NHL Player News

Neighbours (upper body) will play in Monday's game against Nashville.

Neighbours missed Saturday's game against the Blue Jackets due to his upper-body injury, but he's expected to return to action in a second-line role Monday. He's recorded points in five of his last nine appearances, generating three goals, two assists, 13 hits, four blocked shots and four PIM while averaging 15:56 of ice time across that span.

Necas (lower body) won't be in the lineup against Detroit on Monday, according to Bailey Curtis of DNVR Sports.

Necas will miss his second straight game, but the team hopes to get him back for Wednesday's matchup against San Jose. He has amassed 22 goals, 62 points, 124 shots on net and 57 hits across 52 appearances this season. Due to Necas' absence, Valeri Nichushkin moved up to the top line in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Red Wings.

Thompson (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Monday, per the NHL media site.

After sitting out the last two games, Thompson will miss Monday's home matchup against the Islanders and Tuesday's visit to Philadelphia. However, he will be eligible to come off injured reserve if he's ready to play when the Capitals host Nashville on Thursday. Thompson has gone 18-16-4 with a 2.46 GAA, a .912 save percentage and two shutouts in 38 appearances this season. With Charlie Lindgren (lower body) also on the IR list, Clay Stevenson will start against the Islanders on Monday, and Garin Bjorklund might make his NHL debut against the Flyers on Tuesday.

Head coach Lindy Ruff said that Norris (ribs) is progressing in his recovery but won't play in Monday's game against the Panthers, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

Norris was upgraded to day-to-day last week, but he hasn't yet received the green light to return to game action. Following Monday's matchup, the Sabres have two more games on their schedule before the Olympic break, but it's not yet clear if the 26-year-old will be available Tuesday against the Lightning or Thursday against the Penguins.

Kiersted was assigned to AHL Iowa on Monday.

In a corresponding move, Minnesota activated Zach Bogosian (lower body) from injured reserve. Kiersted has one assist, four shots on goal and five blocked shots in four NHL outings this season. He also has four assists in 28 AHL appearances during the 2025-26 campaign.

Bogosian (lower body) was activated off injured reserve ahead of Monday's matchup versus Montreal, per the NHL media site.

Bogosian was originally classified as a game-time call, but his activation off IR clears the way for him to get into the lineup. With the veteran blueliner back, David Jiricek will likely be relegated to a spot in the press box, while Matt Kiersted would be a candidate for a demotion to the minors.

Toews (upper body) is available for Monday's game against the Red Wings, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports.

Toews sustained an upper-body injury in early January, but he'll be back in action Monday following a 13-game absence. Across 40 appearances this season, the 31-year-old has recorded a goal, 12 assists, 58 blocked shots, 18 PIM and 14 hits while averaging 22:20 of ice time.

Texier (lower body) won be in the lineup against Minnesota on Monday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Texier will miss his second straight game, and it's unclear if he will be ready to return against Winnipeg on Wednesday. Since having his contract terminated by the Blues in late November, Texier has seven goals, 17 points, 51 shots on net and 31 hits in 30 appearances with the Canadiens.

Askarov was the first goalie to leave the ice Monday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports, indicating he'll guard the cage on the road versus Chicago.

Askarov has picked up just one win in his last five outings, going 1-3-1 with a 3.65 GAA and .863 save percentage in that span. The 23-year-old netminder has been splitting the workload with Alex Nedeljkovic since the start of January, but Askarov could be in danger of losing playing time if he continues to struggle.

Vejmelka was the first goalie off during Monday's morning skate, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Canucks.

Vejmelka put together an eight-game winning streak earlier in January but has gone 0-3-0 with 10 goals allowed on 94 shots over his last three outings. He'll attempt to get back on track against the Canucks, who are scoring 2.56 goals per game this year, which is the third-worst mark in the league.