NHL Player News

Guentzel logged two assists, two shots on goal and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Senators.

Guentzel helped out on goals by Oliver Bjorkstrand and Brayden Point just 1:25 apart in the first period. While Nikita Kucherov is the headliner of the Lightning offense, Guentzel is more than capable of a point-per-game season himself. He did that in 2024-25 with 41 goals and 39 helpers over 80 regular-season outings while cementing himself on the top line. The 31-year-old winger will also look to replicate his power-play production -- he earned 28 of his 80 points last year with the man advantage. Fantasy managers who took Guentzel with an early-round pick made a safe choice, though he's had a handful of injury-plagued seasons in his career.

Cozens scored a power-play goal on two shots, added two PIM and logged four hits in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Lightning.

Cozens helped the Senators prevent this game from getting out of hand, cutting the Lightning's lead to 2-1 at 10:18 of the first period. The center saw 15:35 of ice time while working on the second line and first power-play unit in this contest. He had 47 points, 205 hits, 68 PIM and a minus-17 rating over 82 regular-season outings between the Senators and Sabres last year. Ottawa has built a gritty and physically tough team for 2025-26, and Cozens figures to play a large role in that as he looks to get back to the level that saw him produce 68 points in 2022-23.

Dellandrea posted an assist, two shots on goal, four hits and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Dellandrea set up a Jeff Skinner tally at 5:31 of the first period. The 25-year-old Dellandrea is getting a chance to center the third line to begin 2025-26. There's still plenty of moving pieces in the middle six -- Will Smith is on the wing and Michael Misa will get his NHL debut at some point. Dellandrea may not stay down the middle all year, but he plays with enough physicality that he should be able to stay in the lineup even if he has to move to the wing or down to the fourth line. However, he had just eight points in 68 appearances in 2024-25, so he's unlikely to be a big scoring threat.

Kurashev scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Kurashev got the first look at left wing alongside Macklin Celebrini. That's an interesting spot if he can keep it, but the Sharks have a mix of veterans and youngsters that could take it over if Kurashev slumps. The 25-year-old is a fascinating player -- he had just 14 points in 51 outings in 2024-25, but he put up 18 goals and 54 points over 75 appearances the year before. Fantasy managers can afford to wait and see how Kurashev does in a larger sample, but there is scoring potential in his game.

Wennberg scored a power-play goal on two shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Wennberg put the Sharks ahead 2-1 with his goal in the second period. He's more of a pass-first player on offense -- the center has not exceeded 13 goals in any of the last four campaigns. Moreover, he's primarily valued for his two-way play, and with the Sharks, his experience is worth more than his scoring. The 31-year-old will likely fill a second-line role as long as Will Smith stays on the wing, though Michael Misa could get a look down the middle at some point this season after making the team out of camp.

Howden scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Sharks.

Howden has a goal, two shots and five hits over his first two games of the season. The 27-year-old racked up 23 goals and 40 points in 80 regular-season outings last year, but his 18.4 shooting percentage is a red flag for regression. It doesn't help that he's starting 2025-26 in a fourth-line role, though he's often one of the first players to move up when injuries strike or head coach Bruce Cassidy wants to shuffle the forward trios. Howden's physicality gives him a decent floor in fantasy, but don't expect a repeat of last year's offense.

Eichel scored a goal on three shots, added a power-play assist and logged two hits in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Sharks.

Eichel helped out on a Pavel Dorofeyev tally in the second period before scoring a fluky goal with a favorable bounce on a dump-in that evaded Alex Nedeljkovic late in the third. With two goals and four helpers over two games, Eichel has hit the ground running in 2025-26. He's added eight shots, three hits and a plus-3 rating, and he's earned three of his six points on the power play. The 28-year-old is a must-start in virtually all fantasy formats.

McCann scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Ducks.

McCann scored the Kraken's third goal at 4:25 of the third period. The 29-year-old saw 18:24 of ice time, which is more than he averaged last year (17:13 per game). McCann missed nearly all of training camp due to a lower-body injury, but it appears the Kraken were just making sure one of their top forwards would be ready for the regular season. He'll be a regular in the top six and on the power play throughout 2025-26.

Jarvis netted two even-strength goals on three shots and went plus-1 in Thursday's 6-3 win over New Jersey.

Jarvis helped his team avoid overtime, as he found the back of the net with under three minutes remaining in the final stanza. The right-shot winger also added an insurance tally into an empty net, which gave Carolina a 5-3 lead. Jarvis has registered 67 points in back-to-back seasons, but now that he has newcomer Nikolaj Ehlers on his line, along with Sebastian Aho, Jarvis' game could reach new heights in 2025-26.

Frost scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Canucks.

Frost got the Flames on the board with a goal at 13:06 of the third period, but they didn't have a second straight comeback effort. The 26-year-old center also went 12-for-14 on faceoffs. He's seeing second-line usage early in the second, though the Flames' middle-six trios are interchangeable, with Frost's line getting better offensive assignments while Mikael Backlund handles a shutdown role. Frost has added four shots, two PIM, one hit and one blocked shot over two contests this season.