NHL Player News

Fabbri (lower body) has been officially ruled out for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign Wednesday but is expected to be ready for training camp.

Fabbri is facing a 4-6 week recovery timeline which should give him plenty of time to get healthy during the offseason. Unfortunately for the winger, he was limited to just 28 games this year. When he was healthy, the Ontario native produced seven goals and nine assists, including eight power-play points. If he can play a full 82-game season, which he has never done, Fabbri could certainly be capable of producing upwards of 40-plus points.

Bennett (undisclosed) will remain sidelined against the Leafs on Wednesday, Doug Plagens of the Panthers Radio Network reports.

Bennett has missed 10 of the Panthers' last 17 contests and will be on the shelf for at least one more. When healthy, the winger has been a solid offensive producer with two goals and three assists in those seven outings. With Bennet still unavailable, Anton Lundell figures to maintain his place as the second-line center. Given the quick turnaround, it seems unlikely Bennett will be ready to face Montreal on Thursday either.

Sorokin will be between the pipes on the road against the Capitals on Wednesday, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports.

Sorokin is coming off a 30-save victory over the Devils on Monday in which he conceded just one goal in a winning effort. The Russian netminder is undefeated in regulation in his last five outings with a 4-0-1 record. With a back-to-back versus Tampa Bay and Carolina on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, Sorokin will likely get another night off, something that has been rather rare for him of late.

Hirose was sent back to AHL Grand Rapids on Wednesday.

Hirose made his season debut against the Penguins on Tuesday in which he notched one shot, one hit and one block in 7:57 of ice time. If Alex Chiasson (undisclosed) is unable to play against the Hurricanes on Thursday, the 26-year-old Hirose could be called back up prior to puck drop.

Aho (upper body) didn't make the trip to Washington for Wednesday's matchup, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

Aho will be unavailable for his fifth consecutive contest due to his lingering upper-body injury. Prior to getting hurt, the defenseman had registered points in four of his last seven contests, though he was stuck in a 10-game goal drought. Until Aho is cleared to play, Samuel Bolduc will continue to deputize in his stead on the blue line.

Lafreniere recorded two assists in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over Columbus.

Lafreniere picked up an assist on Filip Chytil's opening tally in the first period before setting up Vincent Trocheck's empty-netter in the third. The 21-year-old Lafreniere now has four points (one goal, three assists) in his last two games after failing to record a point in his previous eight contests. Lafreniere is up to 15 goals and 36 points through 73 games this season.

Chytil scored a goal on three shots in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Blue Jackets.

Chytil opened the scoring in the first period Tuesday, corralling a loose puck in front of the net before firing a shot past Michael Hutchinson. The goal is Chytil's third point in his last two games. The 23-year-old center has been streaky this year, but he's up to 22 goals and 42 points in 66 games, both career highs.

Thomas tallied a power-play goal in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Canucks.

Thomas extended St. Louis' lead to 4-2 with a power-play goal in the second period, ripping a shot from between the circles. Thomas has three points (one goal, two assists) in his last two games. He's up to 17 goals and 63 points through 70 games this season.

Kochetkov was reassigned to AHL Chicago on Wednesday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Kochetkov's demotion all but guarantees that Antti Raanta (lower body) will be ready to serve as at least the backup against Detroit on Thursday. In 24 NHL appearances this year, the 23-year-old Kochetkov posted a 12-7-5 record with a .909 save percentage and four shutouts. Unless another injury pops up for Raanta or Frederik Andersen, Kochetkov figures to close out the year in the minors.

Saad grabbed a pair of assists in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over Vancouver.

Both of Saad's assists came in the second period, setting up Jakub Vrana before adding another helper on Robert Thomas' power-play tally. The 30-year-old Saad now has three points (one goal, two assists) in his last two games after going scoreless in his previous four contests. The veteran winger is up to 18 goals and 32 points in 63 games while playing a middle-six role in St. Louis.