NHL Hockey Player News

San Jose has claimed Ty Emberson off waivers from the New York Rangers.

Emberson was placed on waivers by the New York Rangers and has been claimed by San Jose on Saturday. The 23-year-old defenseman has yet to appear in any NHL games in his career but was a 2018 third-round (73rd overall) draft pick to Arizona. In 2022-23 he had seven goals, 20 assists, 27 PIMs and a +17 plus/minus through 69 games with Hartford (AHL).

Ty Emberson
Alex Killorn suffered a fractured finger in Wednesday's preseason game and is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks.

Killorn signed a four-year, $25 million contract with the Ducks in the offseason and was expected to be a pivotal part of their top six this season but will now miss the next 4-6 weeks as he deals with a fractured finger from Wednesday's preseason bout. The 34-year-old left-winger is coming off a career season with 27 goals, 37 assists, 45 PIMs, and 143 SOG in an 82-game campaign with Tampa Bay in 2022-23.

Alex Killorn
Minnesota has agreed to a four-year, $16 million extension ($4,000,000 AAV) with Marcus Foligno.

Foligno had seven goals, 14 assists, 97 PIMs, 83 SOG, and a -6 plus/minus in 2022-23 and signed a four-year, $16 million extension with Minnesota on Friday. The 32-year-old is entering his seventh season in Minnesota and has 116 goals and 272 points across 12 NHL seasons and 743 games played. He should have a key-role in the Wilds' bottom six yet again this season.

Marcus Foligno
Columbus has claimed Spencer Martin off waivers from Vancouver.

On Thursday, Martin was placed on conditional waivers by Vancouver and claimed on Friday by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old goaltender struggled in 2022-23 with the Canucks, posting an 11-15-1 record, 3.99 GAA and .871 SV%. He will be joining his third NHL team (COL, VAN) and should provide goaltending depth behind the Blue Jackets' starter Elvis Merzlikins.

Spencer Martin
Roman Schmidt (undisclosed) is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season and is out indefinitely.

Schmidt was Tampa Bay's 2021 third-round pick (96th overall) and was expected to report to Syracuse (AHL) for his first professional season but is now not expected to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season and is out indefinitely as he deals with an undisclosed injury. The 20-year-old defensemen had four goals, 24 assists, 74 PIMs and a +6 plus/minus through 64 games played with Kitchener in 2022-23.

Roman Schmidt
Logan Brown (undisclosed) will be out indefinitely and is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season.

Brown agreed to a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the offseason and will now not be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season as he is out indefinitely due to an undisclosed injury. The 25-year-old towering centre had two goals, four assists, 18 SOG, eight PIMs and a -4 plus/minus in 30 injury plagued games with St. Louis in 2022-23 and will be hoping to crack the Lightning's roster when he returns to full health.

Logan Brown
Minnesota has signed Mats Zuccarello to a two-year, $8.250 million contract extension ($4,125,000).

Zuccarello had 22 goals, 45 assists, 198 SOG, 26 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus through 2022-23 with Minnesota and has signed a two-year, $8.250 million contract extension ($4,125,000) with the Wild. The 36-year-old enters his fifth season with the Wild and has an impressive 186 goals and 573 points in 766 career games played. He is expected yet again to be a key cog on the Wilds' top line with Kirill Kaprizov.

Mats Zuccarello
Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent successful back surgery and is expected to be out for an 8-10 week timeframe.

Vasilevskiy enjoyed his longest off-season since 2018-19 due to the Lightning's first-round playoff exit in 2022-23 but has undergone successful back surgery and is now expected to miss 8-10 weeks as he recovers. The 29-year-old Vezina Winner failed to lead the NHL in wins for the first time in six seasons in 2022-23, as he went 34-22-4 with a .915 SV% and a 2.65 GAA in what was considered a down year by his standards. Jonas Johansson is currently lined up to take over the starting role while Vasilevskiy recovers.

Andrei Vasilevskiy
Nate Schmidt has a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day with the ailment.

