NHL Player News

Letang recorded a pair of assists, including one on the power play, and added three shots on goal in Saturday's 6-5 overtime win over the Canadiens.

Letang has opened the campaign with three helpers, seven shots on net, two hits and a plus-2 rating over two contests. The defenseman is still seeing a decent share of playing time, but he's been listed on the third pairing alongside Trevor van Riemsdyk. Letang seeing a role reduction at 39 years old shouldn't come as a surprise. There's a chance he'll be able to do more on offense with less ice time, but he's been under the 40-point mark in each of the last two years, so there's still moderate risk for fantasy managers.

Karlsson recorded two assists, including one on the power play, and went plus-2 in Saturday's 6-5 overtime win over the Canadiens.

Karlsson helped out on second-period tallies by Declan Carlile and Ben Kindel. The 36-year-old Karlsson has started well this season with three helpers (two on the power play), three shots on net, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over two games. The defenseman is seeing time on the top pairing and first power-play unit, putting him in prime position to continue racking up points.

Sergachev produced a goal and an assist, both on the power play, in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

The veteran blueliner opened the scoring midway through the first period before helping to set up a Dylan Guenther tally in the third. Sergachev has topped 50 points in each of his first two seasons with the Mammoth, and he's well on his way to making it three straight with a goal and three points in two games.

Girard scored a goal and put three shots on net in Saturday's 6-5 overtime win over Montreal.

Girard provided two assists during Pittsburgh's Opening Night clash before he continued his hot start Saturday, where he found the back of the net in the second period to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead. The 28-year-old blueliner appears to be in for a solid role in his first full year with the Pens. He compiled three goals and 19 points across just 60 regular-season outings in 2025-26, but he's on pace to challenge the 25-point mark and beyond in the new season. He's a solid waiver-wire pickup in deep leagues for as long as the Penguins' offense stays hot and he occupies a top-four pairing.

Carlile potted a goal, placed three shots on net and recorded three blocked shots in Saturday's 6-5 overtime win over the Canadiens.

After Carlile picked up an assist during his Penguins' debut, he found the back of the net himself early in the second period to give his new team a 2-1 lead. The 26-year-old blueliner seems to be benefitting from the change of scenery, as he was held to just one goal and three points across 42 regular-season games with Tampa Bay in 2025-26. While he's played more of a defensive role to begin his NHL career, that could change with Pittsburgh, as he's currently occupying a spot on the team's top pair alongside Erik Karlsson. If this trend continues, he's poised for a career year, giving him a solid chance to be relevant in deep fantasy leagues as well.

Hutson dished out three assists and placed three shots on net in Saturday's 6-5 overtime loss to Pittsburgh.

After being held off the scoresheet in the team's Opening Night matchup, Hutson found the scoresheet three times on Saturday, playing his hand on goals scored by Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov. The 22-year-old blueliner finished in the top three for assists among defensemen in 2025-26, where he dished out 66 helpers across 82 regular-season outings. Now in his third season, Hutson is viewed with a high ceiling in fantasy, and he could be in for his first campaign with 80-plus points if outings such as Saturday's become common for him.

Willander notched two assists and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Flames.

Willander has opened the season in a top-four role and on the second power-play unit. The 21-year-old defenseman has earned three assists, three blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over three contests. There's risk involved in rostering a Vancouver defenseman in fantasy, but Willander has some breakout potential after a 21-point campaign as a rookie in sheltered minutes last year.

Pettersson scored a goal and went plus-2 in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Flames.

Pettersson has racked up four hits, six blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over three contests this season. The 22-year-old defenseman has maintained steady time on the third pairing, but he will need to remain effective in the defensive zone, as the Canucks are carrying eight blueliners to start the year. Pettersson should be able to build on his 10-point effort from 70 outings in 2025-26, and he'll be a steady source of hits and blocked shots.

Clarke logged two assists, including one on the power play, and added five shots on goal, two blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Sharks.

Clarke has racked up six shots, four blocks, five PIM and a minus-1 rating over two contests. The 23-year-old defenseman is in a position to take over as the leader on the blue line as Drew Doughty's role continues to shrink. Clarke had 40 points, 185 blocks and 63 PIM over 82 regular-season outings last year, and it wouldn't be surprising for his offense to find another level in 2026-27.

Allan scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over the Kings.

Allan has opened the year on the second pairing, though his minutes could be sheltered in tight games. The 23-year-old is one of three young blueliners on the Sharks' roster, along with Luca Cagnoni and Sam Dickinson, so an occasional trip to the press box could occur for any of those defensemen. Allan was limited to the AHL in 2025-26, but he had a decent eight points in 43 outings for the Blackhawks in 2024-25. His long-term projection is to serve as a bottom-four penalty-kill specialist.