NHL Player News

Marino notched an assist and three shots on goal in Friday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets.

Marino has a helper in each of his last four contests. The 27-year-old is chipping in a bit more offense than expected while also handling his share of defensive duties on the top pairing. Marino is up to five helpers, 11 shots on net, 10 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through nine appearances this season. He can help in deeper fantasy formats that count blocks, especially when his offense is clicking as it is currently.

Fabbro notched an assist, two shots on goal, two hits and three blocked shots in Friday's 3-2 overtime win over Utah.

Fabbro helped out on Kent Johnson's game-tying goal in the third period. The 26-year-old Fabbro has three points over his last five contests and continues to fill a top-pairing role alongside Zach Werenski. Fabbro is up to 13 points, 53 shots on net, 101 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating through 42 appearances between Columbus and Nashville this season.

Werenski scored a goal on five shots, dished an assist and went plus-3 in Friday's 3-2 overtime win over Utah.

Werenski helped out on Kirill Marchenko's third-period tally to get the Blue Jackets on the board. At 1:01 of overtime, Werenski scored the game-winning tally, his fourth game-winner of the campaign. He has two goals and four helpers during a five-game point streak, and the star defenseman is up to 17 tallies, 40 helpers, 197 shots on net, 91 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating over 52 appearances. He's already matched his career-best 57-point total from 2023-24, and it looks like the sky's the limit for Werenski this season.

Malinski failed to record a point over 12 appearances in January.

Malinski's point drought is at 13 games overall, and he was scratched three times this month. He's still playing most of the time, but he could be pressured by veteran Calvin de Haan for the last spot in the lineup. Malinski has struggled through 2024-25 with five points, a minus-2 rating, 68 shots on net, 68 blocked shots and 39 hits through 50 appearances.

Middleton logged an assist, three shots on goal, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 5-0 win over the Blues.

Middleton has a helper in each of his last two games, though he was scratched once in between those contests. The 26-year-old still shouldn't be considered securely in a third-pairing role -- Calvin de Haan could present a challenge for playing time. Middleton has two assists, 26 shots on net, 39 hits, 16 blocked shots, 15 PIM and a plus-2 rating over 24 outings this season.

Toews posted an assist in Friday's 5-0 win over the Blues.

Toews set up a Martin Necas tally in the first period. That helper was the 200th of Toews' career, a milestone he reached in his 446th game. The defenseman started January well with a pair of three-point efforts in the first three contests of the month, but he was limited to just four points over the next 12 outings. This season, he's at 24 points, 96 shots on net, 66 blocked shots and a plus-17 rating through 49 appearances.

Makar scored a power-play goal and blocked two shots in Friday's 5-0 win over the Blues.

Makar has been finding twine regularly of late, scoring six times and adding an assist over his last seven contests. His goal Friday stretched the Avalanche's lead to 4-0. Makar is up to 19 tallies, 57 points (23 on the power play), 155 shots on net, 86 blocked shots, 40 hits and a plus-15 rating through 53 appearances. Makar could have a chance to take a run at the 30-goal mark in 2024-25 -- only one defenseman (Mike Green for the Capitals in 2008-09) has achieved that mark in the salary cap era.

Desharnais was traded to the Penguins from the Canucks on Friday, along with Danton Heinen, Melvin Fernstrom and a conditional first-round pick, in exchange for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor.

Desharnais signed with the Canucks as a free agent ahead of 2024-25, but he was ultimately limited to three assists, 54 hits, 48 blocked shots, 34 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 34 appearances. He was unable to carve out a steady third-pairing role after seeing similar usage with the Oilers in 2024-25. Desharnais addresses a minor need for the Penguins as a right-handed blueliner, and he'll bring significant physical force to the third pairing. This will also put Ryan Shea and Pierre-Olivier Joseph on notice for playing time even with another defenseman in Pettersson heading to Vancouver in this deal.

Pettersson and Drew O'Connor were traded to the Canucks from the Penguins on Friday in exchange for Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais, Melvin Fernstrom and a conditional first-round pick.

There are no elite players in this deal, but Pettersson is a quality defensive defenseman who will bolster a weak spot for the Canucks. The 28-year-old should take on a second-pairing role if he stays on his natural side and will have the opportunity to join a playoff race after the Penguins started to lag behind in the Eastern Conference. He'll be a strong source of blocked shots, having racked up 83 blocks along with 18 points and 57 hits over 47 appearances.

Parayko (illness) did not take the ice for warmups and won't play Friday versus the Avalanche, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Parayko has been massive for the Blues this season with 11 goals and 28 points over 51 appearances. This will be his first absence of the campaign. Matt Kessel is expected to enter the lineup, while Ryan Suter figures to take on a larger role on the blue line. Parayko's next chance to play is Sunday in Utah.