NHL Player News

Hughes (rest) will return to action for Game 1 in Carolina on Sunday, per Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.

The Devils rested all their top players Wednesday against Detroit as the game was meaningless as far as the regular season was concerned. Hughes had seven goals and 37 assists in 71 regular-season contests this season. He will likely be demoted to the second power play during the playoffs as Dougie Hamilton (lower body) returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing 18 games.

Pesce (rest) is expected to play in Game 1 of New Jersey's first-round series versus Carolina on Sunday, according to Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.

Pesce had three goals, 17 points, 29 PIM, 24 hits and 138 blocks in 72 regular-season outings in 2024-25. He's projected to start the postseason on the top pairing alongside Luke Hughes.

Kovacevic (rest) practiced Friday and should be ready for Sunday's Game 1 against Carolina, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Kovacevic sat out Wednesday's regular-season finale against Detroit, but he should be back in action for the start of the playoffs. Over 81 regular-season appearances this year, he recorded a goal, 16 assists, 102 hits, 99 blocked shots and 72 PIM while averaging 19:49 of ice time.

Harris logged an assist and two hits in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Islanders.

Harris played in the Blue Jackets' last four games of the season after a 22-game stint as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old was limited to five points, 15 shots on net, 23 hits and 35 blocked shots over 33 appearances this season. He's one of three restricted free agents for the Blue Jackets this summer, who also have nine unrestricted free agents. Given his poor season, he probably won't be prioritized in negotiations, assuming he's given a qualifying offer.

Fabbro scored a goal on three shots, blocked five shots and went plus-3 in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Islanders.

Fabbro posted six points over 10 contests in April to end the season strong. The 26-year-old defenseman flourished with the Blue Jackets after getting claimed off waivers from the Predators. He ends the campaign with nine goals, 26 points, 89 shots on net, 67 hits, 143 blocked shots, 40 PIM and a plus-20 rating over 68 appearances. Fabbro is an unrestricted free agent this summer, one of nine UFAs on the Columbus roster, but general manager Don Waddell will likely have him near the top of the list for contract talks between now and July 1.

Gostisbehere notched a power-play assist, 12 PIM and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Senators.

Gostisbehere's misconduct penalty came at the end of the game, evidently for voicing some displeasure to the officials regarding a call late in the third period. The defenseman posted 45 points (27 on the power play), 122 shots on net, 66 blocked shots, 52 PIM, 41 hits and a plus-1 rating over 70 regular-season contests. He'll likely continue to see some sheltered minutes at even strength while being a force on the Hurricanes' top power-play unit in the postseason.

Kleven notched a power-play assist and two hits in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Hurricanes.

Kleven also saw ample power-play time, which is a new wrinkle for him, but it's unlikely to last into the playoffs when Thomas Chabot (rest) returns to the lineup. Kleven ended the regular season with three assists over his last nine games. He had a total of 10 points, 78 shots on net, 105 hits, 97 blocked shots and a minus-11 rating over 79 regular-season contests while primarily working on the third pairing.

Sanderson logged two power-play assists, two shots on goal and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Hurricanes.

Sanderson rested in Tuesday's game versus the Blackhawks and then played 28:21 in Thursday's regular-season finale. The 22-year-old defenseman was one of 18 players in the NHL to log at least 30 power-play points this season, which was over half of his total offense. He had 11 goals, 46 assists (including four shorthanded helpers), 195 shots on net, 163 blocked shots and a minus-14 rating through a career-high 80 appearances. Sanderson will be the Senators' top overall defenseman in the playoffs, which begin for them with Game 1 on Sunday versus the Maple Leafs.

Thompson (upper body) was reassigned to AHL San Jose on Friday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Thompson is expected to suit up for AHL San Jose either Friday or Saturday in Calgary. The 23-year-old defenseman was injured Sunday versus the Flames and missed the final two games of the NHL season. He had four goals and 10 points with 54 blocked shots and a minus-9 rating over 31 NHL appearances this season.

Kral was returned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday.

Kral was a healthy scratch in both games this week with the Penguins. The 25-year-old had seven goals and 22 helpers over 59 AHL games before his recall.