NHL Player News

Duchene (lower body) is doubtful to play Friday versus St. Louis, per Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News.

Duchene also dealt with the same injury during training camp, and he recently suffered a setback in his recovery. The Stars are planning to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen Friday due to the expectation that Duchene will miss the game. Kyle Capobianco, who might have otherwise been a healthy scratch, is now projected to play against the Blues.

Larkin (upper body) is considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's season opener versus the Rangers, Michael Whitaker of The Hockey News reports.

Larkin has reached the 30-goal mark in each of the previous five seasons and should be capable of hitting that threshold again in 2026-27, assuming he isn't sidelined for too long. Once given the all-clear, Larkin should reclaim his spot on the first line.

McQueen was reassigned to AHL San Diego on Wednesday.

McQueen had 11 goals and 27 points in 36 outings with Providence College as a freshman in 2025-26. He also had a goal and three points in seven AHL regular-season appearances with San Diego last year. Although it seems McQueen will begin the campaign in the minors, it wouldn't be surprising to see him get a chance to play with Anaheim later in the season.

Barzal (knee) might resume skating this weekend or early next week, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports Wednesday.

Barzal isn't expected to need long to recover after he resumes skating. However, it's safe to say he won't play Wednesday in Toronto or Saturday against New Jersey. Barzal is likely to serve on the top line and first power-play unit once he's ready to return.

Eichel scored a goal on two shots and added two assists in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

He set up Victor Olofsson on the power play in the first period, then scored a goal of his own in the second before feeding Mark Stone for an empty-netter in the third. Eichel's tally was the 700th point of his NHL career, coming in his 691st game. The star center was a hot starter in 2025-26 as well, opening last year with six goals and 10 assists over the first seven games before settling in at a more sustainable pace. Eichel is likely to be worth the early-round pick it cost his fantasy managers to acquire his services this year.

McDavid registered two assists in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Canucks.

McDavid helped out on the last two goals of Evan Bouchard's hat trick. The 29-year-old McDavid had multiple points in 46 games during the 2025-26 regular season, so fantasy managers can expect him to continue chipping in plenty of offense consistently. He's one of a handful of players with a real shot at averaging 1.5 points per game, and he should be a mainstay in all fantasy lineups.

Rossi scored a goal in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Oilers.

Rossi is off to a positive start with a tally in the season opener. The center was held to 35 points over 50 appearances between the Wild and the Canucks in 2025-26, though injuries played a large part in his drop in production. He had 60 points the year before, so it's fair to expect a bounce-back effort. Rossi also looks secure as the second-line center until Filip Chytil (shoulder) is cleared to play. Rossi will weigh down fantasy rosters in plus-minus rating with little non-scoring production to counter it, but the offense could be worth the risk in deeper formats.

Pettersson scored a power-play goal and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Oilers.

Pettersson's third-period tally stretched the Canucks' lead to 5-2 before Kevin Lankinen got leaky. Pettersson ended 2025-26 on a 15-game goal drought, and he also had just three goals over his first 18 outings last season, so it's a positive that he's tallied early this year. He's been held to 15 goals in each of the last two campaigns after three straight years above the 30-goal mark. Expecting consistency from the 27-year-old could be asking a lot, but he is poised to have a safe role centering the top line all year.

Sasson scored a goal on two shots, added an assist, blocked two shots and logged two PIM in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Oilers.

Sasson scored in the third period and set up Paul Cotter's game-winner in overtime. After a 19-point effort over 66 games last season, Sasson looks poised for a full-time spot in the Canucks' lineup in 2026-27. He centered the third line Tuesday, but he doesn't have a clear path to a top-six role. The 26-year-old also doesn't add much non-scoring production typically, so he won't make for a strong fantasy option most of the time.

Kastelic scored an empty-net goal in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Rangers.

Kastelic put the finishing touch on Boston's late offensive surge, scoring into an empty net at the 17:29 mark of the third period off assists from Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov. The tally came just 23 seconds after JJ Peterka extended the Bruins' lead to 2-0, with all three Boston goals arriving in a span of only 75 seconds. Don't expect Kastelic to become a steady fantasy contributor overnight, though, as he's a fourth-liner who scored a career-high 12 goals last season.