NHL Player News

Ekman-Larsson notched an assist and two hits in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Penguins.

Ekman-Larsson has earned two helpers, six PIM, five shots on net and six hits over four games in December. That matches his point production from all of November. Ekman-Larsson will continue to see top-four minutes throughout 2024-25, but his hot start was likely a bit of a flash in the pan. He's collected 10 points, 47 shots on net, 41 hits, 27 blocked shots, 28 PIM and a plus-1 rating over 27 contests.

Graves played for just the second time in 10 games when he suited up in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.

The Penguins have given Owen Pickering an extended look, and while Jack St. Ivany isn't in the NHL mix currently, Graves has often found himself out of the lineup lately. The 29-year-old Graves is stuck in the starting blocks on offense with zero points and 18 shots on net through 21 outings, and he's added 27 hits, 29 blocked shots and a minus-8 rating. While he was once a reliable 25-point option on the blue line, his poor defensive play and nonexistent offense has made him a non-factor in fantasy in 2024-25.

Pettersson posted an assist, two hits and two blocked shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.

Pettersson has a goal and two assists over three games to begin December. He had all of four helpers in November, though he's spaced out his points this season to avoid too many lengthy droughts. The 28-year-old blueliner is at two goals, 11 assists, 31 shots on net, 34 hits, 55 blocked shots, 21 PIM and a minus-6 rating over 29 outings in a top-four role.

Grzelcyk notched a power-play assist in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.

Grzelcyk has four helpers over his last four games, and three of them have come on the power play. The 30-year-old defenseman has played on the Penguins' second unit throughout the campaign, earning six of his 12 assists this season on the power play. He's one point shy of matching his career high in production with the man advantage, and he's already surpassed his point total from 63 regular-season games in 2023-24. The blueliner has added 34 shots on net, 41 blocked shots and a minus-13 rating, so his fantasy value will depend on which categories you need help in.

Karlsson posted a power-play assist, three shots on goal and two PIM in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.

Karlsson has a helper in each of the last two games, and a total of seven assists across his last seven outings. The defenseman helped out on Michael Bunting's game-winning goal in the third period. Karlsson is up to 18 points (seven on the power play) with 69 shots on net, 37 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating over 29 outings. The offense is good enough for a blueliner, so fantasy managers can overlook the less impressive parts of his game.

Kesselring had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win over Buffalo on Saturday.

Kesselring beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen top corner from the high slot early in the second period, which started a run of five unanswered Utah goals. Kesselring's game has taken a big jump this season. He has 14 points and 48 shots in 26 games after recording 21 points and 76 shots in 65 outings as a rookie last season. That puts Kesselring on track for his first-ever 40-plus point season with 150-plus shots. He can help.

Letang scored a shorthanded empty-net goal, fired seven shots on net, went plus-3, added two PIM, levied two hits and blocked two shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.

Letang racked up plenty of non-scoring production before putting away the final goal of the game. He's scored three times and added two assists over his last four games. The defenseman is up to five goals, 11 points, 69 shots on net, 46 hits, 29 blocked shots, 14 PIM and a minus-11 rating over 26 appearances. Letang has logged at least one shorthanded point in four of the last six campaigns, but it doesn't represent an outsized portion of his offense.

York scored a goal Saturday in a 4-3 overtime loss to Boston.

He put the Flyers up 3-1 in the second period with a shot from the high slot. York hadn't earned a point since his return from injured reserve on Nov. 23. The defender broke out in 2023-24 with 10 goals and 30 points in 82 regular-season games. However, York has just three goals and one assist in 14 games this campaign. York's fantasy value is low for now, but that could improve if his offensive production increases.

Sanheim picked up two assists Saturday in a 4-3 overtime loss to Boston.

Sanheim's improvement has been one of the highlights of the Flyers' season. He's fourth in the NHL in average ice time (25:30) and ranks among the league's top 10 in even-strength production from the back end. Sanheim's success has not gone unnoticed -- on Wednesday, he was named to the Team Canada roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Sanheim has 12 assists, 17 points and 64 blocks in 27 games this season. Only one of his points has come with the man advantage, limiting his fantasy value slightly, but there is plenty of room for a 40-plus point defender who sacrifices his body on most rosters.

Martinez suffered an upper-body injury after taking a deflected puck to the head or neck in the third period of Saturday's game versus the Jets, and he'll miss time, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

This suggests Martinez will at least miss Monday's game versus the Rangers, and it's possible he could miss the Blackhawks' full three-game road trip. Further information wasn't provided about his injury. With Martinez out, look for Louis Crevier to take his spot in the lineup.