NHL Player News

Boqvist (face) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Ottawa, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Boqvist exited Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Bruins after taking a puck to the face, and he'll be unavailable for at least one game. However, head coach Paul Maurice said Thursday that the team is feeling good about Boqvist playing Saturday against Buffalo. Nate Schmidt is slated to make his season debut in Boqvist's absence.

Theodore registered three assists in Wednesday's 8-4 win over Colorado.

Two of Theodore's assists came with the man advantage -- he added one shot and two blocks in 19:39 of ice time. If Theodore can stay healthy, the 29-year-old's career-high of 52 points in 2021-22 could be within reach. The left-shot blueliner is quarterbacking Vegas' top power-play unit, and he should be able to fend off Noah Hanifin and Alex Pietrangelo for that role if he continues to perform at a high level. Theodore banked 42 points in 47 regular-season appearances in 2023-24.

Chisholm (illness) is not practicing and will not play versus Columbus on Thursday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Chisholm also missed practice Wednesday. Chisholm had three goals and six assists in 31 regular-season games, split between the Wild and Winnipeg in 2023-24, including two goals and three assists on the power play. Jon Merrill will play in place of Chisholm on the third defense pairing Thursday.

Trouba picked up two assists while adding four shots, a team-high five blocked shots, two PIM, a hit and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Penguins.

He was a rock in his own end of the ice, helping Igor Shesterkin to his 16th career shutout, and Trouba chipped in offensively with two first-period helpers. The 30-year-old blueliner only managed three goals and 22 points in 69 regular-season games in 2023-24, but his true value lies elsewhere -- Trouba's averaged 205.3 hits and 185.3 blocked shots over the last three seasons.

Hronek logged a power-play assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Flames.

Hronek set up Daniel Sprong for the opening goal at 9:40 of the first period. The 26-year-old Hronek had a career year with 48 points (11 on the power play) and a plus-33 rating in 81 regular-season appearances last season, which earned him an eight-year contract in June. While he doesn't have the offensive upside of his defense partner Quinn Hughes, Hronek offers decent category coverage for fantasy and enough offense to be rostered in standard formats thanks to his spot on the second power-play unit.

Hughes logged two assists, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Flames.

Hughes helped out on a Brock Boeser tally just after a power play expired in the first period. In the third, a Hughes' block sprung J.T. Miller for the game-tying goal. The 24-year-old Hughes already has a multi-point effort to his name in 2024-25 after recording 27 such games en route to a career-best 92-point output last season. The Florida native is one of the most gifted blueliners in the league and should be well worth the early-round pick fantasy managers needed to acquire his services this year.

Pachal logged an assist and two hits in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Canucks.

Pachal set up Jonathan Huberdeau's third-period tally. Between Calgary and Vegas last year, Pachal managed two goals, five assists, 52 shots on net, 130 hits, 68 blocked shots and 51 PIM. He is in a third-pairing role to begin 2024-25, but the 25-year-old defenseman could be at risk of losing his place in the lineup to Tyson Barrie, who signed with the Flames after a decent showing in the preseason.

Bahl notched an assist and two hits in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Canucks.

Bahl got on the scoresheet in his Flames debut, assisting on a Martin Pospisil goal in the third period. Acquired in the trade that sent Jacob Markstrom to the Devils, Bahl is set to fill a bottom-four role for the Flames this year. He had a career year in 2023-24 with 11 points, 151 hits, 103 blocked shots and 82 PIM in 82 games last season, so he could offer fantasy value in banger formats, but he's unlikely to score enough to help in standard leagues.

Bean recorded an assist in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Canucks.

Bean helped out on Jonathan Huberdeau's go-ahead goal midway through the third period. This was Bean's Flames debut after the Calgary native signed with his hometown team as a free agent in July. The oft-injured defenseman is set to fill a third-pairing role, though he could rotate out of the lineup for Joel Hanley on occasion. Bean was limited to 13 points with 76 shots on net and 110 blocked shots in 72 appearances with the Blue Jackets last year, so he is unlikely to offer much in the way of fantasy value.

Weegar scored a power-play goal on five shots, blocked five shots and added two hits in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Canucks.

Directly off a faceoff win, Weegar wired home a long-range shot to tie the game at 4-4. The 30-year-old defenseman had the best year of his career in 2023-24, netting 20 goals with 32 assists, 208 shots on net, 194 hits and 200 blocked shots in 82 games. While it'll be tough for him to replicate his 9.6 shooting percentage from last season, Weegar should continue to be a key contributor for the Flames in a top-pairing role, in addition to his work on the first power-play unit.