NHL Player News

Hopkins scored two goals in OHL Kingston's 3-2 overtime loss to Peterborough on Friday.

Hopkins has impressed in November with four goals and four assists over his last six games. The 18-year-old is up to 10 goals, 20 points, 62 shots on net and a plus-5 rating through 22 appearances. The Maple Leafs prospect has overcome inconsistency from earlier in the season and is starting to rack up more offense as he settles in during his third junior campaign.

Benak scored twice in OHL Brantford's 7-2 win over Sarnia on Friday.

Benak has four goals and seven points over his last three games, and he's posted five multi-point efforts over nine outings in November. He's up to 13 goals and 25 assists over 21 appearances this season while continuing to play a leading role in Brantford's offense.

Hinostroza sustained a serious undisclosed injury in Friday's game versus the Penguins and will miss time, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Hinostroza was hauled down during the second period and landed awkwardly, resulting in the injury. He will return to Minnesota for further evaluation, effectively ruling him out of the Wild's next two games at a minimum. That said, head coach John Hynes' update after Friday's contest suggests Hinostroza's absence could be much longer.

Philp (upper body) was placed on long-term injured reserve Friday.

Philp was initially ruled out for three games, but this move to LTIR will keep him out until mid-December. The 27-year-old forward has three points over 15 games this season, so fantasy managers likely won't notice his absence. Connor Clattenburg was promoted from AHL Bakersfield in a corresponding move.

Per Mark Masters of TSN, Matthews (lower body) is doubtful to play Saturday in Montreal, according to head coach Craig Berube.

Berube said Friday that Matthews has been practicing, but his availability for Saturday's tilt is doubtful. Matthews has already missed the last four games, and the Maple Leafs will look to Wednesday's game in Columbus as a possibility to get Matthews back into the lineup. Matthews has nine goals and five helpers in 17 games this season.

Sturm (back) was activated off injured reserve Friday.

Sturm missed the first month and a half of the 2025-26 campaign due to a back injury, but his season debut is imminent. Although he'll officially be available to suit up for Friday's game in Pittsburgh, a previous report from Michael Russo of The Athletic suggested that Sturm would practice Saturday before potentially returning to game action, so it seems as though the 30-year-old could spend at least one more matchup on the shelf. Sturm made 62 regular-season appearances between San Jose and Florida last year, recording seven goals, seven assists, 107 hits, 34 blocked shots and 20 PIM while averaging 10:25 of ice time. He'll likely handle a bottom-six role once he suits up for Minnesota.

Catton logged an assist in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Catton had a helper on Shane Wright's game-tying goal at 7:13 of the third period. The 19-year-old Catton hasn't come out of the lineup since his Oct. 20 debut versus the Flyers, but he was on a nine-game slump prior to Thursday. The 2024 first-round pick has been playing alongside Wright on the third line, which is a unit that is likely to be sheltered by head coach Lane Lambert. Catton is up to four assists, 11 shots on net, eight blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 15 appearances.

Frederic scored a goal in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Lightning.

Frederic hadn't registered a point in 19 games after his goal Oct. 14 versus the Rangers. That lack of offense has kept him mostly in a third-line role with little power-play time, though his usage should tick upwards while the Oilers are forced into dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen due to cap constraints. The 27-year-old has two goals, 26 shots on net, 60 hits, 13 PIM and a minus-7 rating through 23 appearances.

Paul scored a goal on three shots and added four hits in Thursday's 2-1 overtime win over the Oilers.

Paul had missed the first 19 games of the season while recovering from an upper-body surgery. The 30-year-old was plugged right back into the middle of the Lightning's lineup, posting 15:21 of ice time in his season debut. Paul is a valuable middle-six forward who can play in all situations, so he may occasionally score enough to provide decent returns in fantasy, especially if he continues to play with a physical edge. He's topped the 40-point mark in each of the last two regular seasons, though he'd need a career-best pace to get to that mark in 2025-26 with all the time he's missed.

Couturier notched an assist in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Blues.

Couturier has just two helpers over eight contests since missing a game due to an upper-body injury at the start of November. It's possible he's playing at less than 100 percent, especially given his lengthy injury history. The center is at two goals, nine helpers, 25 shots on net, 15 hits, 13 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating across 18 appearances this season.