NHL Player News

Rantanen (lower body) won't play in Saturday's bronze-medal game against Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Rantanen sustained the injury late in Friday's semifinal loss to Canada. The Finns will use Oliver Kapanen on the top line alongside Sebastian Aho and Artturi Lehkonen due to Rantanen's absence. Rantanen's availability for Wednesday's game against Seattle is unclear, but he will undergo further evaluation after returning to Dallas.

Paul (undisclosed) doesn't have a timeline in place for his return to the lineup, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday.

Paul hasn't been participating in practices after missing two straight games before the Olympic break. He isn't expected to be available to play next week when Tampa Bay's schedule resumes against Toronto on Wednesday, and it sounds like he will miss additional time afterward. Paul has six goals, 12 points, 48 shots on net and 42 hits in 34 appearances this season.

Zacha (concussion) will return to the lineup Thursday versus Columbus.

Zacha was unable to play for Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics after suffering a concussion against Philadelphia on Jan. 29. He will likely center Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson on the second line in his return to action. Zacha has 15 goals and 22 assists in 54 appearances this season, including 15 points on the power play.

Lekkerimaki will undergo shoulder surgery and will miss the remainder of the season, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports Saturday.

Lekkerimaki was selected 15th overall in 2022 and played 13 games at the NHL level this season, tallying a pair of goals and one assist. He managed 13 goals and seven assists in 21 AHL games before his injury. It's unclear if he will be ready for training camp in September, but he will compete for an NHL roster spot if he's healthy.

Tarasov (lower body) will be available for Thursday's home tilt versus Toronto, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Tarasov allowed five goals on 25 shots in a 6-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Feb. 5 before leaving the game due to an injury. He will probably serve as Sergei Bobrovsky's backup versus Toronto. Tarasov is 8-8-2 with a 2.83 GAA and an .899 save percentage across 19 appearances in 2025-26.

Ekblad (undisclosed) is expected to play against Toronto on Thursday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports Saturday.

Ekblad sat out a 6-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Feb. 5 before the Olympic break, but he has been a regular at practices ahead of the NHL's return. He has accounted for three goals, 21 points, 74 shots on net, 88 blocked shots and 67 hits through 55 appearances this season.

Rodrigues (illness) is expected to be back in the lineup Thursday versus Toronto, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Rodrigues missed the final game before the Olympic break due to illness. The 32-year-old forward has 10 goals and 15 assists in 56 contests this season.

Quick (lower body) left Saturday's practice early as a precaution, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Quick started 10 of the last 14 games due to the absence of Igor Shesterkin (lower body). There is still no timeline for Shesterkin's return. If he's healthy, Quick could start Thursday's home matchup against Philadelphia. He has a 4-14-2 record with a 3.10 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 20 appearances this season.

Perunovich was summoned from AHL Tucson on Saturday.

Perunovich had two goals, seven assists, 18 shots on net, 15 hits and 37 blocked shots between the Blues and Islanders across 35 regular-season appearances in 2024-25, but he has yet to see NHL action this season. He has registered three goals and 30 points in 43 AHL appearances this campaign.

Connauton was called up from AHL Tucson on Saturday.

Connauton has spent the entire season in the AHL, registering a pair of assists in 25 games. He last played in the NHL for the Flyers during the 2021-22 campaign, tallying one goal and two assists in 26 contests.