NHL Status Report: Slavin returns from upper-body injury for Hurricanes against Kraken

Welcome to the NHL Status Report. Here is the latest lineup/injury news around the NHL.

Carolina Hurricanes

Jaccob Slavin had an assist in 19:35 of ice time in his return, a 3-2 win against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. The defenseman had missed their past 10 games since Dec. 19 because of an upper-body injury and has been limited to only five this season. Slavin, who has been named to Team USA’s roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, was paired with Jalen Chatfield. … Defenseman Joel Nystrom was reassigned to Chicago of the American Hockey League on Friday.

Toronto Maple Leafs

William Nylander (lower body) had a goal and two assists in his return for the Maple Leafs in a 5-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. The forward had missed six games since he was injured during a 7-5 win against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 27. Nylander, who leads Toronto with 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 34 games, was on a line with Matias Maccelli and John Tavares. … Defenseman Jake McCabe, who had missed two games with a lower-body injury, returned to the lineup and played 17:58. … Goalie Anthony Stolarz (upper body), who has not played since Nov. 11, was on the ice prior to the morning skate and took shots from Toronto’s development staff. "He's coming along well," Toronto coach Craig Berube said before the game. "He's been skating for a bit now. I think it's close where he will be with us full-time." Berube added he expects Stolarz to accompany the Maple Leafs on their upcoming four-game road trip that begins at the Coloardo Avalanche on Monday.

Vegas Golden Knights

Carter Hart is week to week because of a lower-body injury, Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said before their game against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. The goalie was injured in the first period of a 5-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Hart is 5-3-3 with a 3.28 goals-against average and an .871 save percentage in 12 games this season, his first with Vegas. Carl Lindbom is expected to back up Akira Schmid against St. Louis.

Montreal Canadiens

Forwards Patrik Laine (lower body), Kirby Dach (broken foot) and Jake Evans (lower body) took part in the Canadiens’ morning skate but did not play in a 4-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Laine hasn’t played since Oct. 16 after having core muscle surgery; his initial timeline to recover was 3-4 months. Dach has been out since Nov. 15 and was expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Evans was also expected to be out 4-6 weeks after being injured on Dec. 20. … Kaiden Guhle played 18:54 on Saturday in his first game since Oct. 16, when the defenseman sustained an upper-body injury during a 3-2 overtime win against the Nashville Predators. He has three points (one goal, two assists) in five games this season.

Florida Panthers

Brad Marchand (undisclosed) was on the ice for the Panthers’ morning skate but missed his second straight game, a 3-2 win against the Senators on Saturday. Marchand, a forward, has been day to day since leaving a 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. He leads Florida with 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) in 41 games this season. ... Sandis Vilmanis made his NHL debut after the forward was recalled from Charlotte of the AHL.

Edmonton Oilers

Tristan Jarry (lower body) practiced fully and is expected to return this upcoming week, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Saturday prior to their game against the Los Angeles Kings. The goalie is on long-term injured reserve and has not played since being injured during a 3-1 win at the Boston Bruins on Dec. 18. Jarry is 3-0-0 with a 3.08 GAA and an .887 save percentage in three starts since he was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12. Connor Ingram will start Saturday and Calvin Pickard will serve as the backup. Knoblauch did not reveal what Edmonton’s plan is when Jarry returns. “It’s too soon to say anything,” Knoblauch said. “We expect Jarry to play sometime this upcoming week and we’ll make a decision then.” The Oilers play back-to-back road games at the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday and Nashville on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Kings

Corey Perry was activated from non-roster designation and Anze Kopitar was placed on injured reserve on Saturday prior to the Kings' game against the Edmonton Oilers. Perry, a forward, missed the past two games while returning home to deal with an illness in his family. Kopitar, a forward, has been day to day while missing the past two games with a lower-body injury. The Kings captain did not return after the first period of Monday's 4-2 win against the Minnesota Wild. ... Cole Guttman was loaned to the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League.

