NHL Player News

Walman (undisclosed) will be in the lineup Friday against Carolina, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Walman will team up with Connor Murphy, who was acquired Wednesday from Chicago. Walman was injured Tuesday in Ottawa and snapped his two-game goal scoring streak. Walman has eight goals and 10 assists in 33 games this season.

Jones (upper body) has resumed taking full contact but won't play in Thursday's game against the Blue Jackets, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Jones has been sidelined since early January due to his upper-body injury, but he's progressing in his recovery. Head coach Paul Maurice said Thursday that Jones' return to game action will be determined based on when he's able to do some harder, basic things with the puck, and it's not yet clear when that will occur. However, the 31-year-old appears to be trending toward a return at some point in the near future.

Kaiser (lower body) will return to the lineup Friday against Vancouver, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports.

The defenseman missed four games due to his lower-body injury, suffered in the Blackhawks' final game before the Olympic break Feb. 4. He has five goals and seven assists over 57 games this season. Ethan Del Mastro is expected to come out of the lineup for Kaiser.

Benoit logged an assist and went minus-2 in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Devils.

Benoit ended a three-month point drought which spanned 28 games. He went minus-9 with 19 shots on net, 81 hits and 46 blocked shots in that span. The defenseman adds grit in a bottom-four role, but he has just four assists to go with 144 hits, 84 blocks and 37 PIM over 54 appearances this season. That lack of offense won't fly in most fantasy formats.

Siegenthaler's point drought reached 11 games in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Maple Leafs.

Siegenthaler is still playing regularly, but he's gone cold on offense. The Swiss defenseman also went scoreless in five games at the Olympics. For the season, he has just seven assists with 47 shots on net, 80 hits, 102 blocked shots, 44 PIM and a minus-12 rating. While he's been healthy this season, he's at risk of a third straight campaign under the 10-point mark.

Aspirot (illness) did not accompany the team to Nashville and will miss Thursday's tilt versus the Predators, Jim McBride of The Boston Globe reports.

Aspirot has two goals, six assists, 66 hits and 55 blocked shots with a stellar plus-23 rating over 40 games this season. Jordan Harris will enter the lineup, replacing Aspirot on Thursday. Aspirot could return as early as Saturday when Boston hosts Washington in a matinee contest.

Clayton was recalled from AHL Abbotsford on Thursday.

Clayton was acquired from San Jose on Jan. 19 as part of the Kiefer Sherwood trade. Clayton had two goals and five assists in 49 AHL games, split between Abbotsford and AHL San Jose, before his recall. The Canucks could make a few deals before the trade deadline Friday, and that would leave them shorthanded on the blue line if Clayton were not recalled at this time.

Sergachev (undisclosed) will be a game-time call in Philadelphia on Thursday, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.

Sergachev did not partake in the morning skate, as head coach Andre Tourigny said he sat out for maintenance reasons. Sergachev has 10 goals and 32 assists over 61 games this season. The Mammoth recalled Dmitri Simashev on Thursday and he will join the lineup if Sergachev is unable to go.

Fabbro is considered a game-time decision for Thursday's game against the Panthers for an undisclosed reason, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Fabbro was absent from Thursday's morning skate for an undisclosed reason, and the Blue Jackets will monitor his status in the hours leading up to puck drop before determining his status. If Fabbro is unavailable against Florida, Jake Christiansen will likely enter the lineup.

Werenski (illness) will be a game-time decision against Florida on Thursday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Werenski has missed the last two games. He is on a nine-game point streak, tallying two goals and 11 assists. Overall, Werenski has 20 goals and 65 points across 54 appearances this season and should get plenty of Norris Trophy consideration at the end of the season. Head coach Rick Bowness said that Werenski would not return until he is 100 percent, and that could make a return Saturday versus Utah a better scenario.