NHL Player News

Sanderson (undisclosed) might be available for Saturday's clash with the Maple Leafs after returning to practice Friday, Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News reports.

Sanderson appears to be trending in the right direction after missing several days of practice. The fact that the Senators sent Hoyt Stanley down to the minors also seems to indicate that Sanderson will be ready to suit up. If given the all-clear, the blueliner should take his spot on the top power-play unit.

Ufko was assigned to AHL Milwaukee on Friday.

Ufko made 18 regular-season appearances with the Predators last year and was with the NHL club for Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Wild. He was held scoreless with a shot on goal, a blocked shot and a minus-1 rating in 15:27 of ice time, but he'll head to the minors a day later. Despite his demotion Friday, it wouldn't be surprising to see Ufko carve out more regular playing time at the NHL level during the 2026-27 campaign.

Gilbert was loaned to AHL Rochester on Friday.

Gilbert joined the NHL club for Thursday's Opening Night matchup in Columbus to provide additional depth, but he didn't see any playing time in the 6-3 loss. He'll head back to the minors a day later and will likely spend most of his time in the AHL this year.

Werenski picked up two assists, one on the power play, while adding three shots on net, one blocked shot and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

The reigning Norris Trophy winner began the new season in style, having a hand in first-period tallies by Matthew Knies and Adam Fantilli as the Blue Jackets grabbed an early 3-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish. Werenski is coming off back-to-back 20-goal, 80-point campaigns that also featured more than 20 power-play points, and as long as he stays healthy there's no reason to expect any regression from the veteran backbone of a roster looking to take a step forward in 2026-27.

Dunn scored a goal on two shots and added two assists, including one on the power play, in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Flames.

Dunn factored into three of Seattle's first four goals during an excellent season debut. He assisted on Jordan Eberle's power-play opener before blasting a point shot through traffic just 32 seconds later to give the Kraken a 2-0 lead. Dunn added his second helper on Chandler Stephenson's goal early in the third period, finishing the night with a plus-1 rating across 20:37 of ice time. The blueliner has had at least 40 points in three of his last four seasons and figures to be a top blueline option on both even-strength and power-play situations.

Power notched two assists with a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.

The 23-year-old helped set up tallies by Mattias Samuelsson in the first period and Konsta Helenius in the second. Rasmus Dahlin remains the top dog on the Sabres blue line, but with Bowen Byram now in Chicago, there figure to be more opportunities for Power on the second power-play unit in 2026-27 -- he failed to record a point with the man advantage last season, helping to contribute to a mildly disappointing 29 points (eight goals and 21 assists) in 81 regular-season games.

Hronek notched two assists, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Hronek helped out on goals by Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak. The 28-year-old Hronek has four helpers, three shots on net and six blocks across the first two contests of the season. While he has yet to log a hit, Hronek can still throw the body around while contributing plenty of offense. He has multi-category upside from the Canucks' top pairing, making him a decent depth option in fantasy.

Oleksiak scored a goal, dished an assist, added two PIM, doled out two hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Oleksiak is off to a strong start in his first year with the Canucks, earning three points, five hits, four blocks and a minus-2 rating over two contests. The 33-year-old is seeing a resurgence in ice time so far as a top-four shutdown option while the Canucks shelter younger blueliners like Elias Pettersson and Tom Willander. Oleksiak has fallen short of the 20-point mark in three straight years, and while he may get more ice time for Vancouver than he did for Seattle, the offense is far from a guarantee to stick around.

Shea scored a goal and went plus-3 in Thursday's 9-7 win over the Canucks.

Shea has a goal, an assist and a plus-2 rating over two contests with the Oilers. He broke out to the tune of 35 points and a plus-30 rating over 80 regular-season games with the Penguins last year, establishing himself as a top-four option before signing a five-year deal with the Oilers. Edmonton's defense is still a work in progress, but Shea has been good enough and should have freedom to contribute on offense with a steadfast defender in Connor Murphy as his partner.

Bouchard scored a goal on four shots, added two assists and went plus-3 in Thursday's 9-7 win over the Canucks.

Per Sportsnet, Bouchard's eight points are the most by any NHL defensemen in his team's first two games since Harry Cameron had seven points in the Toronto Arenas' first two contests in 1917. Considering Bouchard has earned just a single power-play assist, it's safe to say he's not even maximizing his opportunities yet. The Oilers' offense won't hum at this pace all year, but Bouchard has set off to a good start as he aims for a third point-per-game campaign in four years. Don't let Bouchard out of your fantasy lineup -- he's proving last year was no fluke.