Nate Schmidt did not take part in the Jets' practice Thursday as he is dealing with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. The 32-year-old defenseman is in his third season with Winnipeg and had seven goals, 12 assists, 101 SOG, 19 PIMs and a +15 plus/minus through 71 games played in 2022-23. The Jets are expecting to have him back before their season opener in October.

Nate Schmidt
Mason Appleton is considered day-to-day as he deals with a lower-body injury.

Appleton has yet to appear in the preseason for Winnipeg after sustaining a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day for the time being. The 27-year-old scored five goals, 11 assists, had eight PIMs, 71 SOG and a +2 plus/minus through 41 games with the Jets in 2022-23. He is entering his seventh NHL season and is expected to be a crucial part of the Jets' bottom-six.

Mason Appleton
The Flames have signed Mikael Backlund to a two-year contract extension worth $9.0 million ($4.5M AAV).

Backlund had 19 goals, 37 assists, 36 PIMs, 260 SOG, and a +24 plus/minus in 82 games in 2022-23 with Calgary and has signed a two-year contract extension worth $9.0 million ($4.5 million AAV). Along with the new contract, Backlund has been announced as the Flames' 21st Captain in team history. The 34-year-old centre is entering his 16th NHL season as a Flame and has 185 goals, 492 points and a +66 plus/minus in 908 career NHL games played.

Mikael Backlund
Pelletier will undergo shoulder surgery and is out indefinitely.

Pelletier injured his left shoulder during a Flames pre-season game, and he will undergo surgery next week. Pelletier split his 2023 season between the AHL and NHL, picking up seven points (3G / 4A) in 24 games with the Flames. He was poised to fill a middle-6 role with the Flames this season, but that will no longer be the case.

Jakob Pelletier
Logan Couture is week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained during off-season training.

Couture is week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained during off-season training and is expected to miss the Sharks' opener on October 12th. The 34-year-old centre led San Jose in scoring in 2022-23 with 27 goals, 40 assists, 198 SOG, and a -30 plus/minus through 82 games played. He is entering his 15th NHL season with San Jose and will hope to have a proper timeline for his return in the upcoming days.

Logan Couture
Philadelphia has signed Carson Bjarnason to a three-year, entry-level contract worth $2,850,000 ($950,000 AAV).

Bjarnason was Philadelphia's 2023 second-round pick (51st overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract worth $2,850,000 ($950,000 AAV). The 18-year-old goaltender went 21-19-5 with a .900 SV% and a 3.08 GAA with Brandon (WHL) in 2022-23. He also represented Canada at the Under-18 World Championships this offseason where he led the squad with a 4-2-0 record, .849 SV% and 3.51 GAA.

Carson Bjarnason
Joel Edmundson is at risk of missing the start of the 2023-24 season due to an upper-body injury and is out indefinitely.

Edmundson was acquired during the offseason from Montreal for Minnesota's 2024 third-round pick, and Washington's 2024 seventh-round pick (MTL retained 50% of salary) and is at risk of missing the start of the 2023-24 season due to an upper-body injury and is out indefinitely. The 30-year-old defensemen had 2G/11A/13 Pts, 58 PIMs and a -29 plus/minus in 61 GP with MTL in 2022-23.

Joel Edmundson
Vancouver has signed Sawyer Mynio to a three-year, entry-level contract worth $2.85 Million ($870,000 AAV).

Mynio was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft (89th overall) by Vancouver and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract worth $2.85 Million ($870,000 AAV). The 18-year-old defensemen had five goals, 26 assists, 40 PIMs and a +50 plus/minus through 68 games with Seattle (WHL) in 2022-23. He is expected to return to Seattle for the 2023-24 season.

Sawyer Mynio
Vancouver has signed Ty Young to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Young was Vancouver's 2022 fifth-round pick (144th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks. The 19-year-old goaltender went 15-13-3 with a .889 SV% and 3.89 GAA with the Prince George Cougars (WHL) in 2022-23 and is expected to return to the team for the 2023-24 season.

Ty Young
Carter Verhaeghe is day-to-day with muscle tightness but is expected to be ready for the start of the year.

