NHL Player News

Spurgeon is scheduled to undergo left hip surgery Feb. 6 followed by back surgery roughly four weeks later. He will miss the rest of 2023-24 but is expected to be ready for training camp.

Spurgeon, who last played Jan. 2, had five assists, 12 hits and 29 blocks in 16 games this campaign. The 34-year-old is still signed with the Wild at a $7.575 million cap hit through 2026-27. If he can stay healthy next season, there's a decent chance he'll rebound by recording 30-40 points while serving in a top-four capacity.

Bryson was called up from AHL Rochester on Thursday, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports.

Bryson has an assist in nine games with Rochester this season. In three games with Buffalo, he has no points, a minus-1 rating, two hits and six blocks.

Emberson is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Emberson was previously listed as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, but his mystery issue is evidently of the upper-body variety. The 23-year-old defender, who's picked up seven points in 21 contests this season, is presumably still a ways away from returning.

Dunn (undisclosed) won't be in the lineup versus Edmonton on Thursday, according to Piper Shaw of Root Sports.

Dunn was one of the biggest surprises of last season, as the defenseman had 14 goals and 64 points in 81 games. He has been just as good this season, scoring eight times while adding 27 assists in 42 contests, including four goals and 13 points on the power play. Ryker Evans has taken over quarterbacking the power play since Dunn's absence began two games ago.

Jiricek was reassigned to AHL Cleveland on Thursday.

Jiricek's demotion will allow the team to activate Boone Jenner (jaw) off injured reserve ahead of Friday's matchup with the Devils. The 20-year-old Jiricek may not have to wait long in the minors, as the Jackets put Spencer Martin on waivers Thursday indicating the team could bring back Jiricek shortly to provide some extra defensive depth.

Walman (illness) is in doubt ahead of Friday's matchup versus Carolina, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Walman has just one practice under his belt after having missed the last three games due to an illness. Still, the fact the defenseman was able to get back onto the ice is certainly a step in the right direction. The 27-year-old Toronto native needs only one more point to match the career high he set last season and will reach the 10-goal threshold with just one more tally.

Murphy (lower body) will miss a second straight contest Thursday against the Sabres, NHL.com reports.

Murphy's lower-body injury isn't believed to be overly serious, so he can be considered day-to-day for now. Either way, he's only picked up eight points through 43 contests this season, so fantasy managers shouldn't need to keep tabs on the 30-year-old defender's status.

Carlo (upper body) could return to the lineup Thursday against Colorado, Joe Haggerty of Bruins' Substack reports.

Carlo has missed the last four games but could be an option versus the Avalanche if he manages to skate in the pregame warmup. Carlo has two goals, eight assists. 51 hits and 71 blocked shots in 39 games this season. Look for Mason Lohrei to come out of the lineup if Carlo is healthy enough to play.

Hatakka was brought up from AHL Utica on Thursday.

Hatakka was acquired by the Devils as part of the Timo Meier trade last season but has yet to get into an NHL game for his new club. With the Comets, the 23-year-old defenseman has notched two goals and seven helpers in 28 contests. If he does play versus Columbus on Friday, Hatakka would see his first NHL minutes since 2021-22 when he was with San Jose.

Smith (knee) was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

Smith's placement on IR was made retroactive to Monday, so he'll be eligible to return next Thursday against the Hurricanes, although it remains to be seen if he'll be healthy enough to play in that contest. With Smith on the shelf, Santeri Hatakka was promoted from AHL Utica on Thursday.