NHL Player News

Kindel (lower body) was activated from injured reserve Saturday.

Pittsburgh cleared a spot by designating David Gustafsson as a non-roster player before placing him on waivers. Kindel will be available to return to the lineup against Montreal on Saturday after missing Wednesday's season-opening 7-0 win over Philadelphia.

Strome notched two assists, including one on the power play, and fired two shots on goal in Friday's 5-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Strome is off to a positive start this year. While he's nominally the first-line center, alongside Alex Ovechkin and Ryan Leonard, the Capitals have enough scoring depth to rotate three lines through heavy usage. Strome saw just 13:11 of ice time in Friday's win, but regardless of even-strength usage, he should be productive as long as he maintains a power-play role. He had 58 points, including 21 on the power play, over 80 regular-season games last year, his worth output in the last four seasons.

Kapanen (lower body) won't play against Pittsburgh on Saturday, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Kapanen remains day-to-day and will miss his second straight outing. Once healthy, Kapanen could replace Alexandre Texier, Kirby Dach or Zachary Bolduc in the lineup.

Kasper (upper body) won't play Sunday against Winnipeg, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Kasper didn't participate in Saturday's practice and is still being evaluated. He had four shots on goal and five PIM over 10:50 of ice time against the Rangers on Friday. However, he wasn't injured in his second-period fight with Rangers defenseman Sean Durzi. Carter Mazur will probably play against the Jets on Sunday because of Kasper's absence.

Lizotte (lower body) expects to play in Saturday's home opener against Montreal.

Lizotte declared himself good to go after he participated in Saturday's optional morning skate. He had four shots on goal and one blocked shot in 13:13 of ice time against Philadelphia on Wednesday to begin the 2026-27 campaign.

Stankoven tallied a goal, fired four shots on net and put out two hits in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Capitals.

After a phenomenal postseason run where he tallied 11 goals across 19 games, Stankoven found the back of the net in just his second appearance of the 2026-27 campaign. The 23-year-old continues to improve each season, as he posted a career-high 21 goals and 44 points across 81 regular-season games in 2025-26. Fresh off a season with 32 goals in 100 total games, Stankoven could make the jump to being a 30-goal scorer in the 2026-27 regular season as a top-six center for one of the league's strongest rosters.

Aho scored a power-play goal, put two shots on net and served two PIM in Friday's 5-2 loss to Washington.

After being held off the scoresheet in Carolina's Opening Night clash with the Panthers, Aho bounced back to pick up his first point of 2026-27, scoring a power-play goal late in the second period. The 29-year-old center had a strong 2025-26 season, where he posted 80 points across 79 regular-season outings, before he added 12 points in Carolina's 19 postseason outings. With the confidence of having a Stanley Cup and being surrounded by a strong group of forwards, Aho is yet again poised for another big season offensively. He's surpassed the 80-point threshold in three of his last five seasons, making it a realistic expectation for him in 2026-27.

Lowry logged two assists, two shots on goal, three hits and two blocked shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Lowry is starting the year as the third-line center, though he'll also function as a security blanket if rookie Viggo Bjorck isn't able to handle second-line duties. Lowry is a quality middle-six forward -- he had finished between 34 and 36 points in each regular season from 2022-23 to 2024-25 before dipping to 21 points last year. He also adds plenty of hits and a decent share of blocked shots. His fantasy utility depends on the categories in play, but he should be able to bounce back a bit in 2026-27.

Hagens scored a goal and added two hits in Friday's 4-3 overtime win over the Jets.

Hagens tallied his first NHL goal in the first period to put the Bruins ahead 2-1. The 19-year-old is attempting to stick at the NHL level this year, working in a third-line capacity. He's added two shots on net, two hits and two blocked shots over his first two contests of the year. Since he's a 19-year-old first-round pick, Hagens is eligible to head to the AHL this season under new NHL rules, but it may be better for his development to grow in Boston rather than Providence. Hagens should already be scooped up in dynasty formats, but he's worth keeping track of throughout 2026-27 to see if he can produce enough to help in redraft leagues.

Eichel logged two assists, including one on the power play, and added two shots on net in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Ducks.

Eichel has had no trouble getting up to speed with five points, four shots and a plus-1 rating over two games this season. He had a hand in goals by Shea Theodore and Tomas Hertl in the third period of Friday's contest. Eichel's top-line usage and his power-play role make him one of the most reliable non-elite centers in the NHL, so he can be kept in fantasy lineups with confidence throughout the year.