NHL Player News

DeSimone was summoned from AHL Utica on Friday.

DeSimone has two assists in nine appearances with Utica in 2024-25. The Devils had only six healthy defensemen on their roster, so DeSimone gives them some flexibility going into a back-to-back set against the Islanders and Sharks on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Hague (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Friday, per the NHL media site.

Hague last played Saturday, so this move can be retroactive to that date. That would rule him out for Friday's game against Seattle but still make it possible for him to be activated before Monday's tilt versus Carolina. Hague has a goal, 13 hits and 12 blocks in nine outings in 2024-25. When healthy, Hague might serve on the third pairing.

Sergachev registered an assist, a plus-2 rating, three hits and four blocked shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Blues.

Sergachev set up Jack McBain's empty-netter. The helper ended a brief two-game dry spell for Sergachev. The 26-year-old defenseman is up to 10 points in 14 contests, though his newfound offensive responsibilities have taken some of the bite out of his game from previous seasons. He's added 25 shots on net and 24 blocked shots, but he has just nine hits -- the blueliner has recorded three 100-plus hit seasons and has never finished below a hit per game in his career.

Slavin scored a goal and blocked three shots in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.

Slavin unleashed a shot from the point that got past Alex Nedeljkovic to give the Hurricanes a 4-0 lead in the second period. Slavin has gotten on the scoresheet in each of the last two games, though the 30-year-old blueliner is rarely one to go on extended runs of offense. He's up to five points, 14 shots on net, 22 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating through 12 contests this season. He can help fantasy managers who need blocks and a positive plus-minus rating without hurting their offense too much.

Jones notched an assist in Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Sabres.

Jones has a helper in each of the last two games, which should help him solidify a spot on the third pairing. He also received some power-play time in the blowout loss, which could give him a better path to fantasy production if it sticks. He has three assists, five shots on net, a plus-6 rating, six blocked shots and four hits over seven appearances. Jones continues to compete with Victor Mancini for a spot in the lineup.

Clifton notched an assist, three hits and two blocked shots in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Rangers.

Clifton appears to be a regular on the Sabres' blue line -- he's been scratched in just one of the team's first 14 games. Henri Jokiharju and Mattias Samuelsson have fallen out of favor with leaky defense, and considering the Sabres have allowed just two goals over two games with those two out of the lineup, Clifton shouldn't be facing an immediate challenge for playing time. Clifton has three assists, 11 shots on net, 35 hits, 22 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 13 contests in a third-pairing role.

Fowler, who is dealing with an upper-body injury, will be a game-time decision ahead of Friday's matchup with Minnesota, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Fowler hasn't offered much in terms of offensive upside this season with just two helpers through the first 12 contests. The veteran blueliner has seen his role with the man advantage reduced -- he's averaging just 43 seconds of power-play ice time this season compared to 2:21 last year -- which no doubt is a factor in his slow offensive start. If Fowler can't play, Radko Gudas could see an uptick in ice time while Urho Vaakanainen would step back into the lineup.

Josi notched a power-play assist, two hits, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Panthers.

All three of Josi's points over four games in November have come on the power play. The 34-year-old has eight points this season, six of which have come with the man advantage as the Predators have struggled with consistency at even strength. The Swiss blueliner has added 58 shots on net, 17 hits and 26 blocked shots, but the team's struggles have also saddled him with a minus-12 rating across 14 games.

Schmidt posted a power-play assist, three hits and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Predators.

Schmidt has earned two helpers over his last four games, both coming on the power play. He's playing on the second unit now after mostly missing out with the man advantage early in the campaign. The 33-year-old has four points, seven shots on net, 20 hits, eight blocked shots, seven PIM and an even plus-minus rating over 13 appearances. Schmidt and Adam Boqvist appear to be competing for one spot in the lineup now that the Panthers have gotten healthy, and it's a battle Schmidt is winning.

Balinskis notched two assists, four shots on goal, two hits and two PIM in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Predators.

Balinskis has three helpers over his last two games, and two of those assists have come on the power play. The 28-year-old defenseman is quarterbacking the first power-play unit, so he's worth at least a speculative add in most fantasy formats. He's up to four helpers this season, surpassing his point total (three) from 26 regular-season outings in 2023-24. Balinskis has added 13 shots on net, 13 hits, six blocked shots, nine PIM and a minus-1 rating over 14 contests in 2024-25.