NHL Player News

Gudas did not record a point over the Ducks' first 10 games of the season.

Gudas was named the team's captain -- the Ducks' first since Ryan Getzlaf's retirement at the end of 2021-22 -- prior to the season. While Gudas hasn't recorded a point, he's performed as expected with 35 hits, 32 blocked shots and four PIM over 10 contests. The Butcher continues to see bottom-four minutes on defense, but he should be capable of 200-plus hits, 150-plus blocks, 80-plus PIM and 15-20 points over the course of a full season.

Shea was scratched for Thursday's 2-1 overtime win over the Ducks, the 10th time in 12 games he's sat out.

Shea remains in the NHL as a seventh defenseman, but he's behind Jack St. Ivany on the depth chart for a third-pairing job. In his two appearances, Shea has a minus-2 rating, two shots on goal and five blocked shots. The Penguins' defense hasn't exactly been a standout group so far, but Shea has minimal upside on offense -- he produced just one goal and no assists over 31 regular-season outings in 2023-24.

St. Ivany has suited up in 10 of the Penguins' first 12 games, though he has yet to record a point.

St. Ivany has a clear edge over Ryan Shea for a third-pairing job. The results haven't been particularly strong -- St. Ivany has nine shots on net, 24 hits, 12 blocked shots, nine PIM and a minus-4 rating in 2024-25. The 25-year-old defenseman is averaging 15:46 of ice time, but with virtually no scoring upside, he is unlikely to be a factor in most fantasy formats.

Kessel has not recorded a point through his first eight contests in 2024-25.

Kessel has been in the lineup more often than not while competing for playing time with Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Scott Perunovich. The 24-year-old Kessel has five shots on net, five hits, five blocked shots, four PIM and a minus-2 rating this season. Kessel will have a tougher time staying in the lineup once Nick Leddy (lower body) is ready to return.

Cernak (upper body) will be in the lineup versus Minnesota on Friday, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.

Cernak was hurt in the second period against Colorado on Wednesday but appears to be no worse for the wear. Through 10 games this season, the 27-year-old blueliner has notched three assists, 16 hits and 15 blocks while averaging 19:17 of ice time. Cernak is unlikely to offer much in the way of offensive upside but could still offer decent mid-range fantasy value in banger leagues.

Romanov (upper body) will be a game-time call versus the Sabres on Friday, though head coach Patrick Roy expects the blueliner to play, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com.

Romanov will be back in action after missing the previous three contests due to his upper-body injury -- assuming he is given the all-clear as expected. While the 24-year-old Russian offers limited offensive upside -- he's never reached the 25-point mark in his five-year NHL career -- he does provide category coverage in hits and blocks, racking up 14 and 19, respectively, in seven games this year.

Brannstrom was recalled from AHL Abbotsford on Friday.

Brannstrom was sent to Abbotsford on Thursday but will rejoin the NHL club a day later. He's made six appearances for the Canucks this year, recording an assist, six blocked shots, three hits and a plus-3 rating while averaging 14:15 of ice time.

Karlsson registered an assist in a 2-1 win over Anaheim on Thursday.

Karlsson was able to bring a three-game pointless streak to an end with his sixth helper of the season. While the 34-year-old blueliner has been fairly productive offensively with seven points in 12 games, he has struggled on the defensive side of the puck and currently sits at minus-6 while also registering the second most giveaways (24) in the league behind only Dougie Hamilton (26).

Barron had one block and one hit in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Capitals.

Barron was back in the active lineup after missing three games due to an upper-body injury. He lined up on the third pair with Jayden Struble and finished minus-2 over 10:52 of ice time. Barron's return prompted the Habs to make Arber Xhekaj a healthy scratch.

Guhle had one shot on net, three blocks, four hits and two PIM in Thursday's 6-3 loss to Washington.

Guhle returned to the active lineup after missing five games due to an upper-body injury. He rejoined the top pair with Mike Matheson and had a minus-2 rating over 21:31 of ice time. Guhle's return prompted Montreal to reassign Logan Mailloux to the minors.