NHL Player News

Cootes scored twice and added an assist in WHL Prince Albert's 4-1 win over Red Deer in Game 1 on Friday.

Cootes had eight points in six playoff games last year with WHL Seattle. He's earned 63 points over 45 regular-season appearances in the WHL, including 40 points in 28 contests with Prince Albert after a trade from the Thunderbirds. The Raiders are poised to make a deep run, and Cootes will likely be a leader on offense during the postseason.

Merilainen posted a 26-save shutout in AHL Belleville's 5-0 win over Manitoba on Friday.

This was his second shutout of the AHL campaign. Merilainen is up to 8-7-1 with a 2.87 GAA and a .905 save percentage through 18 appearances. He's had a down year compared to 2024-25, which is why he's stayed in the AHL since he was sent down in January.

Kaliyev scored three goals in AHL Belleville's 5-0 win over Manitoba on Friday.

Kaliyev reached the 60-point mark for the season with this performance. He has five goals over his last four games and 36 tallies on the season. Should the Senators need a scoring boost at the NHL level, Kaliyev could earn a call-up given his strong play throughout the AHL campaign.

Martin registered three assists in OHL Sault Ste. Marie's 4-1 win over London in Game 1 on Friday.

Martin posted 24 points over 24 regular-season contests for the Greyhound this year, which was interrupted by a two-month absence. In his junior career, he had six points over 16 playoff outings over the previous two seasons. He's poised to do much better this year, assuming the Greyhounds can make a good run.

Nobert recorded three assists in QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand's 5-3 win in Game 1 over Victoriaville on Friday.

Nobert put up 30 goals and 48 helpers over 62 regular-season outings, and he's kept up his strong playmaking to begin the playoffs. The Armada will likely make a decent run this spring, so Nobert should have plenty of time to get used to postseason action. He had six points over 11 contests across his first two junior playoff runs.

Lardis scored a goal on two shots in Friday's 6-1 loss to the Rangers.

Lardis has three goals and two assists over his last four outings. The 20-year-old winger is getting a sustained look on the second line, though he was at just 10:57 of ice time in this contest, his lowest mark in five games. He's up to eight goals, five assists, 40 shots on net, 44 hits and a minus-10 rating over 32 appearances this season. Lardis has some scoring upside if he can stay in the upper half of the lineup, but there's a fair amount of risk involved for fantasy managers that might want to deploy him to boost their teams.

Soderblom allowed six goals on 39 shots in Friday's 6-1 loss to the Rangers.

With the Blackhawks going ultra-young for the rest of the season, that's created some gaps in the system. It showed Friday, as Soderblom struggled under pressure behind a green defensive unit. He's gone 2-3-1 in March, allowing at least four goals in each of his losses. He's at 7-12-3 with a 3.79 GAA and an .881 save percentage over 23 appearances this season. Spencer Knight will probably get the nod for Sunday's game versus the Devils to close out this road trip.

Raddysh notched an assist, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 6-1 win over the Blackhawks.

Raddysh hasn't scored in March, picking up just four assists over 11 outings. The 28-year-old forward is seeing bottom-six minutes, so he's likely to remain limited on offense. He's at 19 points, 52 shots on net, 47 hits, 40 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating over 67 appearances this season.

Fortescue notched an assist and two hits in Friday's 6-1 win over the Blackhawks.

This was Fortescue's first appearance since he signed his entry-level deal Saturday. The 20-year-old defenseman put up 14 points in 35 games for Boston College prior to turning pro. Fortescue will likely be limited to bottom-four minutes as long as he stays in the lineup for the remainder of this campaign, and he may need some time in the AHL in 2026-27 to round out his development.

Sykora scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 6-1 win over the Blackhawks.

This was Sykora's second NHL contest. He's been playing in the middle six since entering the lineup, racking up six shots on net and a minus-2 rating in addition to his goal. The 21-year-old's audition late this season should set him up well to challenge for a full-time gig with the Rangers out of training camp in 2026-27, though he put up just 29 points in 62 AHL games prior to his Tuesday call-up.