NHL Player News

Hughes (lower body) will return to the lineup against Nashville on Monday, Robby Stanley of NHL.com reports.

Hughes will be back on the top pairing and first power-play unit after missing the last four games. He has accounted for one goal, six assists, 18 shots on net and six blocked shots through nine appearances this season. Hughes will probably replace Pierre-Olivier Joseph in Monday's lineup versus the Predators.

Vaakanainen is considered day-to-day due to a lower-body injury, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports Monday.

Vaakanainen has appeared in the Rangers' last three games, but his status for Tuesday's matchup against Carolina is up in the air due to his lower-body issue. If he's unable to suit up against the Hurricanes, Matthew Robertson will likely take his place in the lineup.

Schaefer scored two goals, including one on a power play, in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets.

The No. 1 overall pick from the 2025 NHL Entry Draft continues to shine in his first season with the Islanders, as he scored with a man advantage in the first period before tying the game with just over a minute to go in regulation. With the pair of tallies, Schaefer is up to five goals, 10 points and 36 shots on net across 12 games this season. After experiencing a three-game point drought, Schaefer has three goals in as many games and is soaring up the point leaderboard for the Islanders. He remains firmly in the running to win this season's Calder Trophy alongside Montreal's Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes. Schaefer's offensive capabilities from the blue line give him a case to be rostered in nearly all fantasy formats.

Washington acquired Schueneman from St. Louis on Monday in exchange for Calle Rosen.

Schueneman has one goal and five assists through nine appearances with AHL Springfield this season. He will report to AHL Hershey and could be a call-up option at some point in the year for the Capitals.

Rosen was traded to the Blues from the Capitals on Monday in exchange for Corey Schueneman.

Rosen has spent all of the last two seasons in the AHL, so he'll move from AHL Hershey to AHL Springfield following Monday's move. Rosen spent three seasons in the Blues' organization earlier in his career, so he'll likely play alongside some familiar faces now that he's back with the Thunderbirds. Over nine appearances with Hershey to begin this season, he logged a goal, six assists, two PIM and a plus-3 rating.

Schuldt logged three assists in AHL Abbotsford's 7-3 loss to Henderson on Sunday.

Schuldt had a brief call-up to the Canucks in October, but he doesn't seem to be at the top of the list to fill in with the big club. Injuries have hit hard in Vancouver, with the Canucks' blue line missing three regulars currently, two of which are on injured reserve. However, Tom Willander and Kirill Kudryavtsev both appear to be ahead of Schuldt for call-ups at this time. Schuldt has four helpers over nine AHL contests this season.

Lilleberg notched an assist and three blocked shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Mammoth.

The helper was Lilleberg's first point of the season. The 24-year-old defenseman has added eight shots on net, 17 hits, 11 blocked shots, 31 PIM and a minus-3 rating. He's a tough customer, but he had just 19 points in 76 regular-season outings last year, so don't expect a lot of offense. Lilleberg should be a bottom-four regular on the Lightning's blue line.

Dickinson scored a goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Sunday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Red Wings.

This was Dickinson's 10th NHL game, officially activating his entry-level contract. That likely means the 19-year-old is here to stay in the NHL, though that's not guaranteed. He could join Canada at the World Junior Championship in December as well. Dickinson is nonetheless much more likely to stay with the Sharks now, as long as his performance justifies his place in the lineup. He's posted a minus-2 rating, 11 shots on net, six hits, six blocked shots and six PIM so far. Dickinson has sat out on occasion to buy the Sharks more time to make a decision on his 2025-26 season, and he'll likely continue to be a scratch occasionally as part of his development plan. He could force his way into the lineup by being consistent on offense moving forward, but it's still a big jump for a rookie defenseman to skip the AHL en route to a full-time NHL job. Fantasy managers in dynasty formats can activate him when they see fit, but he has a bit of work to do to earn the trust of those in redraft leagues.

Seider scored a goal on four shots, added four PIM, doled out four hits and blocked two shots in Sunday's 3-2 shootout win over the Sharks.

Seider is on a four-game point streak (one goal, three assists). The 24-year-old defenseman started the year quiet on offense, but he's picking up the pace while maintaining his usual elite levels of non-scoring production. Overall, he's at six points, 30 shots on net, 29 hits, 20 blocks, 10 PIM and a plus-2 rating through 13 appearances.

Cole recorded two assists, one hit and a plus-1 rating during his 16:32 of ice time in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Lightning.

Cole picked up the lone assist on each of the Mammoth's two goals during Sunday's game, bringing his total up to six points (one goal, five assists) through 12 games. The 36-year-old blueliner's career high for points is 26, so Cole's 41-point pace is unsustainable, especially since he's skating in a third-pairing role without power-play action.