NHL Player News

Tomasino scored a goal and added three assists in AHL Belleville's 7-3 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday.

Tomasino is off to a strong start this season with three goals and six assists over eight games for Belleville. The forward has never logged more than 38 games in an AHL season. Continued success on offense could earn him a call-up to Ottawa later in 2026-27.

Dowling was assigned to AHL Hartford on Friday.

Dowling was called up by the Rangers last week, and he recorded an assist, three hits and two blocked shots while averaging 7:30 of ice time over his four appearances with the NHL club. However, he'll be sent back to the minors, which indicates that Luke Glendening could make his team debut Saturday against Ottawa.

Yager was loaned to AHL Manitoba on Friday.

Yager was called up by the Jets on Monday, and he was held scoreless with a shot on goal in 14:38 of ice time during his lone appearance with the NHL club. He'll be sent back down Friday to help make room for the Jets' multiple players acquired in their trade involving Connor Hellebuyck. Yager has been productive with Manitoba early in the 2026-27 campaign, recording five goals, four assists and four PIM across six regular-season appearances, and he'll be a candidate to rejoin the Jets if they need additional depth at some point.

The Jets placed Namestnikov (undisclosed) on injured reserve Friday, retroactive to Oct. 15.

Namestnikov has been sidelined since mid-October due to his undisclosed injury, and he's considered week-to-week. His placement on injured reserve is simply procedural at this point and won't impact his return timetable, while the move will clear space on the Jets' roster following Friday's blockbuster trade involving Connor Hellebuyck. It's not yet clear when Namestnikov will be able to return to game action.

Howden scored a goal on four shots and added two hits in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Blues.

Howden has four goals and two helpers over his last six games. The 28-year-old forward is up to eight points, 21 shots, 18 hits, 10 PIM and a plus-4 rating through 12 appearances. He's looking a lot more like the 2024-25 version of himself this year, especially while commanding a second-line role at even strength. That makes Howden a viable depth option in most fantasy formats, as he'll add some grit even when the scoring dries up.

Kaskimaki notched an assist and four shots on goal in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Golden Knights.

The helper was the first point of his career. Kaskimaki has added four shots and two hits through two contests this season. The 22-year-old is filling in on the fourth line while the Blues deal with some injuries to depth forwards, but he'll need to impress during this stint in the NHL to stay on the roster when the team gets healthier.

McTavish scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Golden Knights.

Nctavish has gotten on the scoresheet in eight 10 games this season, though he has only one multi-point effort. He's been steady on the second line with six goals, four assists, 31 shots on net, 12 hits and a plus-3 rating. McTavish probably won't stay at a point-per-game pace, but he's on track to breeze past his career-best 52 points from the 2024-25 campaign.

Vilardi scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Stars.

Vilardi hadn't scored prior to Thursday, though he has added four assists over 10 outings. The 27-year-old is playing on the second line, which isn't great news considering the sizable share of offense commanded by Winnipeg's first line. Vilardi has added 18 shots on net and a minus-4 rating. His offense will likely be propped up by his spot on the first power-play unit with the members of the aforementioned first line.

Cirelli (undisclosed) will play in Friday's game against the Avalanche, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Cirelli exited Tuesday's game against the Golden Knights after two periods due to an undisclosed injury, but he participated in Friday's optional morning skate and has officially been cleared to suit up against Colorado. Across his first nine appearances of the 2026-27 regular season, Cirelli has generated three goals, two assists, six hits, six blocked shots and four PIM while averaging 17:00 of ice time.

Kulich exited Friday's practice session early after taking a puck to the face, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

Head coach Lindy Ruff didn't have an update on Kulich's status following Friday's practice, as Ruff simply said that Kulich was being evaluated by team doctors. It's not yet clear whether Kulich's injury will impact his status for Saturday's game against Washington, but Tyson Kozak is a candidate to enter the lineup if Kulich is unavailable.