NHL Player News

McAvoy (face) will be placed on injured reserve by the Bruins, the team announced Sunday.

McAvoy was hit in the face with a slap shot Nov. 15 against the Canadiens and suffered an injury that required surgery, but the expectation is he'll be back for the Olympics in February, if not well before then. The 27-year-old will head to injured reserve now in order to clear a roster spot for the return of Elias Lindholm (lower body). McAvoy's season will be put on hiatus with 14 assists, 26 hits and 32 blocked shots to his name in 19 games.

Romanov (shoulder) will have surgery and be out 5-6 months, the team announced Sunday.

Barring a deep playoff run from the Islanders, this in effect ends Romanov's season. The 25-year-old was hit from behind by Mikko Rantanen, who was ejected from Tuesday's game for the hit. Romanov had one assist in 15 games while averaging 19:27 of ice time per night this season with a minus-7 rating, 31 hits and 31 blocked shots.

Klingberg scored a power-play goal, placed three shots on net, blocked two shots and served two PIM in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Senators.

Klingberg netted the first goal of the game for San Jose on a power play in the opening period. With the twine finder, the 33-year-old blueliner has three goals, six points, 24 shots on net and 19 points through 15 games this season. The NHL veteran of 12 seasons has been a semi-frequent contributor offensively when healthy and is averaging a career-high 4:02 of power-play time. If Klingberg can stay healthy moving forward, his volume of opportunities should be large enough to warrant a look in deep fantasy leagues.

Seeler recorded an assist, three hits and a plus-5 rating in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Devils.

Seeler has found limited success on offense this year, and he's recently dropped into a third-pairing role. The 32-year-old needed a game like Saturday, and he delivered on a pairing with Egor Zamula that helped bolster the defense for this win. Seeler is now at three assists, 24 shots on net, 41 hits, 32 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating through 20 appearances. He could help in some banger leagues, but he doesn't have enough offense to be considered in standard fantasy formats.

Byram (undisclosed) is expected to play against Carolina on Sunday, according to Heather Engel of NHL.com.

Despite an awkward fall into the end boards in Friday's 9-3 win over Chicago, Byram should be in the lineup versus the Hurricanes on Sunday. He has compiled four goals, 11 points, 32 shots on net, 28 blocked shots and 14 hits through 21 appearances this season.

Byram (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision against Carolina on Sunday, according to Heather Engel of NHL.com.

Byram fell awkwardly into the end boards in Friday's 9-3 win over Chicago but managed to finish the game. The Sabres will determine his status after Sunday's pregame warmups. If Byram can't play, Zach Metsa will be in the lineup versus the Hurricanes.

Ekholm scored a goal on three shots on net and added two assists, two hits and a plus-5 rating in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Panthers.

The Oilers' top pairing of Ekholm and Evan Bouchard combined for six points and a dominant plus-10 rating on the night. It was Ekholm's first multi-point performance since Oct. 28, and his first three-point effort since March 18 of last season. For the current campaign, the veteran blueliner has two goals, 10 points, 49 shots on net, 48 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through 24 contests.

Bouchard pocketed three assists with one shot on net, one blocked shot and a plus-5 rating in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Panthers.

After setting up Jack Roslovic for a pair of tallies in the first period, Bouchard had a hand in what proved to be the game-winner by Vasily Podkolzin early in the second. It's the second time in the last six games that Bouchard has popped for a trio of helpers, and on the season the 26-year-old blueliner has three goals and 20 points in 24 contests.

Gustafsson has been recalled by the Red Wings from AHL Grand Rapids, the team announced Sunday.

Gustafsson has over 500 games of NHL experience to his name, but he has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL so far. The 33-year-old has eight assists in 10 games with AHL Grand Rapids this year. In 2024-25, the veteran defenseman had two goals and 16 assists but a minus-19 rating in 60 games.

Fehervary logged an assist in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Lightning.

The helper snapped an eight-game point drought for Fehervary. The 26-year-old defenseman saw a season-low 16:04 of ice time, which may have been a product of the Capitals chasing offense rather than trying to shut things down at the back. The blueliner is at one goal, six assists, 30 hits, 38 blocked shots, 27 shots on net, 13 PIM and a plus-7 rating through 22 appearances, a pace similar to the one that saw him put up a career-high 25 points in 81 regular-season outings a year ago.