NHL Player News

Mikkola logged an assist and two shots on goal in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Kraken.

Mikkola has four helpers over his last 11 outings. The 28-year-old defenseman has secured a career year for the second season in a row, racking up 18 points with 81 shots on net, 88 hits, 74 blocked shots, 40 PIM and a plus-12 rating over 53 appearances. That level of all-around production is enough to make Mikkola an option in deep fantasy formats, though he's unlikely to ever be a big-time scorer.

LaCombe provided two assists, took three shots on net and blocked three shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win against the Bruins.

LaCombe took no time getting back into the swing of things after the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Both of his assists were in the first period on goals scored by Trevor Zegras and Frank Vatrano. The 24-year-old blueliner is up to 17 assists, 28 points, 101 shots on goal and 83 blocks across 48 games this season. LaCombe is already having a career year and has become a staple for Anaheim's top defensive pairing. With some of the league's best defensemen battling injuries, LaCombe is a solid waiver wire target on the blue line.

Gilbert recorded an assist, three hits, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 8-2 win over the Rangers.

Gilbert has three helpers over four games in February. If nothing else, he's helping himself stay in the lineup for his hometown team, leaving Jacob Bryson and Connor Clifton in the press box. Gilbert's recent success might make rostering him more palatable in deep fantasy formats, but his primary source of production will always come from physical play. He has just four assists to go with 50 PIM, 48 hits and 22 blocked shots over 21 appearances.

Jokiharju scored a goal and went plus-2 in Saturday's 8-2 win over the Rangers.

Jokiharju ended a six-game point drought when he put away his second goal of the NHL campaign late in the third period of this blowout win. He also scored for Finland against the USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect a sudden uptick on offense from the 25-year-old blueliner. He's not even fully guaranteed a place in the lineup, though he offers a bit more reliability than Connor Clifton, Jacob Bryson or Dennis Gilbert. Jokiharju has had a challenging year on offense with just five points over 40 outings, but he's added a plus-5 rating, 33 hits and 31 blocked shots to help stabilize the bottom four on the blue line.

Bahl (upper body) will be activated from injured reserve Sunday, according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

Bahl will probably return to the lineup against San Jose on Sunday after missing the last eight games. According to Steinberg, Bahl skated alongside Rasmus Andersson during Saturday's practice. The 24-year-old Bahl has two goals, 14 points, 51 shots on net, 79 blocked shots and 67 hits through 47 appearances this season.

Lindholm (kneecap) underwent surgery for a fractured patella and is likely out for the season, Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe reports.

It'll go down as a lost season for Lindholm, who's been sidelined since initially suffering the injury on Nov. 12. The 31-year-old blueliner appeared in 17 games this year, logging three goals and seven points. Lindholm will now turn his attention towards getting back to full health ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Dahlin scored two goals, one on the power play, and added an assist in Saturday's 8-2 win over the Rangers.

All three points came in the first period, as the Sabres roared out to a 5-0 lead and chased Igor Shesterkin from the game. Dahlin extended his point streak to six games in the process, a stretch in which he's amassed three goals and 11 points with 11 shots on net, 11 blocked shots, nine hits and a plus-7 rating.

Slavin scored a goal on four shots in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Slavin's defense was on display for the world to see during his time with Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off. The 30-year-old didn't have a point during the tournament, but offense has never been his calling card. Even with that being the case, his NHL play has been pretty good lately -- he has four goals and 11 points over 20 outings since the start of January. For the season, he's at 21 points, 75 shots on net, 98 blocked shots and a plus-11 rating through 57 appearances. Fantasy managers don't need to buy the hype from talking heads; Slavin is an excellent on-ice player, but he's not a one-size-fits-all option in the virtual game. Roster him for blocks, and consider him if you're in a deeper format, but remember that a 30-point pace is typically the expectation.

Tanev logged an assist, three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Hurricanes.

Tanev snapped a nine-game point drought when he set up Auston Matthews' empty-netter, the first of two freebies for the Maple Leafs late in the game. The 35-year-old Tanev continues to quietly take care of business on the back end as a shutdown defenseman. He's also done fairly well for himself on offense with 15 points, 28 shots on net, 151 blocked shots and a plus-24 rating across 55 appearances. He can help in fantasy formats that count blocks, but he's little more than a depth defenseman in most situations.

Dumba provided an assist in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Devils.

Dumba has logged a helper in three straight contests. Prior to this stretch, he had been limited to just two assists in his first 34 appearances of the campaign. He's now at five helpers, 29 shots on net, 51 hits, 38 blocked shots, 35 PIM and a minus-1 rating through 37 outings. Dumba won't be a massive producer on offense, but a strong showing over the next week or two could allow the Stars to address other needs at the trade deadline, even with Miro Heiskanen (knee) out for weeks and Nils Lundkvist (shoulder) done for the season.