Latest On Justin Sourdif
The struggling Anaheim Ducks will be especially short handed tonight, as Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Troy Terry are all absent, per Derek Lee of The Hockey News. The team updated that Carlsson has a lower-body injury and Gauthier is ill, along with Terry’s known upper-body injury.
Terry was considered a game-time decision, clearly unable to go, while Carlsson and Gauthier were last minute surprises. Lee went on to add that as a result of being down three forwards, Anaheim will have to go into an 11-forward, 7-defensemen configuration, but defender Ian Moore may slot in as a forward.
After a great start to the season, the Ducks have faltered recently, with just one regulation win in their last 10 games, and a five game losing streak. Carlsson, Gauthier, and Terry rank in order as the team’s top three scorers, so all of them out of the mix against the league’s second best team, Dallas, will make an especially formidable challenge.
In such situations, sometimes teams give undersized puck moving defenders the opportunity to move up, but if Moore plays forward, he is known as a more stay-at-home player with size. Regardless, tonight may be a night to remember for the 24-year-old.
Updates on the status of Anaheim’s three top forwards will be watched closely, as the group is back in action Friday and Saturday, with a home-and-home against their in-state rivals from Los Angeles.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Things will also be unusual in Anaheim from the other side, as the Dallas Stars announced that defenseman Miro Heiskanen will not play due to a personal matter. The 26-year-old had yet to miss a contest prior to tonight, posting 36 points in 46 games. In place of their #1 defender who averages just over 26 minutes a night, Ilya Lyubushkin will return to the lineup, who has skated 33 games this season.
- Washington Capitals forward Justin Sourdif missed tonight’s game, as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury, reported by Sammi Silber of The Hockey News earlier today. It marks just the second game of the campaign that Sourdif has not dressed. The 23-year-old came to Washington in a summer trade from Florida as a primary AHLer with just four NHL games under his belt. Since then he has earned a real role as a middle six forward under Head Coach Spencer Carbery. Sourdif has 19 points on the year, including a three-goal, five-point effort on January 5, and hopefully will return Thursday against San Jose. In his absence, the Capitals defeated Montreal in overtime.
Chychrun Scratched Due To Illness
- The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Jakob Chychrun was scratched from tonight’s game against Nashville due to illness. The 27-year-old is in the middle of a breakout season, collecting 15 goals and 17 assists in 45 games. That puts him on pace to surpass his previous personal best in points (47) set last season. Washington has been carrying eight defensemen on their roster for most of the year so Chychrun’s absence didn’t necessitate a recall from the minors to fill his spot.
Tom Wilson Remains Day-to-Day With Injury
- Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson, who remains out with a lower-body injury, skated in the team’s practice today with a non-contact jersey, per Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post. Consequently, Wilson is not expected to be available for Washington’s game against the Predators tonight. Wilson hasn’t played since Jan. 5 due to his injury, missing three games. The 31-year-old has 42 points in 41 games this season.
Capitals Activate Aliaksei Protas
The Capitals have activated winger Aliaksei Protas from injured reserve, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. He’ll be back in the lineup tonight against the Blackhawks. Winger Tom Wilson took his spot on IR to open a roster space, but he’ll be eligible to be activated as soon as Sunday.
Protas missed Washington’s last three games, sustaining a lower-body injury against the Senators on New Year’s Day. Now that he’s back, he’ll be looking to pick up where he left off. He’s on a five-game point streak, during which he has four goals and five assists for nine points.
The 6’6″ Belarusian hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down following last season’s 30-goal, 66-point breakout. His 16-15–31 scoring line through 41 appearances this year makes for a slightly decreased overall point pace, but he’s scoring goals at the same rate. He’s also doing so in a more sustainable manner, compensating for a 3.1% dip in shooting percentage by averaging 16% more shots on goal per game than he did in 2024-25.
He continues to be one of the Caps’ most feared possession threats at even strength, too. His +21 rating is second on the team behind Jakob Chychrun, and his 55.8 CF% is inferior only to Wilson’s.
That’s a big boost for a Washington team that’s dropped three out of its last four, now out of the playoff picture for the time being. Their strong advanced numbers and +14 goal differential suggest they should get back into position sooner rather than later, though, especially with key bodies in Protas and Wilson returning in short order.
Wilson, who left the lineup one game after Protas did with a lower-body issue, could get his feet back on the ice in Nashville this weekend. The newly tabbed Olympian is enjoying a career year at age 31, leading the Caps in scoring with 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games. His 22.7% shooting rate is nearly 10 points above his career average and won’t hold up, but the added offense is greatly appreciated in addition to his trademark hard-nosed play, leading Washington with 110 hits.
Capitals Recall Brett Leason
The Capitals have recalled winger Brett Leason to begin his second stint in Washington, according to a team announcement.
Leason’s return to the NHL coincides with an injury to Aliaksei Protas, who has missed the last two with a lower-body injury and has now landed on injured reserve as the corresponding move for his recall. He practiced this morning without a non-contact designation, though, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports. The IR placement rules Protas out of tonight’s game against the Stars, but he should be ready to go when he’s eligible to come off IR before Friday against the Blackhawks.
Now 26, Leason began his NHL career with the Caps as a second-round pick in 2019. He made his NHL debut two years later, scoring six points in 36 games, before the Ducks claimed him off waivers in the first few days of the 2022-23 season. Leason spent the following three seasons in Anaheim, emerging as an NHL regular. He put up a 22-26–48 scoring line in 184 games in SoCal, serving as an occasional penalty-killing option, before being non-tendered last offseason.
Somewhat surprisingly, Leason struggled to find an NHL contract. He was on Russia’s radar after sitting unsigned for a few weeks, but was insistent on continuing his career stateside. He eventually landed a professional tryout offer from the Wild but was released with a week left in training camp. He then settled for a minor-league tryout for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers before finally landing a two-way offer from Washington at the end of October.
He immediately cleared waivers and has since been suiting up for AHL Hershey, where the 6’5″ righty has six goals and 14 points in 20 games. With Protas banged up and Tom Wilson dealing with a lower-body injury that kept him out of Monday’s game against the Ducks, Leason projects to make his season debut in fourth-line duties tonight.
Latest On Capitals' Injuries
Colin Stephenson of Newsday Sports reported that Rangers captain J.T. Miller remains in a red no-contact jersey in practice this morning, while fellow forward Noah Laba was also a limited participant, skating on his own.
Miller has been out since December 20 after sustaining a hit versus Philadelphia, injuring his right shoulder. Subsequently, he was forced to miss the Winter Classic. Initially listed as week-to-week, the 32-year-old’s scoring has taken a step backwards so far this season, with 22 points in 35 games and a -11. However, once healthy, the veteran will lean into his imposing style and leadership on Team USA in the upcoming Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, Laba is also week-to-week with an upper-body injury, after taking a hard hit from Tom Wilson on New Year’s Eve. The rookie was an everyday player before the injury, with 12 points in 42 games on Head Coach Mike Sullivan’s third line. In his absence, 35-year-old depth forward Justin Dowling has slotted in from the AHL, getting to make his Rangers debut under the bright lights in Miami.
New York hosts Utah tomorrow night, and will do so without Miller or Laba. It is safe to assume neither will return for another week or so, but the club hopes their resounding Winter Classic win over Florida will kickstart a playoff push in the New Year.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network provided several injury updates on the Capitals: Tom Wilson is receiving further evaluation, and a better indication on a return time frame should come tomorrow. Aliaksei Protas is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Finally, Justin Sourdif and Jakob Chychrun are absent, but just due to maintenance. Wilson left last night’s game, seeming to suffer an awkward ankle injury. The team desperately hopes he won’t be out long, as the 31-year-old is possibly having his best season yet, in year 13. Wilson has been a force, leading the team with 42 points in 41 games, while still maintaining his usual wrecking ball physicality. Such output is a new level for the veteran who has a career high of 65 points, coming last season. Protas, on the other hand, missed last night’s game, his first absence of the year. The towering power forward has produced right on track with last season’s 30-goal, 66-point breakout, and thankfully, should return quickly. Washington is right back in action tomorrow night, taking on Anaheim at home, where Wilson and Protas’ presence will be watched closely.
- Ahead of today’s matinee action against Pittsburgh, Columbus will be missing Sean Monahan again, as reported by Jeff Svoboda, official team reporter. The center hasn’t played since December 28, with no official injury designation listed, making today his fourth straight game sidelined. Monahan, 31, had a strong campaign in his first as a Jacket last season, posting 57 points in 54 games. Things have not gone as to plan this year, with 19 in 37 contests, as Monahan has rotated at times with fellow veteran Charlie Coyle between second and third line center duties. As noted by Svoboda, the club hopes Monahan can return sometime this week. Currently at the bottom of a very deep Metropolitan Division, the Blue Jackets face an uphill battle to end their five year postseason drought.
