Injury Notes: Wild, Dorwart, Huberdeau
During today’s scrimmage in the Minnesota Wild’s training camp, Michael Russo of The Athletic provided updates on a few injuries to the Wild’s roster. Notably, Russo reported that Nico Sturm was removed for precautionary reasons, and Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin participated in a light shootaround before the scrimmage.
Although he was originally expected to return for the team’s practice this afternoon, Russo later reported that Sturm was absent, though there are no concerns about his long-term availability. The same can’t be said for the latter two mentions.
There’s no surprise with Brodin’s absence from the skates, given that he’s expected to miss the start of the regular season due to offseason upper-body surgery. Meanwhile, reports from yesterday indicated that Zuccarello could also miss the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign. While specific details about the injury have not been disclosed, Russo indicated in his report that more information will be available after Zuccarello has a longer appointment with the team’s medical staff.
Other injury updates from around the league:
- The Philadelphia Flyers announced that forward prospect Karsen Dorwart would miss the next few days due to an upper-body injury. The 23-year-old was signed out of Michigan State University as an undrafted free agent with the Flyers last year, appearing in five games down the final stretch of the regular season. Despite debuting in the NHL already, Dorwart’s spot on Philadelphia’s opening night roster was not set in stone, and he’ll have to make the most of his training camp after returning from injury.
- Earlier this morning, Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg reported, and later confirmed by the Calgary Flames, that Jonathan Huberdeau would miss the second day of training camp for maintenance. There are no present injury concerns surrounding Huberdeau, and it’s not uncommon for established veterans to take maintenance days throughout training camp.
Alexander Kerfoot Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury
The Utah Mammoth have now lost another bottom-six forward due to injury for the next couple of weeks. A few days after sharing that Liam O’Brien is out with a lower-body injury, the Mammoth announced this morning that Alexander Kerfoot is also out with a lower-body injury, on the same recovery timeline.
Unlike O’Brien, Kerfoot comes with more offensive punch, though his production dipped considerably last season. The first year after signing a two-year, $7MM contract with the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, Kerfoot scored 13 goals and 45 points in 82 games, averaging 17:26 of ice time in a second-line role.
After the Utah Hockey Club was established, the organization graduated several high-level prospects, which pushed Kerfoot to a third-line role last year. His offensive production decreased alongside his reduced ice time, finishing the season with 11 goals and 28 points in 81 games, while averaging 15:15 of ice time per night.
Still, there were a few reasons for optimism. Although he didn’t spend the entire campaign down the middle, Kerfoot finished with a 52.5% success rate in the faceoff dot over 493 draws, the second-highest mark of his career. Furthermore, he concluded the 2025-26 season with a 52.3% CorsiFor% at even strength, representing the best output of his career.
There’s no indication at this time that O’Brien or Kerfoot’s injuries will cut into their availability for the regular season. Still, should any more players succumb to multi-week injuries, the Mammoth’s depth could be tested out of the gate.
Latest On Evgeni Malkin’s Future With Penguins
Although much has been made of Sidney Crosby‘s future with the Pittsburgh Penguins over the last few weeks, Evgeni Malkin remains the most pressing issue. The 19-year veteran is entering the final year of his four-year, $24.4MM contract with the Penguins, and has made few indications regarding the next chapter of his playing career.
Speaking with reporters this morning, Malkin appeared to hedge his bets when it comes to his staying in Pittsburgh. He originally stated a desire to play an additional year with the Penguins beyond the 2025-26 season. Still, he wants to finish his career in Pittsburgh regardless (via Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
However, when pressed about his no-movement clause, Malkin pointed to Brad Marchand‘s example from last year, when he used his modified no-trade clause to join the Florida Panthers and win the second Stanley Cup of his career. Per NHL correspondent Wes Crosby, Malkin said, “It’s hard, you know? But again, we see a story, like, with Brad Marchand. Looking good, you know? But again, if the team trades you and you (don’t) win the Cup, it’s like a little bit weird, too, you know?”
By acknowledging his desire to stay with Pittsburgh beyond the 2025-26 campaign, Malkin has put the ball back in Kyle Dubas‘s court. In June, two reports from Josh Yohe of The Athletic and the Penguins’ own Josh Getzoff indicated that the team has little desire to offer Malkin a new contract, regardless of his play in the upcoming season.
Those reports led many to believe that Malkin and his representation would begin looking at different options (likely around the Olympic break) or retire next summer. Unlike Marchand, Malkin’s no-movement clause means he’ll have full control over whether Pittsburgh trades him by this year’s trade deadline.
Regardless, Malkin would immediately become one of the best center options available at the deadline, with plenty of competitive teams having a glaring hole on the second line. Despite the team missing the postseason the past three years, Malkin has remained productive, recording 70 goals and 200 points in 232 games, averaging 18:21 of ice time.
Furthermore, Malkin has been a quality scorer in the playoffs, even though the Penguins haven’t reached beyond the second round since their most recent Stanley Cup championship in 2017. From 2018 to 2022, Malkin scored nine goals and 23 points in 28 playoff games.
The expectation is that the situation will play out over the regular season. Given the state of the roster, there’s little reason to keep Malkin this season or next. Still, much like Crosby, Pittsburgh’s top brass has typically honored the wishes of its franchise icons.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Morning Notes: Hart, van Riemsdyk, Laughton
After stating their intent to place netminder Connor Ingram on waivers, speculation arose whether the Utah Mammoth would have a competition for their backup role between Vítek Vaněček, Jaxson Stauber, and Matt Villalta, or pursue the recently reinstated Carter Hart once he’s eligible to sign on October 15th. We now know it won’t be the latter.
