NHL Player News

Vlasic picked up an assist Tuesday in a 6-3 win over the Red Wings.

It was his 1,299th NHL game. Pickles will become just the 21st defenseman in league history to play 1,300 games. He has 83 goals and 295 assists for 378 career points. Kudos.

Hutson notched three assists, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Tuesday's 5-3 win over Utah.

Hutson has a goal and eight assists during his five-game point streak, which includes a pair of three-point efforts. The 20-year-old picked up a helper in each period Tuesday, assisting on goals by Mike Matheson, Kirby Dach and Cole Caufield. For the season, Hutson is up to 35 points (14 on the power play), 49 shots on net, 56 blocked shots, 21 hits, 22 PIM and a minus-4 rating over 43 appearances. He looks like the real deal while occupying spots on the top pairing and first power-play unit, so fantasy managers shouldn't hesitate to roster him or have him in their active lineup.

Matheson scored a goal on three shots, dished an assist, added two PIM, logged two hits and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 5-3 win over Utah.

The goal was a dazzler for any player, let alone a defenseman. Matheson was able to convert on an end-to-end rush by himself to tie the game at 1-1 in the first period. The blueliner also helped out on Cole Caufield's third-period tally, which was the game-winner. The arrival of Lane Hutson has stolen some of Matheson's thunder, but he's still a capable all-around defenseman in his own right. For the season, the 30-year-old has three goals, 22 points, 82 shots on net, 85 blocked shots, 35 PIM and a minus-2 rating over 41 appearances. His tally Tuesday was his first since Nov. 30.

Makar registered an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Rangers.

Makar helped out on Parker Kelly's opening goal in the first period. This game wasn't all good for Makar -- he mishandled a pass that led to Sam Carrick tying the game on a shorthanded breakaway later in the opening frame. Makar has four points over seven outings in January, but his helper Tuesday snapped a season-worst four-game slump. He has a total of 50 points, which ranks him tied for first with the Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski. Makar has 20 power-play points, 134 shots on net, 71 blocked shots, 37 hits and a plus-13 rating over 45 appearances.

Hedman scored a goal and added an assist in a 6-2 loss to the Bruins on Tuesday.

He's on a four-game scoring streak that includes five points (two goals, three assists). Hedman has seven goals and 34 points in 40 games in 2024-25, and he is rounding into 60-point form.

Toews scored a goal on three shots and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Rangers.

Toews ended a three-game dry spell by scoring at 4:23 of overtime to complete the Avalanche's comeback win. The defenseman has been a bit goal dangerous lately with five tallies and three assists over his last eight outings. For the season, he's up to six goals, including three game-winners, and he's added 15 helpers, 75 shots on net, 52 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating through 41 appearances.

Theodore provided an assist in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Predators.

Theodore has six helpers and a plus-4 rating over seven contests in January. The 29-year-old defenseman is in a 13-game goal drought, but he's hardly been quiet on offense while continuing to fill a top-four role with power-play duties. He's up to 36 points (14 on the power play), 81 shots on net, 53 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating through 43 appearances. Theodore has reached the 50-point mark just once in his career, largely due to lengthy injury absences or abbreviated seasons, but he could breeze by that mark if he stays healthy in 2024-25.

Josi notched an assist, three blocked shots and a plus-4 rating in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Golden Knights.

Josi set up a Justin Barron tally in the second period. Through five outings in January, Josi has a goal and four assists, which already makes this month more productive than December when he was limited to two assists over nine contests. The Swiss blueliner has struggled overall compared to recent seasons but still has 29 points, 113 shots on net, 71 blocked shots, 35 hits and a minus-19 rating through 39 appearances in 2024-25.

Barron scored a goal on two shots and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Golden Knights.

The goal was his first point over eight games since Nashville acquired him from Montreal. Barron has occasionally seen limited usage, but he's been listed on the top pairing alongside Roman Josi for the last couple of games. Barron has just two goals over 25 appearances in 2024-25, and he's added 24 shots on net, 28 hits, 32 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating. Fantasy managers can find more productive blueliners on the waiver wire in most formats.

Pionk scored a goal on four shots, dished an assist, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Canucks.

Pionk set up the second goal in Kyle Connor's natural hat trick before adding a tally of his own in the second period. The goal was Pionk's first since his last multi-point effort, which was Dec. 21 versus the Wild. He had just two assists between then and now. The defenseman is up to the 30-point mark (six goals, 24 helpers), for the sixth season in a row, adding 75 shots on net, 72 blocked shots, 70 hits, 32 PIM and a plus-9 rating through 45 appearances. Pionk has a legitimate chance to challenge his career high of 45 points from 2019-20 if he can put together a decent second half.