Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Samuel Girard (undisclosed) participated in Sunday's practice. Although the Penguins placed Girard on Injured Reserve Saturday, he appears to be close to returning to the lineup. The 28-year-old missed a third straight game on Saturday against Nashville. Girard has been in top form offensively this season, recording seven points (one goal, six […]

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the club on Sunday. This ends a stalemate between the two sides after Nikishin began the season as an unsigned restricted free agent. Some crazy contracts were handed out this offseason, and Carolina initially failed to sign Nikishin following his impressive maiden NHL […]

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Elias Salomonsson will make his season debut in Sunday's clash against Montreal. The 22-year-old underwent shoulder surgery in April and was only recently cleared to play, making two AHL appearances. Last season, Salomonsson recorded five points (one goal, four assists), 37 SOG, 27 blocks, and 50 hits in 32 outings with the […]

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram (upper body) will miss a fourth straight game on Sunday against Florida. On Saturday, Byram practiced with the team for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury, but he wore a non-contact jersey. He still has no set timeline for his return, but now that he's back on the […]

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (lower body) is day-to-day, the team announced before Saturday's matchup with Utah. Hedman suffered a lower-body injury in Friday's loss to Colorado. While Hedman's role has declined this season, it's great news for Tampa Bay that the team captain isn't expected to be out long-term. Hedman is averaging a […]

Hey RotoBallers! With another week of NHL action behind us, it's time to revisit the cut list. With injuries piling up, managers may not have roster space to keep a struggling player much longer. In this week's piece, we will look at one of the greatest players to ever lace up the skates who is […]

Utah Mammoth defenseman John Marino (upper body) was downgraded to week-to-week on Saturday, Brogan Houston of the Deseret News reports. He exited the lineup at the start of the week and was initially deemed day-to-day. Marino has five points (two goals, three assists) in nine outings, showing improvement over his usual offensive production. He will […]

Welcome back to "The Kick-Off!" and welcome to the 2026-27 season! European play is back with the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League, so rotations are inevitable! As always, check lineups before kickoff! Today's slate will feature Newcastle United. They may be struggling offensively, but their matchup is too hard to ignore. Will your […]

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body) could be back in action on Saturday against Anaheim, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. The Finnish blue-liner practiced on Friday after missing nine games. Ristolainen has one goal, four SOG, seven blocks, and four hits in three games this season. With him and Cam York (upper […]

Washington Capitals defenseman Vincent Desharnais underwent an appendectomy and will be out 4-6 weeks, the team announced Friday. He was placed on Injured Reserve. Desharnais has been Washington's unsung hero this season, leading the team with a plus-nine rating. He ranks second with 22 hits and is third with 14 blocks. Offensively, Desharnais has chipped […]

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (undisclosed) didn't finish Friday's 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. He logged just 5:56 of ice time in the contest. Last season, Hedman was limited to 33 outings, and he might miss some time again. In 10 games, he has recorded four points (two goals, two assists), 13 SOG, […]

To Edmonton or not Edmonton will be the biggest question you ask yourself about this slate. The Oilers are playing insanely good offensive hockey, but that upside comes at a price you may not want to pay. If you choose not to use them, who do you want to go with? We will dive into […]

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram (upper body) isn't ready to return to action on Friday night against Montreal. He'll miss a third straight game with an upper-body injury. Byram skated on Friday morning in a non-contact jersey. Chicago considers him day-to-day, so it shouldn't take long before Byram is back. His next chance to return […]

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (lower body) will return from a four-game absence on Friday against Chicago. Matheson's absence left a big gap at the back end, as he averages 24:09 of ice time per game. The veteran blue-liner has recorded one assist, nine SOG, and 10 blocks in five games this season. Matheson will […]

Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (face) exited early against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. He was hit in the face by a puck late in the game. There was no update on Forsling after the game, leaving him questionable for Sunday's tilt against Chicago. Forsling's production has been underwhelming this season. He has recorded two […]

