NHL Hockey Player News

Colorado has claimed John Ludvig off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ludvig was placed on waivers by Pittsburgh on Friday and has been claimed by the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. The 24-year-old defenseman spent his entire rookie season in 2023-24 with Pittsburgh and had three goals, five points and 47 PIMs in 33 games played.

John Ludvig
Peterka has been diagnosed with a concussion.

Peterka left Buffalo's Global Series game in Prague after just 1:39 TOI in the first due to an injury and has been diagnosed with a concussion post game. The 22-year-old is without a timetable to return for the time being but should be provided updates when Buffalo returns to the United States.

JJ Peterka
Columbus has signed Kevin Labanc to a one-year, $775,000 contract.

Labanc was on a PTO with New Jersey but has earned himself a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. The 28-year-old winger played the previous eight seasons in San Jose but had a down year in 2023-24 with only two goals, nine points and a -27 plus/minus in 46 games played.

Kevin Labanc
Karlsson (lower body) expects to be ready for Pittsburgh's season opener.

Karlsson began skating with the team earlier this week but has stated that he fully expects to be ready for Pittsburgh's season opener on Wednesday vs. the New York Rangers. The 34-year-old has yet to appear in the preseason but will be looking to build off a subpar first season in PIttsburgh in 2023-24, with 11 goals, 56 PIMs and 213 SOG in 82 games played.

Erik Karlsson
Kulich will make his season debut on Saturday vs. New Jersey.

Kulich will get the chance to make his season debut in his home country of Czechia after it was announced Zach Benson would be out on Saturday vs. New Jersey. The 20-year-old centre is only making his second NHL appearance ever after making it into one game in 2023-24. He is expected to take Benson's spot in Buffalo's top-six.

Jiri Kulich
Benson (lower-body) is out for Saturday vs. New Jersey.

Benson played 17:23 TOI in Buffalo's debut on Friday but is absent from the lineup for their second game on Saturday in Prague due to a lower-body injury. The Sabres' have yet to provide any updates on the severity of the issue of the flashy 19-year-old who appeared in 71 games in 2023-24 and picked up 11 goals and 30 points.

Zach Benson
MacDermid will make his season debut on Saturday vs. Buffalo.

With Ondrej Palat stepping away from the team due to the birth of his second child, Kurtis MacDaermid will make his season debut on Saturday in Prague vs. Buffalo. The 30-year-old bruising left-winger came to New Jersey mid season in 2023-24 and had two goals, three points and 73 PIMs in 45 total games played.

Kurtis MacDermid
Levi will start on Saturday vs. New Jersey in Prague.

Levi split his 2023-24 season between the NHL and the AHL and will start 2024-25 as the Sabres' No.2 netminder behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. During his 23 NHL games last season, Levi was 10-8-2 with a 3.10 GAA and .899 SV%. Buffalo is coming off of a 4-1 loss to the Devils on Friday and are +127 underdogs.

Devon Levi
Allen will start on Saturday vs. Buffalo in Prague.

Allen was traded to the Devils last March and went 6-6-1 with a 3.11 GAA and .900 SV% in 13 games. Over the last two seasons he has posted a pretty ugly .893 SV% across 76 games. With Jacob Markstrom starting the season opener on Friday, the Devils will turn to Allen in the second half of a back-to-back. New Jersey enter play as -140 favourites following yesterday’s 4-1 win.

Jake Allen
Levi is expected to start Saturday vs. the Devils.

Levi split his 2023-24 season between the NHL and the AHL and will start 2024-25 as the Sabres' No.2 netminder behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. During his 23 NHL games last season, Levi was 10-8-2 with a 3.10 GAA and .899 SV%. Buffalo is coming off of a 4-1 loss to the Devils on Friday and are +127 underdogs.

Devon Levi
Voronkov (upper body) has been placed on injured reserve.

Voronkov will be out indefinitely with an upper-body injury after it was announced Friday that Columbus had placed him on injured reserve. The 24-year-old winger will have to delay his sophomore season debut with this latest news after putting up 18 goals, 34 points and 52 PIMs as a rookie in 75 games played in 2023-24.

Dmitri Voronkov
Aube-Kubel (left leg) is without an injury update but is expected to miss Saturday's game.

Aube-Kubel left Friday's season opener vs. New Jersey in the second period due to a left leg injury and is without an update but is expected to at least miss Saturday's game. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Sabres in the offseason and was making his Buffalo debut on Friday. More updates are expected to roll out in the upcoming days.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Campbell has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

Campbell will be away from the Red Wings for an indefinite period of time after it was announced Friday that he has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The 32-year-old goaltender signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with Detroit in the offseason after being bought out after two eventful seasons in Edmonton.

Jack Campbell
Karlsson (undisclosed) is questionable for Vegas' season opener.

Karlsson skated on his own on Friday but will miss Vegas' preseason finale which leaves his status for the Golden Knights' opener as questionable. Vegas does not start their season until Wednesday, so head coach Bruce Cassidy hopes Karlsson will be able to return to practice in time to play. The 31-year-old had 30 goals and 60 points in 70 games played in 2023-24.

William Karlsson
Middleton (upper-body) won't play in Friday's preseason game but is expected to be ready for the season opener.

Middleton won't play in Friday's preseason finale but he has been practicing and appears on-track to be ready for the season opener. Middleton had a career-high highs in goals (7), assists (18), points (25) blocked shots (161) and hits (148) in 80 games last season.

Jacob Middleton
Boldy (lower-body) won't play in Friday's preseason game but is expected to be ready for the season opener.

Boldy won't play in Friday's preseason finale, but he has been practicing and appears on-track to be ready for the season opener. Boldy, who had 29 goals and 40 assists last season, is expected to open the season on a line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson.

Matt Boldy
Ryan is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

Ryan was late to practice on Friday and only participated in a few drills after it was announced that he was day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. The 37-year-old is entering his tenth NHL season and was expected to battle for a spot in Edmonton's bottom-six after scoring five goals, 12 points and eight PIMs in 70 games in 2023-24.

Derek Ryan

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.

DFO’s Specialized News Categories

Get the most out of your hockey news with our in-depth coverage of the NHL with our comprehensive player news updates. Below we’ve compiled go-to destinations for player injuries, trades, signings, line combinations, and more!