NHL Player News

McAvoy will be a game-time decision versus Columbus on Thursday, Scott McLaughlin of WEEI reports.

According to head coach Marco Sturm, the expectation is that McAvoy will suit up Thursday, but there hasn't been a final decision yet. As such, fantasy managers will need to take a wait-and-see approach to utilizing the defenseman against the Blue Jackets. If McAvoy does sit, it would likely open up power-play minutes for Mason Lohrei.

D'Astous registered two assists in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Maple Leafs.

D'Astous picked up both of his helpers in the second period, where he slid the primary pass on Brayden Point's goal before adding a secondary helper on Gage Goncalves' tally. With the pair of apples, D'Astous is up to 16 assists, 19 points, 52 shots on goal, 54 hits and 45 blocked shots across 44 games this season. Wednesday's two-point performance was the 27-year-old's second of the calendar year and raised his point total to 10 over his last 17 games. With a role on the team's second power-play unit, the rookie blueliner is becoming a low-end fantasy option to roster in deep leagues due to his solid category coverage.

Ekholm notched two assists, two hits, two PIM and three blocked shots in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Ducks.

Ekholm went into the Olympic break on a three-game slide, though he had three goals and five helpers in the six contests before that. The 35-year-old defenseman is at 29 points, 104 shots on net, 94 blocked shots, 54 hits, 24 PIM and a plus-19 rating through 59 outings this season. Ekholm will continue to see top-four minutes, providing well-rounded production for fantasy.

Bouchard scored a goal on three shots, added an assist and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Ducks.

Bouchard has four multi-point efforts in his last seven games, totaling five goals, 11 helpers and a plus-9 rating in that span. The 26-year-old defenseman should continue to play a huge role on the blue line for the Oilers while also quarterbacking the top power-play unit. For the season, he has 16 goals, 65 points, 164 shots on net, 79 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating across 59 appearances.

Moore scored a goal on three shots, blocked four shots and added two PIM in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Oilers.

Moore played in the AHL during the Olympic break, but he looks poised to play a noticeable role with the Ducks down the stretch. The 24-year-old defenseman has three points over his last seven contests, primarily in a bottom-four role. He's at a total of 10 points, 42 shots on net, 67 blocks, 20 PIM and an even plus-minus rating across 42 outings in his first full NHL campaign. Moore and Drew Helleson figure to compete for the last spot on the Ducks' blue line, but that's a battle that has tipped in Moore's favor for now.

Zellweger scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Oilers.

Zellweger ended an eight-game point drought with this tally, which tied the game at 4-4 early in the third period. The 22-year-old defenseman continues to see regular time in a bottom-four role, though he's rarely gotten power-play time since the start of January. He's at seven goals, 19 points, 93 shots on net, 59 blocked shots, 24 PIM and a plus-6 rating over 56 appearances. That production is in line with his 20-point effort in 62 games in 2024-25, though his ice time has dipped a bit this season.

Ceci's point drought is up to 15 games after he was held scoreless in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Golden Knights.

Ceci last got on the scoresheet with a helper Jan. 7 versus the Sharks. The 32-year-old blueliner is still seeing steady playing time in a bottom-four role, though it's unclear if that's an area the Kings will be looking to upgrade ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. Ceci has just eight points with 43 shots on net, 75 blocked shots, 23 hits and a minus-4 rating over 57 appearances in the first season of a four-year contract.

Clarke scored a goal, added a power-play assist, blocked three shots and went minus-2 in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Golden Knights.

Clarke picked up his first multi-point effort since Jan. 10 versus the Oilers, and he also got his first goal since a Jan. 14 matchup against the Golden Knights. The 23-year-old defenseman has four points over his last six games, but he also carries a minus-8 rating in that span, in which the Kings have won just once. Clarke is up to a total of seven goals, 29 points, 113 shots on net, 110 blocked shots, 38 PIM and a plus-6 rating over 57 appearances in a top-four role.

McNabb notched two assists, four shots on goal, four blocked shots and two hits in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Kings.

McNabb missed 19 straight games due to an upper-body injury sustained Dec. 31 versus the Predators. The 35-year-old blueliner is ready to reclaim his top-four role as a shutdown presence, which should help the Golden Knights secure their own zone. Through 39 outings this season, McNabb has five points, 37 shots on net, 65 hits, 102 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating. This is the first year he's missed time since the 2021-22 campaign.

Schenn posted an assist in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canucks.

Schenn is in line for extra playing time while the Jets are missing Josh Morrissey (upper body) and Neal Pionk (undisclosed). The 36-year-old Schenn snapped a nine-game slump with his helper Wednesday. He's been limited to seven points, 31 shots on net, 133 hits, 53 blocked shots and a minus-8 rating over 43 appearances in a part-time role this season. While Schenn should be able to stick in the lineup in the short term, the Jets appear committed to giving Elias Salomonsson a longer look in a top-four capacity.