NHL Player News
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Ty Mueller C | VAN
Canucks' Ty Mueller: Heads to AHL
Mueller was reassigned to AHL Abbotsford on Friday.
Mueller's move is likely a paper transaction because Vancouver and Abbotsford have both completed the regular season and failed to make the playoffs. The 23-year-old has finished 2025-26 with a goal in six outings with Vancouver as well as 16 goals and 35 points in 59 appearances with Abbotsford.
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Kirill Kudryavtsev D | VAN
Canucks' Kirill Kudryavtsev: Reassigned to minors
Kudryavtsev was sent to AHL Abbotsford on Friday.
Kudryavtsev had two assists in three outings with Vancouver as well as two goals and 18 points in 42 appearances with Abbotsford during the 2025-26 regular season. Abbotsford and Vancouver both failed to make the playoffs, so Kudryavtsev will presumably shift his focus towards getting ready for next season.
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Leevi Merilainen G | OTT
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Up from minors
Merilainen was called up by Ottawa on Friday.
Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 appearances with Ottawa during the 2025-26 regular season. He's joining Ottawa as the squad's No. 3 goaltender going into its first-round series against Carolina. Merilainen shouldn't be expected to man the net in a 2026 playoff game for the Senators unless Linus Ullmark and James Reimer run into injury problems.
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Tristan Luneau D | ANA
Ducks' Tristan Luneau: Sent to AHL
Luneau was reassigned to AHL San Diego on Friday.
Luneau joined the Ducks for their season finale Thursday, and he scored a goal on two shots en route to a 5-4 victory over Nashville. The 22-year-old defenseman also recorded 10 goals and 41 points in 69 appearances with San Diego during the 2025-26 regular season.
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William Karlsson C | LV
Golden Knights' William Karlsson: Not close to returning
Karlsson (lower body) isn't expected to participate in the 2026 postseason unless Vegas manages a long playoff run, general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Friday, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Karlsson hasn't been explicitly ruled out for the first round, but based on that outlook, it sounds like he shouldn't be expected to play in the opening series. Vegas is set to begin its playoff run against Utah with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday. Karlsson had four goals and seven points in 14 regular-season outings in 2025-26.
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Jared McCann C | SEA
Kraken's Jared McCann: Undergoes lower-body procedure
McCann underwent a procedure Thursday for his lower-body injury, per Mike Benton of the Kraken Audio Network.
McCann missed the final three games of the regular season due to the injury, and he completed 2025-26 with 20 goals and 40 points in 52 outings. The 29-year-old expects to be available for the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
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Connor Murphy D | EDM
Oilers' Connor Murphy: Puts up assist in win
Murphy notched an assist, two shots on goal, five PIM and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Canucks.
Murphy picked up three helpers over the last nine games of the regular season. The 33-year-old blueliner totaled 17 points, 70 shots on net, 90 hits, 138 blocked shots, 71 PIM and a minus-2 rating over 80 outings between the Oilers and the Blackhawks in the regular season. He'll fill a shutdown role during Edmonton's playoff run.
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Darnell Nurse D | EDM
Oilers' Darnell Nurse: Produces helper Thursday
Nurse notched an assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Canucks.
Nurse has three helpers over seven outings in April. He ends the regular season with 24 points, 164 shots on net, 137 hits, 167 blocked shots, 104 PIM and a minus-12 rating over 82 appearances. Nurse enters the playoffs on a 28-game goal drought, and while he should continue to see top-four minutes, he's coming off his worst regular season since 2016-17.
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Jesper Wallstedt G | MIN
Wild's Jesper Wallstedt: Set to start in Game 1
Wallstedt is expected to start on the road against Dallas for Game 1 on Saturday, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Wallstedt finished the regular season with an 18-9-6 record, 2.61 GAA and .915 save percentage across 35 appearances. Minnesota's Filip Gustavsson appeared in more regular-season games (50), but he struggled down the stretch, posting a 4.25 GAA and an .836 save percentage across his final six outings, which helps explain why Wallstedt is getting this opportunity. In contrast to Gustavsson, Wallstedt is 4-2-0 with a 1.84 GAA and a .935 save percentage over his past seven appearances. The Stars will be a challenging adversary. They were ninth in goals per game during the regular season with an average of 3.33.
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Zach Hyman C | EDM
Oilers' Zach Hyman: Garners helper in return
Hyman logged an assist and three hits in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Canucks.
Hyman missed the previous five games, but he was able to return from an undisclosed injury prior to the playoffs. The winger saw 18:11 of ice time, so he looks good to go in his usual top-six role. He was productive in limited time this regular season with 31 goals, 52 points, 159 shots on net and 56 hits over 58 outings.