NHL Player News

Head coach Todd McLellan said Friday that Appleton (undisclosed) is still 10 days to two weeks away from returning to game action, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

Appleton has been considered week-to-week since landing on injured reserve in early October, and he'll require more time on the shelf despite practicing in a non-contact sweater Friday. The 30-year-old will presumably have opportunities to increase his activity level at practice in the near future before presumably being considered to return to game action around mid-November.

Head coach Todd McLellan said Friday that Kasper (upper body) is still 10 days to two weeks away from returning to game action, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

Kasper skated in a non-contact jersey during Friday's practice session, but he isn't expected to return to game action for over a week as he continues to recover from an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old has been on injured reserve since Oct. 6 and has been considered week-to-week since then, but it appears as though he'll be in the mix to return around mid-November.

Shaw was reassigned to AHL Iowa on Friday.

Shaw spent nearly a week with the NHL club, but he didn't appear in any of Minnesota's four games across the past several days. The 27-year-old hasn't appeared in a regular-season game at the NHL level since the 2023-24 campaign, and he should see more consistent playing time in the minors.

Thomas scored an even-strength goal on two shots and added two power-play assists in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Bruins.

Thomas assisted on both St. Louis power-play goals and scored his second goal of the season during the middle frame. The center now has nine points (two goals, seven assists) through 13 appearances. Thomas' playmaking ability remains his primary fantasy strength, and his prominent role on the top power-play unit should help sustain his production even when his goal-scoring output fluctuates. With nine points in his last nine games, he seems to have left his slow start to the season on the rear view.

Johnston tallied a power-play goal, dished out an assist and placed two shots on net in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Montreal.

Johnston has been heating up as of late, as he's posted exactly one goal and assist in three of his last four appearances. Following Thursday's performance, the 23-year-old forward is up to three goals, 10 points, 29 shots on net, 11 hits and seven blocked shots across 11 outings this season. While his season got off to a slow start, he seemed to shake off any lingering rust from the offseason, compiling nine points over his last eight games. He still has a strong chance to challenge the 85-point threshold once again, making him a high-level fantasy option with positional flexibility.

Danault tallied an empty-net goal, recorded an assist, posted a plus-2 rating and placed two shots on net in Thursday's 5-2 win over Dallas.

Danault sealed the deal in Thursday's contest with his empty-net tally in the final minute of the game. The 33-year-old center's goal was his first of the 2026-27 campaign, which raised his stats up to five points, 20 shots on net and a plus-7 rating across 13 appearances this season. With Nick Suzuki (upper body) still facing a multi-week absence, Danault has absorbed a larger role on Montreal's penalty kill in his absence. The veteran center has a higher ceiling in fantasy for the time being from the Habs' third line, making him a decent streaming option in deeper fantasy leagues for as long as Suzuki is on the shelf.

Newhook notched two goals, went plus-2 and put two shots on net in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Stars.

Newhook recorded his first multi-goal game since the 2025-26 postseason in Thursday's clash, as he secured his pair of goals within the first 27 minutes of regulation. Overall, the 25-year-old center has three goals, six points, 14 shots on net, 15 hits and nine blocked shots across 13 outings this season. In the absence of Nick Suzuki (upper body) Newhook has taken a while to adjust to his new role on the top line. However, Thursday's performance displayed that things are starting to click for him once again. He's displayed big-game potential with two multi-point efforts this season, making Newhook a solid waiver-wire pickup in deep leagues while Suzuki remains sidelined.

Malkin notched two assists in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over Utah.

The 40-year-old missed the Penguins' prior game with an illness, but Malkin looked 100 percent in his return as he helped set up tallies by Erik Karlsson in the second period and Ben Kindel late in the third, the latter of which appeared to be the game-winner until the Mammoth tied it up with one second left on the clock. Malkin hasn't yet announced a decision on whether this will be his last NHL season, but he certainly looks like he's got plenty left in the tank, delivering six goals and 11 points in his first 12 games of 2026-27.

Kindel produced a goal and an assist in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Mammoth.

Seeing his first action since Oct. 19 after a scary incident on the team plane in which he lost consciousness due to a sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate. Kindel seemed fully recovered as he set up Erik Karlsson for the Penguins' opening goal in the second period, before giving his squad a 3-2 lead with just 25 seconds left in the third. The 19-year-old Kindel will have his health monitored closely, but assuming there aren't further vasovagal syncope episodes, he should continue to skate on the second line and hold down a spot on the second power-play unit. Through 10 games this season, Kindel's produced three goals and six points.

Cooley scored three goals on a team-high five shots on net while adding two hits, a blocked shot and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Penguins.

The Pittsburgh native shone in a homecoming game, striking twice in the first period and then forcing OT by batting a puck out of midair past Arturs Silovs with just one second left on the clock in the third. It was Cooley's fourth career hat trick, and after failing to light the lamp in the first seven games of the season, the 22-year-old has potted seven goals in the last seven. Through 14 contests overall, Cooley's racked up 15 points, 18 hits, 21 shots on net and a minus-2 rating.