NHL Player News

Manson (undisclosed) will return to the Avalanche lineup Saturday against the Maple Leafs, Avalanche play-by-play announcer Conor McGahey reports.

Manson had missed Colorado's last two games. The 32-year-old blueliner has five goals, 12 points and a plus-12 rating through 37 games this season. Manson will likely return to a second-pairing role alongside Samuel Girard.

Jones (shoulder) will be activated from injured reserve ahead of his return to the lineup Saturday against Dallas, per Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago.

Jones is slated to skate on the top pairing and work on the first power-play unit following a 15-game absence. He has accounted for 11 assists, 60 shots on goal, 64 blocked shots and 25 hits in 27 outings this season. Jones will replace Jarred Tinordi in the lineup.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Cernak (upper body) will not play Saturday versus Anaheim.

Cernak was injured Thursday versus New Jersey. He has five assists, 90 hits and 63 blocked shots in 39 games this season. Philippe Myers will take his spot in the lineup as a third-pairing defenseman.

Goligoski posted an assist and two shots on goal in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers.

Goligoski has two helpers over his last four games. The 38-year-old hasn't always had steady playing time this season, but he's gotten some recently with Jonas Brodin (upper body) and Jared Spurgeon (lower body) sidelined. Goligoski is at seven assists, 19 shots on net, 17 hits, 25 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through 23 appearances, which is already stronger production than the six points he managed in 46 outings a year ago.

Bogosian posted an assist, three shots on goal, four hits and two blocked shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers.

Bogosian has earned two points over six contests in January. The 33-year-old defenseman continues to fill in as a top-four option while the Wild are missing Jared Spurgeon (lower body) and Jonas Brodin (upper body). Bogosian has five points, 36 shots on net, 36 blocked shots, 50 hits and a plus-2 rating through 29 outings between the Wild and the Lightning this season.

Middleton posted an assist, four hits and three blocked shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers.

Middleton snapped a seven-game point drought when he set up Matt Boldy's third-period tally. The 28-year-old Middleton has 14 points through 41 appearances this season, putting him one shy of matching his career-best output from last season. He's added 68 hits, 95 blocked shots and 39 PIM in a top-four role, providing some bite on the blue line for the Wild.

Walker recorded an assist, three shots on goal, two hits and two blocked shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime win over the Wild.

Walker has just two assists over his last eight contests. The 29-year-old defenseman saw power-play time earlier in the campaign, but that's unlikely to happen again with Jamie Drysdale now in the fold after a trade from the Ducks this week. Walker is up to 14 points with 74 shots on net, 50 hits, 61 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 42 appearances. He should continue to see top-four minutes while racking up modest production across the board.

Drysdale picked up an assist, two hits, two blocked shots and two PIM in Friday's 4-3 overtime win over the Wild.

Drysdale has earned an assist in each of his first two games with the Flyers after he was traded from the Ducks. The 21-year-old defenseman is up to seven points, 24 shots on net, 19 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through 12 appearances this season. So far, he's seeing top-four minutes and power-play time, though he could be challenged by Travis Sanheim, Cam York and Egor Zamula for time with the man advantage.

Lundkvist notched an assist and three shots on goal in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Predators.

Lundkvist has six points and 10 shots on net over his last seven outings while going plus-6 in that span. He's seen a few more good looks recently with Miro Heiskanen (lower body) out of the lineup. Lundkvist had lost his everyday role in December, but he should be playing regularly at least until Heiskanen is healthy again. Lundkvist has 13 points, 35 shots on net, 21 hits, 20 blocked shots, 14 PIM and a plus-7 rating over 31 outings in a bottom-four role.

Harley notched an assist, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a minus-3 rating in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Predators.

Harley played a season-high 27:07 in an effort to help the Stars get back into the contest. His goal-scoring talent has dried up over the last 10 games, but he has five assists and a plus-5 rating in that span. The 22-year-old is at 20 points, 61 shots on net, 69 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating through 38 appearances. Harley appears to be the Stars' top blueliner with Miro Heiskanen (lower body) on the shelf.