NHL Player News

Cooley logged two assists, three shots on goal and two hits in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Cooley is one of Utah's rising stars, and he put in a strong season debut. The 20-year-old center helped out on both of Dylan Guenther's goals in the contest, showing strong chemistry between the second-line forwards. Cooley produced 44 points and 151 shots on goal over 82 games as a rookie in 2023-24, and he could surpass the 50-point mark this year with a stronger supporting cast.

Schmaltz produced two assists, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Schmaltz helped out on his linemates' goals, setting up Clayton Keller in the first period and adding a secondary helper on Barrett Hayton's tally in the second. Schmaltz is the playmaker on Utah's top line, having surpassed the 30-assist mark in four of the last five seasons. The 28-year-old also earned his first 60-point campaign in 2023-24. He'll offer solid secondary offense and power-play production in fantasy, but Schmaltz is rarely a reliable source of non-scoring numbers.

Keller scored a goal on three shots and added four PIM in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

The newly-named captain scored Utah's second goal of the game at 13:35 of the first period. While there's plenty of younger talents on the roster, Keller is the face of the franchise and should still challenge for a point-per-game pace. The 26-year-old winger has racked up 70 goals and 92 assists over 160 games across the last two seasons, making him a consistent and proven scoring threat.

Hayton scored a goal on three shots and added an assist in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Hayton helped out on Clayton Keller's first-period tally and tipped in a Mikhail Sergachev shot in the second. Hayton's goal was the game-winner. The 24-year-old is starting the year between Keller and Nick Schmaltz on the top line. That role will give Hayton a big opportunity for a breakout year after he was limited to 10 points in 33 contests in an injury-riddled 2023-24.

Verhaeghe signed an eight-year, $56 million contract extension with the Panthers on Tuesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Verhaeghe is committed to the Panthers through the 2032-33 season with this new deal. The 29-year-old was one of seven Panthers skaters to fail to register a point in Tuesday's 6-4 season-opening win over the Bruins. Verhaeghe will likely fill a top-six role for a majority of his new deal, giving him significant fantasy value in formats that reward scoring. He has topped the 70-point mark in each of the last two years.

Kyrou scored twice Tuesday in a 3-2 win over the Kraken.

Kyrou got the Blues first goal on the power play at 13:42 of the second period. He cut around Seattle defender Jamie Oleksiak and slid the puck through Philipp Grubauer's five-hole with a backhand. Then he clinched the game on a breakaway late in the third. Kyrou has averaged 32 goals and 72 points over the three regular seasons, but his plus-minus has swung wildly in that span. He had a minus-48 swing from 2021-22 to 2022-23 and then had a plus-26 swing in 2023-24. He's on an upward trajectory in that category, and Kyrou could establish a career-best campaign in points playing alongside Robert Thomas, who has emerged as a star playmaker.

Leschyshyn was reassigned to AHL Hartford on Tuesday, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today reports.

Leschyshyn was called up Monday in a series of paper transactions. The 25-year-old forward figures to spend most of the campaign with Hartford.

Savoie was reassigned to AHL Bakersfield on Tuesday.

The Oilers also returned Cameron Wright to the minors while placing Evander Kane (hip) on long-term injured reserve in a corresponding move. The 20-year-old Savoie had two goals and three assists in six regular-season games with AHL Rochester in 2023-24. He could be a call-up option for the Oilers this campaign.

Joshua (groin) will join the Canucks on their upcoming four-game road trip and could start skating during that time, Farhan Lalji of TSN reports Tuesday.

While Joshua's return to the ice will certainly be a significant step in the right direction, he will likely have several more hurdles to clear, including absorbing contact in practice. Once the winger is ready to play, he should be in contention for a second-line role, though Daniel Sprong and Conor Garland will likely also have something to say about that.

McCann (lower body) will be in the lineup Tuesday against St. Louis, according to Sound of Hockey.

McCann will be good to go for Seattle's season opener after being a late scratch for the team's preseason finale against Edmonton on Wednesday. The 28-year-old forward generated 29 goals and 62 points in 80 outings during the 2023-24 regular season. He will skate on the top line and work on the first power-play unit in Tuesday's contest.