NHL Player News

Howden scored a goal on two shots and added four PIM in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.

Howden had seven assists over a four-game span from Feb. 8-27 before being held off the scoresheet Sunday versus the Devils. The 26-year-old bounced back Wednesday with his first goal since Jan. 20 against the Blues. The 26-year-old's recent run of playmaking has partially balanced out his offense. He's now at 17 goals and 13 assists through 60 contests -- this is the first time he's reached the 30-point mark in a season. Howden has added 105 shots on net, 98 hits, 28 PIM and a plus-9 rating while mainly playing on the third line.

Hertl scored a goal, added an assist, logged two hits and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.

Hertl notched his second multi-point effort in three games and has earned four goals and three assists over his last six outings. He made an early impact with a goal 4:33 into this contest, and he helped out on a Tanner Pearson tally in the second period. Hertl is up to 24 goals, 24 helpers, 148 shots on net, 87 hits, 49 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating across 61 appearances while filling a top-six role for much of this season.

Eichel scored a power-play goal on six shots and added an assist in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.

Eichel's first-period tally chased Joseph Woll from the contest, and that goal was ultimately the game-winner. The 28-year-old Eichel had gone five games without a goal, but he has five points over his last three outings. For the season, the center has played at an elite level with 20 goals, 74 points (27 on the power play), 189 shots on net, 43 blocked shots and a plus-28 rating across 60 appearances.

Lavoie (upper body) will not return to Wednesday's game versus the Maple Leafs, Ryan Wallis of Fox Sports Las Vegas reports.

Lavoie left the bench in the second period and did not come back out for the third. He had two hits in 5:48 of ice time. If Lavoie is unavailable Friday versus the Penguins, the Golden Knights may call up a forward, unless they make a trade for a forward prior to Friday's trade deadline.

Wiesblatt was called up from AHL Milwaukee on Wednesday, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports.

Wiesblatt made three NHL appearances earlier in the season, posting five hits, one shot on goal and a plus-1 rating. The 22-year-old winger will join the big club and could stick around a while -- the Predators dealt away Thomas Novak on Wednesday following Saturday's Gustav Nyquist trade, so the team's forward depth has taken a hit. Wiesblatt is a candidate for middle-six minutes as he looks for his first NHL point.

Kerfoot signed a one-year, $3 million contract with Utah on Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Kerfoot is in the final season of a two-year deal with a $3.5 million cap hit, so he will take a slight pay decrease to stay with Utah. The 30-year-old is a versatile player, but his performance has dipped in 2024-25 with just 16 points over 61 appearances compared to 45 points over 82 contests in 2023-24.

Novak and Luke Schenn were traded to the Penguins from the Predators on Wednesday in exchange for Michael Bunting (abdomen) and a 2026 fourth-round pick, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.

Novak is an intriguing player for the Penguins, but the chances are low of him being anything more than a middle-six forward who could feature on the second power-play unit. The 27-year-old Novak had a slow start in 2024-25 and has managed just 22 points over 52 appearances, but he had totals of 43 points in 2022-23 and 45 points in 2023-24. It's also possible the Penguins try to flip him before Friday's trade deadline, but if he stays in Pittsburgh, his fantasy value will hold pretty steady to what it was in Nashville.

Meyers was recalled by Seattle on Wednesday.

Meyers has 19 goals and 40 points in 45 outings with AHL Coachella Valley this season. He has also appeared in seven games with Seattle, recording no points, three shots and six hits. The Kraken needed reinforcements after trading Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde to Tampa Bay.

Hughes underwent shoulder surgery and was placed on long-term injured reserve Wednesday. He's expected to be ready for training camp.

Hughes suffered the injury during the third period of Sunday's 2-0 loss to Vegas. He'll finish the 2024-25 campaign with 27 goals and 70 points in 62 appearances. Hughes is a vital part of the Devils' forward corps, and this is a devastating blow to say the least. New Jersey holds the third seed in the Metropolitan Division with a 33-24-6 record, but its playoff spot isn't secure. Hughes comes with an $8 million cap hit, so putting him on LTIR does give the Devils a lot of flexibility going into the deadline, but they'll have to evaluate if they want to be buyers when they're also expected to miss Hughes for the playoffs. If the team doesn't make changes before Friday's trade deadline, then Dawson Mercer will probably serve in a top-six capacity and feature on the first power-play unit for the remainder of the season.

Lorentz (undisclosed) is expected to return Wednesday versus Vegas, per Luke Fox of Sportsnet.

Lorentz missed Toronto's previous two games. He has five goals, 14 points and 148 hits in 59 appearances in 2024-25. Connor Dewar is likely to be a healthy scratch to make room for Lorentz.