NHL Player News

Sanderson (undisclosed) exited Saturday's game against Toronto and won't return to the contest.

Sanderson was questionable for Saturday's tilt, and he ultimately logged just 4:29 of ice time before his night was done. The 24-year-old appeared to aggravate an injury, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, so Sanderson's exit might be related to his previous issue.

Legault was assigned to AHL Chicago on Saturday.

Legault has amassed three hits, two blocked shots, two shots on goal and 12 PIM over two appearances. He wasn't projected to play Saturday, so the Hurricanes seem more interested in getting him consistent playing time at the AHL level. It's possible Carolina calls up another blueliner in the coming days.

Forsling (upper body) is expected to be a game-time decision for Sunday's tilt in Anaheim, per Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Forsling missed Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to San Jose due to the injury. If he ends up playing Sunday, then he will likely serve in a top-four capacity. Aleksander Barkov (knee) was forced to exit Thursday's game, so Uvis Balinskis might remain in the lineup as a seventh defenseman, even if Forsling returns.

Trouba (illness) will be a game-time decision against the Kings on Saturday, per Max Miller of NHL.com.

Trouba sat out Friday's practice and didn't participate in Saturday's morning skate. He had five PIM, two shots on goal, three hits and one blocked shot in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over Florida. If Trouba can't play, Sam Dickinson will likely make his 2026-27 debut.

Byram is attending to a family matter and won't play against Buffalo on Saturday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Byram has gone without a point in two games this season, but he has contributed three blocked shots and a minus-4 rating. With Byram out for at least one game and Sam Rinzel a healthy scratch, Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro will play against the Sabres on Saturday.

Sanderson (undisclosed) will play against Toronto on Saturday, per Jackson Starr of the Senators' official site.

Sanderson had been dealing with an undisclosed injury, but he will be in the lineup for the start of the 2026-27 campaign. He registered 14 goals, 54 points, 147 shots on net and 128 blocked shots over 67 appearances for Ottawa during the 2025-26 regular season. Sanderson is expected to skate on the top pairing and work on the first power-play unit in Saturday's contest.

Hutson tallied a goal, placed three shots on net, recorded two blocked shots and served four PIM in Friday's 5-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Hutson carried his momentum from the end of the 2025-26 campaign into the new season, as he found the back of the net just 11 and a half minutes into the Capitals' Opening Night matchup. The 20-year-old blueliner was excellent at the end of the 2025-26 campaign following his call-up, where he posted three goals and 10 points across 14 regular-season outings. He holds a high offensive ceiling from the blue line, which should lead to increased power-play opportunities if he continues to post points like clockwork. Hutson projects as a solid fantasy option in standard leagues for the rest of his first full NHL season.

Chychrun scored a power-play goal, recorded an assist, placed three shots on net and served two PIM in Friday's 5-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Chychrun picked up right where he left off last season, as he found the back of the net on a second-period power play before he later tallied a secondary helper. The 28-year-old blueliner has become one of the league's most efficient goal-scoring defensemen over the last two seasons, even leading the league in the 2025-26 regular season with 26 twine finders. Fresh off his 60-point outburst across 80 regular-season games a year ago, he is a terrific fantasy option in all league formats due to his recent development offensively and his steady category-coverage numbers. With the Capitals improving their forward room in the offseason, they could potentially space the ice even more for Chychrun in 2026-27, which positions him well to repeat or exceed his offensive totals from last season.

Durzi scored a power-play goal while adding two shots on net and one blocked shot in Friday's 2-0 victory over the Red Wings.

The 27-year-old blueliner blasted a one-timer from the high slot past John Gibson early in the first period, and it turned out to be the game-winner. Durzi also added seven PIM after getting into a second-period scrap with Marco Kasper. Durzi is comfortably filling a spot in the Rangers' top four while handling second-unit power-play duties behind Adam Fox.

Ferraro scored a goal on three shots and blocked three shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Ferraro opened his Winnipeg tenure on the third pairing, logging 17:58 of ice time. The goal was a nice touch, but the 28-year-old defenseman is primarily valued for his shutdown skills, not his offense. He is coming off a career-best 23-point campaign in 82 regular-season games with the Sharks in 2025-26. Ferraro has also topped 120 hits in all seven of his NHL seasons, and he's logged at least 150 blocks in three of the last five campaigns. That production will give him some value in banger leagues.