NHL Player News

Pickford scored twice and added two assists in WHL Medicine Hat's 6-5 overtime win over Moose Jaw on Friday.

That's four multi-goal games in a row for Pickford, who has 10 goals and six assists over his last six outings. The Canadiens prospect missed out on Team Canada's World Junior Championship roster, but that will allow him to keep rolling in the WHL. Overall, he has a stunning 22 goals and 40 points over 29 appearances this season.

Perunovich scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Tucson's 5-4 overtime win over Bakersfield on Friday.

The goal was Perunovich's first of the season. Through 22 outings, he's racked up 15 points, 25 shots on net and a minus-5 rating. The defenseman is set for his first full AHL campaign after splitting time between the AHL and NHL in most of the last four years, as well as an injury-riddled 2022-23. His scoring potential is still obvious, but he has no clear path to the Mammoth's roster.

Heinola posted three assists in AHL Manitoba's 6-1 win over Iowa on Friday.

Heinola has 12 points on the year, including six helpers over his last four games. While he's improving with the Moose, the Jets are about to get Haydn Fleury (concussion) back, so there's no obvious spot for Heinola to receive a call-up.

Buium was traded to the Canucks from the Wild on Friday, along with Marco Rossi (lower body), Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick, in exchange for Quinn Hughes, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

Buium is essentially a replacement for Hughes on the Canucks' current roster. He also moves back the Canucks' competitive window, which has rapidly closed amid recent mismanagement. The 20-year-old Buium may struggle initially after the trade, but he has the potential to be a superstar in his own right on the blue line, and he'll get far more opportunities in Vancouver than he was receiving in Minnesota. The blueliner, a first-round pick in 2024, had 14 points and a minus-9 rating over 31 appearances prior to the trade.

Hughes was traded to the Wild from the Canucks on Friday in exchange for Marco Rossi (lower body), Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick, Darren Dreger of TSN reports. Per Michael Russo of The Athletic, Hughes' Minnesota debut will be Sunday versus the Bruins.

Hughes' divorce from the Canucks went much quicker than last year's J.T. Miller saga. The Wild will accelerate their competitive timeline by acquiring Hughes, who immediately slots in as their top defenseman, bumping Brock Faber down to the second power-play unit. Hughes has 23 points (12 on the power play) and a minus-10 rating over 26 appearances this season, but his offense should take off with a more competent supporting cast, which includes a true superstar winger in Kirill Kaprizov.

Nystrom agreed to terms on a four-year, $4.9 million contract extension with Carolina on Friday.

Nystrom was scheduled to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, but instead, he will be sticking around for another four years. In 23 appearances this year, the Swedish blueliner has notched four assists, 30 shots and 14 blocks while averaging 16:02 of ice time.

Broberg notched two assists and three shots on goal in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Predators.

Broberg ended a five-game slump with the pair of helpers. The 24-year-old defenseman continues to see top-four minutes, but he's struggled to put up offense in anything more than short bursts this year. He's at 12 points, 47 shots on net, 53 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 32 appearances, putting him behind the pace that yielded 29 points in 68 regular-season contests a year ago.

Perbix posted an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Blues.

Perbix recently missed three games with an upper-body injury, and this was his second contest back in the lineup. Following Friday's trade of Spencer Stastney to Edmonton, Perbix should be slated to see his ice time pick up if the Predators return to dressing six blueliners. Perbix has five points, 30 shots on net, 26 blocked shots, 15 hits and a minus-9 rating through 27 appearances.

Blankenburg notched two assists, including one on the power play, in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Blues.

Blankenburg has made himself indispensable in a third-pairing role this season. The defenseman has three goals and five helpers over his last nine outings, production that should have the attention of fantasy managers even in a role that could be prone to some dips in production. Overall, he's at 14 points, 32 shots on net, 17 blocked shots, 15 hits and a minus-5 rating through 20 appearances.

Josi logged a pair of assists, four shots on goal and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Blues.

Josi earned his first multi-point effort of the season. He has five helpers and a plus-2 rating over his last six contests. The Swiss defenseman is up to 12 points, 47 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating across 18 appearances. Josi's play has improved during a hot stretch for the Predators, so fantasy managers should continue to be patient for him to round into form.