NHL Player News

Beniers scored a goal, added an assist, logged two hits, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Flames.

Beniers started the season well in a game that saw the Kraken get contributions from all over the lineup. The quality of the opponent is a factor, but Beniers will often be in a position to produce offense for the Kraken this year as the team's top-line center. He's coming off a 20-goal, 50-point campaign in 2025-26, and similar production can be expected this year.

Helenius scored a goal on two shots, added two hits and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Helenius is getting a look as a middle-six forward to begin the season. The 20-year-old did well over nine regular-season games last year, picking up four points, 10 hits and 15 shots on net, and he added two goals on 10 shots over four playoff games. Helenius can play with a bit of an edge, giving him multi-category upside in deeper fantasy formats if his offense is steady.

Olivier scored an empty-net goal on three shots, added seven PIM, doled out three hits and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Olivier is a bottom-six agitator, and he was doing the job well Thursday. He had a fight with Zach Metsa in the second period. Olivier posted 26 points in 61 regular-season games in 2025-26, as well as 209 hits and 101 PIM. He's shown the potential to produce at least 25 points with elite hit and PIM totals the last two years, so keep an eye on him for banger leagues.

Sillinger scored a goal on three shots, added four PIM and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Sillinger tied the game at 1-1 with his first-period tally. The 23-year-old forward saw work on the third line but didn't feature on the power play, which is a trend that continues from last year. Despite the lack of time with the man advantage, he's been largely consistent during his NHL years, posting between 31 and 33 points in four of his five seasons. If he can get a hot start going, he could move up in the lineup.

Monahan scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Monahan scored to stretch the lead to 5-3 in the third period. The 31-year-old center is healthy to begin the campaign after battling injuries late in the season. That's been a common theme in his down years, though his 78 games played in 2025-26 were his second-most in the last five seasons. For now, he's penciled into a top-six role, but he could shift to the third line if his production starts to slip.

Fantilli scored a goal on two shots and added six hits in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Fantilli missed most of the training camp and the preseason while awaiting a new contract. While that's not usually a good sign for production to come, the 21-year-old center showed why he was worth a $13.75 million cap hit with a goal in the opening period of the season. Fantilli is already reliably productive, but his new deal will come with the expectation that he can build on last year's 24-goal, 59-point effort over 82 games. While he's unlikely to pace the league in offense, he adds some extra grit that can round out his fantasy value nicely.

Barkov (knee) is scheduled to have an MRI on Friday, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.

Barkov exited the ice immediately after suffering his apparent knee injury, which isn't an encouraging sign for a player who missed all of last season with a knee injury on his other side. While not officially ruled out, at this point it seems unlikely the veteran center will be ready to face the Ducks on Sunday and could miss the rest of Florida's West Coast swing.

Strome scored a goal in Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Kraken.

Strome provided Calgary's only offense on an otherwise miserable season-opening performance, beating Joey Daccord with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle at 16:35 of the third period. Strome is a middle-six forward and isn't likely to play a big role in the 2026-27 season, posting 21 points, 57 shots on net and a minus-8 rating over 52 appearances between Calgary and Anaheim in the 2025-26 season. His role isn't expected to change in the 2026-27 campaign.

McCann recorded three assists, including one on the power play, and four shots in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Flames.

McCann didn't find the back of the net, but he played a major role in Seattle's offensive outburst. His shot led directly to Jordan Eberle's power-play opener, and he later set up Matty Beniers for Seattle's fifth goal early in the third period. McCann completed his three-assist night by earning the primary helper on Kaapo Kakko's goal at 17:01, which came just 26 seconds after Calgary finally got on the board. McCann had a down season in 2025-26, with just 40 points in 52 regular-season contests, but he recorded at least 60 points in each of his previous three campaigns.

Coyle racked up three assists, one on the power play, with two hits, a blocked shot and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

The 34-year-old wasn't expected to repeat his surprising 20-goal, 58-point campaign from 2025-26, but Coyle came out of the gates flying on the new season, setting up Cole Sillinger and Matthew Knies for first-period tallies before getting the puck to Mathieu Olivier for an empty-netter late in the third. Coyle will center the third line for Columbus as long as Sean Monahan stays healthy, not an ideal spot for offensive production, but he still featured on the top power-play unit Thursday.