NHL Player News

Scheifele notched a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Friday's 8-3 win over the Sharks.

This was the first time in four games that Scheifele has been limited to a single point. The 31-year-old center is off to an excellent start in 2024-25, racking up four goals, three assists, 13 shots on net and a plus-2 rating. The Jets have gotten contributions from all over the lineup early on, but Scheifele figures to be one of their most reliable scorers throughout the campaign.

Vilardi recorded two assists in Friday's 8-3 win over the Sharks.

One of Vilardi's helpers came on the power play. The 25-year-old continues to play in a top-line role, and he saw 21:23 of ice time Friday while compiling his first multi-point effort of the season. He's earned three assists (two on the power play) and four shots on net through four contests, but he's not adding much else in the way of non-scoring numbers. That's not unusual, as Vilardi is a skilled forward, but his fantasy value will be closely tied to his offense.

Namestnikov scored a goal, distributed three power-play assists and went plus-3 in Friday's 8-3 win over the Sharks.

Namestnikov didn't see any power-play time in the Jets' previous game amid a slow start to the year. That's in the rear-view mirror now, as the 31-year-old forward broke out of his early funk as one of three Jets to earn four points in this contest. The center has added three shots on net, four hits, four blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over four contests. He's centering the second line, though that trio with Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers has seen limited ice time compared to the trio of Adam Lowry, Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton.

Perfetti scored a pair of power-play goals on five shots, added two even-strength assists and went plus-4 in Friday's 8-3 win over the Sharks.

Perfetti entered the game with no points over his first three contests of the year before breaking out in a big way. The 22-year-old forward has filled a second-line role, though his line often sees less ice time than the Jets' checking line. Perfetti has added 11 shots on net and three blocked shots over four appearances. As long as he maintains a spot on the second power-play unit, he should be a decent depth forward in fantasy.

Douglas (undisclosed) was activated from season-opening injured reserve and assigned to AHL Tucson on Friday, per Tim Hiebert of The Hockey News.

Douglas was injured during training camp, but he's apparently ready to play. The 24-year-old forward figures to spend most, if not all, of 2024-25 in the AHL.

Head coach Andre Tourigny said Friday that Bjugstad (upper body) has resumed contact drills and is 7-10 days away from returning, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports.

Bjugstad began the 2024-25 season on injured reserve and was initially expected to be sidelined until the end of November, but it appears as though he'll be in the mix to return to action in late October. While the 32-year-old will still miss a few more games, it's encouraging that he's progressing in his recovery and has developed a return timetable. Over 76 appearances for the Coyotes last year, Bjugstad tallied 22 goals and 45 points while averaging 17:27 of ice time.

Chytil notched an assist in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Red Wings.

Chytil has a goal, an assist, eight shots on net and a plus-5 rating over four contests this season. The 25-year-old center is firmly in a third-line role, slotting in behind Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck down the middle. Chytil's career high in points is 45 from the 2022-23 campaign, and that's a mark he could reach again if he stays healthy this year. For fantasy purposes, his usefulness is limited since he doesn't add much physicality and he plays a deep position.

Seguin (lower body) won't play Saturday versus Edmonton, per Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News on Friday.

It will be Seguin's third consecutive game on the shelf. He was off to a great start before the injury, scoring two goals and three points across three appearances in 2024-25. Seguin's continued absence is likely to result in Evgenii Dadonov staying on the second power-play unit for now.

Cozens notched an assist, three shots on goal, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Blue Jackets.

The assist was Cozens' first point in six games this season, and it's safe to say Thursday was one of his better games. He's added 22 shots on net, 10 hits, 12 PIM and a minus-3 rating so far, though he's maintained a second-line role. Head coach Lindy Ruff sent a message by scratching Jack Quinn for Thursday's game, but it could have just as easily been Cozens or Zach Benson, who were joined by Jiri Kulich on the second line. Getting more production from the young players will be key in turning around the Sabres' 1-4-1 start, and at 23 years old, Cozens should be setting the example for his linemates since he has a 31-goal, 68-point season under his belt from 2022-23.

Kulich scored a goal on five shots in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Kulich has been scratched twice over the first six games of the season, but he's making a case to be a regular. He was in the lineup over Jack Quinn in Thursday's game as head coach Lindy Ruff looks for ways to spark his struggling second line. Kulich is up to nine shots on net, four hits and three blocked shots through four appearances and should be a candidate for middle-six minutes and power-play time.