NHL Player News

Theodore (arm) was placed on long-term injured reserve Thursday, retroactive to the 4 Nations Face-Off break, SinBin.Vegas reports.

Theodore sustained an arm injury with Team Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off but returned to practice in a non-contact jersey this week. While he appears to be trending in the right direction, he'll still be placed on long-term injured reserve as a procedural move after William Karlsson (lower body) was activated from LTIR.

Head coach John Tortorella said Thursday that he doesn't expect Ristolainen (upper body) to return anytime soon, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports.

Ristolainen has missed the last three games due to his upper-body injury and doesn't yet have a timetable to return, but it sounds as though he'll miss several more matchups, including Thursday's game against the Capitals. He's officially labeled as week-to-week by the Flyers. Egor Zamula will likely remain in the lineup while Ristolainen is sidelined.

Hicketts has agreed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Kings on Thursday.

Hicketts has three goals, 27 points and 37 PIM in 52 outings with AHL Ontario in 2024-25. The 28-year-old defenseman has appeared in 22 career NHL regular-season games, but he hasn't been in a lineup at the top level since the 2019-20 campaign.

Bryson signed a one-year, $900,000 contract extension with Buffalo on Thursday.

That means Bryson will earn the same salary in 2025-26 as he has been for this campaign. The 27-year-old was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer before inking his new deal. Bryson has seven assists, nine hits and 47 blocks in 42 appearances in 2024-25.

Orlov (upper body) will be in the lineup versus San Jose on Thursday, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.

Orlov will return to action following a five-game stint on the shelf due to his upper-body issue. The veteran blueliner is currently mired in a 10-game pointless streak during which he has registered 20 hits, 13 shots and 11 blocks. Even with the slump, Orlov should be capable of reaching the 25-point threshold for the second straight season.

Vlasic has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Carolina due to an upper-body injury, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Vlasic had suited up for each of the Sharks' last 10 games, and he was held without a point while recording 20 blocked shots, a hit and a minus-6 rating. Jimmy Schuldt will take his place in the lineup Thursday, while Vlasic's next chance to suit up will be Saturday against the Bruins.

Petry (undisclosed) won't be in the lineup against Vegas on Saturday but is traveling with the team, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Petry has been sidelined since Jan. 2 versus the Blue Jackets, a stretch of 30 games on the shelf due to his undisclosed injury. When healthy, the veteran blueliner has struggled to produce offensively with just one goal and five assists in 34 games. At this point, Petry will almost certainly miss the 20-point mark for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign when he was with Montreal.

Jensen (lower body) will be unavailable for Thursday's clash with Colorado, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Jensen will be on the shelf for his third consecutive contest due to his lingering lower-body injury. In his last 12 appearances, the 34-year-old blueliner has recorded a lone point to go with nine shots, five hits and 16 blocks. Even once cleared to play, Jensen is unlikely to offer more than mid-range fantasy value given his offensive limitations.

Gustafsson wasn't on the ice for Thursday's practice session after suffering an undisclosed injury versus Washington on Tuesday, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gustafsson managed just 13:34 of ice time against the Caps before being forced to exit the game due to his undisclosed injury. The 33-year-old defenseman was mired in a 26-game goal drought during which he generated a mere 26 shots while recording seven helpers. With extra time off, Gustafsson could still be an option to play in Saturday's clash with Vegas.

Romanov (illness) is set to be sidelined against Montreal on Thursday, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

Romanov will be shelved for his second straight game due to his lingering illness. The blueliner will have to wait at least one more game to try and break out of his seven-game pointless streak. In his stead, Adam Pelech is poised to see increased minutes on the blue line.