NHL Player News

Xhekaj recorded an assist, six hits, two blocked shots, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Red Wings.

Xhekaj is an ultra-physical defenseman, so he'll bring some grit to the third pairing alongside Alexandre Carrier. The two combined on Carrier's goal in the second period Thursday. Xhekaj's place in the lineup isn't guaranteed -- if his performance slips, he could be replaced by Jayden Struble. For the season, Xhekaj has racked up seven hits, four blocked shots and two shots on net in addition to his assist over two contests. He was limited to just six points with 180 hits and 118 PIM in 70 regular-season outings in 2024-25.

Carrier scored a goal, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Red Wings.

Carrier stretched the Canadiens' lead to 4-1 in the second period. The 29-year-old defenseman is in line for a smaller role this season following Montreal's trade for Noah Dobson. Despite that, Carrier remains an effective shutdown blueliner and should be a fixture in the lineup with the ability to play more minutes when another defenseman is hurt. He should still be able of exceeding the 20-point mark, something he's done in three of the last four seasons.

Solovyov has resolved his visa issues and has been cleared to practice Friday, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

Solovyov was claimed off waivers from Calgary a week ago and has finally arrived in Colorado. The 25-year-old had one assist in five regular-season games with the Flames in 2024-25. He is expected to be a depth defenseman at this time as the Avalanche are set with their top-six blueliners.

Crevier scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Crevier dressed as a seventh defenseman, bumping Sam Lafferty out of the lineup Thursday. While Crevier was limited to 8:22 of ice time, he gave the Blackhawks their only lead, a 2-1 advantage, at 2:22 of the second period. The 24-year-old blueliner may not be a regular in the lineup, but he appears to have won the job for seventh defenseman after Ethan Del Mastro was sent to AHL Rockford on Friday ahead of the start of the minor-league season. Crevier could provide a steadier defensive option on the right side should Artyom Levshunov's work in his own zone fail to meet standard.

Jokiharju recorded an assist and two blocked shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Blackhawks.

Jokiharju helped out on Tanner Jeannot's goal in the second period. Through two contests, Jokiharju has added a hit, three blocked shots and two PIM. He's started 2025-26 in a third-pairing role, and that's likely where he'll stay unless the Bruins become overburdened by injuries on the blue line.

Josi posted a power-play assist and blocked five shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over Columbus.

Josi grabbed an apple on the power play during Ryan O'Reilly's game-winning goal. The 35-year-old Josi, as well as the rest of the Predators' roster, struggled a year ago. Josi missed 29 games between a lower-body injury and a concussion, so his power-play assist on the game-winning tally was a welcome sight for all Nashville fans. The star blueliner posted his second-best offensive season just two years ago with 85 points, and he's showcased that he still has a lot left to give. Josi is a clear bounce-back candidate for the 2025-26 season and will challenge many of the league's best defensemen in points if he can stay healthy.

Del Mastro was reassigned to AHL Rockford on Friday.

The 22-year-old defenseman played Opening Night in Florida, accumulating six hits and two blocked shots in 17:35 of action. He was a healthy scratch in Boston on Thursday as Alex Vlasic (lower body) returned to the lineup. Del Mastro played 24 regular-season games at the NHL level last season, scoring twice while adding four assists.

McIlrath (lower body) was cleared for contact in practice Friday, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.

McIlrath is a depth defenseman, playing in only 17 games with the Capitals in 2024-25. The defenseman missed Wednesday's opening Night loss to Boston, but it was unlikely that the 33-year-old would have been in the lineup if he was healthy.

Matheson scored a goal and added an assist in Thursday's 5-1 win over Detroit.

Both points came in the first period as Montreal grabbed an early 3-1 lead and never looked back. The veteran blueliner saw just 19 seconds on the power play Thursday as offseason addition Noah Dobson has bumped Matheson further down the depth chart when it comes to prime opportunities, but the overall improvement of the Habs' roster could allow him to reach the 30-point mark again after he produced six goals and 31 points in 80 regular-season games last season after getting displaced by the emergence of Lane Hutson.

Lundkvist had a goal, an assist, two shots and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Jets.

Lundkvist made the most of his playing time Thursday and cracked the scoresheet twice, finding the twine in the latter stages of the first period and then setting up Wyatt Johnston's goal in the third frame. Lundkvist isn't expected to produce at this rate on a steady basis, though. He didn't score a single goal and had only five points in 39 regular-season showings in 2024-25, and his marker Thursday was just the 10th of his five-year NHL career.