NHL Player News

Nurse's point drought reached eight games in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Lightning.

In that span, Nurse has remained physical, adding 28 hits and 18 blocked shots. Still, the 30-year-old defenseman sees a lot of minutes with the Oilers' top players, so a drought of this length is notable. Nurse is at 22 points, 140 shots on net, 110 hits, 94 blocks, 40 PIM and a plus-8 rating through 55 appearances. Even when his scoring dries up, the non-scoring production is steady enough to help some fantasy managers.

Wotherspoon has played in both of the Bruins' games since the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Wotherspoon was losing playing time to begin February, but Charlie McAvoy (shoulder) was hurt during the international tournament, opening up a new path to playing time. The 27-year-old Wotherspoon went a ninth straight game without a point in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs, and if he continues to struggle, he could lose playing time to Jordan Oesterle. For the season, Wotherspoon has two points, 27 shots on net, 43 hits, 41 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating across 32 appearances.

Lohrei notched two assists, six shots on goal, three blocked shots and two PIM in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs.

This was Lohrei's second two-assist game since the end of the 4 Nations Face-Off. Prior to the break, he was stuck in a five-game point drought. The 24-year-old blueliner is up to 27 points (12 on the power play), 55 shots on net, 75 blocked shots and a minus-15 rating through 54 appearances. His scoring upside has made him an option in fantasy this season, and he should be able to maintain a decent role since Hampus Lindholm (kneecap) is not expected to be back during the regular season.

Dermott was claimed off waivers by Edmonton from Minnesota on Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Dermott was with the Oilers before the Wild claimed him off waivers Dec. 13, so unless an additional team put in a claim on him, Edmonton now has the option to send the 28-year-old to the minors. He has no points, six hits and 16 blocks in 19 appearances between Edmonton and Minnesota in 2024-25.

Ekman-Larsson logged two assists, three hits and a plus-3 rating in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Bruins.

This was Ekman-Larsson's first multi-point effort since Jan. 18 versus the Canadiens. The defenseman helped the comeback effort by assisting on goals by Morgan Rielly and Pontus Holmberg. Ekman-Larsson has done fairly well on offense this season with 24 points, 91 shots on net and a plus-19 rating over 57 appearances. He's also collected 71 hits, 51 blocked shots and 40 PIM to provide a decent level of category coverage in fantasy.

Mintyukov notched a power-play assist, two blocked shots, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Sabres.

Mintyukov has played in just two of the Ducks' six games in February so far. He was a regular in the lineup in January, but the Ducks have rotated their young defensemen at times, with Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger and Drew Helleson all at risk of trips to the press box. For the season, Mintyukov has gone through a sophomore slump, producing 12 points, 50 shots on net, 69 blocked shots, 49 hits and a minus-8 rating through 45 appearances, though he sees power-play time when he plays.

Jokiharju scored a goal and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Ducks.

Jokiharju's had the goal-scoring touch since the 4 Nations Face-Off. He's scored in consecutive games and gone plus-5 in that span. The Finnish blueliner appears to be strengthening his hold on a third-pairing spot, and if the Sabres deal from their strength on defense ahead of the trade deadline, he could carve out a larger role. Still, fantasy managers should be cautious -- he has just six points with 44 shots on net and a plus-8 rating over 41 appearances this season. There are definite flaws in his game that have led to him being scratched at times, and he doesn't have enough upside to justify a roster spot in most fantasy formats.

Tanev (upper body) isn't expected to play Friday against the Rangers, but he might not be out for long, per David Alter of The Hockey News on Wednesday.

Head coach Craig Berube described Tanev as day-to-day and regarded that as good news after the 35-year-old defenseman was injured during Tuesday's 5-4 overtime victory over Boston. Tanev has two goals, 17 points and 151 blocks in 57 appearances in 2024-25. Philippe Myers will likely draw back into the lineup due to Tanev's absence.

Carrier notched an assist and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Hurricanes.

Carrier set up a Patrik Laine tally at even strength in the first period. This ended a three-game dry spell for Carrier, matching his longest slump on offense since he was dealt to the Canadiens from the Predators. He's not a massive scoring threat, but he has chipped in at a reasonably consistent pace while seeing top-four minutes. He's earned 13 of his 20 points this season while with Montreal, and he's added 58 shots on net, 53 hits, 105 blocked shots and a minus-9 rating across 55 outings overall.

Hutson scored a power-play goal in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Hurricanes.

Hutson has four points over his last six games, and he's earned three of them on the power play. The 21-year-old provided an insurance tally in the third period of Tuesday's win. Hutson has already proven himself an adept scoring threat from the back end, earning four goals, 39 assists and 19 power-play points across 58 appearances. He's added 67 shots on net, 83 blocked shots, 32 PIM and a minus-17 rating -- while he's making an effort and playing big minutes, he still has some work to do in his own zone.