NHL Player News

Mermis was claimed off waivers by Toronto from Utah on Friday. The Maple Leafs have sent him to AHL Toronto.

Mermis was originally with Toronto before being claimed off waivers by Utah on Dec. 12, so that's why the Maple Leafs could reassign him to the AHL. The 30-year-old has no points, two shots and one block in one NHL appearance this season. Heading to the Marlies will give him a chance to get in some work.

Hughes (undisclosed) is getting close to returning and will join the Canucks on their upcoming road trip, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports Friday.

After the Canucks host Nashville on Friday, Vancouver will begin a five-game road trip in Montreal on Monday. Once healthy, Hughes will should resume his normal duties on the top pairing and first power-play unit, which would likely result in Guillaume Brisebois exiting the lineup. Hughes has eight goals and 42 points in 34 appearances in 2024-25.

Provorov recorded an assist in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Red Wings.

Provorov has a goal and four helpers over his last nine contests. The 27-year-old defenseman has chipped in a decent amount on offense, but he's still valued more for his shutdown duties. Overall, he has 15 points, 44 shots on net, 49 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over 39 appearances, putting him right in line with his 32-point campaign from 2023-24.

Holl recorded an assist in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Blue Jackets.

Holl ended a 13-game point drought with the helper. The 32-year-old was scratched just once in that span, and it appears he's mostly separated himself from being at danger of sitting out, which has most often happened to Erik Gustafsson and Albert Johansson. Holl could even see a larger role if Jeff Petry (undisclosed) misses time after getting hurt Thursday. Holl is at four points, 11 shots on net, 18 hits and 36 blocked shots through 30 appearances, so he won't be a strong fantasy option even if he continues to play regularly.

Gustafsson scored a goal in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Blue Jackets.

Gustafsson has a goal and two assists during his three-game point streak, which follows a seven-game slump. The 32-year-old defenseman hasn't been scratched since Dec. 5, and he's holding down a spot on the third pairing and second power-play unit. The Swedish blueliner has eight points, 37 shots on net, 21 blocked shots, 14 PIM and a minus-11 rating through 30 appearances.

Toews notched one goal and two assists in Thursday's 6-5 overtime win over the Sabres. He also recorded four shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating.

Toews recorded only his third multi-point game of the season, but he did it in a game where the Avs needed him badly, as it turned out to be an 11-goal offensive explosion. Toews has scored in back-to-back games this season, and he's up to three goals and 17 points through 35 contests in 2024-25.

Makar scored two goals in Thursday's 6-5 overtime win over the Sabres. He also had five shots, one hit, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating.

Makar didn't find the back of the net in his last two games, but he bounced back in this one with a huge offensive output. That shouldn't be a surprise, however, as the 26-year-old is one of the most productive blueliners in the league -- and a strong candidate to win the James Norris Memorial Trophy. Makar is up to 48 points across 39 games this season, tallying 13 goals and 35 assists. He has 19 power-play points and three game-winning goals among his output.

Bogosian notched an assist, three shots on goal, three blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over the Capitals.

Bogosian is likely to see a larger role for as long as Jared Spurgeon (lower body) is out. That manifested in a helper for Bogosian in Thursday's contest, snapping his eight-game point drought. Even with more minutes, the 34-year-old blueliner has limited upside for fantasy. He's at seven points, 45 shots on net, 45 blocked shots, 40 hits, 23 PIM and a minus-1 rating through 39 outings this season.

Sandin notched an assist and added two hits in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Wild.

Sandin has earned three assists over his last five outings. The defenseman has been over 20 minutes of ice time in the last three games, which is something that happened just three times over the prior 11 contests. Sandin is at 16 points, 41 shots on net, 47 hits, 60 blocked shots and a plus-16 rating through 38 outings this season. If he can stay in the top four and continue to see power-play time, he's a solid depth defenseman for fantasy.

Burns scored a goal on seven shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Panthers.

Burns has two goals and two assists over four games since the holiday break. The 39-year-old's resurgence on offense can be partially attributed to the absence of Shayne Gostisbehere (upper body). Burns is on the top power-play unit, and he's likely to have a short-term boost in scoring while Gostisbehere is hurt. For the season, Burns is at 13 points, 85 shots on net, 50 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating through 38 appearances.