Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.
Ottawa Senators
Captain Brady Tkachuk, who hasn’t played since Oct. 13 after suffering a right thumb injury against the Nashville Predators, skated with his teammates on Friday.
Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports Tkachuk is expected to join the Sens on their upcoming three-game West coast road trip, beginning on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks.
Tkachuk underwent surgery on Oct. 16 and was expected to need a recovery time of six-to-eight weeks.
The 26-year-old American has three assists over three games this season after netting 29 goals and 26 assists over 72 games in 2024-25.
Garrioch adds that defenceman Jake Sanderson will be in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the visiting Los Angeles Kings while fellow blueliner Thomas Chabot will miss the contest.
Nick Jensen also took part in the skate on Friday after exiting Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury, but there is no word on his status for the game against the Kings.
Ottawa is tied for first in the Atlantic Division with a 9-5-4 record.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthew Knies and Brandon Carlo were both given maintenance days by the Toronto Maple Leafs for Friday’s practice, TSN’s Mark Masters reports.
Auston Matthews (lower-body) and Anthony Stolarz (upper-body ) also did not participate with the team, while Scott Laughton skated in a non-contact jersey.
Both Knies and Carlo played in Thursday’s 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, logging 23:50 and 19:44 of ice time.
Matthews was placed on injured reserve on Friday after missing the game against the Kings, while Stolarz remains out after leaving Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins after the first period.
The Leafs also activated Joseph Woll to the roster after the goaltender stepped away from the team during training camp to deal with a personal matter, while recalling Easton Cowan from the American Hockey League.
Artur Akhtyamov was sent down to the AHL after serving as the team’s backup goalie on Thursday.
Craig Berube rolled out the following lines for Friday’s practice:
Robertson - Tavares- Nylander
Maccelli - Domi - McMann
Blais - Roy - Cowan
Joshua - Lorentz - Jarnkrok
Laughton
Rielly - Myers
Benoit - McCabe
Mermis - Ekman-Larsson
Woll
Hildeby
Toronto has dropped four straight contests heading into Saturday’s meeting against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Philadelphia Flyers
Samuel Ersson will get the start for the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night against the St. Louis Blues, the team announced.
Ersson, 26, draws his first start since Nov. 8, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators.
The Falun, Sweden native carries a 2-1-2 record with a 3.03 goals-against average and an .866 save percentage in five starts for Philadelphia this season.
The Flyers (8-5-3) kick off a two-game road trip on Friday night against the Blues, before travelling to Texas for a meeting with the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Minnesota Wild
Marco Rossi is expected to be miss time for the Minnesota Wild with a lower-body injury, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports.
Rossi, 24, logged 17:59 of ice time in Minnesota’s 2-1 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, but now appears unlikely to play for the Wild in their weekend back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday.
The Feldkirch, Austria native sat out the team’s 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Oct. 20 with a lower-body injury, although it is unclear if it’s related to his latest absence.
Rossi has recorded four goals and nine assists in 17 games played this season after inking a three-year, $15 million extension with the Wild over the summer.
Minnesota has played to a 7-7-4 record on the year, taking 18 points from 18 games, good for sixth place in the Central Division.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers placed defenceman Troy Stecher on waivers, also loaning rookie forward Isaac Howard to the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors, the team announced Friday.
Both moves come as Zach Hyman inches closer toward his season debut following surgery to repair a fractured wrist suffered in Game 4 of last year’s Western Conference Final.
Stecher, 31, has dressed in six games for Edmonton this season, failing to record a point while logging an average of 13:37 of ice time.
Howard, 21, has appeared in 17 games for the Oilers to begin his rookie season, totaling two goals and an assist with 10 penalty minutes in his first taste of NHL action.
Edmonton enters play against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night with an 8-7-4 record, good for fourth place in the Pacific Division.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks added goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to their active roster, the team announced Friday.
Jakub Skarek was re-assigned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda in a corresponding move.
Nedeljkovic, 29, officially rejoins the team after stepping away from their recent road trip for a personal matter.
The Parma, Ohio native has played to a 3-2-0 record with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage in his first season with the Sharks.
San Jose acquired the American netminder over the summer from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2028 draft.
Skarek dressed as San Jose’s backup for Thursday’s 2-0 loss to the Calgary Flames, and now head back down to the AHL where he owns a 3.63 goals-against average and an .875 save percentage in six starts.
