faulk (undisclosed) will not suit up Friday against Seattle, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Faulk will miss his second straight game Friday. The 31-year-old recently missed five games with a lower-body issue but it's unclear if this is related. He has 19 points through 40 games this season.

Dumba (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Friday, per CapFriendly.

Dumba was already ruled out through the All-Star break and could still return as early as Feb. 8 against Vegas. The team will likely have a more clear outlook on his timeline after the break. He's been limited to just five points in 44 games this season.

Johnson (undisclosed) will be in Friday's lineup against the Kings, per the NHL's media site.

Johnson missed Wednesday's game against Washington but will no longer be sidelined. Wednesday's contest was his first absence of the 2023-24 campaign. The veteran blueliner has nine points in 47 games this season.

Malinski was demoted to AHL Colorado on Friday.

Malinski has 10 points through 22 NHL games this season, including three over his last four appearances. He was demoted to make room for Zach Parise, who signed with the Avalanche on Friday.

Kemp was reassigned to AHL Bakersfield on Friday.

Kemp hasn't seen any NHL action since Jan. 13, which was also his only appearance at the top level this season. The 24-year-old blueliner has five assists in 26 AHL appearances this year.

Gravel agreed to a two-year, two-way contract extension Friday.

Gravel has a goal and six points in 36 contests with AHL Milwaukee this season. The 31-year-old defenseman hasn't played with Nashville this season, but he does have a goal and 14 points in 132 career NHL games.

Johnson (upper body) won't play Saturday against San Jose but should be available after the All-Star break, coach Don Granato told Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News on Friday.

Johnson has three points (all goals), 24 PIM, 57 hits and 57 blocks in 41 contests this season. When he's healthy, Johnson will likely serve on the third pairing, though he might occasionally also be a healthy scratch.

Emberson (upper body) will be activated off injured reserve and play Saturday against Buffalo, according to Max Miller of The Hockey News.

Emberson has a goal, seven points, 43 hits and 30 blocks in 21 games in 2023-24. He's projected to serve on the top pairing alongside Marc-Edouard Vlasic while Calen Addison will likely be a healthy scratch.