NHL Player News

Rodrigues had a goal and an assist in Thursday's 7-1 win over the Rangers.

Rodrigues had no points in his first five games, but he has since put up back-to-back two-point efforts (two goals, two assists). He's hopping the boards as his team's third-line center with Anthony Mantha and Stefan Noesen on his flanks. But it's Rodrigues' deployment on the top power-play unit that ratchets his value up for fantasy. None of his points have come with the man advantage, but that deployment will deliver results if he can stay there.

Kulich missed Thursday's game versus the Maple Leafs due to an undisclosed injury, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.

Kulich's absence wasn't clarified prior to the contest. Sam Carrick replaced him in the lineup while Peyton Krebs moved into a top-six role. Kulich is day-to-day ahead of the Sabres' game versus the Canadiens on Saturday.

Tavares sustained an undisclosed injury in the third period of Thursday's game versus the Sabres, and head coach Jim Hiller had no update on the center's status following the contest, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Tavares collided with a Sabre and came away worse for wear, leaving the game immediately. The Maple Leafs should know more in the coming days regarding the 36-year-old's status. Toronto hosts the Islanders on Saturday. Tavares had two assists prior to his exit, giving him seven points through seven contests this season.

Dickinson (undisclosed) won't play Thursday versus the Mammoth, Bob Stauffer of the Oilers Radio Network reports.

Dickinson was unable to complete the Oilers' morning skate Thursday, and he'll now miss a contest as well. Max Jones will draw into the lineup while Filip Hallander will move up to the second line in Dickinson's absence. The Oilers' next game is a rematch against the Mammoth in Utah on Saturday, and Dickinson's status for that contest is to be determined.

Namestnikov (undisclosed) won't play Thursday versus Winnipeg, per Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site.

Namestnikov has an assist in six outings in 2026-27. Brad Lambert is likely to draw into the lineup due to Namestnikov's absence.

Bourque (upper body) will miss Thursday's game versus the Sharks, Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey reports.

Bourque is set to miss his third straight game after he didn't take the ice during warmups. His absence will allow Vitali Pinchuk to once again stay in the lineup in a bottom-six role. Bourque's next chance to play is Saturday versus the Blues.

Quillan and Brandon Buhr were traded to the Canucks from the Maple Leafs on Thursday in exchange for Aatu Raty.

Quillan gets a significant bump in opportunity, as it may not take much for him to find his way to the Canucks' NHL roster. The 24-year-old has 24 games of NHL experience to his game, earning three points and 47 hits in those contests. That said, his playing style would likely be best suited to the bottom six in the long run.

The Hurricanes placed Staal (calf) on injured reserve Thursday.

The Hurricanes announced Tuesday that Staal would miss approximately 1-2 months due to a torn calf muscle, so it isn't very surprising to see him land on injured reserve. Across his first six regular-season appearances, Staal was held scoreless with 19 hits and three blocked shots while averaging 15:34 of ice time. Felix Unger Sorum was recalled by Carolina on Thursday to provide additional depth in Staal's absence.

Hintz (undisclosed) had a shot, two hits and one block in 18:05 of ice time in Dallas' 3-2 shootout win over Colorado on Wednesday.

Hintz sustained the injury during Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche, but he didn't end up missing a full game due to the injury. He has two goals and four points in seven outings this season. Provided Hintz remains healthy, he should continue to serve on the top line and first power-play unit.

Kirkland was shipped down to AHL Iowa on Thursday.

Kirkland will make way for defenseman Carson Lambos, as the Wild are dealing with some injuries on the blue line. The 30-year-old Kirkland served as a healthy scratch during his stint in the NHL and is unlikely to be anything more than an emergency depth option for the organization moving forward.