Stephens suffered a lower-body injury on November 13th and will be out until at least late February. With Stephens out long-term, Joe Veleno could remain with the Red Wings for the foreseeable future.
The Red Wings announced that Stephens will "miss some time" with a lower-body injury that he suffered on Saturday. The move opened up a roster spot to call Joe Veleno up from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Stephens suffered a lower-body injury on Saturday after sliding feet-first into the boards. With Stephens out, the Red Wings are expected to call up a forward for their four-game road trip.
McCann has missed the last five games while on the COVID-19 protocol list but was back at practice on Wednesday and could play vs. the Ducks. McCann will likely replace Yanni Gourde, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Gourde was banged up in the Kraken's loss in Vegas on Tuesday. Head coach Dave Hakstol called him day-to-day on Wednesday, making him questionable to play Thursday vs. the Ducks. Luckily, it looks like Jared McCann will return from the COVID-19 reserve list to replace Gourde.
Returning Gibson opens the door for Sergei Bobrovsky to return to the Panthers' crease on Thursday. Gibson has gone 1-3-0 with a 4.33 GAA and .882 SV% in four AHL games this season.
Burakovsky left last Saturday's game vs. the Wild with a lower-body injury and did not return. With Burakovsky not expected to play, look for J.T. Compher to move to Colorado's top line with Nathan MacKinnon.