Verhaeghe was forced to miss Florida's training camp skate Friday as he is day-to-day with muscle tightness but is expected to be ready for opening night after facing a similar injury last preseason. The 28-year-old left-winger had a breakout season in 2023-24 with 42 goals, 31 assists, 46 PIMs, 275 SOG and a +10 plus/minus. He is entering his fifth NHL season and has 93 goals and 177 points in 254 career games played.

Carter Verhaeghe

NHL Player News: Your Ultimate Source for Hockey Player News

At Daily Faceoff you can stay in the know regarding all 32 teams and their top players this season. From trades, to injuries, and everything in between, you can find all the latest NHL player news today here. Staying up to date with player news NHL can also give you a competitive edge in your fantasy hockey leagues, as well as your NHL bets.

Check out all the latest NHL updates below and learn more about the hottest updates in the hockey world today.

Who are the top NHL players to watch this season?

There’s never been more talent scattered across the NHL than there is this season. With living legends like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin still setting records left-and-right, alongside today’s current superstars such as Connor McDavid and Nathan Mackinnon, the level of talent in the NHL is at an all-time high. Along with these established stars, there’s plenty of budding stars emerging every season such as Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and Matvei Michkov.

What are the latest updates on NHL player suspensions or disciplinary actions?

Already this season we’ve seen the hammer brought down by the NHL Department of Player Safety. Notable suspensions and fines include Ryan Reaves of the Toronto Maple Leafs who was given a five-game suspension for an illegal check to the head against the Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot who was dealt a three-game suspension, also for an illegal hit to the head.

In the 2023-24 season, there were a total of 14 suspensions and 17 fines issued throughout the NHL. The longest suspension served was dealt to former-Detroit Red Wing David Perron at six-games after a cross-checking penalty dealt ironically against his current team in the 2024-25 season, the Ottawa Senators. Additionally, Perron was fined $148,437.48 for his actions.

How are NHL player performances impacting fantasy hockey?

NHL player performances make a direct impact on the outcome of any fantasy hockey matchup. Staying up to date with the latest news and performances of your team’s players can be the difference between winning and losing.

Some notable fantasy hockey performers that flew under the radar in most drafts this year include Martin Necas (123 ADP) of the Carolina Hurricanes and Kiefer Sherwood of the Vancouver Canucks. While sleeper picks are always a great get, nothing is worse than a bust taken early on. Some of the most disappointing players of the fantasy hockey season includes Zach Hyman (28 ADP) of the Edmonton Oilers and Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars (33 ADP).

Whether you’re checking out how your current rostered players are performing or scouting for hidden gems on the waiver wire, the latest player news can help you make your next winning move this season.

Which NHL players are having breakout or comeback seasons?

Every season there are several players who have breakout years, establishing themselves as some of the best up-and-coming stars in the league. In the 2024-25 season early breakout candidates have emerged such as Dylan Strome of the Washington Capitals (on-pace for his first 100-point season) and Ivan Barbashev of the Vegas Golden Knights (on-pace for career-high in points).

Additionally, nothing beats a comeback story, and that can be said about surging veterans such as Anze Koipitar of the Los Angeles Kings, and Matt Duchene of the Dallas Stars.

How often is NHL player news updated?

Our player news is updated regularly throughout the season, bringing you fresh player updates every day throughout the calendar year. Providing our users with a one-stop destination for everything you need to know from across the NHL, our player news is the go-to spot for all the biggest stories in the hockey universe.

What types of information does NHL player news cover?

Our NHL news covers every aspect of the hockey season. From injuries to trades to rumours and even suspensions, we’ve got you covered through it all with credible and fast-updates all-season long.

Are there specific sources for reliable NHL player updates?

All of our sources come from credible and reputable areas. When you’re at Daily Faceoff, you can trust that we are never going to spoon-feed you fake news. You can trust you’re only reading legitimate news that matters.

How does NHL player news impact betting lines?

Player news has a massive impact on the latest hockey betting lines. From daily game lines and prop bets, to Stanley Cup futures bets, every trade, roster change, and injury can shake up the odds set by oddsmakers.

By staying informed on the latest NHL updates, you can become a better NHL bettor as you’ll have a winning edge thanks to our in-depth news coverage.

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