NHL Player News

Ivan was recalled from AHL Colorado on Friday.

Ivan played Opening Night against Vegas on Wednesday and was returned to the minors Thursday in what was a paper move for salary cap reasons. The fourth liner saw 9:44 of ice time against the Golden Knights and managed one hit.

Texier, who was a late scratch against San Jose on Thursday, is considered day-to-day due to an upper-body injury.

Texier put together a solid performance in the season opener, registering an assist, two shots and three blocks in 13:03 of ice time versus Seattle on Tuesday. With Texier out of the lineup Thursday, the Blues moved Zachary Bolduc into a top-six role and may keep him there against Vegas on Friday. While not officially ruled out yet, Texier should probably be considered a heavy doubt to face the Golden Knights.

Johnson notched a goal and a power-play assist in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Wild.

Johnson was the Blue Jackets' best player in this game and was directly involved in the team's two goals, slotting a wrist shot past Filip Gustavsson in the early stages of the second period and then setting up Zach Werenski's power-play goal in the third. Johnson notched 16 points in 42 contests during the 2023-24 campaign, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the 21-year-old forward surpass that tally in 2024-25 as long as he remains healthy.

Eriksson Ek scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets.

Eriksson Ek started in the second line between Marcus Johansson and Matt Boldy, and at the end of the day, that line was the one that carried Minnesota to victory since all three got on the scoresheet one way or another. Eriksson Ek will probably compete with Marco Rossi for the center role in the first line, and while one game is not enough to draw conclusions, he certainly opened the season on a strong note.

Evans notched an assist in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Bruins.

Evans set up the second of Brendan Gallagher's tallies in the contest. The 28-year-old Evans is once again playing in a bottom-six role to begin 2024-25. He has one shot on net, two hits and one blocked shot in addition to his assist through two contests. Evans has narrowly missed the 30-point mark in two of the previous three seasons, but that's not enough to make him an option in standard fantasy formats.

Granlund notched an assist, four shots on goal and two hits in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Blues.

Granlund opened the season alongside Will Smith on the second line. A natural center, Granlund won nine of his 10 faceoffs, while Smith won just one of 11 draws, so it's likely the two forwards will split the center duties when they're playing together. Last year, Granlund was a pleasant surprise with 60 points in 69 contests, reaching that milestone mark for just the fourth time in his career. The Finn should be a regular in the top six and on the power play throughout 2024-25.

Goodrow scored a shorthanded goal on two shots and added three hits in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Blues.

Goodrow capitalized on a misplay by the Blues, tallying the Sharks' fourth and final goal at 17:37 of the second period. The 31-year-old was waived by the Rangers in June and scooped up by the Sharks -- the team he began his career with back in 2014-15. His 12 points in 80 regular-season games last year represented his lowest output over the course of a full campaign. He may be more productive in 2024-25, but Goodrow is more likely to chip in hits and PIM than points on a regular basis.

Celebrini scored a goal on two shots and added an assist in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Blues.

Celebrini's first period of NHL play went about as well as it could. He scored on his first shot, opening the scoring at 7:01 of the first period. Just over 10 minutes later, he set up Tyler Toffoli's goal, securing a multi-point debut for Celebrini. The No. 1 overall pick from 2024 will have every opportunity to put up big numbers as the new centerpiece of the Sharks' offense. Fantasy managers who can stomach a plus-minus rating that's likely to be in the red should not hesitate to deploy Celebrini on a regular basis.

Kyrou logged two assists in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Sharks.

Kyrou helped out on goals by Pavel Buchnevich and Justin Faulk in this contest. It's been an excellent start to 2024-25 for Kyrou, who has a pair of multi-point efforts on his ledger already after scoring twice in Seattle in the season opener Tuesday. Offense is all Kyrou has to offer for fantasy managers -- he doesn't hit, block shots or take penalties frequently, and his plus-minus is often a liability, especially on a Blues team that is likely to struggle against tougher competition.

Thomas provided two assists and three shots on goal in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Sharks.

Thomas set up Justin Faulk for the game-tying goal, and he had a secondary helper on Brayden Schenn's game-winner in overtime. Through two contests, Thomas is already in peak playmaking form with three assists. The 25-year-old center is in a top-line role and should continue to be one of the Blues' most reliable sources of offense.