NHL Player News

Necas notched three assists, including one on the power play, in Friday's 5-2 win over the Penguins.

Necas assisted Artturi Lehkonen twice and Nathan MacKinnon once in the Avalanche's comeback win. This was the third multi-point effort of the campaign for Necas, who continues to thrive on Colorado's top line. He has four goals, six helpers, 18 shots on net, six hits and a plus-3 rating through eight appearances this season.

MacKinnon scored a power-play goal on nine shots, added three assists and went plus-2 in Friday's 5-2 win over the Penguins.

MacKinnon had his highest single-game point total of the season with this performance. It's his sixth multi-point effort in eight contests, and the superstar center is at six goals and 10 assists so far. He's netted two of his goals with the man advantage. MacKinnon also has 38 shots on net, 12 PIM and a plus-4 rating while leading the way for the Avalanche's offense.

Gard scored twice and added an assist in WHL Seattle's 5-4 overtime win over Kamloops on Friday.

Gard had been struggling to begin the season, earning just one assist over his first five games. The Flyers prospect has had his chances, racking up 22 shots on net through six outings. He'll be in junior hockey for the rest of this season before making the jump to Michigan State University in 2027-28.

Hamilton scored two goals in WHL Red Deer's 9-4 win over Victoria on Friday.

Hamilton continues his strong start to the season with a seventh multi-point effort in eight games. He's up to eight goals, nine assists, 42 shots on net and a plus-5 rating. The Avalanche prospect is second in the WHL in points, trailing only his Red Deer teammate, the undrafted Poul Andersen.

Yager scored twice and added an assist in AHL Manitoba's 7-4 win over Texas on Friday.

Yager has started well in the AHL this year. He has four goals, three assists, 13 shots on net and a plus-5 rating across five appearances. Yager will need to show some consistency over a longer stretch to get a call-up, but he doesn't seem to be too far away from an NHL look.

Sillinger notched three assists in AHL Cleveland's 4-2 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday.

Sillinger has worked as a playmaker early this season. He's earned five helpers over five games for the Monsters. The 29-year-old forward is on a two-way contract this year, but it's unlikely he'll see much NHL time.

The Oilers announced Friday that Dickinson (undisclosed) will likely return during the Oilers' upcoming homestand, which begins Tuesday against Minnesota, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Dickinson will miss a second consecutive matchup due to an undisclosed injury Saturday against the Mammoth, but he at least appears to be trending toward a return. The Oilers' five-game homestand begins Tuesday and runs through Oct. 28, so it's still possible Dickinson misses time beyond Saturday. Across three regular-season appearances this year, he's recorded no goals, an assist, three hits and three blocked shots while averaging 12:12 of ice time.

Nugent-Hopkins (lower body) might be available for Thursday's game against Carolina, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton.

Nugent-Hopkins is expected to miss Edmonton's next two games before he has a chance to return. He hasn't played yet this campaign, but he finished 2025-26 with 20 goals and 56 points in 72 regular-season appearances. There's a fair chance Nugent-Hopkins will serve as the third-line center once healthy, but he also might shift to the wing to play on one of the top-two lines.

Dach (undisclosed) will likely be in the lineup against the Mammoth on Saturday, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

In order for Dach to suit up Saturday, he'll need to be activated off injured reserve, which will clear the way for him to return to the lineup. In his three games prior to getting hurt, Dach failed to register a point while producing five shots, eight hits and three blocks. With Dach back in the lineup, Josh Samanski could be headed to the press box as a healthy scratch.

Head coach Glen Gulutzan said Friday that Back broke his finger and will miss 4-6 weeks, Robert Tiffin of NHL.com reports.

Back exited Wednesday's game against the Avalanche and was placed on injured reserve Friday. He's slated to miss at least a month after being diagnosed with a broken finger, and it's possible the Stars move him to long-term injured reserve at some point.