NHL Player News

Mitchell was recalled from AHL Providence on Friday.

Mitchell hasn't yet played for Boston this season, but he'll rejoin the NHL club after Michael Callahan was sent down Friday. Over 46 appearances with Providence this year, Mitchell has recorded four goals, 23 assists and 16 PIM. He'll likely serve mainly in a depth role with Boston.

Ferraro held a plus-3 rating, recorded four hits and blocked two shots in a 4-3 loss to the Canadiens on Thursday.

Ferraro played an outstanding game Thursday, filling up the stat sheet. He was on the ice for all three Sharks goals and none of the four Canadiens goals, giving him a game-high plus-3 rating. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, filling up the stat sheet did not include recording a point, extending his pointless streak to eight games. With no usage on the power play and playing on a struggling team like the Sharks, fantasy managers would be wise to look elsewhere for defensemen.

Graves earned his first assist of the season in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Flyers.

Graves needed 43 games to earn his first point in what's been an all-around awful campaign for him and the Penguins. The 29-year-old had played in nine straight games before he was scratched in Tuesday's contest against the Flyers, though he returned to the lineup in the rematch. The Penguins are carrying eight defensemen at this time, so there will be shuffling on the third pairing, meaning Graves is not a lock to be in the lineup. He has a career-worst minus-13 rating with 28 shots on net, 47 hits, 55 blocked shots and 25 PIM this season.

Broberg recorded two goals in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Capitals.

Broberg found the back of the net twice in the first period to record his first multi-goal effort of the campaign. He's up to six goals on the year, but he's scored three of those across his last five appearances. Broberg has posted five total points over that five-game stretch.

Kulak scored a goal on five shots and blocked eight shots in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Panthers.

Kulak now has a career-high seven goals this season after tying Thursday's game at 1-1 in the first period. He's also two points away from a new career high after reaching the 20-point mark for the third time in four years. On top of his slight gains on offense, the eight blocks Thursday represented a season high. The 31-year-old defenseman has 91 blocks, 94 shots on net and a plus-1 rating through 59 appearances as he works toward a career year nearly across the board.

Karlsson notched two goals, an assist, four shots on goal and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Flyers.

Karlsson didn't record a point in the 6-1 loss to the Flyers on Tuesday, but that has been the only game in which he hasn't cracked the scoresheet dating back to the beginning of February. The 34-year-old veteran blueliner has 11 points across nine outings in February, totaling four goals, seven helpers, 24 shots, three hits and 12 blocked shots in that span.

Helleson held a plus-2 rating and blocked two shots in Thursday's 5-2 victory over the Canucks.

Helleson hasn't recorded a point in nine games, but showings like this one display the value he has. The 23-year-old's game currently isn't flashy, but there's certainly room to grow for the rookie. However, with the Ducks fully healthy on defense, Helleson yields little value to fantasy managers this season.

Sanheim did not register a point and was held to one shot on goal in 22:51 of ice time in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins.

Sanheim is the No. 1 defenseman on the Flyers, but it's been a tough go recently. The 28-year-old has just three points over his last 14 games and none since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off. Perhaps most concerning is the return of Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body) and the skill set of Jamie Drysdale being better suited for the power play, who combined have left no room for Sanheim on the Flyers' power play, limiting his chances for future offensive contributions.

Balinskis scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Oilers.

Balinskis started the scoring in this rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Finals, ending his own eight-game point drought in the process. The 28-year-old defenseman didn't play in the postseason last year, but he could have a chance to this spring in the likely event the Panthers qualify. There's always a chance they make a trade to bolster their defensive depth as well -- which would likely threaten Balinskis and Nate Schmidt's roles on the third pairing. For the season, Balinskis has 15 points, 71 shots on net, 56 hits, 39 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 57 outings.

Schmidt scored a goal and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Oilers.

Schmidt scored for the first time since Jan. 25 versus the Sharks. The defenseman chips in a little offense in a third-pairing role, picking up four points over his last 11 contests. For the season, the 33-year-old has 14 points, 47 shots on net, 58 hits, 42 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating across 58 appearances. Fantasy managers could do worse for streaming options on nights with light schedules, but Schmidt doesn't produce enough in any one area to justify being a long-term addition to most rosters.