Middleton (undisclosed) was forced out of Monday's 4-1 win in Seattle, and there was no update on his status postgame, according to Sarah McLellan of The Minnesota Star Tribune.

Middleton logged an assist and one blocked shot in 16:34 of ice time before exiting the game. Considering head coach John Hynes didn't have any information on the blueliner's status going forward, Middleton should be considered questionable, at best, for Thursday's divisional matchup versus Dallas.

Mermis (lower body) was unable to finish Monday's 2-0 win over the Lightning, and head coach Craig Berube said that the defenseman will be evaluated Tuesday, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Mermis was forced out of the contest during the final frame after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Gage Goncalves, who received a major penalty and a game misconduct as a result of the play. Mermis recorded one shot on goal and one block in 10:34 of ice time prior to departing. The 31-year-old can be considered day-to-day until his status is updated ahead of Thursday's home matchup against San Jose.

Samson was acquired by the Lightning from the Flyers on Monday in exchange for Roman Schmidt.

Samson has yet to make his NHL debut, and while Tampa Bay didn't make it official in its press release, the 22-year-old will more than likely report to AHL Syracuse. The British Columbia native picked up four helpers and four PIM across 10 games with AHL Lehigh Valley in 2025-26. Samson was a sixth-round selection by Philadelphia in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Schmidt was dealt to the Flyers from the Lightning on Monday in exchange for Ethan Samson.

The Flyers assigned Schmidt to AHL Lehigh Valley after acquiring him. The right-shot defenseman was a third-round pick (No. 96 overall) by Tampa Bay in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut, and he'll now continue his development in the minors with the Phantoms.

Megna was assigned to AHL Henderson on Monday.

Megna has had two brief stints with the Golden Knights this year, but he hasn't yet appeared in a game for the NHL club. He should see more consistent playing time in the minors, while Dylan Coghlan was called up Monday to provide additional depth for Vegas.

Coghlan was recalled from AHL Henderson on Monday.

Coghlan began his career with the Golden Knights, but he's made just seven NHL appearances between the Hurricanes and Jets across the past two seasons. He'll be called up by the Golden Knights for the first time this season to provide depth for Vegas after Jaycob Megna was sent down Monday. Coghlan has made 20 appearances for the Silver Knights this season, recording five goals, five assists, 10 PIM and a plus-4 rating.

Rinzel was demoted to AHL Rockford on Monday, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.

Rinzel is currently stuck in a five-game point drought, during which he has generated a meager six shots on goal to go with five hits and two blocked shots. The move leaves the Blackhawks without a seventh defenseman, so it's possible the team will bring somebody else up from the minors ahead of Wednesday's game versus the Rangers. That move could be for Kevin Korchinski, who leads the IceHogs in blue-line production.

Petry notched an assist, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Petry was scratched for the prior two games after going nine contests without a point. That slump has endangered his everyday status in the lineup, opening the door for Donovan Sebrango to push for a third-pairing spot. Petry is at six helpers, 20 shots on net, 22 hits, 29 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 26 appearances this season.

Balinskis scored a goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Balinskis got on the scoresheet for the first time in six games with the opening tally in Sunday's win. The 29-year-old defenseman's first goal of the season gives him five points, 18 shots on net, 29 hits, 12 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 19 appearances this season. Balinskis remains in competition with Jeff Petry and Donovan Sebrango for time on the third pairing.

Jones scored a goal on two shots in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.

Jones has three points over his last two outings following his recent four-game drought. The 31-year-old defenseman should continue to be a steady producer both on offense and in non-scoring areas in a top-four role for the Panthers. He's at five goals, 16 points, 52 shots on net, 29 hits, 32 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 28 appearances this season.