NHL Player News

Schenn centered the top line at Wednesday's practice, Jeremey Rutherford of The Athletic reports.

Schenn bounced between the second and third lines through seven contests but now looks like the replacement for Robert Thomas, who is expected to miss at least six weeks with a fractured ankle. The club likely hopes Schenn, who has one goal on 21 shots (4.8 shooting percentage) and one assist, can spark a team that is starving for offense thus far, ranking 22nd with 2.71 goals per game.

Ritchie was reassigned to OHL Oshawa on Wednesday.

Ritchie scored a goal on 11 shots and added six hits over his first seven NHL games, but he also carried a minus-7 rating and saw his ice time slip in recent games. The 19-year-old forward remains one of the Avalanche's top prospects, but he can play in a maximum of two more NHL games without burning a year of his entry-level deal this season. As such, Ritchie is expected to spend the rest of the campaign in the junior ranks, including potentially representing Team Canada at the World Junior Championship this winter.

Nugent-Hopkins registered an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes.

Nugent-Hopkins has a helper in back-to-back games. The 31-year-old is off to a slow start with three assists over seven contests, though that is indicative of the Oilers' early struggles with the man advantage. He's added 11 shots on net and a minus-2 rating so far, and he'll need to pick up the pace on offense to get back to his usual level.

Kotkaniemi notched an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Oilers.

Kotkaniemi helped out on Martin Necas' game-tying goal with 6:31 left in the third period. Through five contests, Kotkaniemi has enjoyed a decent start with four assists, six shots on net, a plus-1 rating, four hits and three blocked shots. He's still seeing middle-six usage, though his ability to score at a level commensurate with that role on a regular basis is yet to be seen.

Ivan posted an assist and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Kraken.

Ivan was able to help out on the second of Joel Kiviranta's two goals in the game, as the Avalanche got some much-needed depth scoring. Through seven appearances, Ivan has two assists, eight shots on net and a plus-1 rating. The 22-year-old forward hasn't been sent to AHL Colorado in paper transactions over the last week, so it looks like he might be able to stick in the NHL for a while, though his fourth-line role isn't fantasy-friendly.

Suter scored a goal in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Blackhawks.

Suter got his first goal of the season in the third period. The 28-year-old forward has two points, five shots on net, five hits, two blocked shots and a minus-1 rating across five appearances. Suter is likely to remain in a bottom-six role throughout the year, and he'll need to keep the quality of his play up to avoid being an occasional healthy scratch.

Kyrou provided an assist, four shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Jets.

Kyrou started the season with three straight multi-point efforts, then followed it up with three scoreless outings. The 26-year-old winger will have to move forward without Robert Thomas (ankle), who is expected to miss at least six weeks after blocking a shot Tuesday. Kyrou has seven points, 21 shots on net and a plus-4 rating through seven contests, but he'll be leaned on for offense for a while.

Bourque provided an assist in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Sabres.

Bourque was sidelined by an undisclosed injury for the first week of the campaign, which may explain his slow start. The 22-year-old has one assist, one shot on net and four blocked shots over four contests so far, and he began Tuesday's game in a fourth-line role. If Bourque's struggles continue, he may return to AHL Texas, where he was the AHL MVP in 2023-24 after a 26-goal, 77-point campaign, though any such demotion would likely be to help him rebuild confidence.

McLeod scored a goal and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Stars.

McLeod has scored in four straight games, and his point streak is at five contests. The 25-year-old appears to have just needed some time to build chemistry with his new teammates. McLeod saw a season-high 18:35 of ice time Tuesday, and while none of it came on the power play, if his offense stays strong, he'll get more chances there as well. He has five points, 10 shots on net and a plus-4 rating through eight appearances.

Krebs scored a goal and added two PIM in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Stars.

Krebs got a shot past Jake Oettinger at 12:21 of the second period. With a point in each of the last two games, Krebs appears to be getting a bit more comfortable with his fourth-line role. The 23-year-old has a total of three points, four shots on net, 14 hits and nine PIM over seven appearances, averaging 10:56 of ice time this season compared to 12:30 per game last year.