NHL Player News

Schaefer scored a goal in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Stars.

Schaefer found twine for a second straight game and extended his point streak to four games (two goals, two assists). His offensive involvement, both at even strength and on the power play, and his ability to contribute across multiple categories make him a valuable fantasy asset in all formats. He has cracked the scoresheet in eight of his last 10 appearances, tallying two goals and eight assists over that span.

Hughes scored a power-play goal on three shots and added an assist in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Canucks.

This was Hughes' first game back in Vancouver after the trade that sent him to Minnesota in December of 2025. The 27-year-old defenseman was able to break an eight-game goal drought with Sunday's performance. He's looked the part of an elite defenseman with three goals, 13 helpers, six power-play points, 37 shots on net and a plus-7 rating over 13 appearances this season. Hughes is still playing for his next contract, whether that's in Minnesota or elsewhere, so he'll be motivated to have a strong campaign.

Toews scored a goal in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Predators.

Toews has three points over his last two games. The defenseman continues to enjoy a bounce-back season, which was somewhat expected given his track record. He's up to four goals, six assists, 17 shots on net, seven blocked shots and a plus-11 rating over 12 appearances this season. He's safe to roster in virtually all fantasy formats, though he'll need a bit more non-scoring production to come through if his offense dips.

Skjei notched an assist and two shots on goal in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Avalanche.

Skjei ended a six-game point drought with the helper. He's earned three assists, 13 shots on net, 17 hits, 14 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating over 11 appearances this season. The slow start hasn't cost him a top-four role yet, but the Predators have occasionally worked with seven blueliners in the lineup as they did Sunday, which often seems the team spread the minutes around more. Skjei is averaging just 19:36 of ice time this season -- he hasn't averaged less than 20 minutes per game since 2016-17 with the Rangers, his first full year in the league.

Josi notched three power-play assists, four shots on goal and four PIM in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Avalanche.

Josi has a trio of multi-assist games this season. He continues to be particularly effective on the power play, earning eight of his 11 helpers in that situation. The defenseman has 12 points, 27 shots on net, 18 blocked shots, 10 PIM and a plus-2 rating over 11 appearances on the year. Josi remains a steady fantasy option in a top-pairing role, especially with Nashville's power play converting one-third of its chances so far.

Fleury notched an assist and two blocked shots in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Canadiens in the Heritage Classic.

The helper was Fleury's first point in seven appearances this season. The 30-year-old defenseman is filling a third-pairing role, though his power-play usage is set to drop after Elias Salomonsson entered the lineup Sunday. Fleury has added 10 hits, six blocked shots and a minus-3 rating on the year. He had just four points and a minus-18 rating over 38 regular-season appearances in 2025-26, so there's little scoring upside in his game.

Dobson logged an assist and three blocked shots in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Jets in the Heritage Classic.

Dobson has started slow on offense this year with three helpers across 11 games. The veteran defenseman has still worked in a top-four role as well as on the power play, but he hasn't been able to find much consistency. His non-scoring numbers are fine with 24 shots on net, 15 hits and 16 blocked shots, and he's added 24 shots on net, giving him a slight uptick in shot volume compared to last year. In other words, he should improve with a bit more time, and fantasy managers would be best to stay patient with his production.

Guhle scored a goal, doled out three hits and blocked three shots in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Jets in the Heritage Classic.

Guhle has earned four points this season, all over the last four games. The 24-year-old defenseman took some time to get up to speed after recovering from a groin surgery. He's a steady source of non-scoring production as well, with 10 shots on net, 18 hits, seven blocked shots and a plus-1 rating across seven appearances in 2026-27. Look for Guhle to continue handling top-four minutes.

Hutson scored a goal and blocked three shots in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Jets in the Heritage Classic.

It was a low-scoring contest, with Hutson tallying the first goal at 7:19 of the second period. Hutson had been limited to one assist over his previous three contests. The star defenseman has three goals, seven helpers, 22 shots on net, 13 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating through 11 appearances this season. The Canadiens' offense is a lot weaker without Nick Suzuki (upper body), but Hutson will help pick up the slack over the next month or so.

Nikishin (not injury related) signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Hurricanes on Sunday, which ends his time as an unsigned restricted free agent.

Nikishin missed Carolina's opening 13 games because of the contract dispute. Although he's eligible to play Tuesday versus Boston, he might need time to get up to speed during practices before he makes his season debut. When Nikishin is ready to play, it might be in a third-pairing capacity. He had 11 goals, 33 points, 33 PIM, 132 hits and 94 blocks in 81 regular-season appearances with Carolina in 2025-26.