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Nick Blankenburg (undisclosed) couldn't finish Thursday's matchup with the New York Rangers, Sportsnet's Luke Fox reports. Blankenburg entered the lineup to fill in for Marshall Rifai (lower body). Now, the Maple Leafs have suddenly lost two defensemen in quick succession. Chris Tanev (upper body) has also missed time recently, so the […]

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) is expected to miss at least one week, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports. The Swedish veteran was injured in Thursday's 6-5 shootout win over Carolina. So far in 2026-27, Ekholm has been quiet. In 10 games, he's recorded three points (one goal, two assists), nine SOG, eight […]

Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (lower body) has returned home from the team's road trip. The Ducks have been traveling along the East Coast, but they were without Mintyukov on Thursday night against New Jersey. He will also miss Saturday's matchup with the Philadelphia, which will mark the final game of the team's four-game trip. […]

Hey RotoBallers! Another week of NHL action is behind us, so it's time for another deep dive on the waiver wire. With nearly a month of data in the books, we can now better spot potential breakouts and prime streaming candidates. This week, we will look at a young dinger in Detroit who is entering […]

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (upper body) is set to return to the lineup on Thursday against Calgary after being activated from Injured Reserve. The Wild captain has been unavailable for four games due to an upper-body injury. After a 22-point campaign, Spurgeon hopes to regain his groove this season and has started well. Across […]

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson returned to the lineup with a two-assist performance in Wednesday's 5-1 victory over Florida. After missing eight games because of a lower-body injury, Sanderson logged a game-high 22:36 of ice time. He had a power-play assist on Tim Stutzle's game-tying goal and delivered an even-strength assist to Shane Pinto, who […]

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (upper body) has been officially cleared to play on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Sabres have been without their No. 1 defenseman for three games. Dahlin will take his usual spot on the first defensive pairing and will skate on the first power-play unit. He has had a decent […]

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe (face) wasn't able to complete Tuesday's matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Midway through the first period, he took a high stick from Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson and exited the game. Johnson's stick caught McCabe around his left eye area. McCabe was on the ice for a lengthy […]

Hey, RotoBallers! We are nearing the end of October, and the dust has begun to settle. Fantasy managers are starting to identify potential breakout candidates and are growing concerned about many underperforming stars. However, while it's often more exciting to discuss the top early-season breakouts like Fraser Minten, we must also spotlight some of the […]

Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Roy (lower body) will return to action on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings. After sitting out six games due to a lower-body injury, Roy practiced in full capacity on Monday and was on the first defensive pairing in Tuesday's morning skate. "He's a big part of our team," Capitals head […]

Dallas Stars defenseman Esa Lindell (lower body) has been ruled out for at least one week. The Finnish rearguard will miss his first game of the season on Tuesday against Boston. Across eight outings, Lindell is scoreless, but he's been a vital presence for Dallas at the back, averaging 2.25 blocks per game. Miro Heiskanen […]

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (upper body) practiced on Monday and looks set to return to action in Wednesday's game against Philadelphia. The Swedish rearguard told reporters he "thinks he'll be ready" for Wednesday's action. In six outings this season, Dahlin has recorded four points (two goals, two assists), 19 SOG, 14 blocks, and eight […]

Hey, RotoBallers! We are now officially in the third "full" week of the NHL season, and the dust has begun to settle. Fantasy managers are starting to identify potential breakout candidates and are growing concerned about many underperforming stars. Below are top options to acquire via trade and the waiver wire, as well as players […]

San Jose, Toronto, Colorado, and Edmonton are on tonight’s slate, yet you won’t see any of those teams in tonight’s article. I look at matchups and trends, and none of these teams look like they’ll be worth the click at their price points. If the data is correct, that’s a huge advantage to us, as […]

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (lower body) is trending toward returning to the lineup on Wednesday night against Florida. He practiced on Monday after missing eight games with a lower-body injury. Sanderson's return will be timely for the Senators, as the team just lost Thomas Chabot (upper body) from defense for at least one week. […]