NHL Player News

Hunt was recalled from AHL Iowa on Friday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Hunt will be the seventh defenseman Saturday in Columbus, as Jared Spurgeon is unavailable due to a lower-body injury. Jon Merrill is expected to take Spurgeon's spot in the lineup. Hunt had two shots on goal and a pair of blocked shots in Tuesday's game versus St. Louis.

Hughes scored a goal on nine shots, added an assist and blocked two shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Panthers.

Hughes gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead in the second period and set up J.T. Miller on the game-winner in overtime. The goal was Hughes' first of the season, and he's up to four points, 13 shots on net, seven blocks and a plus-1 rating through four appearances. While he hasn't displayed much consistency yet, Hughes has the talent to exceed a point-per-game pace as he did with 17 goals and 92 points in 82 regular-season outings in 2023-24.

McNabb scored a goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Lightning.

McNabb opened the scoring at 5:26 of the first period. The 33-year-old defenseman has two points, seven shots on net, six hits, 10 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating over five appearances this season. His physicality makes him an option in banger leagues, but playing on the third pairing will likely limit his offense, keeping him out of the mix in standard fantasy formats.

Lilleberg notched an assist and five hits in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Golden Knights.

Lilleberg is not guaranteed a spot in the lineup, but he has appeared in two of the Lightning's three games so far. Even when he suits up, it's been in a very limited third-pairing role so far. In 2023-24, the 23-year-old defenseman accumulated five assists, 31 shots on net, 105 hits and 48 blocked shots over 37 regular-season appearances. With no clear path to top-four minutes, he's unlikely to be an option in most fantasy formats.

York scored a goal, blocked five shots, logged two hits and added two PIM in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Kraken.

York has two goals through four appearances this season. The 23-year-old defenseman has seen significant ice time, including a season-high 25:17 in Thursday's loss, but it hasn't come with much power-play time yet, as Egor Zamula and Jamie Drysdale continue to play with the man advantage. York has added six shots on net, seven blocked shots, five hits and four PIM from his top-four role. If he can keep his minutes up, York may be able to produce enough offense to stay in the mix in fantasy even without a significant power-play role.

Drysdale scored a power-play goal and went minus-3 in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Kraken.

The third-period goal was Drysdale's first point in four games this season. He's added eight blocked shots and a minus-6 rating. He's playing on the third pairing at even strength, though he saw a season-high 20:15 of ice time Thursday. He's also been a factor with the man advantage. Things often change quickly in the Flyers' lineup, and given where Drysdale's at now, he has nowhere to go but up, especially if he can build off his goal.

Larsson posted an assist and five blocked shots in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Flyers.

Larsson has earned all three of his points this season over the last two games, a span in which the Kraken have 13 goals as a team. The 31-year-old defenseman has been able to see a slightly smaller workload so far, averaging 21:15 of ice time per game thanks to the defensive work of the pairing of Brandon Montour and Jamie Oleksiak. In addition to his three points, Larsson has seven shots on net, eight hits, 14 blocked shots and four PIM this season.

Evans logged an assist, blocked two shots and went plus-5 in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Flyers.

Evans impressed on the defensive side of things, especially after Vince Dunn had his minutes managed in the third period. Through five games, Evans has a goal, three assists, seven shots on net, six blocked shots, six hits and a plus-5 rating. If Dunn misses any additional time with the lingering effects of an upper-body injury he sustained last weekend, Evans would jump into a top-four role. Fantasy managers in dynasty formats should already have Evans stashed, and if he can keep his offense up, he'll draw some appeal in redraft formats as well.

Dunn didn't play in the third period of Thursday's 6-4 win over the Flyers, but Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports that was for precautionary reasons.

After the game, Dunn was present in the locker room, further supporting the notion that his absence is nothing to worry about at this time. The defenseman missed a game Sunday in Dallas with an upper-body injury sustained versus the Wild last Saturday. In 13:10 of ice time, Dunn put up an assist and blocked two shots in Thursday's game, giving him three points, 10 blocks and a minus-2 rating over four appearances this season. For now, it's safe to assume Dunn will be in the lineup Saturday versus the Flames -- if his status downgrades over the next couple of days, look for Ryker Evans to again move up the lineup while Josh Mahura would draw in on the third pairing.

Montour scored a goal on three shots and added four PIM in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Flyers.

Montour scored from distance in the first period. In the third, he receiving a double-minor for roughing during a scrum. It's not unusual for Montour to show some snarl -- he had 104 hits in the regular season last year, and he produced 107 PIM the year before that. Through five appearances this season, he has three points, 19 shots on net, eight hits, three blocked shots, six PIM and a plus-3 rating while filling a top-four role to begin his Kraken career.