NHL Player News

McAvoy notched an assist, three blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Golden Knights.

McAvoy is off to a decent start with two helpers over five games this season. Most importantly, he looks fully healthy in a top-pairing role after missing the last quarter of 2024-25 due to a shoulder infection and injury. He's averaging 24:49 of ice time while piling up 11 hits, seven blocked shots, 10 shots on net, eight PIM and a plus-1 rating. McAvoy offers excellent category coverage and decent offense for a blueliner, though the latter could take a hit if the Bruins can't score at a sufficient rate as a team.

Zadorov scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Golden Knights.

Zadorov scored at 16:44 of the first period, though the goal was initially credited to Jeffrey Viel, who was around the net. The tally was Zadorov's first of the season, giving him two points through five contests. He's added 25 hits, 10 blocked shots, five shots on net and a plus-5 rating. The 30-year-old blueliner is better than he gets credit for, though his ceiling is likely around 25 points, giving him more appeal in fantasy formats that reward physical play.

Whitecloud provided an assist in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Bruins.

Whitecloud has taken on an advanced role this season as a top-four blueliner in the wake of Alex Pietrangelo's career-threatening hip injury. The helper Thursday was Whitecloud's first point in five games in 2025-26. He's added 10 hits, five blocked shots and a plus-2 rating while averaging 18:06 of ice time, 35 seconds more on average than he saw last year. In fantasy, Whitecloud lacks a standout trait, as his physicality is somewhat average, so he's not the best option for the virtual game.

Gostisbehere notched three assists, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Ducks.

Gostisbehere is hot to start 2025-26 with a goal and six helpers over four contests. One of his three helpers came on the power play Thursday, good for his first point with the man advantage this season. He continues to play a prominent role, especially while Jaccob Slavin (lower body) is out. Gostisbehere has added eight blocked shots, six shots on net and a plus-9 rating to supplement his high-end offense early in the campaign.

Nikishin scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Ducks.

Nikishin has opened the season with a four-game point streak consisting of one goal and three assists. His tally Thursday was the first of his NHL career. The 24-year-old rookie has added eight shots on net, 10 hits, five blocked shots and a plus-6 rating. While he's been at least somewhat sheltered on the Hurricanes' third pairing, his adjustment to the NHL is clearly going well, and he offers multi-category upside in fantasy.

Ceci notched an assist in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Penguins.

Playing against one of his old teams, Ceci was able to draw his first point of the 2025-26 campaign. He helped out on Warren Foegele's opening tally in the first period. Ceci has logged five hits, eight blocked shots and a minus-4 rating through five appearances this season, marking a rough start to his Kings tenure. He is currently in a bottom-four role, which will make it tough for him to get his offense on track.

Wotherspoon logged two assists and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Kings.

Wotherspoon has filled a top-four role to start 2025-26, but this was his first contribution on offense. The 28-year-old has added four shots on net, seven hits, six blocked shots, six PIM and a minus-1 rating while primarily playing alongside Erik Karlsson. Wotherspoon had a total of 15 points over 96 regular-season outings with the Bruins in the previous two campaigns, so he's unlikely to generate enough offense to help in most fantasy formats even if he ends up with a career year.

Karlsson registered two assists in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Kings.

Karlsson has started slow in 2025-26, as these helpers were his first two points of the campaign. The 35-year-old blueliner has added seven shots on net, five blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over five appearances. The Penguins have a fairly inexperienced blue line this season, which will offer Karlsson plenty of opportunities in a top-four role and on the first power-play unit, where he earned one of his helpers Thursday.

Makar had a goal and an assist in Thursday's 4-1 win over Columbus.

Makar fired a wrist shot through a screen from above the left circle midway through the second period to tie the score 1-1. It was Makar's 400th NHL game. He ranks third in points (435) and fifth in goals (118) among defensemen in NHL history through 400 games.

Myers notched an assist, three shots on goal, three hits, four blocked shots and two PIM in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Stars.

Myers got on the scoresheet for the first time in four games this season. He's added nine hits, 13 blocks, six shots on net, a plus-1 rating and four PIM. Myers continues to occupy a top-four role with ice time in all situations, and his steady non-scoring production makes him an option for deeper fantasy formats.