NHL Player News

Samuelsson (lower body) will be in the lineup against the Blue Jackets on Thursday, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

Samuelsson racked up 13 goals and 28 assists in 78 regular-season games last year, blowing his previous career-best numbers out of the water. While the 26-year-old has found a way to offer offensive upside, it comes without a power-play role, which will likely prevent him from offering elite-level fantasy value.

Crevier signed a four-year, $16 million contract extension with the Sabres on Thursday.

After being shipped to Buffalo as a part of the deal that sent Bowen Byram to Chicago, Crevier secured his future by signing an extension with the Sabres before suiting up for a regular-season game. The 25-year-old blueliner had a breakout campaign in 2025-26, where he compiled seven goals, 25 points, 114 shots on net, 124 hits and 95 blocked shots across 78 regular-season outings. The young blueliner is projected to open the year on the team's second defensive pairing. If he can stay healthy after undergoing a shoulder procedure in the offseason, Crevier could be the next blueliner in Buffalo to benefit from the team's high-powered offense, making him worthy of being a fantasy stash in deep leagues.

Head coach Rick Bowness said Thursday that Severson (shoulder) is considered week-to-week, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Severson had already been ruled out for the Blue Jackets' first two regular-season games, and he was placed on non-roster injured reserve Thursday. Given his initial return timetable, the earliest the 32-year-old would be able to return would be Oct. 9 against Pittsburgh, but Thursday's update suggests that the Blue Jackets aren't yet certain about when Severson could be back in action. Severson recorded eight goals, 24 assists, 86 blocked shots, 45 PIM and 39 hits while averaging 21:04 of ice time across 71 regular-season appearances last year.

Provorov (lower body) was placed on injured reserve by the Blue Jackets on Thursday, per the NHL media site.

Head coach Rick Bowness said Thursday that Provorov is considered week-to-week, and the 29-year-old will officially be sidelined for at least the first week of the regular season. Provorov had appeared in all 82 regular-season games in each of the last four years, most recently generating nine goals, 22 assists, 134 blocked shots, 34 PIM and 28 hits while averaging 24:49 of ice time last season.

Korczak recorded two assists, posted a plus-three rating, placed three shots on net and had two blocked shots in Wednesday's 7-0 Opening Night victory over Philadelphia.

Korczak's debut with Pittsburgh exceeded expectations, as he had an all-around showing highlighted by a pair of helpers. He dished out the secondary assist on Ville Koivunen's goal in the first period before recording his second helper of the game on Filip Hallander's tally in the second. The 25-year-old Korczak was a solid defenseman with Vegas in 2025-26, where he posted three goals, 16 points, 60 shots on net, 102 hits and 95 blocked shots across 78 regular-season outings. If he can post a higher level of offensive production with Pittsburgh, as well as maintain his stats without the puck, Korczak could work his way into fantasy relevance in the 2026-27 campaign.

Regula (undisclosed) was designated for long-term injured reserve Thursday.

Regula continues to work his way back from offseason surgery that caused him to miss the entire preseason. With the shift to LTIR, the 26-year-old defenseman can be expected to miss at least the next nine games, having already been out of action for one, though it could be longer, considering the team hasn't provided a specific update.

Zellweger (concussion) was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

Zellweger had already been ruled out versus the Blue Jackets on Thursday, though his availability for Saturday's clash with Chicago remains in question thanks to the team using a retroactive IR designation. With the open roster spot, the Sabres brought up Dennis Gilbert from the minors.

Dumoulin scored a goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Avalanche.

Dumoulin tallied the first goal of the season for the Kings. The 35-year-old defenseman is hardly a regular on the scoresheet -- he was limited to two goals and 17 points across 82 regular-season outings in 2025-26. Dumoulin also doesn't add much in the way of hits, though he could bounce back from having just 89 blocked shots last year. Overall, he's not the type of blueliner most fantasy managers will need to roster this year.

Toews logged two power-play assists and two PIM in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Kings.

With this performance, Toews already has more points with the man advantage in 2026-27 than he did in all of 2025-26, when he was limited to a single power-play goal. He's rarely been a big producer in that scenario, but last year was a bad one by most metrics for the veteran blueliner, who was limited to just 24 points in 68 regular-season appearances. Toews' main value comes from playing alongside Cale Makar at even strength as well as his individual ability to carry a strong plus-minus rating. Given his prominent role on a strong team, Toews should be able to bounce back to around the 40-point mark if he can avoid injuries. He may not carry as much fantasy value as he used to since his non-scoring production has steadily declined in recent years.

Makar registered two assists, including one on the power play, and blocked three shots in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Kings.

Makar was limited by a lower-body injury during the preseason, appearing in just one exhibition game. The 27-year-old has battled a few injury issues over the years, though he's played in at least 75 regular-season contests in each of the last three years. His offense came down a bit last year with 79 points in 75 regular-season games, compared to 92 points in 2024-25. Makar is one of a few defensemen who annually threatens for 20 goals and a point-per-game pace, and he'll also be a force with the man advantage in addition to his prolific even-strength work.