NHL Player News

McCabe (upper body) will return to the lineup Sunday in Game 1 versus Ottawa, Mark Masters of TSN reports.

After missing the final seven games of the regular season, McCabe practiced alongside Chris Tanev on Saturday. The 31-year-old McCabe had two goals, 21 assists, 74 shots on goal, 118 hits and 135 blocked shots across 66 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.

Elman-Larsson (upper body) participated in Saturday's practice Luke Fox of Sportsnet reports.

Ekman-Larsson missed the last four games of the regular season but could be ready for the beginning of the playoffs. He isn't sure if he will play in Game 1 versus Ottawa on Sunday, per Mark Masters of TSN. Ekman-Larsson had four goals, 25 assists, 108 hits and 83 blocked shots over 77 appearances during the 2024-25 regular season.

Heiskanen (knee) skated in a non-contact jersey at morning skate Saturday and is now considered day-to-day, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN.

Coach Peter DeBoer said that Heiskanen's next step will be to partake in a practice with contact. Heiskanen has missed the last 32 games. He will not play Saturday versus Colorado, but he could return to the lineup before the end of the opening round of the playoffs.

Josi missed the last 25 games of the season due to a concussion, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports Friday.

Josi is feeling good about where he's at in his recovery after finishing 2024-25 on injured reserve. At this point, it doesn't sound like there's too much concern about his status for the start of 2025-26. He's projected to be the Predators' top defenseman next season.

Brzustewicz was assigned to AHL Calgary on Friday.

Brzustewicz made his NHL debut Thursday against the Kings and recorded a hit, two PIM and a plus-2 rating while being held pointless in 18:23 of ice time. However, he'll head back to the minors to help the Wranglers in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Whitecloud (rest) participated in Friday's practice session, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll be available for Sunday's Game 1 against the Wild.

Whitecloud sat out Wednesday's regular-season finale against Vancouver due to rest purposes, but he'll unsurprisingly be back in action for the start of the playoffs. He recorded four goals, nine assists, 117 hits, 103 blocked shots and 37 PIM while averaging 17:31 of ice time over 74 appearances during the regular season.

Hanifin (rest) will be back in the lineup versus Minnesota on Sunday, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Hanifin sat out the last two games of the season. He ended the regular season with 10 goals and 29 assists in 80 games, including 10 points on the power play.

Lindgren (upper body) is set to return for Game 1 of Colorado's first-round series against Dallas on Saturday, per Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now.

Lindgren had four goals, 22 points, 40 PIM, 80 hits and 128 blocks in 72 regular-season outings between the Rangers and Colorado in 2024-25. He missed the final three outings of the regular season due to the injury, but he's projected to begin the playoffs serving on the third pairing alongside Josh Manson, who is returning from an upper-body injury.

Manson (upper body) has been activated off injured reserve Friday, according to the NHL media site.

Manson missed the final 15 games of the season with the injury. He played in only 48 regular-season games this season, scoring once, adding 14 assists with 105 hits and 59 blocked shots.

Hughes (rest) will return to action for Game 1 in Carolina on Sunday, per Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.

The Devils rested all their top players Wednesday against Detroit as the game was meaningless as far as the regular season was concerned. Hughes had seven goals and 37 assists in 71 regular-season contests this season. He will likely be demoted to the second power play during the playoffs as Dougie Hamilton (lower body) returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing 18 games.