NHL Hockey Player News

MacEachern will slot in for Arshdeep Bains, who is a healthy scratch on Friday. MacEachern has no goals and one assist in three games this season.

Bains will take the night off on Friday as MacKenzie MacEachern draws into the lineup in his place. Bains is yet to score a goal through 18 games this season.

Joseph will slot in for Quinn Hughes, who is out with an undisclosed injury. He'll skate with Tom Willander on Vancouver's third pair.

Hughes has already missed four games this season due to an injury and will be held out again on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The talented 26-year-old defenseman has be great when in the lineup, scoring 13 points (1G / 12A) in 14, but has had trouble staying healthy recently, missing 14 games last season as well.

The Hurricanes have been running a goalie rotation with three netminders over the past two weeks, and will turn to Kochetkov on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 26-year-old Kochetkov has been solid since returning from an injury and making his debut at the beginning of November, posting a 1.47 GAA and .936 SV% in three appearances (2-0-0). The Hurricanes enter Friday's contest as significant -262 home favorites against a Canucks team that has lost three of their last four (1-2-1).

LaChance was a sixth-round pick, 186th overall, of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old forward has three points (1G / 2A) in 13 games with the Utica Comets (AHL) over the previous two seasons.

Mancini has not played since suffering an upper-body injury in the final week of October. The 23-year-old defenseman was averaging 10:32 time-on-ice in five games before his injury.

Hughes suffered a hand injury at a team dinner on Thursday in what has been reported as a "fluke accident." Few details have emerged regarding the severity of the injury, but he has been ruled out of Saturday's game against the Washington Capitals. The 24-year-old Hughes leads the Devils with 20 points (10G / 10A) in 17 games and will create a sizable absence down the middle for the lineup if he misses significant time.

Koepke has missed the last two games but returned to practice on Friday. The 27-year-old Koepke is averaging 10:16 time-on-ice and has two points (0G / 2A) in 14 games this season.

McCann has not played since October 20th and few details have been shared about his injury, but he returned to practice on Friday, indicating his return to the lineup is on the immediate horizon. The 29-year-old McCann has four points (3G / 1A) in five games this season.

Guhle only played five games this season before suffering a lower-body injury with a 4-6 week recovery timeline. That said, the 23-year-old Guhle has suffered a setback, and will be sidelined a further 8-10 weeks due to a partially torn adductor muscle. The 23-year-old defenseman has 60 points (17G / 43A) in 174 career games with the Canadiens.

Newhook violently crashed feet-first into the board in Thursday's 7-0 loss to the Dallas Stars, exiting the game with a lower-body injury after only 5:54 time-on-ice. Despite being able to eventually skate off the ice with some assistance, the team announced on Friday that he will be sidelined for four months with a fractured ankle. The 24-year-old Newhook was off to a productive start this season, scoring 12 points (6G / 6A) in 17 games.

The 32-year-old Rooney played a career-high 70 games with the Calgary Flames last season, scoring 10 points (5G / 5A). He started the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL, where he recorded four points (3G / 1A) with Tucson. He has yet to play an NHL game this season.

The Oilers faithful had high expectations for Howard entering his first NHL season, but has had trouble adjusting from the collegiate level. The 21-year-old has three points (2G / 1A) in 17 games this season and will hope to rediscover his scoring touch in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL).

After spending most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, Jost has played himself in a regular role with the Predators this season, but will be a healthy scratch on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 27-year-old Jost is averaging 12:38 time-on-ice and has two points (1G / 1A) in 15 games this season.

Wilsby did not play in Nashville's previous game, but he will re-enter the lineup on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 25-year-old defenseman is averaging 17:39 time-on-ice and has two points (0G / 2A) in 12 games this season.

Dickinson missed four games earlier this season due to an upper-body injury and has missed the last five while tending to a shoulder injury. The 30-year-old Dickinson is averaging 14:16 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A) in eight games this season.

Nazar exited last Friday's 4-0 win over the Calgary Flames in the first period after only 3:19 time-on-ice, and has been sidelined since, as he continues his recovery from a mid-body injury. The 21-year-old Nazar has 11 points (5G / 6A) in 15 games this season.

Bertuzzi is battling a nagging upper-body injury that has made him a game-time decision for the past few weeks, a trend that will continue on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 30-year-old Bertuzzi is having a great season, with 15 points (9G / 6A) through 16 games.