NHL Player News

Fleury was scratched for the third time in four games in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Golden Knights.

The Kraken have just two games left on their schedule, meaning Fleury will fall short of reaching the 80 career games necessary to retain restricted free agent status when his contract expires this summer. That makes him a Group 6 unrestricted free agent. Considering he's gotten into just 36 games over the last four years with the Kraken, the 26-year-old may want to explore other options. That said, he has just three points in 77 appearances overall, so he may have to settle for a two-way deal if he stays in North America.

Larsson notched an assist and two hits in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Golden Knights.

Larsson has a goal and five helpers over his last eight games, a span in which he's added a plus-7 rating and 16 blocked shots and nine hits. The defenseman is up to 28 points, 109 shots on net, 101 hits, 146 blocked shots and a plus-22 rating over 80 appearances. He's played at an acceptable level to be a depth option in fantasy, and Larsson has been one of few Kraken players to have a good season.

Hutton suited up for the second game in a row in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Kraken.

Nicolas Hague and Alex Pietrangelo have been sidelined by an illness in each of the last two games, allowing Hutton a rare chance to play. Hutton hasn't done much in a third-pairing role, and he'll likely be back in the press box when the Golden Knights' defense is healthy again. He's gotten into just eight games this season, logging 11 shots on net, eight blocked shots, six hits and a minus-1 rating while failing to record a point.

McNabb provided an assist, fired two shots on goal, blocked four shots, added two hits and went plus-2 in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Kraken.

McNabb has gotten on the scoresheet in back-to-back games for the third time this year, all of which have been since late January. The defenseman hasn't come close to matching his 26-point campaign from 2023-24, but he has mustered five goals, 14 assists, 89 shots on net, 162 blocked shots, 130 hits and a plus-39 rating over 79 appearances. He's been excellent in a shutdown role and will be an unsung hero if the Golden Knights are able to make a deep playoff run.

DeSimone logged an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Predators.

DeSimone has played in four of the last six games, earning a goal and an assist, as well as six shots on net, three hits and four blocked shots in that span. The 30-year-old is filling in for John Marino (face) currently. DeSimone has contributed a career-high six points with 22 shots on net, 13 hits, 13 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating across 18 appearances with Utah this season.

Skjei notched a power-play assist, two shots on goal, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over Utah.

Skjei has racked up a goal and six assists over his last nine outings, with three of those seven points coming with the man advantage. The 31-year-old defenseman took some time to get his offense on track, but he's been pretty steady since the start of March. He's now at 32 points (10 on the power play), 153 shots on net, 89 blocked shots and a minus-17 rating across 79 appearances this season.

Blankenburg scored a power-play goal on three shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over Utah.

Blankenburg hadn't scored a power-play goal since the 2021-22 campaign with the Blue Jackets. The 26-year-old defenseman has six points over his last 11 outings, four of which have come with the man advantage. For the season, the blueliner is at a career-high 16 points, including six on the power play, and he's added 80 shots on net, 68 blocked shots, 52 hits and a plus-4 rating over 57 contests.

Middleton was in the lineup for the 10th time in 11 games in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Canucks.

He doesn't have a point in that span, but he's posted a plus-2 rating, nine shots on net, 18 hits and 11 blocked shots. Middleton continues to see steady time on the third pairing, filling in at various times for Ryan Lindgren (upper body), Josh Manson (upper body) and Samuel Girard, who was back in action Thursday. Middleton has two assists, 40 shots, 68 hits, 34 blocks and a plus-1 rating over 39 appearances in a part-time role this season. If the Avalanche are fully healthy entering the playoffs, expect Middleton to be a healthy scratch.

Makar notched an assist, two shots on goal, four blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Canucks.

Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette reports Makar is open to taking rest during the last two games of the regular season, so fantasy managers should have a contingency plan in place. In any case, Makar's remained dynamic late in the season with six goals and 11 assists over his last 13 contests. He's at 30 goals and 92 points, both career highs, while adding 246 shots on net, 128 blocked shots, 51 hits and a plus-28 rating over 80 appearances. He hasn't missed a game yet this year, but Makar's familiar with the playoff grind, so he'll do whatever is necessary to set the Avalanche up for success in the postseason.

Toews scored a goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Canucks.

Toews' offense has been on an upward trajectory lately -- he has three goals and eight assists over his last 10 contests. He got the Avalanche on the board late in the second period of this game. For the season, the 31-year-old blueliner is at 10 goals, 44 points, 138 shots on net, 103 blocked shots and a plus-30 rating over 76 outings. This is the third time in four years he's reached double-digits in goals.