- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: On Red Wings Darren Helm back injury:
“They ruled out everything bad,” general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press. “It’s a small strain or tear in a lower back ligament. He got an injection, said he felt better right away.”
- James Mirtle via twitter: The Maple Leafs put Carl Gunnarsson on the IR yesterday. It will allow Mike Brown to return to the lineup, which will happen likely by the weekend. Jonas Siegel via twitter: Gunnarsson could return next week and it shouldn’t be a long-term issue.
- Randy Miller via twitter: Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said that Wayne Simmonds is “probably” cleared for contact, but is not 100% yet. A Saturday return is possible.
- Bob Stauffer via twitter: With putting Anton Lander on the IR, the Oilers can now active Ben Eager for this weekend.
- Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press: Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian is getting close to returning. There is no set date, but he’ll travel with the team to Ottawa for Saturday’s game. Once his injured wrist passes a few more tests in practice, he’ll get the green light to return. Dustin Byfuglien is still out with an undisclosed injury. Antti Miettinen is out with an upper-body injury. There is no timetable for when Byfuglien or Miettinen could return.