NHL Hockey Player News

Hunt will make his first appearance since November 19th as the Wild are opting to dress seven defensemen on Monday. He will slot into the lineup in place of Tyler Pitlick, who is out with an undisclosed injury.

Wild head coach John Hynes mentioned the Wild were dealing with some game-time decisions for Monday night's game, though it appears Pitlick is the only one unavailable. Daemon Hunt will draw into the lineup in his place.

Seattle has been outscored 21-9 during a five-game losing streak (0-4-1), and hopes for better results on Monday with Grubauer tending the twine. Despite massive struggles in his tenure with the Kraken, the 34-year-old Grubauer has a 4-0-1 record this season, posting a 2.63 GAA and .894 SV%. Seattle enters Monday's contest as +117 home underdogs against a Minnesota Wild team that has followed up a seven-game winning streak with losses in three of its last four (1-2-1).

The Sabres hope to snap a two-game losing skid (0-2-0) with Luukkonen between the pipes on Monday against the Calgary Flames. Luukkonen allowed three goals on 19 shots (.864 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The 26-year-old Finnish netminder has a 2.57 GAA and .895 SV% in nine games this season (4-4-1). Buffalo enters the action on Wednesday as a -106 road favorite against a suddenly surging Calgary team that is 6-3-1 in its last 10 games.

Vejmelka is sporting a pedestrian 2.64 GAA and .894 SV% in 22 games this season (12-7-2), but appears to be rounding into form over the last two weeks. The 29-year-old Czech goalie has quality starts in four of his last six games (3-3-0), including a shutout, while saving 129 of 139 shots (.928 SV%). He will return to the crease on Monday, with the Mammoth entering the contest as slight -107 home favorites against a Los Angeles Kings team coming off an explosive 6-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Point has not played in nearly three weeks due to an undisclosed injury, but will return to the lineup on Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 29-year-old Point has had a slow start to the 2025-26 season, with only 11 points (3G / 8A) in 21 games after finishing the previous three seasons above a point-per-game pace.

Tampa Bay is on a three-game losing skid and will be eager to welcome Kucherov back into its lineup on Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 32-year-old Kucherov could have a nagging injury, missing three games this season, but it has not deterred him from his offensive prowess, with 34 points (12G / 22A) in 25 games. He has especially turned it on lately, with 15 points (3G / 12A) in his last seven games.

A third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Schmidt has spent the last two seasons playing with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). Schmidt has zero goals and one assist in 13 AHL games this season and is yet to make his NHL debut.

A sixth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Samson has spent the last three seasons playing with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL). The 22-year-old Samson has zero goals and four assists in ten AHL games this season and is yet to make his NHL debut.

The Red Wings have been abysmal defensively in recent games, allowing 4.6 goals per game over their last nine (3-4-2). They will hope Gibson can stabilize the inconsistency in their crease when he tends the twine on Monday against the Vancouver Canucks, but he has left little to be optimistic about this season, showcasing an ugly 3.58 GAA and .869 SV% in 15 appearances (6-7-1). That said, he has two straight wins despite allowing seven goals on 65 combined shots in those games (.892 SV%).

McGing was drafted by the Blues in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, but has only worked his way into six career NHL games. The 27-year-old forward has six points (4G / 2A) in 18 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) this season. .

Megna has 27 points (4G / 23A) in 193 career NHL games, but has predominantly been a fixture at the AHL level. The 32-year-old defenseman has five points (2G / 3A) in 15 games with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) this season.

Coghlan is no stranger to the NHL, with 22 points (6G / 16A) in 112 career games, but has only played six games since the 2022-23 season. The 27-year-old defenseman has 10 points (5G / 5A) in 22 games with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) this season.

Rinzel was drafted 25th overall by the Blackhawks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and was believed to be a candidate for the Calder Trophy before the start of the season. The talented 21-year-old defenseman got off to a hot start, with three points (1G / 2A) in his first seven games, but has struggled since, with only five in his last 21 (0G / 5A). He has been reassigned to Rockford (AHL) to play a more prominent role and hopefully gain some confidence before returning.

Slaggert has played 10 games for the Blackhawks this season, but has not draw into the lineup since November 26th, serving as a healthy scratch. He has one goal and is averaging 9:04 time-on-ice with Chicago.

The Kings have scored two or fewer goals in seven of their last 10, but rallied to a reasonable 4-3-3 record thanks to solid goaltending led by Darcy Kuemper. The 35-year-old Kuemper is coming off a 23-save performance in a 6-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks for his second shutout of the season. He has a terrific 1.70 GAA and .934 SV% in his last 11 games (6-3-2). The Kings enter Monday's contest as -104 road underdogs against a Utah Mammoth team that will be without their leading goal scorer, Logan Cooley (lower body).

Minnesota has struggled offensively lately, relying heavily on its goaltending while scoring two or fewer goals in each of its last five games (2-2-1). Gustavsson will return to the crease on Monday, looking to rebound after allowing three goals on 30 shots (.900 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. The 27-year-old Swedish goalie has a 2.76 GAA and .905 SV% in 18 games this season (7-8-3). Minnesota enters the action on Monday as a -130 road favorite against a Seattle team on a four-game losing streak (0-4-0).

Devine was a seventh-round pick, 221st overall, of the Florida Panthers in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old forward made his NHL debut earlier this season and has zero points in six games.

Kapanen has been on long-term Injured Reserve since suffering an undisclosed injury on October 19th. He was reportedly nearing a return to the lineup, but suffered a setback at practice two weeks ago. Before his injury, the 29-year-old Kapanen had two assists in six games.