Seattle Kraken

Jaden Schwartz (lower body) was activated from injured reserve and returned for a 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday. The Kraken forward had no points in 18:14 on Saturday; he had 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 23 games before he was injured on Nov. 26. ... Forward Chandler Stephenson was designated non-roster; he has 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 42 games this season.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Bryan Rust is day to day with a lower-body injury and did not play in a 2-1 loss against the Calgary Flames on Saturday. The forward played 19:29 in a 4-1 win against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Rust ranks second on the Penguins with 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 40 games this season. ... Rafael Harvey-Pinard was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.

Philadelphia Flyers

Forwards Travis Konecny and Bobby Brink did not play in a 7-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Konecny, who was not on the ice for the morning skate, sustained an upper-body injury and did not play after the second period in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs on Thursday; he has 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 42 games this season, including a goal against the Maple Leafs. Brink, who participated in the morning skate in a noncontact jersey, sustained an upper-body injury during the first period of a 5-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday; he did not play Thursday. Brink has 20 points (11 goals, nine assists) in 41 games. … Jamie Drysdale (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Friday; the defenseman, who also skated Saturday morning in a noncontact jersey, was injured on a hit by Ducks forward Ross Johnston on Tuesday. … "I talked to [Drysdale] and Brink, they felt better today, so that's a real good sign," coach Rick Tocchet said. "[Konecny] said he felt a little bit [better] yesterday, but [he's] not good enough to play." ... Defenseman Adam Ginning was recalled from Lehigh Valley of the AHL on Friday. The 25-year-old does not have a point in five NHL games this season.

New York Rangers

Noah Laba returned from an upper-body injury Saturday, a 10-2 loss at the Boston Bruins. The rookie forward missed three games after being injured in the second period of a 6-3 loss at the Washington Capitals on Dec. 31. Laba has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 43 games this season. ... Forward Justin Dowling was reassigned to Hartford of the AHL before the game on Saturday.

Boston Bruins

Hampus Lindholm (undisclosed) remains day to day but can be activated from injured reserve before the Bruins host the Penguins on Sunday (5 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, NESN, SNE, TVAS). The defenseman has been out since Jan. 3, when he had an assist in 22:47 in a 3-2 overtime win at Vancouver. Lindholm has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) and is averaging 22:11 of ice time.

New Jersey Devils

Johnathan Kovacevic is expected to make his season debut at the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday (2 p.m. ET; TSN3, NHLN, MSGSN). The defenseman, who signed a five-year, $20 million contract with the Devils on March 7, 2025 ($4 million average annual value), had knee surgery in June. Kovacevic had 17 points (one goal, 16 assists) and was plus-10 in 81 games for New Jersey last season while averaging 19:49 of ice time. ... Dougie Hamilton will be a healthy scratch; the defenseman has two points (one goal, one assist) in his past four games after a 17-game drought. Hamilton has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 40 games. ... Evgenii Dadonov is expected to return Sunday after missing 22 games with a wrist injury; the forward practiced on a line with Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer on Saturday. … Stefan Noesen will have knee surgery this week, the Devils announced. The forward, who has been placed on injured reserve, has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 38 games. ... Zack MacEwen is out for the remainder of the season after the forward had ACL surgery. MacEwen, who was acquired in a trade with the Senators for forward Kurtis MacDermid on Oct. 4, did not have a point in three games with New Jersey.

Buffalo Sabres

Michael Kesselring (lower body) rejoined the Sabres for the morning skate on Saturday prior to the start of a five-game homestand against the Ducks, his first time skating with them since leaving a 4-1 win at Dallas on Dec. 31. Coach Lindy Ruff said the plan is on Monday to "get him involved in some physical stuff and see how he reacts to that. Midweek, we'll hopefully have a decision on whether he can play or not." Buffalo hosts Florida on Monday, Philadelphia on Wednesday and Montreal on Thursday. The homestand ends against the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 17. Kesselring, a defenseman, does not have a point in 16 games this season.