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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchAn NHL healthy scratch is a healthy player the coach leaves out of a particular game’s lineup. The player is not dressed, cannot take part and gets no ice time in that game. The term describes that game’s lineup; by itself, it does not mean the player has been released, removed from the club’s playing roster or told what will happen next.
What “healthy scratch” means
“Healthy” distinguishes this type of scratch from an injury-related absence: the player is left out by the coach’s decision, rather than being identified as unavailable because of an injury. The label establishes that the player is not dressed for that game, but it does not reveal the coach’s full reasoning.
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A scratch is not the same as a dressed player who stays on the bench. A scratched player cannot participate in the game. A dressed player, such as a backup goalie who does not enter the game, is eligible but simply does not appear. Sportradar’s NHL game-status FAQ explains this distinction in its data definitions.
What it means for ice time
A healthy scratch receives no game ice time in the game for which the player is scratched, because the player does not participate. That answers the immediate question, not the player’s ice-time outlook over a longer stretch. The label alone does not show whether the player will dress next game or how much ice time they might receive then.
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Does a healthy scratch remain on the roster?
Often, a player can be left out of a game lineup while remaining on the club’s playing roster. These are different concepts: the game lineup identifies who is dressed and eligible for that game, while the playing roster is the club-level roster.
The NHL’s Hockey Operations Guidelines state that the regular-season playing roster may have a maximum of 23 players from the start of the regular season through the trade deadline, with a minimum of 20. Injured Reserve players do not count toward the 23-player maximum. Separately, Rule 5.1 of the NHL’s 2025–26 Official Rules says a game team consists of 20 players: 18 skaters and two goalkeepers.
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Those figures describe different roster levels and should not be treated as interchangeable. The roster limit also applies within the stated regular-season window; it is not a claim about every roster situation at every point in the season. NHL’s Video Rulebook page links a 2026–27 rulebook, but the detailed lineup wording cited here is verified in the 2025–26 edition.
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| Status | Dressed and eligible for that game? | What the label tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy scratch | No | The coach left a healthy player out of that game’s lineup. |
| Injury-related scratch | No | The player is scratched because of an injury-related absence; the label alone does not supply a medical diagnosis. |
| Dressed player who does not appear | Yes | The player is eligible but does not enter the game; a backup goalie is one example. |
Sportradar’s NHL status definitions distinguish coach-decision scratches from injury-related scratches and from players who are dressed but do not appear.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What you cannot conclude from the label
“Healthy scratch” is not, on its own, evidence of a transaction or a longer-term roster move. It does not establish that a player has been waived, traded, demoted or released, and it does not prove the player was being punished. Nor does the phrase alone establish salary or salary-cap consequences. Those questions require information beyond the game-status label.
For a particular player, look for a team announcement or reliable reporting before treating the scratch as evidence of an injury, a specific disciplinary reason or a lasting change in roster status. An absence from the lineup alone does not identify why a coach made the decision or what comes next.
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