Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.
Montreal Canadiens
Goaltender Jacob Fowler will start against the Calgary Flames tonight as the team returns home after a seven-game road trip.
In seven appearances this season with Montreal, Fowler is 3-2-2 with a .903 save percentage and 2.57 goals-against average. He allowed two goals on 19 shots in his last start on Saturday against St. Louis, a 2-0 loss.
Jacob Fowler sera le gardien partant contre les Flames ce soir.@RDSca
— Patrick Friolet (@PFrioletRDS) January 7, 2026
The 21-year-old rookie has also appeared in 15 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, going 10-5-5 with a .919 save percentage and 2.57 GAA.
The Canadiens went 4-1-2 on their recent road trip, capped off by a 4-3 overtime win over Dallas on Sunday.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Forward Rutger McGroarty has been placed on the injured reserve due to a concussion and there is no timetable for his return.
Penguins reporter Seth Rorabaugh says that McGroarty collided with a teammate at practice yesterday and appeared to be holding his head and neck while chatting with an athletic trainer on the bench.
The Penguins place Rutger McGroarty on injured reserve.
No details on his malady. He collided with a teammate in practice yesterday then appeared to be holding his head and neck on the bench while chatting with an athletic trainer.
— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) January 7, 2026
McGroarty, 21, has two goals and one assist in 16 games with Pittsburgh this season. He has also skated in seven AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, scoring four goals with three assists.
Drafted 14th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2022, he was traded to Pittsburgh on Aug. 22, 2024 in exchange for forward Brayden Yager.
In his rookie professional season in 2024-25, McGroarty had 14 goals and 39 points in 60 AHL games. He also played in eight games with Pittsburgh, scoring one goal with two assists.
Dallas Stars
The Stars have signed forward Justin Hryckowian to a two-year, $1.9 million contract extension on Wednesday.
It is a one-way contract with an AAV of $950,000.
Hryckowian, 24, has six goals and 13 points in 42 games with Dallas this season after making the team out of training camp.
In 2024-25 with the AHL’s Texas Stars, he had 22 goals and 60 points in 67 games, winning the league’s Most Outstanding Rookie award.
An undrafted free agent, he signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Dallas on March 20, 2024 after three years with the NCAA’s Northeastern Huskies.