Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno (illness) won't play on Wednesday against the Nashville Predators. The veteran forward will be unavailable for a second consecutive contest due to illness. Several Wild players have been under the weather recently, including Nico Strum, who returned from a one-game absence on Monday against Montreal to fill Foligno's spot in the lineup. Meanwhile, Jesper Wallstedt (illness) also remains unavailable on Wednesday night. Luckily for Minnesota, this will be the team's final game before the Olympic break, and they can get healthy over the next few weeks.

San Jose Sharks winger Kiefer Sherwood (upper body) will make his team debut on Wednesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. It has been a couple of weeks since the Sharks acquired Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks, but he hasn't played yet due to an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old has a good chance to make a positive first impression, as the Sharks will use Sherwood on the first line with scoring machine Macklin Celebrini and in-form Will Smith. He is also expected to join the second power-play unit. Sherwood has managed 17 goals and 23 points in 44 outings this season, collecting 10 points (six goals, four assists) on the power play.

Colorado Avalanche right wing Martin Necas (lower body) will miss Wednesday's matchup with the San Jose Sharks. He's been dealing with a lower-body injury and won't be in the lineup for a third consecutive game. Necas is still expected to play for Czechia at the 2026 Olympics. With Gabriel Landeskog (upper body) also on the shelf, Ross Colton and Victor Olofsson will continue to see top-six usage. Both players are also part of the second power-play unit. Additionally, Necas' departure from the lineup has boosted Valeri Nichushkin's fantasy stock, as he has replaced him on the first line.

Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (illness) is a game-time decision for Wednesday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports. The Russian forward has been feeling under the weather and didn't play in Tuesday's win over New Jersey. He appears on track to return against Chicago after skating on Wednesday morning. Only defensive standout Zach Werenski has scored more points on the Blue Jackets roster this season, with Marchenko contributing 19 goals and 27 assists in 50 outings. If he's cleared to play, Columbus will scratch Danton Heinen or Isac Lundestrom for the contest. The latter filled in for Marchenko on the first line against New Jersey but had a quiet outing.