NHL Player News

The Oilers placed Nugent-Hopkins (lower body) on injured reserve Thursday.

Nugent-Hopkins missed Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Canucks and is expected to be sidelined for about two weeks to begin the regular season. As a result, it isn't very surprising to see him officially placed on injured reserve. The 33-year-old made 72 regular-season appearances last year, recording 20 goals, 36 assists, 31 blocked shots, 25 hits and 21 PIM while averaging 19:04 of ice time.

Savoie (lower body) was shifted to long-term injured reserve Thursday.

By moving Savoie to LTIR, the Oilers will get some cap relief while he is sidelined, as their injuries have started to pile up. The 22-year-old forward logged all 82 regular-season games in his rookie campaign, generating 18 goals and 19 assists, including seven power-play points. Considering Savoie is expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the season, fantasy managers probably shouldn't be expecting him to significantly outperform those numbers in 2026-27.

Lapierre potted a goal, distributed an assist, posted a plus-three rating and recorded four hits in Wednesday's 7-0 Opening Night win over Philadelphia.

Lapierre's Penguins debut was a massive success, as he picked up two points across two and a half minutes in the second period. He dished out the primary helper on Evgeni Malkin's power-play goal before he scored himself on a set-up from Filip Hallander. Lapierre struggled to carve out consistent playing time with the Capitals in 2025-26, where he posted four goals, 16 points, 53 shots on net and 49 hits across 74 regular-season games while averaging just under nine minutes of ice time. He could be in line for an increased role while Ben Kindel (lower body) remains on injured reserve to begin the 2026-27 season.

Hallander scored a goal, dished out two assists, posted a plus-four rating and placed three shots on net in Wednesday's 7-0 Opening Night win over the Flyers.

Hallander was awarded the first star of the game Wednesday, where he put together the first multi-point outing of his career. The 26-year-old forward played a hand in the team's fourth, fifth and sixth goals, with Pittsburgh's fifth tally of the night being his first goal of the season. He also showed a connection with his linemate on Pittsburgh's third forward unit, Hendrix Lapierre, when he assisted him early in the second period. Even with a handful of forwards injured to begin the year for the Penguins, Hallander is expected to play a larger role for the team in 2026-27, which was likely solidified for the time being with his three-point night Wednesday.

Kadri recorded two power-play assists and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Kings.

Kadri helped out on goals by Brock Nelson and Nathan MacKinnon in this contest. The 35-year-old Kadri has long worked as a center, but he's opening this year as a second-line winger alongside Nelson, giving the Avalanche some flexibility in constructing their lines. If Kadri sticks on the wing, he'll gain some versatility in fantasy, which could make it more palatable to roster him. He was held to 50 points in 77 regular-season outings between Colorado and Calgary last year, his lowest total in the last five years, and further age-related regression is a risk factor moving forward.

Roy scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Kings.

Roy saw 12:12 of ice time from a fourth-line role Wednesday, though that number might be a bit inflated since the Avalanche were forced into dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Roy should be a decent depth scorer this year, and he's versatile enough to move around the bottom six as necessary. He produced 25 points, 76 shots on net, 71 hits and 40 blocked shots over 74 regular-season outings between the Avalanche and the Maple Leafs last year.

Nelson scored a goal and added two assists, all with the man advantage, in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Kings.

Nelson was on the second power-play unit, but that didn't stop him from making a positive impact in that role. The 34-year-old center is coming off another strong year of 65 points and 186 shots on net in 81 regular-season outings in 2025-26. With a firm top-six role and an ability to maintain a high shooting percentage, Nelson should be a useful center option in fantasy.

MacKinnon scored twice on eight shots, added five PIM, logged two hits and went minus-2 in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Kings.

MacKinnon was slinging the puck in midseason form, and one of his two goals came on the power play. He also fought Brandt Clarke in the third period as the game got contentious. MacKinnon won't be a steady source of grit, but fantasy managers had him in contention for the No. 1 pick because of his elite scoring skills. He's coming off a career-high 53 goals in the regular season last year, and he added 74 assists and 350 shots on net. He's one of a handful of players who can regularly come anywhere near those marks on a yearly basis.

O'Brien (lower body) was placed on non-roster injured reserve Wednesday.

O'Brien was initially announced on injured reserve Sunday, but his status has since been clarified. He is considered week-to-week at this time. The Kraken have a few options for when he gets healthy -- as a 19-year-old first-round pick (2025), he is eligible for the AHL if Seattle thinks that would be best for his development.

Duchene (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports reports.

Duchene was labeled doubtful for the Stars' season opener Friday, and this move suggests he will not play in that game. The 35-year-old is battling an injury that has bothered him since the start of training camp, and he recently suffered a setback in his recovery process. The Stars are likely to utilize seven defensemen in Duchene's absence, as they have no extra forwards on the roster.