NHL Hockey Player News

With Matt Boldy (undisclosed) and Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) on Injured Reserve, Minnesota has recalled Hunter Haight and Nicolas Aube-Kubel from Iowa (AHL). The 29-year-old Aube-Kubel is an NHL veteran of 308 games, but has spent most of the season in the AHL. He has one assist in four games with Minnesota this season.

With Matt Boldy (undisclosed) and Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) on Injured Reserve, Minnesota has recalled Hunter Haight and Nicolas Aube-Kubel from Iowa (AHL). The 21-year-old Haight made his NHL debut earlier this season, playing two games. He remains in search of his first career point.

Eriksson Ek exited last Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Seattle Kraken after only 7:57 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury and has not played since. The 28-year-old Eriksson Ek is averaging 19:34 time-on-ice and has 32 points (11G / 21A) in 45 games this season. He on Saturday afternoon against the Buffalo Sabres, but his placement on Injured Reserve suggests he may miss at least one more game.

Boldy showed no signs of an ailment in yesterday's 6-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, but has surfaced on Injured Reserve and will miss at least the next four games before he is eligible to return to the lineup. The 24-year-old Boldy is having an outstanding season, with 51 points (27G / 24A) in 48 games this season. That said, he is amid his worst stretch of the season, with only four points (2G / 2A) in his last eight games.

Stolarz has been out since November 11th, but is getting close to a return to the Maple Leafs crease and has a chance to return before the Olympic break according to Head Coach Craig Berube. Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby have performed well in his absence, but the team will likely send Hildeby back to the Marlies (AHL) when Stolarz is cleared to play. Stolarz said the he likely needs a "couple more practices" before he is ready to play.

Nylander has already missed 10 games this season and reaggravated a previous injury in Thursday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights, exiting the game early in the first period. The 29-year-old Nylander has been outstanding when healthy, scoring 48 points (17G / 31A) in 37 games. He scored two points (1G / 1A) on Thursday in just 2:17 time-on-ice.

Soucy is averaging 17:18 time-on-ice and has eight points (3G / 5A) in 44 games this season. The 31-year-old defenseman leads the Rangers with a +5 plus/minus. The Rangers have recalled Connor Mackey from Hartford (AHL) in a corresponding move.

Mackey is an undrafted 29-year-old defenseman defenseman that has played 42 career NHL games since his debut in the 2020-21 season, but has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL. He has seven points (2G / 5A) in 32 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) this season.

Armia has not played in nearly two weeks because of an upper-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 32-year-old Finnish forward has gained the trust of the Kings coaching staff, seeing an increase in deployment in recent weeks. He has 16 points (9G / 7A) in 41 games this season.

Gauthier was a late scratch in Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars, as he came down with an illness, but he is set to return to the lineup on Friday against the Dallas Stars. After a hot start to the 2025-26 season, with 21 points (12G / 9A) in his first 17 games, Gauthier's production has cooled off, with 19 points (8G / 11A) in 28 games since.

Terry has been sidelined for nearly two weeks because of an upper-body injury, but is set to return to the lineup on Friday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 28-year-old Terry is having an excellent season, with 42 points (13G / 29A) in 43 games. He had seven points (3G / 4A) in his last five games before his injury.

Kreider is coming off a one-goal performance in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars, but is battling an illness and could miss Friday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. The 34-year-old veteran has 25 points (15G / 10A) in 42 games this season.

Smith has not played in over a month, but has ramped things up over the last week after returning to contact drills in practice, and could return to the lineup as soon on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 20-year-old second-year player has 29 points (12G / 17A) in 33 games this season.

Kuemper has struggled in recent games, losing seven of nine (2-4-3), while posting a less-than-stellar 2.94 GAA and .880 SV%. That said, he will return to the crease on Friday against an Anaheim Ducks team that he has been statistically solid against in his career, posting a 2.48 GAA and .912 SV% in 19 career games (10-6-1). The Kings enter Friday's contest against the Ducks, who defeated the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Wednesday to snap a nine-game losing streak (0-8-1), as -130 home favorites.

Before the 2025-26 season, Englund exclusively played in the NHL for the previous two seasons. That said, the 29-year-old defenseman has spent the entirety of this season in the AHL, where he has six points (2G / 4A) in 30 games with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Blackwood has not played since New Year's Eve due to a lower-body injury, but was activated from IR on Wednesday and will return to the crease on Friday against the Nashville Predators. The 29-year-old Blackwood has struggled with injuries throughout his career, a trend that has unfortunately continued this season, but he has been exceptional when healthy, posting a stellar 2.07 GAA and .924 SV% in 16 games (13-1-1). The Avalanche enter Friday's contest as enormous -300 home favorites against a Predators team on a two-game winning streak.