Mukhamadulin played a career-high 30 games with the Sharks this season and will return to the club in 2025-26. The 23-year-old defenseman had nine points (2G / 7A) in 30 games this season.
Skinner has not played since Game 1 in the first round of the playoffs but will draw back into the lineup due to a Zach Hyman (upper body) injury. The 33-year-old Skinner had 29 points (16G / 13A) in 72 games with the Oilers this season.
The Oilers have a commanding 3-1 series lead and will hope to advance to the Stanley Cup Final with a victory on Thursday in Game 5. Skinner has been outstanding in the third round of the playoffs, saving 86 of 88 shots (.977 SV%) in his last three games (3-0). The Oilers enter Thursday's contest as +116 road underdogs against a desperate Dallas Stars team.
Horvat suffered the injury at the World Championships, cutting his tournament short, but will be ready for training camp in September.
Despite having three points in two games in the Eastern Conference Final, Jesper Boqvist will be the odd man out of Florida's lineup as Sam Reinhart returns from a lower-body injury. Boqvist has been solid when called upon throughout the playoffs, with two goals, five points and six SOG through 11 games played.
Bobrovsky snapped his four-game winning streak after allowing one goal on 26 shots against (.962 SV%) in Florida's Game 4 loss and will return to the crease for Game 5 in Carolina on Wednesday. The 36-year-old Russian netminder has excelled this postseason with his 2.05 GAA, .914 SV% and 11-5-0 record. He will head to Raleigh to attempt to close out the Hurricanes in five games and reach the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight season.
Hayden has spent the last three seasons in Seattle and will remain with the Kraken for two more years after signing a two-year, $1.55 million contract extension ($775,000 AAV) on Wednesday. The 30-year-old forward appeared in 20 games with the Kraken in 2024-25, picking up a goal and two points to go alongside 31 PIMs while averaging 8:31 TOI/GP.
Winnipeg announced Wednesday that their captain, Adam Lowry had successfully undergone hip surgery and would be out for approximately 5 to 6 months as he recovers. The 31-year-old is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season after putting up 16 goals, 34 points and a +18 plus/minus in 73 games played in 2024-25.
Sturm played in his first game in 19 days when he rejoined Florida's lineup for their Game 4 victory, but is expected to be the odd man out for Game 5 in Carolina as AJ Greer returns from an undisclosed injury. Sturm has only appeared in eight total playoff games this year and has yet to pick up a point while only having three SOG.
Balinskis appeared in his first game in 21 days for Florida's Game 4 victory, but is expected to be a healthy scratch for Game 5 as Niko Mikkola returns from injury to the lineup. The 28-year-old has only appeared in five playoff games during Florida's current run, but has a goal and a +4 plus/minus.
But was Utah's 2023 1st-round pick (12th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Mammoth on Wednesday. The 20-year-old left-winger is expected to head over to North America for the 2025-26 season after putting up nine goals and 28 points with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) in 2024-25.
Greer missed Florida's Game 4 loss due to an undisclosed injury but will return to the lineup for Game 5 on Wednesday. The 28-year-old is expected to replace Nico Sturm on Florida's 4th line and has two goals and three points in 11 games played throughout the playoffs.
Mikkola was absent from Florida's Game 4 loss vs. Carolina but is expected to return to the Panthers' lineup for Game 5 on Wednesday. The 29-year-old was having a fantastic postseason before his injury with three goals, five points and a +6 plus/minus through 15 games played.
Reinhart missed Florida's previous two playoff games due to a lower-body injury but will return for Game 5 in Carolina on Wednesday and is expected to replace Jesper Boqvist on the Panthers' top line. The 29-year-old star forward has struggled to find the net at his usual torrid pace this postseason, but still has seven assists and 11 points in 16 games.
Simashev was Utah's 2023 1st-round pick (6th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Mammoth on Wednesday. The 20-year-old Russian defenseman is expected to head to North America for the 2025-26 season after putting up a goal, six points and a +9 plus/minus in 56 games played with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) in 2024-25.
Brown missed Edmonton's Game 4 victory due to an undisclosed injury and is expected to remain out for Game 5 on Thursday in Dallas. The 31-year-old right-winger has taken a much-needed step forward in the 2024-25 playoffs with five goals, eight points and 21 SOG in 14 games played.
Hyman left Game 4 after just 5 shifts and 3:11 TOI due to an upper-body injury and has already been ruled out for Game 5, but will now undergo surgery, which will likely keep him out for the remainder of the playoffs. The 32-year-old forward was leading all players in Hits this postseason and had added five goals and 11 points in 16 games while playing an effective top-six role.
Andersen snapped Carolina's 15-game Eastern Conference Final losing streak with a 20-save shutout in Game 4 to keep Carolina alive and the series at 3-1 Florida. The 35-year-old Danish netminder will take the crease yet again on Wednesday for Game 5 and will hope to remain hard to beat this postseason, as shown by his 1.84 GAA, .914 SV% and 8-4-0 record. He will host the Florida Panthers, who are looking to close out the series and reach the Stanley Cup Finals for a third consecutive campaign.
