NHL Player News

Hedman put up an assist Thursday in a 4-3 shootout win over the Ducks.

It was a big night for the big defender. Hedman is the fourth defenseman from Sweden to reach 600 NHL assists, joining Nicklas Lidstrom (878), Erik Karlsson (656) and Borje Salming (637). It was his 1,093rd career NHL game, and he became the first Bolt to reach 600 assists and the 19th defenseman in NHL history to reach the mark.

Vaakanainen logged an assist in Thursday's 5-3 win over Utah.

Vaakanainen has held a third-pairing role since making his Rangers debut Dec. 17, which has largely kept Zac Jones out of the lineup. Vaakanainen hasn't done much on offense with two helpers over 14 contests. He's at three assists, nine shots on net, 22 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 19 appearances between the Rangers and the Ducks this season.

Lindgren registered a shorthanded assist in Thursday's 5-3 win over Utah.

Lindgren has four helpers over his last six games. The 26-year-old helped out on Reilly Smith's tally in the third period, which tied the game at 3-3. Lindgren won't add much on offense but continues to offer physicality while seeing top-four minutes. He's at 10 points, 28 shots on net, 50 hits, 77 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating through 39 appearances.

Schneider notched an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-3 win over Utah.

Schneider has two helpers over eight outings in January after logging just one assist in December. The 23-year-old defenseman had a brief foray into the top four on the Rangers' blue line between the team's trades that sent out Jacob Trouba and brought in Will Borgen, who has since jumped Schneider on the depth chart. For the season, Schneider is at 11 points, 59 shots on net, 77 hits, 75 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating through 44 games. His fantasy appeal is limited in a third-pairing role with minimal power-play time.

Fox provided an assist in Thursday's 5-3 win over Utah.

Fox helped out on Artemi Panarin's empty-netter in the third period. The 26-year-old Fox has six points over his last six games, with three of those points coming on the power play. The star defenseman is up to 34 points, 71 shots on net, 63 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over 44 appearances in his usual roles on the top pairing and first power-play unit.

Hutson recorded an assist, one shot on net, one block, one hit and two PIM in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Stars.

Hutson's rising blast from the point was tipped in by Alex Newhook and gave Montreal the go-ahead goal midway through the third period. The helper gives him assists in six straight. During that stretch, the rookie blueliner has 10 points (nine assists), including two three-point efforts. His 36 points for the season leads all rookies and ranks tied for sixth overall among defensemen.

McCabe (upper body) returned to action Thursday in a 4-3 overtime win over the Devils. He played a game-high 24:16 and had two assists, two hits, five shots, five blocked shots and a plus-3 rating.

McCabe spent four games on injured reserve after an upper-body injury that occurred in a fight. He made a big impact on the blue line and in fantasy box scores. McCabe has just 13 points, including 12 assists, in 37 games this season. Points aren't really a guarantee with the defender, but those secondary stats of hits and blocks are a valuable fantasy commodity.

Morrissey notched a power-play assist, four shots on goal and two blocked shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Kraken.

Morrissey earned his first power-play point since Dec. 23 against the Maple Leafs. He has done damage at even strength since the holiday break, with six of his seven points over his last 10 contests coming at 5-on-5. The helper was Morrissey's 40th point this season, 17 of which have come on the power play. The star defenseman has added 96 shots on net, 72 blocked shots, 22 PIM and a plus-12 rating over 46 appearances.

DeMelo scored a goal on two shots and blocked three shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Kraken.

DeMelo's goal came with 27 seconds left in regulation to send the Jets to the win. The defenseman isn't a frequent contributor on offense but has three points over his last nine outings. For the season, he's at two goals, nine points, 41 shots on net, 80 hits, 56 blocked shots and a plus-20 rating through 46 appearances. He's played in 600 career games and has earned a total of 153 points while most often featuring in a shutdown role.

Sandin tallied an assist, a plus-1 rating and two shots during Thursday's 1-0 win over the Senators.

Sandin made a terrific effort in the defensive zone before lugging the puck up the ice and feeding Alex Ovechkin for his 874th career NHL goal. The 24-year-old Swede has four goals and 18 goals in 45 games thus far in the 2024-25 campaign.