McAvoy has not played since December 7th, missing two games, and has now been retroactively placed on the injured reserve. Before his injury, McAvoy had four points (0G / 4A) in his last five games. In a corresponding move defenseman Parker Wotherspoon has been recalled from the Providence Bruins of the AHL.
Martinez has not played since November 19th due to a lower-body injury but appears to be nearing a return, making his first appearance at a Golden Knights practice in a non-contact jersey. Before his injury, Martinez was averaging 19:21 time-on-ice through 14 games and had four points (3G / 1A) and 46 blocks.
Hill has not played since November 30th when he exited the game with a lower-body injury, but appears to be nearing a return about participating in practice on Thursday and will travel on the teams upcoming road trip. Jiri Patera was recalled in Hill's absence but has played only one of six games for the Golden Knights since, with the other five going to Logan Thompson.
Zboril was Boston's 2015 1st-round pick (13th overall) but had yet to appear for the Bruins in 2023-24 and has cleared waivers and is expeted to report to the Providence Bruins (AHL). The 26-year-old defender played in four seasons for Boston, with a goal, 15 assists, and 28 PIMs in 76 career games. If he is claimed, he carrier a $1.138 million cap hit in 2023-24.
Aman has played nine straight games for the Canucks but will exit the lineup as a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Pius Suter to make his return from a lower-body injury. Aman was averaging 10:43 time-on-ice and had two points (0G / 2A) in nine games.
Suter has been out of the lineup since November 12th with a lower body and will make his return on Thursday after missing 14 games. Before his injury, Suter had four points (4G / 0A) in 15 games, averaging 15:10 time-on-ice while playing primarily with Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua.
Daccord is coming off his first career shutout, a 24-save performance, in a 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. Daccord has become the de facto starting goalie for the Kraken with Philipp Grubauer out of the lineup but has been better than him between the pipes all season. Over his past three starts, Daccord has saved 73 of 77 shots (.949 SV%) but only managed a 1-2-0 record due to the Kraken's inability to score consistently. That said, Seattle has a favourable matchup on Thursday as -236 home favourites against the Chicago Blackhawks, who have lost two straight and rank second-worst in the league offensively (2.36 GF / GP).
Chaffee was reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, suggesting that Conor Sheary will likely be activated off of long-term injured reserve soon. Chaffee played his first game of the season on December 12th, recording a -1 plus/minus and two hits in 6:56 time-on-ice.
Myers played one game with the Lightning this season on November 14th but has been reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, where he has six points (0G / 6A) in 19 games. In a corresponding move, Sean Day was recalled from Syracuse.
Philippe Myers has been reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, prompting the Lightning to recall Day. The 25-year-old Day was the third-round pick of the New York Rangers in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and has eight points (0G / 8A) in 16 games with Syracuse this season.
The 18-year-old Gauthier was the 37th overall pick of the Lightning in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He has remained in the QMJHL this season where he has scored 30 points (13G / 17A) in 28 games.
Brodin did not play in the last contest for Minnesota on December 10th due to an upper-body injury and has since been played on the long-term injured reserve. He last played on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers, exiting the game after only 15:41 time-on-ice after an awkward hit. Brodin had nine points (1G / 8A) in 25 games this season, averaging 23:59 time-on-ice, and will be a big loss on the Wild blue line.
Merzlikins has not played since December 5th, when he was placed on injured reserve with an illness but participated in morning skate on Thursday and will likely start for the Blue Jackets after being activated from IR. Before being placed on IR, Merzlikins was playing his best hockey of the season, posting a .930 SV% during a 3-2-1 stretch. The Blue Jackets are sizeable +211 road underdogs against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have collected at least a point in seven straight contests (5-0-2).
Kastelic has not played since November 2nd when he suffered a high-ankle sprain that has subsequently kept him out of the lineup for approximately six weeks. Kastelic had zero points in nine games before his injury, averaging 6:55 time-on-ice. At morning skate on Thursday, he skated on the fourth line with Parker Kelly and Rourke Chartier.
After serving as the backup for three straight games, Korpisalo will likely start for his third consecutive game on Thursday. The Senators coaching staff has been quick to deviate to a different goaltender after a poor performance but will stick with Korpisalo on Thursday despite allowing four goals on 28 shots (.857 SV%) in a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. In addition, Korpisalo has lost three of his last four contests (1-3-0) and has only one quality start in the bunch, posting a .882 SV%. That said, the Senators are -118 road favourites against a St. Louis Blues team that has lost four straight, being outscored 20-10.
Miller had played all 26 games for the Rangers before Tuesday's matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which he missed due to personal reasons. Miller has 12 points (5G / 7A), 34 blocks, and 24 hits this season, skating primarily alongside Jacob Trouba.
Binnington had a forgettable performance on Tuesday, allowing five goals on 31 shots (.839 SV%) but will look to redeem himself as the Blues' starting goalie on Thursday. Binnington's season has consisted of hot and cold stretches and is currently amid a cold streak, losing three straight contests (0-3-0), allowing 13 goals on 13 total shots (.874 SV%). The Blues are slight +107 home underdogs against an Ottawa Senators team that has won three of their last five outings, outscoring their opposition 17-10.
Gustavsson saved all 24 shots he faced in his last outing for his second shutout of the season and will return to the crease on Thursday against the Calgary Flames. After a horrendous 10-game stretch (1-6-2) where he posted a .864 SV%, Gustavsson has been tremendous in his last five games (4-1-0), dating back to John Hynes taking over as Minnesota's head coach, posting a ridiculous .951 SV% in the process. The Wild are -146 home favourites against a Flames team that has lost three straight and five of their last six (1-4-1).
Husso allowed four goals on 37 shots (.892 SV%) on Tuesday but was able to secure a 6-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues and will return to the crease on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Husso has been limited to only three starts (2-1-0) in the last seven games for the Red Wings, allowing four or more goals in each, posting a .864 SV% in the process. The Red Wings are +149 home underdogs against a Hurricanes team that has lost four of their last five (1-4-0), scoring more than three goals only once.
Although in a non-contact jersey, Larkin's presence at practice was a positive sign for the Red Wings as he appears to have avoided a worst-case injury. Larkin will not play this weekend and will be re-evaluated next week. Before his injury, Larkin had eight points (6G / 2A) during a six-game point streak.
