NHL Player News

Pesce produced an assist and three blocked shots in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes.

Pesce was able to get on the scoresheet in his 700th career game. The 30-year-old also played the milestone contest against his former team. He was limited by an undisclosed injury during the preseason, but he logged 21:42 of ice time to lead all Devils defensemen in this contest, indicating he is fine for a full workload. The 30-year-old has limited fantasy upside, as he's missed the 20-point mark in consecutive seasons and doesn't pile up hits or PIM in high quantities, though he has blocked at least 100 shots in a season in six of his first 10 campaigns.

Raddysh provided two assists, two shots on goal and three hits in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Senators.

Raddysh helped out on goals by Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov at even strength. The 29-year-old Raddysh was listed on the top pairing alongside Victor Hedman, but he saw just 17:33 of ice time, lowest among the Lightning's blueliners. There's often some mixing and matching during games, with Raddysh's offense as the thing that makes him stick in a top-four role. He could slip down the lineup once J.J. Moser (suspension) returns to action Monday in Boston.

Hedman notched two assists and three blocked shots in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Senators.

Hedman missed the last four games of the preseason due to an undisclosed injury. He looked no worse for wear Thursday, logging 23:49 of ice time to lead the Lightning. The 34-year-old defenseman is still among the premium scorers from the blue line in the NHL. He had 66 points in 79 regular-season outings a year ago and figures to have plenty of offense left in him for 2025-26.

Sanderson logged two assists, three shots on goal, three hits, three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Lightning.

Sanderson's season is off to a strong start with a multi-point effort. His first assist was on Dylan Cozens' power-play goal in the first period, and he also set up Shane Pinto's go-ahead tally late in the third. Sanderson broke out with 57 points in 80 regular-season games last year, and at 23 years old, he could still have another level to get to in 2025-26. He's not a heavily physical player, but he's blocked at least 139 shots in all three of his NHL seasons so far.

Mukhamadullin recorded two assists and four PIM in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Mukhamadullin had a hand in goals by Jeff Skinner and Philipp Kurashev. The 23-year-old Mukhamadullin is getting a chance to establish himself as a full-time NHLer after putting up nine points over 30 appearances last year. He's on the third pairing and not yet seeing power-play time, so there's limited upside, but he's young and could grow into a larger role throughout the campaign.

Hamilton potted a goal on two shots and added three hits in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes.

Hamilton netted his team's first goal of the season at 8:15 of the middle frame, which tied the score at 1-1. The veteran defenseman had a team-high five giveaways in this contest, so he'll look to clean up that area of his game ahead of Saturday's road matchup against the Lightning. Hamilton is skating in a top-four role while quarterbacking the No. 2 power-play unit to start the year.

Hutton notched an assist in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Sharks.

Hutton didn't play in Wednesday's season opener versus the Kings, but he drew in for Noah Hanifin (undisclosed) Thursday. The 32-year-old Hutton made just 11 appearances during the 2024-25 regular season, but the Golden Knights' defense isn't as deep as it was last year, which could open the door for him to play more as the next man up. Even if he's in the lineup regularly, don't expect the Ontario native to do much with his minutes -- he hasn't blocked 100 shots in a season since 2018-19, which was also the last time he reached the 20-point and 60-game marks.

Hughes collected two assists, two shots, two hits and two PIM in Thursday's 6-3 loss to Carolina.

Despite not playing in the preseason due to a contract dispute, Hughes is off to a strong start from an offensive perspective, and he also saw 20:46 of ice time in the season-opening defeat. The 22-year-old defenseman has a lot to live up to after signing a seven-year, $63 million contract earlier this month, but if Thursday's performance is any indication, Hughes could be on his way to shattering his high-water mark of 47 points, which he set during his first full season in 2023-24. The 2021 first-round pick is skating on the top pairing in addition to quarterbacking the No. 1 power-play group.

Larsson registered an assist, four hits and three blocked shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Ducks.

Larsson set up defense partner Vince Dunn's opening goal at 2:21 of the first period. While Larsson's on the scoresheet in the first game of the season, he won't be the most reliable scorer on a blue line that features Dunn and Brandon Montour. Look for 100-plus hits and blocked shots with a point total in the 25-30 range for Larsson this season, which is enough all-around production to make him valuable in deeper formats.

Gostisbehere recorded two assists and a plus-3 rating Thursday in a 6-3 win over the Devils.

Gostisbehere registered the primary assist on Carolina's first goal of the year, which was scored by Taylor Hall early in the opening frame. The 32-year-old Gostisbehere also picked up a secondary assist on Seth Jarvis' game-winning goal at 17:17 of the third period. While both of Gostisbehere's points came at even strength, he received 4:28 of ice time on the power play, so he has a firm grasp on the quarterback role with the No. 1 unit. The left-shot defenseman will looking to keep it rolling Saturday against the Flyers.