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A healthy scratch is a player left out of a particular game lineup; injured reserve (IR) is a formal injury-related roster designation that makes a player ineligible to play in NHL games for at least seven days. A scratch alone does not establish that a player is injured or on IR.
What does “healthy scratch” mean in hockey?
A healthy scratch is common lineup language for a player who is available to the team but omitted from a specific game. It describes that game’s selection, not a league roster transaction. The phrase does not, by itself, establish why the player was left out or prove that the player is injured. The NHL materials cited below define IR, but do not give “healthy scratch” a formal rules definition.
Teams may leave an available player out for a coach’s lineup choice or another team reason. Unless the club or a reliable report explains the reason, the label alone does not tell you why.
What does NHL injured reserve mean?
The NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement defines Injured Reserve as the list of players who, “because of injury, illness, or disability are deemed by their respective Clubs to be unable to render playing services to such Clubs for an extended period of time as set forth in Article 16 of this Agreement.” Read the NHL/NHLPA CBA.
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The NHL’s Hockey Operations Guidelines say a player physically unable to play for at least seven days after the injury date can be placed on IR. Once placed there, the player is ineligible to compete in NHL games for no less than seven days. The club’s medical staff determines the injury status under its medical standards.
How do healthy scratch and IR differ?
| Question | Healthy scratch | Injured reserve |
|---|---|---|
| What it describes | Omission from a particular game lineup | Formal injury-related roster status |
| Does it establish an injury? | No; the term alone does not establish one | Yes; IR is tied to injury, illness, or disability and inability to play |
| Can the player play that game? | No, because the player was left out of that lineup | No; the NHL requires at least seven days of game ineligibility after placement |
| Roster accounting | The scratch itself does not remove the player from the roster | IR players do not count toward the roster limit; the club may replace the player on its NHL roster |
| What does a report establish? | That the player was omitted, if the report is accurate | IR only when a player-specific IR designation is reported |
Does injured reserve free up an NHL roster spot?
Yes. The NHL guidelines state that during the regular season through the trade deadline, a club may have at most 23 players on its playing roster. Players on IR do not count toward that limit, and a club may replace an IR player on its NHL roster. A healthy scratch, by contrast, does not itself change the roster count.
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Is IR the same as long-term injured reserve?
No. IR and long-term injured reserve (LTIR) are separate designations with different thresholds and roster or spending-limit effects. The Carolina Hurricanes’ transaction primer describes ordinary IR as applying when an injury or illness makes a player unavailable for seven or more days. It describes LTIR as requiring unavailability for at least 10 games and 24 days, with a potential increase to the club’s spending limit under the applicable conditions. That team guide is a summary; a specific club’s cap treatment depends on the governing CBA and current NHL rules. Ordinary IR should not be described as automatically removing a player’s salary from the cap.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should you read roster and lineup reports?
Check whether the item is a game lineup, a specific transaction, or a broad roster list. For example, the NHL’s September 29, 2026 opening-roster report used the combined heading “Injured and/or Non-Roster.” That heading does not identify each listed player’s precise designation. Confirm a player-specific transaction before calling that player injured reserve, non-roster, or another status.
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- A lineup report saying a player is out or scratched shows that the player was omitted from that game; it does not prove an injury.
- A player-specific IR transaction indicates a formal injury-related roster status.
- A combined injured/non-roster heading may group different statuses, so it is not enough by itself to identify an individual player’s designation.
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