NHL Player News

Bogosian notched an assist, two hits, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Lightning.

Bogosian is far from a reliable scorer in fantasy -- his helper Thursday was his first point in seven contests this season. The 34-year-old defenseman is steady enough to maintain a second-pairing role, but that's mostly through his work in his own zone. He's picked up 10 shots on net, 10 hits, 10 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating so far. Bogosian can be skipped over in fantasy since he hasn't had a 20-point campaign since 2015-16.

Thompson had two power-play assists, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Kings.

Thompson's usage is starting to get interesting -- he is on the Sharks' top power-play unit, and while he was listed on the third pairing Thursday, he led the team's blueliners with 20:34 of ice time. Thompson has three assists, four shots on net, seven blocked shots, two hits and a minus-2 rating over three outings this season. Even if he serves as a power-play specialist, Thompson will have appeal in deeper fantasy formats, especially those where an ugly plus-minus rating is not a concern.

Clarke notched an assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Sharks.

Clarke had been held off the scoresheet in the previous three games, which earned him a drop back to the third pairing. The 21-year-old blueliner looks set to compete with Jordan Spence all season for premium minutes. Clarke has done well early on with five assists, 13 shots on net and 14 blocked shots, but he also has a minus-1 rating and 12 PIM through eight contests. Taking too many penalties could lead to a reduced role.

Spence scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM, logged two hits, blocked three shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Sharks.

Spence has been everywhere from the first pairing to the press box over the Kings' first eight games. The defenseman had a strong all-around game Thursday, which included his first goal of the season to open the scoring 4:31 into the first period. He's added three helpers, six shots on net, 12 blocks, nine hits, six PIM and a plus-1 rating over seven appearances. The 23-year-old was listed on the top pairing Thursday and could be a depth option in fantasy if he can stay in that role.

Montour logged an assist and two hits in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Jets.

Montour led all Kraken skaters with 26:52 of ice time. The 30-year-old is picking up a lot of the slack created in the absence of Vince Dunn (upper body), including on the power play. Montour is up to one goal, four assists, 29 shots on net, 13 hits, seven blocked shots, six PIM and a plus-3 rating through eight contests. Any concerns about his offense declining with his move from Florida to Seattle have yet to be a factor, and Montour should continue to be productive while serving as the Kraken's de facto No. 1 blueliner.

Pionk provided an assist, six shots on goal and three blocked shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kraken.

Pionk is off to a stellar start this season, and he's now on a four-game point streak. The 29-year-old defenseman has a goal, seven assists, 18 shots on net, 10 hits, 13 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating through seven appearances. He remains in a top-four role, and with the Jets starting the year 7-0-0, Pionk has emerged as a strong secondary scoring threat from the blue line to complement Josh Morrissey.

Ekman-Larsson scored a goal in a 5-1 loss to the Blues on Thursday.

It was Ekman-Larsson's first goal of the season. He crushed the puck from the top of the circle, and it hit a Blues player and deflected past Jordan Binnington. Ekman-Larsson is off to a strong start in Toronto with one goal and four assists, 22 shots, 15 hits and seven blocks. He has even seen some time on the first power-play unit as the Leafs try to figure out how to inject some life in that struggling group. Ekman-Larsson is a solid depth defender in shallow leagues.

Cole provided an assist, four hits and two PIM in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.

The helper was Cole's first point since he logged an assist on Opening Night. The 35-year-old defenseman was paired with Maveric Lamoureux in this contest, who made his NHL debut. Due to numerous injuries on Utah's blue line, Cole's spot in the lineup should be safe for most of the year. The veteran has two helpers, four shots on net, 11 hits, 21 blocked shots, 14 PIM and a minus-1 rating through eight appearances.

Broberg scored a goal Tuesday in a 5-1 win over Toronto.

Broberg has been better than advertised since his arrival in St. Louis. He has seven points (two goals, five assists) in eight games and has been held off the score sheet just one game in that span. Broberg has also delivered modest totals in hits (eight), blocks (seven) and shots (eight). Fantasy managers in most formats could take a chance on him and hope he moves up the lineup to PP1, where his smarts and size would be a real asset.

Malinski notched an assist and three blocked shots in Thursday's 5-1 win over Utah.

Malinski has a helper in each of the last two games after starting the season quiet. The 26-year-old defenseman has seen his ice time drop since Devon Toews returned from a lower-body injury, but Malinski has maintained his spot on the third pairing. Overall, Malinski has two assists, 11 shots on net, nine blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over eight contests.