Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Dakota Mermis (lower body) will miss a month, Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sunreports. He was placed on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, retroactive to Dec. 8. Mermis sustained a lower-body injury in Monday's loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Maple Leafs recalled Henry Thrun from the minors on Wednesday, and he is likely to replace Mermis in the lineup on Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks. Philippe Myers is another option for the blue line, which remains without Brandon Carlo (lower body) and Chris Tanev (upper body) on Thursday. Meanwhile, Morgan Rielly (illness) is questionable after missing Wednesday's practice.

Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans (personal) won't be in the lineup on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He will miss the game for personal reasons. Montreal expects to have Evans back for Saturday's contest against the New York Rangers. Evans has gone six games without scoring any points. Across the season, he has totaled eight points (four goals, four assists) in 29 outings while amassing a team-worst minus-19 rating. Owen Beck was recalled from the minors on Wednesday and figures to enter the lineup against Pittsburgh. The 21-year-old has not scored any points in two NHL appearances this season and does not provide any fantasy value.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (upper body) is expected to remain out on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres, Paul Chapman of The Province reports. Canucks head coach Adam Foote said following Wednesday's practice that Pettersson is "unlikely" to play against Buffalo. The Swedish forward has already missed two games due to an upper-body injury. He is the team's top scorer, alongside Quinn Hughes, boasting 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) through 28 appearances. David Kampf has taken on top-line center duties during Pettersson's absence. After 10 appearances, Kampf is still looking for his first points of the season.

St. Louis Blues center Nick Bjugstad (upper body) will be out "at least five days," head coach Jim Montgomery announced on Wednesday. The veteran forward suffered an upper-body injury in Tuesday's loss to the Boston Bruins. St. Louis will play three games over the next five days. Jordan Kyrou (lower body), Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist), Alexei Toropchenko (leg), and Nathan Walker (upper body) are also out, leaving the Blues shorthanded up front. To address the situation, the team signed Robby Fabbri to a one-year, two-way contracton Wednesday. Fabbri, who previously played for the Blues from 2015 to 2019, could make his first appearance of the season on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators.