The latest update comes from insider Kevin Weekes on X. Kucherov is in the final year of his $9.5 million contract, with the two sides still apart on an extension. Tampa Bay reportedly opened at $13 million AAV before revising its offer to $15 million, while Kucherov is believed to be looking for $18–20 million on a longer term. Following a meeting in Nashville with his agent, GM Julien BriseBois and head coach Jon Cooper, Kucherov reportedly informed the Lightning and his teammates that he intends to play out his contract and will not re-sign in Tampa. His 10-team no-trade list adds another wrinkle to any potential move. As Wu-Tang famously put it, the saga continues.

👀 Per sources ; I'm told 1st offer was around 13M, revised offer 15M only after Carlsson 18M offer sheet & Makar 20M deal. Kucherov is a Hall Of Fame , has a
great relationship w HC Cooper, will play out his contract, told his teammates and club he won't re sign in Tampa. There… pic.twitter.com/sDIsy8xvRg

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) November 1, 2026

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Shane Wright was traded to the Nashville Predators for Matthew Wood. For a full fantasy analysis check out Ian Goodings article here.

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The Carolina Hurricanes shutout the Jets and handed Winnipeg its ninth consecutive loss. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped all 26 shots he faced to record his second shutout of the season and extend his winning streak to start the year to 10-0.

Logan Stankoven continues to put together a strong season, even with the return of Seth Jarvis. Stankoven finished with three points (1G, 2A), along with three shots and eight wins on 14 faceoff attempts. Team captain Sebastian Aho also had a strong night, recording a goal and an assist while leading all Carolina forwards with 21:16 of ice time.

Jarvis and Nikolaj Ehlers each finished with a pair of assists in the win. On the back end, Carolina got a strong performance from both Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere. Walker scored twice, including a shorthanded goal, while Gostisbehere chipped in with two assists, two shots and 17:23 of ice time.

There isn’t much to take away from Winnipeg’s performance, as the struggles and losses continue to mount. What was once a positive for the Jets, their goaltending, is now becoming a concern again, with Stuart Skinner at the forefront. Skinner was pulled midway in the second period after allowing five goals on 17 shots, finishing with a .706 save percentage. It was the second consecutive start in which he allowed five goals and was pulled from the game. Clay Stevenson came on in relief and stopped 13 of 15 shots.

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Minnesota’s power play came through with two goals one of which was Maxim Shabanov scoring late in the third period before Danila Yurov added another on a five-on-three advantage in the final minute. Shabanov has been a regular on Minnesota’s top power-play unit, and that deployment is encouraging given his recent production. I highlighted him in an earlier Ramblings as a potential waiver-wire option.

Joel Eriksson Ek and Bobby Brink each finished with two assists, while Matt Boldy also picked up an assist on Kirill Kaprizov‘s goal. It was Kaprizov’s 15th of the season in 16 games and, more importantly, his 500th career NHL point.

5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ career points

Kirill Kaprizov became the fastest @mnwild player to the milestone moment and the NHL's seventh fastest (tied) by skaters born outside of North America.#NHLStats: https://t.co/UketMgoFG4 pic.twitter.com/blkgdgOXP0

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) November 1, 2026

Jesper Wallstedt was excellent in goal, stopping 26 of 27 shots for a .963 save percentage.

On the other side, Cole Hutson recorded an assist on a Justin Sourdif goal, while Logan Thompson stopped 24 of 28 shots for an .857 save percentage.

Jordan Kyrou‘s six-game point streak also came to an end. He had recorded nine points (3G, 6A) over that stretch. Washington’s offence had been producing consistently coming into this matchup, scoring at least four goals in five of its previous six games, but Minnesota was able to keep the Capitals in check.

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Travis Konecny returned to the Flyers lineup after missing 10 games and made an immediate impact, scoring his first goal of the season in the win while posting 13:58 of ice time. Teammate Matvei Michkov also found the back of the net, recording his 10th goal of the season. He becomes the first Flyers player to score 10 goals in the first 17 games of a season since Konecny accomplished the feat in 2023.

Jamie Drysdale had a big night offensively, finishing with three assists and extending his point streak to six points over the last five games. Travis Sanheim also chipped in with two assists while playing 23:28.

Noah Cates and Christian Dvorak each finished with a goal and an assist, while Oliver Bonk added a goal of his own. Porter Martone also picked up an assist on Michkov’s opening marker.

On the Utah side, Mikhail Sergachev scored on the power play, with Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller picking up the assists. Both Schmaltz and Keller finished with two assists in the loss.

Logan Cooley followed with a power-play goal of his own, giving him eight goals on the season, and also assisted on Dmitri Simashev’s goal. Cooley is now pacing for 95 points over a full 82-game season.

Karel Vejmelka had a difficult night, allowing five goals on 20 shots for a .750 save percentage. Dan Vladar, meanwhile, stopped 19 of 22 shots for an .864 save percentage. Neither goalie put up particularly strong numbers, but Vladar received enough offensive support to secure the win.

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As expected, Connor McDavid finished the night with two points (1G, 1A), while Leon Draisaitl added a pair of assists and Evan Bouchard had a three-point performance with a goal and two assists. Edmonton extended its winning streak to three games and remains perfect on the road at 7-0.

Colton Dach also had a strong night, scoring twice, including an empty-net goal to seal the win.

Matt Tomkins made his first start with the Oilers this season and just his seventh career NHL start. He stopped 27 of 28 shots for a .964 save percentage. It was an excellent performance and helped Edmonton secure its third consecutive win.

There was not a whole lot to celebrate offensively for the Rangers, outside of Pavel Dorofeyev‘s goal, with Scott Morrow and Mika Zibanejad picking up the assists. Dylan Garand made his ninth consecutive appearance, allowing three goals on 24 shots. Garand got off to a decent start to his rookie campaign but has since lost six of his last seven starts.

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Ottawa had this game in the bag with a three-goal lead, only to watch it slip away at the hands of a Cutter Gauthier hat trick. Gauthier led the way with his second career NHL hat trick, bringing his season total to seven goals.

HOW 'BOUT THESE DUCKS 🦆

Cutter Gauthier scores twice in 36 seconds to complete the hat trick! pic.twitter.com/EQZDDE5Urz

— NHL (@NHL) November 2, 2026

Judd Caulfield also had a big night, finishing with two goals and an assist. Leo Carlsson chipped in with three assists, while Tristan Luneau recorded two and Jackson LaCombe added one.

Ottawa couldn’t have asked for a much better start, scoring three goals in the opening period. Philip Tomasino opened the scoring before Claude Giroux followed shortly after, with Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub picking up the assists. Michael Amadio added another late in the period to give the Senators a 3-0 lead.

From there, it all went downhill for Ottawa, as the Senators allowed six unanswered goals, including four on the power play. Jonas Johansson faced 33 shots and allowed six goals, finishing with a .818 save percentage.

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Waiver Wire Targets

Continuing on from last week’s waiver-wire notes, here are a few options worth considering, along with some players to keep on your watchlist. An increase in deployment could lead to more production, so even if they aren’t the best adds for this week, they could provide some value down the road.

Joel Farabee (LW/RW) – 44% owned

Farabee has been one of the hotter players in the league recently, recording 12 points over his last eight games. He’s averaging 18:30 of ice time, up from 16:55 last season, while his power-play involvement has jumped to 72.1% from 23.9%. He’s also averaging 2.4 shots per game, with his 7.6 shots per 60 minutes representing an improvement over last season. The increased opportunity is translating into production, as he’s already picked up eight power-play points. Some regression is likely, but at 44% owned, he could still be available in a number of leagues. The combination of increased usage, recent production and dual eligibility makes him worth a look.

Dimitry Orlov (D) – 19% owned

San Jose has four games on the schedule this week, including three on off nights, making Orlov an appealing streaming option. The matchup against Minnesota and Kirill Kaprizov is the toughest of the bunch, but the remaining schedule is favourable. More importantly, Orlov continues to quarterback the Sharks’ top power-play unit, giving him a solid opportunity to contribute offensively. His six points through 15 games are a reasonable start, with four coming on the power play. That means 66.7% of his production has come with the man advantage. At just 19% owned in Yahoo! leagues, the four-game schedule and power-play role make him worth adding. Mason Marchment is another name to monitor after earning an opportunity on the top unit, particularly if Orlov is already taken.

Zach Benson (LW) – 40% owned

Benson is another player worth keeping an eye on, particularly with the opportunity he’s receiving in Buffalo. He’s riding a hot streak with seven points over his last four games and has 13 points through 14 games. His ice time is up more than four minutes from last season to 19:58 per game, while his power-play involvement has also increased. Benson isn’t much of a shooter, with just two goals on 33 shots, so his production is being driven more by playmaking than an unsustainable shooting percentage. His 11 assists and increased power-play usage are encouraging, and at 42.9% PIPP, there’s still room for more production. At 40% owned, he’s an intriguing add with upside beyond this week.

Emmitt Finnie (C/LW) – 17% owned

With Dylan Larkin suspended and out of the Red Wings’ lineup Emmitt Finnie been moved onto the top line alongside Alex DeBrincat and Victor Arvidsson, while also seeing an increase in power-play time. The added opportunity is worth paying attention to, especially given the production he’s already put together with six goals and 10 points through 14 games. The 18.2% shot rate is high and is likely to come down, but the increased usage gives him a legitimate opportunity to maintain his production. At 17% owned, Finnie is worth adding but keep in mind their schedule is a tough one against Florda, Tampa, Vegas and Colorado this week.

All stats courtesy of Frozentools. 

Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!