NHL Player News

McNabb logged two assists and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Multi-point efforts won't be a regular thing for McNabb, but he can chip in some offense in a top-four role. His biggest source of fantasy value comes from blocked shots, especially if new head coach Ryan Craig doesn't make too many changes to Vegas' defensive style. McNabb was held to 12 points with 110 hits and 142 blocked shots over 63 regular-season appearances last year, but he had reached the 20-point mark in the previous two campaigns. Keep him in mind in deeper fantasy formats as well as banger leagues.

Barbashev notched two assists, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Barbashev sometimes goes unheralded in fantasy, but keep an eye on him while he's seeing his even-strength minutes alongside Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. He assisted on each of his linemates' goals in this contest. Barbashev had a career-best 61 points with 137 hits, 133 shots on net and a plus-20 rating over 82 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. His combination of offense and physical play can be a difference maker as a depth option in fantasy, especially if he can fend off Trevor Connelly and Braeden Bowman for top-line duties.

Theodore logged two assists, including one on the power play, and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Theodore helped out on first-period tallies by Victor Olofsson and Trevor Connelly. The 31-year-old Theodore getting a spot on the top power-play unit is a positive sign after he averaged just 1:23 per game with the man advantage in the 2025-26 regular season, leading to just five power-play points. He should be on the first unit as long as Vegas stays away from five-forward configurations for that group. Theodore has rebound potential, though he also carries injury risk, having missed at least 12 games in each of the last four years.

Hanifin scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Hanifin was on the third pairing for this contest, logging 18:51 of ice time. He hasn't averaged less than 20 minutes per game since 2017-18 with the Hurricanes, so his usage is worth monitoring. The Golden Knights also have five left-shot defensemen on the roster, which led to Hanifin playing his off side Tuesday. He was held to just 28 points in 71 regular-season outings last year. The 29-year-old also appears to be behind Shea Theodore and Rasmus Andersson for power-play time, which could further limit Hanifin's offense.

Olofsson scored a power-play goal on two shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Olofsson cashed in with the man advantage in the first period, opening the scoring. He's primarily expected to play on the second unit with the man advantage, as well as in a middle-six role at even strength. Olofsson's fantasy value comes down to his offense alone, and it was a little better than normal with 31 points over 78 outings between the Avalanche and the Flames in 2025-26. He also put up 29 points in just 56 appearances with Vegas during the 2024-25 regular season, so expect around 30 points and 100-plus shots if he cements his place in the Golden Knights' lineup this year. He also shot just 8.8 percent last year, his worst mark in a full campaign, so he's poised for a rebound with his efficiency.

Stone scored an empty-net goal, added two hits and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Stone was able to put the bow on top of the Golden Knights' season-opening win. The winger matched his career high of 73 points in the 2025-26 regular season, but injuries once again limited his usage, as he appeared in just 60 games. When he's healthy, he's a point-per-game threat with a power-play role on a strong team, but Stone's fantasy managers should always keep a finger on the pulse of the waiver wire for when he gets hurt.

Connelly scored a goal on four shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Connelly logged 11:22 of ice time in his NHL debut. The winger had a strong training camp to earn his place on the big club's opening roster, but he's beginning his career in a third-line role. That's not a terrible spot to be in on a strong team, but Connelly will need to work his way into the top six regularly to have appeal in redraft formats. He logged 49 points in 46 regular-season outings for AHL Henderson in 2025-26, so the offense is there if he gets enough ice time to make use of it.

Eichel scored a goal on two shots and added two assists in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

He set up Victor Olofsson on the power play in the first period, then scored a goal of his own in the second before feeding Mark Stone for an empty-netter in the third. Eichel's tally was the 700th point of his NHL career, coming in his 691st game. The star center was a hot starter in 2025-26 as well, opening last year with six goals and 10 assists over the first seven games before settling in at a more sustainable pace. Eichel is likely to be worth the early-round pick it cost his fantasy managers to acquire his services this year.

Hart allowed two goals on 26 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Chicago didn't much going early on, and Hart limited the damage to a goal in each of the last two periods. The 28-year-old Hart is in a good spot to pick up wins, as he'll have a sturdy defense in front of him throughout the year. He's projected to be the Golden Knights' top goalie throughout the campaign, though Adin Hill could get more looks if Hart hits a rough patch. Vegas' next game is Friday at home versus the Ducks.

McDavid registered two assists in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Canucks.

McDavid helped out on the last two goals of Evan Bouchard's hat trick. The 29-year-old McDavid had multiple points in 46 games during the 2025-26 regular season, so fantasy managers can expect him to continue chipping in plenty of offense consistently. He's one of a handful of players with a real shot at averaging 1.5 points per game, and he should be a mainstay in all fantasy lineups.