NHL Player News
-
Jake Sanderson D | OTT
Senators' Jake Sanderson: Gets game-winner Tuesday
Sanderson scored a goal on four shots and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Canadiens.
Sanderson's tally at 5:48 of the second period stood as the game-winner in this Atlantic Division battle. With three goals and three assists over his last four games, Sanderson's on a bit of a hot streak. The defenseman is up to six goals, 21 points, 56 shots on net, 47 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over 26 appearances. He's on pace to best his career-high 11 goals from 2024-25 as he continues to prove himself as one of the better young blueliners in the league.
-
Jonathan Aspirot D | BOS
Bruins' Jonathan Aspirot: Gets first NHL goal
Aspirot scored a goal on two shots, blocked four shots and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Red Wings.
The goal was Aspirot's first NHL point. The 26-year-old has carved out a regular role on the Bruins' injury-ravaged blue line this year. He's gone plus-4 with 29 hits, 24 blocked shots, 12 shots on net and eight PIM over 15 appearances. Even with regular playing time, Aspirot is unlikely to score enough to be helpful in fantasy.
-
Albert Johansson D | DET
Red Wings' Albert Johansson: Ends slump with assist
Johansson notched an assist and three blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Bruins.
Johansson ended a 19-game point drought when he set up James van Riemsdyk's first-period goal. During that span, Johansson also carried a minus-14 rating. He's now at three assists, 22 shots on net, 27 hits, 33 blocked shots and a minus-11 rating over 27 appearances. While his place in the lineup is steady, the 24-year-old's lack of production across the board will keep him off most fantasy rosters.
-
Ben Chiarot D | DET
Red Wings' Ben Chiarot: Pots goal Tuesday
Chiarot scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Bruins.
Chiarot is on a bit of a hot stretch for a shutdown defenseman, racking up four points over his last six outings. The blueliner is up to eight points, 34 shots on net, 63 hits, 59 blocked shots, 34 PIM and a plus-1 rating through 27 appearances this season. Chiarot won't sustain this pace, but his production in the physical categories has been higher than in recent years, which could have appeal in banger leagues.
-
Elias Pettersson D | VAN
Canucks' Elias Pettersson: Heads to minors
Pettersson was sent to AHL Abbotsford on Wednesday.
Pettersson has two assists, eight PIM, 32 hits and 33 blocks in 24 NHL outings this season. His reassignment brings Vancouver down to six healthy defensemen, which might prompt a call-up before Friday's clash against Utah.
-
Haydn Fleury D | WPG
Jets' Haydn Fleury: Starts skating
Fleury (concussion) has begun skating and will be re-evaluated ahead of Friday's matchup with Buffalo, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports.
Fleury has already been out of action for the last nine games and will be sidelined for at least one more, given his recovery timeline. Through 15 games this year, the 29-year-old blueliner has yet to register a point while managing just 22 hits and 26 blocks. At this point, Fleury doesn't offer enough category coverage or offensive upside to be much of a factor in fantasy contests.
-
Brenden Dillon D | NJ
Devils' Brenden Dillon: Expected to play Wednesday
Dillon (undisclosed) is slated to play against Dallas on Wednesday, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.
Dillon missed the third period of Monday's 5-3 loss to Columbus for precautionary reasons, but it seems he won't miss a full game due to the issue. He has three goals, nine points, 24 PIM, 65 hits and 42 blocks in 26 outings this year.
-
Rasmus Ristolainen D | PHI
Flyers' Rasmus Ristolainen: Needs at least one more week
Ristolainen (triceps) will miss at least another week, according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic on Wednesday.
Head coach Rick Tocchet added that Ristolainen should be back within a month, which covers a much wider range. Ristolainen hasn't played yet this season due to the injury. The 31-year-old will likely serve in a top-four capacity once he's healthy, and his return would make it harder for Noah Juulsen to feature in the lineup with any regularity.
-
Jordan Spence D | OTT
Senators' Jordan Spence: Two-point effort in win
Spence recorded two assists with one blocked shot, one hit and a plus-3 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Canadiens.
It was his first multi-point performance since Nov. 9. Spence continues to see shifts on the second power-play unit while Thomas Chabot (upper body) is on the shelf. However, Spence has only three assists in the last 10 games and is still looking for his first point with the man advantage this season.
-
Tyler Kleven D | OTT
Senators' Tyler Kleven: Two helpers against Habs
Kleven notched two assists while adding two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over Montreal.
The 23-year-old blueliner doubled his point total on the season with his first multi-point performance. Kleven has seen a bigger workload while Thomas Chabot (upper body) has been on the shelf, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time over the last nine games, but that hasn't resulted in a significant increase in his fantasy appeal -- during that stretch he has three assists, 16 blocked shots, 10 shots on net, six hits and a minus-1 rating.