NHL Player News

Benson (upper body) won't return to the lineup Friday versus the Panthers, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports.

Benson remains on injured reserve. He wasn't expected to return Friday, instead targeting Saturday's game versus the Lightning, likely in an effort to avoid the back-to-back set. Benson will miss his fourth straight game, but it appears he's close to rejoining the Sabres' lineup, at which point he'll likely fill a middle-six role.

Head coach Paul Maurice said Friday that Schwindt sustained a lower-body injury during Thursday's win over the Maple Leafs and will be out "a while," Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Schwindt has made 22 appearances during his first season with the Panthers, recording three goals, an assist, 25 hits and eight blocked shots while averaging 8:51 of ice time. It's not yet clear when he'll be able to return to action, but Luke Kunin should see increased playing time in Schwindt's absence.

Myers (not injury related) isn't expected to play Saturday against Seattle, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Myers will travel with the Canucks ahead of Saturday's matchup after skating on his own Friday, but he isn't expected to be in the lineup against Seattle. The 36-year-old has been held out for trade-related reasons recently, and it's not yet clear when he'll return to game action.

Rantanen (lower body) will probably be out for more than two weeks, per Robert Tiffin of D Magazine on Friday.

Rantanen was previously ruled out for a minimum of two weeks, and it seems that he will miss more than that minimum. He's on injured reserve after getting hurt Feb. 20 while playing for Finland at the 2026 Winter Games. The 29-year-old has 20 goals and 69 points in 54 appearances with Dallas in 2025-26.

Lekkerimaki underwent successful shoulder surgery Friday.

The Canucks announced Saturday that Lekkerimaki would require season-ending surgery, but he's expected to be ready to return in time for training camp in September, when he should have an opportunity to compete for an NHL roster spot. Over 13 appearances with Vancouver this year, the 21-year-old recorded two goals, an assist, 10 hits and five blocked shots while averaging 11:41 of ice time.

Seguin (knee) will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign and the entirety of the playoffs, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Friday.

Dallas has filed the paperwork to gain full cap relief for Seguin, but in doing so, the Stars have ruled out the possibility of him returning at any point during the 2026 postseason. This is the second straight campaign that Seguin has missed a major block of time due to injury -- he played in 20 regular-season outings and an additional 18 playoff matches in 2024-25. He'll finish 2025-26 with seven goals and 17 points in 27 appearances. Seguin's contract runs through 2026-27, so he'll probably be back with the Stars next season.

Othmann was assigned to AHL Hartford on Friday.

Othmann spent the past month and a half with the NHL club, but he'll be sent to the minors after appearing in Thursday's loss to the Flyers. It wouldn't be surprising to see him rejoin the Rangers at some point, but he'll join the Wolf Pack ahead of their weekend series against Lehigh Valley after Tye Kartye was claimed off waivers by the Blueshirts on Friday. Across 23 AHL appearances this year, Othmann has logged six goals, eight assists, 45 PIM and a minus-9 rating.

Finley notched an assist and two hits in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Kraken.

Finley was plucked off waivers from the Lightning early in the Olympic break, so he's had some time to prepare for his team debut. The 23-year-old forward has four points, 12 shots on net, 39 hits and 21 PIM over 23 appearances this season. Finley will likely settle into a rotational role in the bottom six for the Blues, giving him minimal fantasy value.

Berggren logged two assists and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Kraken.

Berggren helped out on the first two goals of Dylan Holloway's hat trick. That line also featured a three-point effort from Pius Suter. Berggren is in a part-time role for the Blues, but he has earned five points over his last four games. Overall, he has seven goals, 16 points, 44 shots on net and 23 hits over 36 appearances between St. Louis and Detroit this season.

Hellebuyck (not injury related) is expected to guard the cage on the road against the Ducks on Friday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Hellebuyck was added back to the Jets' roster ahead of Friday's contest. Before the Olympic break, the 32-year-old netminder was struggling in the crease, going 1-4-3 with a 3.01 GAA in his last eight outings. The backstop is coming off a phenomenal Olympics that saw him secure the gold medal for Team USA. Hellebuyck will look to carry that momentum into the rest of the 2025-26 campaign.