NHL Hockey Player News

Vilmanis is the odd-man out as A.J. Greer re-enters the lineup after sitting out Thursday night's game. Vilmanis has appeared in 19 games this season, logging three goals and two assists.

Greer was held out of Florida's game on Thursday due to roster management purposes but ultimately was never traded. Sandis Vilmanis will sit in his place.

Xhekaj will return to the Habs lineup after sitting out each of their last two games. Jayden Struble will sit in his place.

Struble will take a seat on Friday in favour of Arber Xhekaj. Struble is yet to score a goal in 41 games this season, but has managed to pick up nine assists from the back-end.

Gridin has been a regular for the Flames in recent weeks, but he will play at least one game with the Wranglers, ensuring he is an option for them in the AHL playoffs. The 20-year-old Gridin has seven points (3G / 4A) in 18 games with the Flames this season.

Miroshnichenko was drafted 20th overall by the Capitals in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but he has yet to make his mark at the NHL Level. The 22-year-old forward played four games with the Capitals earlier this season, but has spent most of 2025-26 in the AHL, where he has 31 points (12G / 19A) in 38 games with the Hershey Bears.

Gauthier is an undrafted goalie who has seen sparse action at the AHL level, but has primarily made his presence felt in the ECHL. The 25-year-old has a 2.07 GAA and .924 SV% in 22 games (11-6-5) with the Wheeling Nailers this season.

Byfield has missed two consecutive games due to an illness, but could play on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 23-year-old Byfield has been held off the scoresheet in eight of his last 12 games. He has 33 points (13G / 20A) in 58 games this season.

Perron hasn't played since January 20th due to a sports hernia, but Red Wings' GM Steve Yzerman announced he is expected to re-debut with the team before the end of the month. The 37-year-old Perron returns to Detroit, where he spent the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, racking up 41 goals and 62 assists across 158 games. He was acquired in a trade on Thursday from the Ottawa Senators for a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick.

Samanski made his NHL debut earlier this season, scoring two assists in six games with the Oilers, but has spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL. The undrafted 23-year-old forward has 31 points (8G / 23A) in 44 games with Bakersfield (AHL) this season.

Kadri's name had circulated in trade rumours for weeks and was finally traded in a last-minute deal before the deadline to a team he had tremendous success with, the Colorado Avalanche. Kadri scored a career-high 87 points (28G / 59A) in 71 games with the Avalanche in the 2021-22 season en route to a Stanley Cup Championship. Now in his age-35 season, Kadri has remained an effective player, scoring 41 points (12G / 29A) in 61 games with Calgary.

Olofsson was productive in brief stints with Colorado's top powerplay unit, but has primarily been a bottom-six player with the team this season. The 30-year-old Swedish forward has 25 points (11G / 14A) in 60 games. He scored a career-high 49 points (20G / 29A) in 72 games with the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021-22 season.

Curran was a fifth round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft that has impressed over the past two seasons in the WHL. The 19-year-old Czech forward has 41 points (14G / 27A) through 31 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) this season.

Varlamov has not played in the 2025-26 season due to a knee injury and Islanders' GM Mathieu Darche announced on Friday that he does not expect Varlamov back this season. The 37-year-old veteran goalie has one year remaining on his contract with the Islanders.

Sandis Vilmanis will be a healthy scratch on Friday, allowing Greer to re-enter the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings. The 29-year-old Greer is averaging 11:38 time-on-ice and has 22 points (11G / 11A) in 61 games for the Panthers this season.

A.J. Greer will re-enter Florida's lineup on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings, resulting in Wilmanis being a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old Vilmanis has five points (3G / 2A) in 19 games in his first NHL season.

Bobrovsky, an impending UFA, had his name swirl around trade rumours in recent days, but with the passing of the deadline, he remains a Panther and will be between the pipes on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 37-year-old Bobrovsky has had a poor 2025-26 season, but he has shown encouraging signs since returning from the Olympic break, posting a 3.05 GAA and .897 SV% in three games (1-2-0). The Panthers enter Friday's contest as +135 road underdogs against a Red Wings team coming off a disappointing 4-3 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

With Buffalo having an influx of young forwards, Isak Rosen found himself on the outside and was traded alongside Jacob Bryson, a 2027 2nd Round Pick, and conditional 2026 4th Round Pick to Winnipeg for Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn on Thursday. Rosen was drafted in the 1st round of the 2021 NHL Draft (14th overall) but has failed to stick at the NHL level through three seasons. In 2025-26 he appeared in 16 games, picking up a career high three goals, seven points and 16 SOG.

Lambert was drafted 30th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but he has yet to make his presence felt at the NHL level and has also battled adversity in the AHL. The 22-year-old Lambert has 13 points (6G / 7A) in 34 games with Manitoba (AHL) this season.

Kochetkov has not played since mid-December and was originally ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to address a lower-body injury. That said, Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky addressed the media following the Trade Deadline and stated that they are hopeful Kochetkov can rejoin the team if they make a playoff run, possibly even before then.