NHL Player News

Forsling (illness) was on the ice for Team Sweden's practice session Tuesday, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

Forsling missed Monday's practice, but he skated on the second pairing with Rasmus Dahlin on Tuesday. Forsling's return to full strength will most likely push Rasmus Andersson out of the starting lineup. Team Sweden will take on Team Canada in the first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament Wednesday.

Forsling (illness) missed Team Sweden's practice Monday, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Forsling is expected to return to the ice for Tuesday's session ahead of Wednesday's 4 Nations Face-Off opener versus Team Canada. Sweden is deep down the left side, with Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Ekholm, which could make Forsling a healthy scratch when the tournament begins. However, the 28-year-old Forsling could be a candidate to replace Jonas Brodin on the top pairing with Hedman.

Nashville claimed Englund off waivers from the Kings on Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Englund has one goal, four shots on net, seven blocked shots and 20 hits in 11 appearances this season. He was a healthy scratch in 13 straight games before landing on waivers. Englund could see more playing time with the Predators, especially if Adam Wilsby (upper body) and Jeremy Lauzon (lower body) remain unavailable after the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Fabbro (concussion) should be ready to return after the 4 Nations Face-Off, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic on Monday.

Fabbro sat out three straight games before the break, but general manager Don Waddell expects the 26-year-old blueliner to be in the lineup Feb. 22 versus Chicago. Since being claimed off waivers from Nashville on Nov. 10, Fabbro has four goals, 13 points, 46 shots on net, 96 blocked shots and 44 hits in 37 outings with the Blue Jackets while primarily skating on the top pairing with Zach Werenski.

Savard logged an assist and two blocked shots in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Lightning.

Savard had gone 14 games without a point following his return from an upper-body injury. He snapped the drought on offense with a primary helper on Christian Dvorak's second-period tally. Savard won't put up a lot of offense, instead serving as a shutdown defenseman in a bottom-four role this season. He's at 11 points, 122 blocked shots, 39 hits, 35 shots on net, 26 PIM and a minus-7 rating over 50 appearances.

Matheson notched a power-play assist, five shots on goal, two hits and two PIM in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Lightning.

Matheson has done well early in February with three points over five contests -- he had just four points over 14 outings in January. The defenseman is now at 25 points (10 on the power play), 104 shots on net, 103 blocked shots, 41 hits, 43 PIM and a minus-9 rating through 54 appearances. Matheson continues to play heavy minutes, but the emergence of Lane Hutson as an offensive force on the blue line has left Matheson to handle a more defensive workload.

Hughes (oblique) will not participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic on Sunday.

Hughes will be replaced by Ottawa's Jake Sanderson in the upcoming tournament, which begins Wednesday. While the all-world blueliner's skillset is irreplaceable, Sanderson's blend of elite skating and puck-moving ability will help soften the blow of Hughes' absence. Hughes' next chance to return to game action will be Feb. 22, when the Canucks resume play against the Golden Knights.

Hedman scored a goal on two shots, added a power-play assist and blocked six shots in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Canadiens.

Hedman tallied midway through the first period and assisted on Brayden Point's tally in the second. The goal was Hedman's first since Jan. 14, and he was limited to eight assists over the 12 contests in between tallies. The 34-year-old has gotten on the scoresheet in just two of his last eight outings, but both instances were multi-point performances. Hedman is still having an excellent season overall with eight goals, 36 helpers, 125 shots on net, 92 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating through 53 appearances.

Carlson logged an assist and four shots on goal in Sunday's 5-4 shootout loss to Utah.

Carlson picked up an assist for the sixth straight game when he helped out on Tom Wilson's game-tying tally late in the third period. The 35-year-old Carlson is up to 35 points over 55 outings, putting him right in line to match his 52-point output from the 2023-24 regular season. He's added 117 shots on net, 93 blocked shots and a plus-20 rating in 2024-25. Carlson wasn't selected to Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off, so he'll get some valuable rest over the next two weeks to refresh himself for the stretch run.

DeSimone notched an assist, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 5-4 shootout win over the Capitals.

DeSimone ended an eight-game point drought with the helper. The 30-year-old blueliner is up to four assists, 16 shots on net, 10 hits, nine blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 14 appearances since Utah claimed him off waivers from the Devils. DeSimone has less competition for playing time now that Utah lost Vladislav Kolyachonok on waivers to the Penguins, leaving the Hockey Club with just three healthy right-shot blueliners. Olli Maatta could shift over to his off side if head coach Andre Tourigny wants to get Juuso Valimaki a look, but DeSimone should continue to play regularly until Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) or Sean Durzi (shoulder) can suit up.