NHL Player News

Kuzmenko (knee) is expected to be activated from injured reserve ahead of Game 1 against Colorado on Sunday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Kuzmenko participated in Saturday's practice, and he is available to return to the lineup after missing 25 games due to knee surgery. He had 13 goals, 25 points and 69 shots on net over 52 appearances before getting hurt.

Landeskog (rest) is expected to play in Sunday's home clash against the Kings in Game 1, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

After getting a night off against Seattle on Thursday, Landeskog is set to return for Game 1 of Colorado's opening-round playoff series. The 33-year-old winger posted 14 goals, 35 points, 132 shots on net, 86 hits and 32 blocked shots across 60 regular-season games in 2025-26. The Avalanche captain was on the third line and the top power-play unit during Saturday's practice.

Necas (rest) is slated to play in Game 1 against the Kings on Sunday, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

After sitting out Thursday's 2-0 win over Seattle, Necas returned to a top-line role during Saturday's practice. He finished the 2025-26 regular season with 38 goals, 100 points, 206 shots on net and 85 hits in 78 appearances.

MacKinnon (undisclosed) will return to the lineup for Game 1 versus Los Angeles on Sunday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

MacKinnon sat out the season finale Thursday, ending the regular season with 53 goals, 74 assists, 350 shots on goal and a plus-57 rating over 80 contests. He practiced between Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas on the top line Saturday and will see first-unit power-play time as well.

Kraws was recalled on an emergency basis from AHL Texas on Saturday.

Kraws spent most of the 2025-26 season at ECHL Idaho, posting a 16-12-2 record with a 3.03 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 31 appearances. Kraws saw action in four AHL games with Texas, going 0-3-0 with a 4.34 GAA and an .840 save percentage. The 25-year-old will likely be a practice goaltender, giving Jake Oettinger or Casey DeSmith some time off the day after a playoff game.

Copley was recalled from AHL Ontario on Saturday.

Copley will probably serve as a depth option for the Kings in the playoffs behind Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg. The 34-year-old Copley has earned a 21-11-1 record with a 2.59 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 33 AHL appearances this season.

Andersen will protect the home goal versus Ottawa in Game 1 on Saturday, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.

The Hurricanes are going with Andersen's veteran presence in goal, rather than rookie Brandon Bussi, who saw the majority of the action during the regular season. Andersen was 16-14-5 with a 3.05 GAA and a poor .874 save percentage over 35 appearances in 2025-26. Andersen gave up five goals on 30 shots in his lone appearance versus the Senators, a 6-3 loss April 5.

Hedman (personal) has resumed skating and is back with his teammates, but it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN on Saturday.

Hedman hasn't played since March 19 against Vancouver due to an illness and a personal matter. Despite being back with the team, it's unclear when he will resume practicing, and he remains unavailable for now. Hedman, who is still on long-term injured reserve, had one goal, 16 assists, 50 shots on net, 44 blocked shots and 19 hits in 33 appearances during the 2025-26 regular season.

Ullmark will patrol the road crease against Carolina in Game 1 on Saturday, Julian McKenzie of The Athletic reports.

Ullmark had a stellar regular season, posting a 28-12-8 mark with three shutouts, a 2.73 GAA and an .891 save percentage. He turned aside 25 shots in a 6-3 win over the Hurricanes on April 5.

Kleven (upper body) won't play in Game 1 against Carolina on Saturday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Kleven sat out the final seven games of the regular season and won't be available for the beginning of the playoffs. However, the Senators hope to have the 24-year-old blueliner back in the lineup at some point during the team's first-round series against the Hurricanes.