NHL Player News

Hicketts scored a goal on two shots and added an assist in AHL Ontario's 4-2 win over Tucson on Sunday.

Hicketts is the Reign's captain this year, and he's on a two-way deal with the Kings for this season and 2026-27. The 29-year-old defenseman is among the more experienced blueliners available for a call-up, but the Kings are carrying seven defensemen currently and will likely have eight once Kyle Burroughs (upper body) is healthy. Hicketts had 27 points in 62 regular-season outings in 2024-25 with Ontario and offers minimal upside should he be summoned by the big club.

Carlile scored a goal on six shots and added an assist in AHL Syracuse's 3-2 overtime win over Hershey on Sunday.

Carlile just missed out on the Lightning's Opening Night roster as one of the last camp cuts. The 25-year-old blueliner has four NHL appearances to his name and would be a leading option for a call-up if the Bolts are short on defensemen at any point. He hasn't been a big scorer in the AHL historically, earning just 70 points over 195 career appearances across four seasons prior to 2025-26.

Chisholm registered an assist in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Rangers.

Chisholm got a chance to play while Trevor van Riemsdyk rested for the second half of a back-to-back. This was Chisholm's first game as a Capital after he was traded from the Wild at the draft. The 25-year-old blueliner is likely to remain in a part-time role. He had 12 points, 69 blocked shots and 33 hits in 66 regular-season games a year ago.

Kovacevic (knee) has been moved to long-term injured reserve, PuckPedia reports Sunday.

Kovacevic isn't expected to join the lineup anytime soon, as the Devils ruled him out indefinitely at the start of training camp. It's unclear how he's progressing in his recovery, but it appears as if he'll miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 campaign. Seamus Casey (lower body) is on the shelf as well, so Dennis Cholowski is the club's lone extra blueliner at this time.

Andrae has been recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley by the Flyers, the team announced Sunday.

Andrae played 42 games with the Flyers last season, registering one goal and six assists, but he started this year in the minors. After one game with Lehigh Valley in which the 23-year-old had two assists, the Flyers are bringing him back up to the NHL level, with Dennis Gilbert going down to the AHL in a corresponding move. It remains to be seen whether or not Andrae was brought up to play immediately or serve as NHL depth.

Gilbert was assigned to AHL Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

In a corresponding move, the Flyers recalled Emil Andrae from the minors. Gilbert was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the campaign. He had six assists, nine shots on net, 36 blocked shots and 63 hits across 29 regular-season appearances between Buffalo and Ottawa in 2024-25.

Fensore scored a goal on two shots and added an assist in AHL Chicago's 4-1 win over Iowa on Saturday.

Fensore had 32 points over 67 regular-season games a year ago, and he earned his first two NHL appearances at the tail end of 2024-25. He'll likely need to a show a little more on offense to be a realistic call-up candidate for the Hurricanes this year, though that opportunity won't surface if Carolina's defense corps stays healthy.

Jones recorded an assist in Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Rangers.

Jones has played in all three of the Penguins' games so far, serving on the third pairing. He has a helper, two shots on net, three blocked shots, four hits and a plus-1 rating. The Penguins have just three left-shot blueliners, including Jones, so he may be able to find some job security over the right-handed shooting duo of Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba. Jones' best year was 2022-23 with the Blackhawks, when he had 16 points in 73 appearances.

Carlson recorded an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Islanders.

Carlson remains the Capitals' top blueliner to begin 2025-26, with plenty of ice time in all situations. He's at one assist, four shots on net and eight blocked shots over two appearances to begin the season. The 35-year-old defenseman has topped the 50-point mark in each of the last two years and also provides plenty of shots and blocks to round out his contributions for fantasy.

Forsling notched two assists and two blocked shots in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Senators.

Forsling has opened the season with three helpers, six shots on net, five hits, two blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over three games. He's a defensive ace, but he's also recorded no fewer than 31 points in each of the last four regular seasons. The 29-year-old blueliner won't be a major factor on the power play, but he gets enough even-strength ice time to provide decent category coverage, particularly for shots on goal and plus-minus rating.