NHL Player News

Heiskanen had four assists, including two on the power play, in Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Ducks.

Heiskanen was unable to find the back of the net like he did against the Oilers on Tuesday, but he made his presence felt on offense after being involved in all but one of the team's goals. One of the best playmakers in the league when talking about blueliners, Heiskanen has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 14 games this season.

Girard (upper body) will not travel to Edmonton and Vancouver this weekend, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports Friday.

Girard has been out since Oct. 11 and has missed 12 games thus far. The 27-year-old had three hits and three blocked shots in two games before his injury. Girard could return as early as Tuesday against the Ducks.

Sandin scored a goal on three shots, blocked four shots and added two hits in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Penguins.

Sandin brought the Capitals back within a goal at 14:55 of the second period. The 25-year-old has a goal and an assist over two games since returning from an upper-body injury, so it looks like he's back to 100 percent. He offers decent category coverage in fantasy when his offense is rolling, but he's unlikely to stand out in any one area. Sandin has four points, seven shots on net, 18 hits, 15 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating through nine appearances.

Bahl (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision versus Chicago on Friday. Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Bahl has yet to miss a game this season. He has one goal, two assists, 23 blocked shots and 13 hits across 15 appearances this season. Should Bahl miss Friday's tilt, Zayne Parekh is likely to take his spot on the blue line.

Dahlin will be returning to Sweden for personal reasons, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports Friday.

There is no timetable for how long Dahlin will be away from the team, but it seems unlikely to be a short-term absence. Bowen Byram figures to see increased opportunities with the No. 1 power-play unit while Dahlin is on leave.

Hamilton (undisclosed) is still undergoing evaluation by the team and is questionable ahead of Saturday's matchup with Pittsburgh, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Hamilton was forced to exit Thursday's clash with the Habs after logging just 10:09 of ice time, well below his 20:59 season average. If the veteran blueliner does miss any games, it would likely mean more minutes for Luke Hughes, while Colton White would be the top candidate to come into the lineup.

Wilsby (lower body) is not expected back in the lineup for Saturday's clash with Dallas, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports.

Wilsby was on the ice Friday but will have to wait at least one more game before he gets his chance to return to action. Prior to his five-game absence, the 25-year-old WIlsby notched two assists, four hits and 11 shots while averaging 17:48 of ice time in 11 outings.

Gostisbehere (abdomen) was placed on injured reserve Friday.

Gostisbehere has no timetable for a return. The defenseman has missed the last four games and seven out of the last eight. He had one goal and six assists across six appearances before his injury.

Vaakanainen (lower body) will not be in the lineup versus Detroit on Friday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Vaakanainen will miss his second straight game due to his lower-body issue. When healthy, the 26-year-old blueliner has managed just one point in 10 outings, so few fantasy managers figure to be impacted by his continued absence. In the meantime, Matthew Robertson will feature on the third pair with Braden Schneider.

Benoit (illness) practiced Friday, according to Mark Masters of TSN.

Benoit was forced to miss Wednesday's tilt against Utah. The 27-year-old defenseman has two assists, 33 hits and 21 blocked shots across 13 appearances this season. Benoit has surpassed the 200-hit mark in each of his last three seasons and is on track to do so again in 2025-26. He should return to the lineup versus Boston on Saturday, with Dakota Mermis likely to be the odd-man out.