NHL Hockey Player News

Despite Minnesota having a game vs. Ottawa on Saturday, Quinn Hughes debut will wait until Sunday when Minnesota takes on Boston. The 26-year-old was part of a blockbuster trade on Friday with Vancouver and will bring offensive spark immediately to the Wild lineup. He has two goals, 23 points and 74 SOG in 26 games played this season.

Despite a superb effort from Joey Daccord against the Kings on Wednesday, it will in fact be Grubauer between the pipes when the Kraken travel to Utah on Friday. Grubauer was unfortunate to be tagged with the loss in his last start, allowing two goals on 27 shots in a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Wild on Monday. The 34-year-old netminder carries a 4-1-1 record and .900 SV% into Friday night's matchup in Utah, where the Kraken enter action at +150 on the money line.

Utah has lost seven of its last 10 (3-7-0) and will hope Vejmelka can elevate his game on Friday, tending the twine against the Seattle Kraken. The 29-year-old Czech goalie has a 2.72 GAA and .893 SV% in 24 games this season (12-9-2). He has lost two of his last four, but has played well in those games, posting a 2.00 GAA and .934 SV%. The Mammoth enter Friday's contest as -176 home favorites against a Kraken team coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings, snapping a four-game losing skid.

The 19th-overall pick of the 2022 NHL entry draft, Ohgren has yet to realize his full potential and is the least consequential piece heading to Vancouver in exchange for franchise great Quinn Hughes. The 22-year-old forward has just seven points in 46 games across three NHL seasons while primarily featuring in Minnesota's bottom-six. Ohgren failed to register a point in 18 games with the Wild this season.

The former ninth-overall pick of the 2020 NHL entry draft, Rossi's inclusion in the Hughes deal helps to address a dire need in the Canucks lineup. With Elias Pettersson (upper-body) currently sidelined, Rossi figures to feature as Vancouver's interim number-one centre. The 24-year-old centreman set a career-high with 60 points a year ago and was off to another productive start in Minnesota, tallying four goals and 13 assists across 17 games this season.

One of the top defensive prospects in all of hockey will now have even more pressure to fulfill his mighty potential as Buium is the centre piece of the haul the Canucks acquired in exchange for franchise great Quinn Hughes. The 12th overall pick in the 2024 NHL entry draft, Buium excelled in his two seasons of NCAA hockey, racking up 24 goals and 74 assists across 83 games at the University of Denver. The 20-year-old defenseman made his NHL debut earlier this season and appeared in 31 games for the Wild, tallying three goals and 11 assists.

The most anticipated blockbuster trade of the 2025-26 NHL season has finally come to fruition, as the Canucks captain is surprisingly shipped to Minnesota in exchange for a 2026 first-rounder and a trio of former first-round picks. One of the very best defensemen in the NHL today, the acquisition of Hughes immediately gives the Wild one of the best blue-lines across the entire league. The former Norris Trophy winner leaves Vancouver after eight seasons in which he tallied 61 goals and 371 assists across 459 career regular season games.

The Blues will unsurprisingly turn to Hofer between the pipes tonight after Jordan Binnington got the nod in Nashville on Thursday. Hofer was tagged with the loss in his last start, allowing four goals on 30 shots in a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Bruins on Tuesday. The 25-year-old netminder carries a 4-6-2 record and an .890 SV% into Friday night's matchup with the Blackhawks, where St. Louis enters action at -115 on the money line.

Nystrom was not expected to be a full-time presence on the Hurricanes' blueline this season, but injuries thrust him into a regular role that he has thrived in. The 23-year-old, a seventh-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, is in his first NHL season and has four assists while averaging 16:02 time-on-ice through 23 games.

Kiviranta exited Thursday's 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers after only 3:58 time-on-ice due to a concern with his eye, but he may be able to suit up on Saturday against the Nashville Predators. The 29-year-old Kiviranta missed over a month earlier this season because of a lower-body injury. He has two points (1G / 1A) through 14 games in a fourth-line role this season.

Tampa Bay has gone 2-3-0 in five games without Vasilevskiy and will be eager for the All Star netminder to return to the crease. Before his injury, the 31-year-old Vasilevskiy was putting together a season worth of Vezina Trophy consideration, posting a 2.31 GAA and .916 SV% in 19 games (11-6-2).

Horvat suffered a scary lower-body injury in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks, struggled to leave the ice, but has seemingly avoided the worst and will be reevaluated on a week-to-week basis. The 30-year-old Horvat was pacing for a career-best season with 31 points (19G / 12A) through 32 games before his injury.

Finley did not play in Tampa Bay's most recent game and has been assigned to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). The 23-year-old Finley has two points (1G / 1A) in 11 games this season.

Hellebuyck has not played since November 15th and was given a 4-6 week recovery timeline after undergoing a minor Arthroscopic knee procedure. That said, he returned to practice this week and appears to be targeting the early end of his timelines and could return to the crease as soon as Saturday against the Washington Capitals. The Jets have gone 3-8-1 in 12 games without Hellebuyck and will be eager to regain the services of their three-time Vezina-winning goalie. The 32-year-old Hellebuyck was showcasing a 2.51 GAA and .913 SV% in 14 games (8-6-0) before his injury.

Hedman has already missed 13 games due to injuries this season, and will be sidelined for the next several weeks. He recently returned from a one month absence and played three games before resurfacing on Injured Reserve. The 34-year-old Norris Trophy winner has clearly not been at his best this season, as evidenced by his low shot totals: averaging only 1.4 shots per game, a full shot less than the 2.4 he averaged over the previous decade. He has 12 points (0G / 12A) in 18 games this season.

Kaskimaki was a third-round pick, 73rd overall, of the Blues in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old Finnish forward has seven points (4G / 3A) in 16 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) this season. He made his NHL debut earlier this month, scoring zero points and recording a -6 plus/minus in five games.