NHL Player News

Schmidt (upper body) will miss Saturday's game in Ottawa.

Schmidt has a goal, four points, 20 hits and 14 blocks in 17 appearances with Utah this season. He's regarded as being day-to-day, so Schmidt might still be an option for Wednesday's clash in Vegas. In the meantime, Artyom Duda is projected to draw into the lineup Saturday due to Schmidt's absence.

Smits (upper body) won't play against Seattle on Saturday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Smits was a late scratch for Saturday's contest due to an upper-body injury. He hasn't posted a point in 17 games this season, but he has eight shots on goal, 10 blocked shots and 16 hits. Matthew Robertson will replace Smits in Saturday's lineup against the Kraken.

Salomonsson (personal) is out indefinitely, according to Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press on Saturday.

Salomonsson is away from the team for a personal matter, and it's unclear when he will return. He hasn't earned a point in six NHL appearances this season, but he has 14 shots on net, five blocked shots and seven hits.

Salomonsson (illness) was absent from Saturday's practice, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Salomonsson was a healthy scratch for Thursday's 6-2 win over Vancouver. Even if he's healthy, he may not play against Tampa Bay on Sunday. He has registered 14 shots on goal, five blocked shots and seven hits in six NHL appearances this season, but he hasn't earned a point yet.

Nikishin (not injury related) is expected to make his 2026-27 debut against Chicago on Saturday, per Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News.

Nikishin needed some time to ramp up after missing training camp and the start of the season due to a contract dispute. He signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Hurricanes on Oct. 25, ending his holdout. The 25-year-old blueliner had 11 goals, 33 points, 122 shots on net, 132 hits and 94 blocked shots in 81 regular-season games for Carolina in 2025-26. Nikishin is projected to skate on the third pairing and see time with the second power-play unit against the Blackhawks on Saturday.

Livanavage scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 4-3 overtime win over Charlotte on Friday.

Livanavage was called up Tuesday but wasn't need to play with the big club. He returned to the AHL on Friday and delivered a strong performance. He's at three goals, eight assists, 18 shots on net and a plus-2 rating across his first 10 AHL games.

Vass notched two assists in the University of New Hampshire's 3-0 win over UMass-Lowell on Friday.

Vass showed limited offense with Boston University in 2025-26, earning three assists over 22 games. His transfer to New Hampshire in the offseason hasn't changed much -- his two helpers Friday were his first points in nine outings this season. The Blue Jackets prospect was rarely a prolific scorer during his developmental years in Farjestad's junior system in Sweden. The best-case scenario for Vass is a third-pairing job in the NHL as a stay-at-home defenseman, given his limited offense.

Amico scored two goals in Boston University's 6-2 win over Michigan State University on Friday.

Amico had a surprising burst of offense in this contest. He's up to three goals and two assists over nine outings this season. The Flyers prospect split 2025-26 between BU and USHL Muskegon, logging 11 points over 27 regular-season games with the junior-level team. He was scoreless in 18 appearances for the Terriers last year, so it's good to see him get his offense going in 2026-27.

Parekh registered two assists (one on the power play) and six blocked shots in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Ducks.

This was a good game on both sides of the ice for Parekh -- the six blocks were a single-game career high. He's up to one goal, six helpers, 27 shots on net, 19 blocks, 14 PIM and a minus-10 rating over 17 appearances. He's gained a lot of trust recently, topping 22 minutes of ice time in five straight games despite still being listed on the third pairing. If Parekh's overall performance continues to trend up, his ice time should stay up, which will lead to more chances on offense.

Hanley scored a goal in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Ducks.

Kevin Bahl (lower body) was a late scratch, opening the door for Hanley to play for the first time since Oct. 3 versus the Canucks. The 35-year-old defenseman has been around with the big club as the healthy extra on the blue line. The goal was his first since the 2024-25 campaign. He's added a minus-3 rating, four blocked shots and two hits. Don't expect Hanley to get steady playing time -- if Bahl's absence becomes a long-term issue, the Flames may call up a prospect like Hunter Brzustewicz to get some NHL experience.