NHL Player News

Gudas (undisclosed) won't be an option versus Vancouver on Thursday, instead looking to Saturday's matchup with Seattle, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Gudas will miss his second straight game due to his undisclosed injury, but at least he has a target return date. With zero points through six games this year, the veteran defenseman is unlikely to be a waiver wire pickup in most leagues once given the all-clear.

The Maple Leafs announced Thursday that Tanev (lower body) is considered week-to-week, Mark Masters of TSN reports.

Tanev landed on injured reserve Sunday after he suffered an upper-body injury against Colorado on Saturday. Thursday's update indicates that he'll likely need to spend more than the minimum amount of time on injured reserve before he's in the mix to return to game action. Nick Blankenburg will likely continue to see time in Toronto's lineup while Tanev is sidelined.

Stanley was loaned to AHL Belleville on Thursday.

Stanley heading back to the minors is a sign that Artem Zub (knee) is ready to make his season debut. Across four appearances to begin the 2026-27 season, the 21-year-old Stanley posted a minus-1 rating, four PIM, a shot on goal, two hits and two blocks. He'll look to refine his game with AHL Belleville, where he played six regular-season games and scored a goal a season ago.

Donovan was loaned to AHL Belleville on Thursday.

Donovan was called up by the Senators on Sunday and appeared in one game during his time with Ottawa. However, he'll be sent down ahead of Thursday's matchup against the Islanders, signaling that some of the Senators' injured defensemen could return to action soon. Across three regular-season appearances with Belleville this year, Donovan has been held scoreless.

Heinola logged three assists in AHL Henderson's 4-0 win over Coachella Valley on Wednesday.

Heinola has four points over four AHL games this season. He received a call-up Sunday but didn't get into a game with the Golden Knights. Still, it looks like he'll be an option to join the big club when they're in need of an extra defenseman. That could happen at any point while Parker Wotherspoon (upper body) is out on a week-to-week basis, especially if another blueliner gets injured as well.

Malinski notched an assist, four shots on goal and two blocked shots in Wednesday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Stars.

Malinski was scratched last Thursday in Calgary due to a poor start to the season. The 28-year-old defenseman has since returned to his top-four role, and he got his first point of the season in Wednesday's contest. He's added eight shots on net, seven blocked shots and a plus-5 rating over six appearances. Malinski is not currently a factor on the power play, which will limit his appeal in fantasy.

Heiskanen scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 3-2 shootout win over the Avalanche.

Heiskanen tied the game at 1-1 in the second period. He's gotten on the scoresheet in three straight games, earning a goal and three helpers in that span. On the year, he's at six points, 12 shots on net, nine blocked shots, four hits and a plus-5 rating through seven appearances. Heiskanen probably can't hover around a point-per-game pace all year, but he provides quality offense for his fantasy managers.

Hutson scored a goal on three shots, added a power-play assist and logged two PIM in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Capitals.

Hutson individually did better than his younger brother, Washington's Cole Hutson, but the Canadiens came up short as a team. The Montreal blueliner has gotten off to a positive start in 2026-27 with two goals, six assists, 16 shots on net, six blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over seven appearances. Hutson already has three multi-point efforts this season and should continue to be a steady source of offense thanks to his spot on the top power-play unit.

Holl scored a goal in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Canadiens.

Holl has scored in consecutive contests. That's a rarity for most defensemen, let alone one like Holl who is battling just to stay in the lineup. He's added two shots on net, one blocked shot and a plus-1 rating over his two appearances with the Capitals this season. Expect the 34-year-old to fill a third-pairing role as long as he stays in the lineup.

Makar (personal) is expected to be in the lineup versus the Stars on Wednesday.

Makar missed Tuesday's game in Dallas while awaiting the birth of his newborn twin sons. The 27-year-old was pictured arriving to Ball Arena by a team photographer Wednesday, which strongly suggests he'll be available and in the lineup for the rematch against the Stars. He should be back in his usual top-pairing role and on the first power-play unit.