NHL Player News

Myers agreed to terms on a two-year, $1.7 million contract extension with Toronto on Friday.

Myers has been in and out of the Leafs' lineup all season, in part due to a long-term injury, limiting him to just 11 appearances. Still, it seems the club has seen enough to warrant an extension for the 27-year-old defenseman, who was signed to a one-year deal only six months ago.

Slavin scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Panthers.

After helping to set up Brent Burns for a first-period tally, Slavin gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead on a wild play that saw Jesperi Kotkaniemi crash into Sergei Bobrovsky and then get pinned to the ice in the crease by Matthew Tkachuk, only for a shot to carom off Kotkaniemi's skate and bounce straight to Slavin for the rebound. It was Slavin's first multi-point performance since Nov. 11, and it equaled his production for the entire month of December, when the veteran blueliner managed only two assists in 13 contests.

Rifai was reassigned to AHL Toronto on Friday.

Rifai has been a healthy scratch in all seven games he has been recalled for by the Maple Leafs. Rafai had two goals and two assists in 24 AHL games before his recall.

Matinpalo was returned to AHL Belleville on Friday.

Matinpalo played one game during his recent callup, picking up a minor in 10:24 of action. Matinpalo had two goals and five assists in 23 AHL games before his recall.

Fehervary scored his first goal of the season in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to Minnesota.

Fehervary's 36th shot on goal in 2024-25 found the back of the net to give Washington a 3-2 lead early in the final frame. It was his first point in six games. Fehervary's contributions on offense are few and far between, but he's logged 79 blocked shots and 70 hits through 38 appearances, which gives him value in formats that reward non-scoring production. The 25-year-old blueliner has chipped in one goal, seven helpers, 13 PIM and a plus-3 rating this season.

Pelech notched an assist, four shots on goal, two blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Pelech has two assists over his last three games. He went five contests without a point immediately after his return from a jaw injury, but it appears the 30-year-old is getting back into a groove on the second pairing. For the season, he has six assists, 40 shots on net, 26 hits, 25 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating over 19 appearances. Pelech's usage is mainly defensive, so he's unlikely to attract a lot of interest in fantasy.

Ekman-Larsson notched a power-play assist in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Islanders.

Ekman-Larsson missed one game due to an illness but was able to slot right back on the third pairing and second power-play unit. He set up the second of Bobby McMann's tallies in the contest. Ekman-Larsson has four assists over his last eight outings and is up to a total of 14 points, 64 shots on net, 52 hits, 35 blocked shots, 28 PIM and a plus-7 rating through 38 appearances. While he's routinely seen power-play time this season, his helper Thursday was his first point with the man advantage in 2024-25.

Cernak notched an assist in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Sharks.

Cernak has two helpers, 10 hits and five blocked shots over his last four games. The 27-year-old set up Anthony Cirelli's second-period tally Thursday. Cernak doesn't add much on offense but plays a heavy physical game. He has nine points, all helpers, while adding 23 shots on net, 18 PIM, a plus-11 rating, 76 hits and 44 blocked shots through 33 appearances this season.

Vlasic logged an assist in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Lightning.

Vlasic was eased into action on the third pairing, logging 11:56 of ice time after missing nearly three months of the campaign due to a back injury. Vlasic averaged 16:17 per game over 57 appearances in 2023-24, but at 37 years old, it wouldn't be surprising for his minutes to remain low. Even if he's in the lineup regularly, he's unlikely to collect more than 10 points this season while playing on a rebuilding team. Vlasic may also be rested more often, as the Sharks will want to give some younger blueliners a look as they keep one eye on the future.

Rutta posted an assist and three blocked shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Lightning.

Rutta snapped a four-game point drought with the helper. The 34-year-old defenseman doesn't contribute a lot of offense, but he can hold his own in a third-pairing role. Rutta is up to six points, 45 shots on net, 60 blocked shots, 31 hits, 26 PIM and a minus-4 rating over 41 outings this season. That lack of offense will keep most fantasy managers away.