Tom Wilson Suffers Lower-Body Injury
The Washington Capitals are dealing with a high-level injury concern from their contest against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. The Capitals announced that forward Tom Wilson is questionable to return after suffering a lower-body injury.
- Wilson isn’t the only injured member of the Capitals’ forward core. Before tonight’s puck drops, Washington shared that Aliaksei Protas would miss the game due to a lower-body injury. Protas, 25, is the Capitals’ fifth-highest scorer with 16 goals and 31 points in 41 games with a +21 rating. He was relatively banged up in Washington’s recent loss to the Ottawa Senators, so he may only need a day to rest.
Dubois Resumes Skating But Won't Return Until After Olympics
Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois has started skating as he continues to work his way back from abdominal surgery two months ago, reports Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post (Twitter link). The original recovery timeline for the procedure was three to four months so he’s past the halfway point now. However, head coach Spencer Carbery quickly mentioned that the 27-year-old won’t return until after the Olympic break next month. Dubois got off to a slow start before the injury and was held without a point in his first six games but he was a key contributor last season, tallying a career-high 66 points. He’ll certainly be a welcome addition for Washington for the stretch run.
Cole Hutson To Return For Quarterfinals
Still, it’s curious that Hockey Canada has opted for Schaefer being the next man up rather than Washington Capitals blueliner Jakob Chychrun. The former 16th overall pick has been one of the most underrated defensemen in the league this season, scoring 15 goals and 30 points in 40 games while managing a 23:16 ATOI. Additionally, Chychrun’s underlying metrics are better than Schaefer’s, with a 56.0% CF% and 91.8% oiSV% at even strength.
- In the World Juniors Championship, the United States is expected to return an important defenseman for their upcoming quarterfinal matchup against Finland. This afternoon, Mike G. Morreale of the NHL wrote that Cole Hutson, who hasn’t played since being hit in the head with a puck in the round robin matchup against Team Switzerland, is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow. The Capitals prospect has already registered two assists in two games with a +5 rating.
Evening Notes: Hutson, Plante, Sherwood, Leddy
Washington Capitals defense prospect Cole Hutson and Detroit Red Wings prospect Max Plante are both dealing with day-to-day injuries with Team USA at the 2026 World Junior Championship per NHL.com’s Mike Morreale.
Hutson was injuried when a stray puck hit him in the back of the head in Saturday’s game against Switzerland. It was a scary moment that ended with Hutson being carted off the ice and transported to the hospital. Luckily, he left the hospital later that night avoided the worst case scenario. He returned to Team USA’s practice on Monday morning.
Plante hasn’t yet returned to practice after sustaining an injury in the second period of Monday’s game against Slovakia.
Both players sat out of USA’s Wednesday matchup against Team Sweden. The Americans lost that matchup 3-6. Hutson led the 2025 World Juniors in scoring with 11 points in seven games. Plante led the NCAA in scoring before leaving for this tournament. He has 30 points in 20 games. The two are major pillars of the American lineup. Their day-to-day status will be a silver lining as the Americans eye a tough elimination round.
Other notes from around the league:
- The San Jose Sharks have expressed interest in Vancouver Canucks scorer Kiefer Sherwood per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in a recent interview on the FAN Hockey Show. The 30-year-old winger would be an interesting buy for a Sharks club well outside of playoff contention. He has offered Vancouver a unique mix of goal-scoring and heavy-hitting. Sherwood recorded 19 goals, 40 points, and an NHL record 462 hits in 78 games last season. He is continuing in that line this year, with 16 goals and 184 hits in only 39 games. Those numbers put him on pace for 34 goals and 387 hits in 82 games this season. Bringing in that impact could help San Jose protect their young stars and add a bit more veteran shooting to the mix as they eye cheap additions to the lineup.
- Sticking in San Jose, young defender Shakir Mukhamadullin rotated back into the lineup for Nick Leddy in Wednesday’s shootout win over the Minnesota Wild per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. He recorded two shots on goal and no points. The Sharks have rotated between the two defenders over their recent stretch. Mukhamadullin has managed six points, 10 hits, and 21 shot blocks in 21 games. Leddy has three assists and 20 shot blocks in 15 games. The two will continue rotating while San Jose waits on Timothy Liljegren‘s nearing return.