NHL Status Report: Luukkonen returns to practice for Sabres

Welcome to the NHL Status Report. Teams have resumed practicing, with the first games after the Olympic break scheduled for Wednesday. Here is the latest lineup/injury news around the NHL.

Buffalo Sabres

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returned to practice with the Sabres on Thursday for the first time since he was removed in the first period of a 7-4 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 27 with lower-body injury. The goalie was chosen for Team Finland for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, but was unable to go and was replaced by Joonas Korpisalo of the Boston Bruins. Luukkonen is 11-7-2 with a 2.73 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 21 games (20 starts) for the Sabres this season. The Sabres play their first game following the Olympic break at the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, MSG-B), and it's unclear yet if Luukkonen will play. "The little bit of time we still have before the games even start, it's going to be good for me," he said Thursday.

Anaheim Ducks

Petr Mrazek will be out for the remainder of the season for the Ducks after undergoing hip surgery on Tuesday. The 34-year-old was 3-5-0 in 10 games (eight starts) this season. He was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings along with a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft for goalie John Gibson on June 28, 2025.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Max Crozier will likely be out the remainder of the regular season for the Lightning following surgery to repair a core muscle injury. The 25-year-old defenseman is projected to miss about 10 weeks. Crozier last played Feb. 1, skating 13:36 in a 6-5 shootout win against the Boston Bruins at the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series. He has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 34 games this season. The Lightning (37-14-4) lead the Atlantic Division and are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the Eastern Conference with the Stanley Cup Playoffs scheduled to begin April 18.

Washington Capitals

Connor McMichael switched from a noncontact jersey to a regular jersey at practice Thursday and is on schedule to return when the Capitals resume play against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, NBCSP). McMichael, a forward, practiced in a noncontact jersey on Tuesday and Wednesday; he missed the previous four games prior to the Olympic break with an upper-body injury. "Yeah, he'd be on target," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. "… He has multiple practices left, so that's a good sign."

New Jersey Devils

Luke Hughes returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a shoulder injury last month. The defenseman was placed on long term-injured reserve on Jan. 21, retroactive to Jan. 19, after leaving a 2-1 overtime win against the Calgary Flames at 8:51 of the second period when he got tangled with Flames forward Justin Kirkland in a battle for the puck along the boards. A player on LTIR is required to miss at least 10 games and 24 days, so Hughes is not eligible to return to the lineup until Feb. 28. "He was able to skate with the group today in more of just a skating, passing and shooting type of day, so we'll just have to continue to monitor him and see where he's at and the hope is that he can ramp up as we ramp up," Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. "Obviously, we're just going to monitor the shoulder and make sure he's ready to take the contact."

Chicago Blackhawks

Wyatt Kaiser was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, retroactive to Feb. 4, with an unspecified injury the defenseman sustained in a 4-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on that date. Kaiser limped off at 7:19 of the first period after getting tangled with Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski. Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said Tuesday that Kaiser "won't be available when we come out of this break (for the Olympics). It should be something where, hopefully it's not going to be March necessarily but he's not going to be available right when we come out of the break." The Blackhawks' first game out of the break is at the Nashville Predators on Feb. 26. Kaiser has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 57 games this season. The Blackhawks recalled defensemen Sam Rinzel and Kevin Korchinski from Rockford, their American Hockey League affiliate, on Wednesday.