NHL Player News

Merkulov scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Providence's 3-2 overtime win over Bridgeport.

Merkulov cleared waivers Oct. 4 and has started the year positively for Providence with four points in two games. He scored a goal and assisted on tallies by Frederic Brunet and Matej Blumel in Saturday's contest. If Merkulov continues his strong play in the AHL, he could earn himself a call-up to Boston at some point in 2025-26. He has just one assist in 10 career NHL outings, but he's topped 50 points in each of the last three AHL campaigns.

Studnicka scored a goal on three shots and added an assist in AHL Charlotte's 4-3 win over Springfield.

Studnicka has picked up three points through the first two AHL games of the year. The 26-year-old hasn't been able to carve out consistent NHL time since 2022-23 and didn't earn a single appearance at the top level in 2024-25, but he had 45 points in 72 regular-season games with AHL Ontario last year. Studnicka could get called up by the Panthers if their injury situation gets severe at any point this year.

Lund registered three assists and four shots on net in AHL San Jose's 7-6 win over Bakersfield on Saturday.

Lund got a brief taste of NHL action with three points in 11 games late in 2024-25 after signing out of Northeastern University last March. The Sharks will let him earn some development time with the Barracuda to start 2025-26, though he could be a call-up candidate later in the campaign.

Boyd scored twice in AHL Toronto's 4-1 win over Rochester on Saturday.

This was Boyd's debut for the Marlies. The 32-year-old failed to make the Maple Leafs' Opening Night roster but is one of the more experienced forward options in the Toronto system. Last season, he posted 53 points in 63 games for AHL Iowa, reaching the 50-point mark for the third time in an AHL campaign in his career.

Martin picked up an assist in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Mammoth.

Martin got on the scoresheet in his second NHL game. He's been listed on the Predators' first line, but he's averaged a modest 11:42 of ice time while adding just one blocked shot and no other fantasy-relevant statistics to begin his career. The 18-year-old was selected fifth overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and is looking to stick with the big club, though he could head back to the junior ranks after a nine-game audition.

Parssinen posted an assist, two hits and two PIM in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Penguins.

Parssinen was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the season, but he entered the lineup Saturday for Vincent Trocheck (upper body), who is week-to-week. The 24-year-old Parssinen will likely be limited to a bottom-six role while he's in the lineup. He had 16 points over 48 contests between the Rangers, Avalanche and Predators last year. With little chance of top-six usage or power-play time, fantasy managers can find more productive forwards than Parssinen on the waiver wire.

Eriksson Ek posted two power-play assists, two shots on goal and two PIM in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Eriksson Ek has started the year strong with three points (all on the power play), five shots on net and three hits over two games. The 28-year-old is on the second line, but he could move up to the first line whenever head coach John Hynes needs to shuffle the forward trios. Eriksson Ek was limited to 29 points in 46 regular-season outings last season, but he was able to top 60 points in the previous two campaigns, so he should be a major part of the Wild's offense throughout 2025-26.

Aston-Reese produced an assist and five hits in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Wild.

Aston-Reese continues to maintain a spot on the fourth line for the Blue Jackets. He could lose some playing time to Yegor Chinakhov throughout the year. The 31-year-old Aston-Reese has an assist, seven hits, two shots on goal and a plus-1 rating through two contests and will look to build on his 17-point performance from 2024-25, which matched his career high in points.

Fantilli scored a goal, dished an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Wild.

Fantilli was held off the scoresheet versus the Predators in the season opener before breaking out with a multi-point effort Saturday. The 21-year-old has started 2025-26 as the Blue Jackets' second-line center. He's looking to build upon the 31-goal, 54-point campaign he had over all 82 games last season. Fantilli has some breakout potential for fantasy, though he'll have to prove that shooting 16.2 percent last year wasn't a total fluke.

Lorentz (upper body) is doubtful for Monday's game against Detroit, per Nick Barden of The Hockey News.

Lorentz didn't participate in Sunday's practice after getting hurt in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Red Wings. He has contributed two assists, two blocked shots and six hits across two appearances this season. Easton Cowan will probably replace Lorentz in Monday's lineup.