On yesterday’s edition of The Chris Johnston Show with TSN’s Chris Johnston, the insider indicated that although the Mammoth had internal conversations regarding Hart, it’s not something they’ll be pursuing over the next few weeks. Multiple reports suggest that Hart’s preference is to sign with a U.S.-based franchise, and the list of hypothetical options has continued to shrink.
Outside of Ingram and Karel Vejmelka, Vaněček is the only other netminder in Utah signed on a one-way contract. Still, he may not be a lock quite yet after a disastrous 2024-25 campaign. Split between the San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers, Vaněček managed a 5-14-4 record in 25 games with a .884 SV%, 3.62 GAA, and -11.5 Goals Saved Above Average.
Additional morning notes:
- The Washington Capitals are without defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk today, and could be for the next few days. According to Sammi Silber of DC Backcheck, van Riemsdyk will miss today’s skate due to personal matters, most likely correlated to him and his wife expecting a child soon. The exciting news is likely the reason behind his older brother, James van Riemsdyk, being absent from the Detroit Red Wings’ training camp yesterday.
- Last trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs sent a 2027 first-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for center Scott Laughton, only to see the veteran score two goals and four points in 20 games, with another two assists in 13 playoff contests. In a recent interview with David Alter of The Hockey News, Laughton recognized his poor play last season and is coming into the 2025-26 campaign more inspired to contribute, saying, “I need to be able to contribute offensively and create that way and help out some of those top guys.“
Sabres Cut Three Players From Training Camp
Moving quickly toward getting their team down the required 23-man roster, the Buffalo Sabres have returned three prospects to their respective junior programs after the first day of training camp. The Sabres announced that defensemen Simon-Pier Brunet and David Bedkowski, and netminder Samuel Meloche have been cut from the roster.
Brunet will return to the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres after spending the last three years with the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Buffalo selected the 19-year-old with the 123rd overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, and he scored eight goals and 32 points in 60 games with a +10 rating last season with the Voltigeurs. The Sabres likely expect a slow-paced development, given that Brunet has already committed to the NCAA’s Merrimack College for the 2026-27 season.
Meanwhile, Bedkowski could take even longer to reach the NHL, if he does. The 6’5″, 220lbs, 18-year-old blue liner spent last year with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, scoring three goals and seven points in 30 games with a whopping 73 PIMs. The former 71st overall selection of the 2025 NHL Draft makes his presence known by his high-level physical play and his ability to fight.
Like Brunet, Meloche is another QMJHL product, this time with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who has also committed to an NCAA program for the 2026-27 season. Last season, as the Huskies’ starter, Meloche recorded a 30-14-6 record in 51 games with a .900 SV% and 2.90 GAA, along with five shutouts. Meloche, 18, was drafted with the 116th overall pick by the Sabres in the 2025 NHL Draft and has committed to Northeastern University.
Metro Notes: Devils, Ovechkin, Capitals, Hart, Foerster, Bonk
Before taking the ice for the first session of training camp, the New Jersey Devils shared several updates on absent players. Netminder Jacob Markström, defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, forward Stefan Noesen, and prospects Shane Lachance and Lenni Hämeenaho were all absent from today’s skate.
Fortunately, Markström’s absence isn’t linked to an injury, as the Devils announced he’s dealing with a family matter. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Noesen and Kovacevic. As expected, New Jersey stated that Kovacevic is still recovering from offseason knee surgery and that he’s out indefinitely.
Meanwhile, Noesen continues to deal with a nagging groin issue, which required a procedure this summer. However, unlike Kovacevic’s timeline, the Devils didn’t indicate how long Noesen would miss or his status for the start of the regular season. Lachance and Hämeenaho were injured in the team’s rookie camp, though they’re each expected to begin the year with the AHL Utica Comets, regardless of their health status.
Other updates from the Metropolitan Division:
- The Washington Capitals got a brief scare this morning when captain Alex Ovechkin left the team’s skate early, failing to return. Fortunately, it’s nothing serious, as Sammi Silber of DC Backcheck shared an update from head coach Spencer Carbery saying that Ovechkin is dealing with a mild lower-body injury, and his recovery timeline is day-to-day.
- Unfortunately, a few more members of the Capitals’ roster are dealing with mild injuries. Earlier today, Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network reported that defenseman Martin Fehérváry and Justin Sourdif are skating in non-contact jerseys for today’s skate. Still, El-Bashir, nor anyone within the Capitals organization, has indicated that the injuries will affect either of their regular-season availability.
- If the Pittsburgh Penguins want prospect Joel Blomqvist to have more seasoning in the AHL, and Arturs Silovs doesn’t build on his excellent AHL campaign last year, the Penguins have little else behind Tristan Jarry, if he’s even capable of handling a majority of the workload. Regardless, they won’t be seeking outside help from a former top-prospect netminder who was recently allowed back into the NHL. Earlier today, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported that Pittsburgh wouldn’t be one of the teams targeting Carter Hart over the next couple of weeks.
- Philadelphia Flyers forward Tyson Foerster continues his speedy recovery from elbow surgery. Providing an update in today’s media availability (via Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia), Foerster remains hopeful he could shed his non-contact jersey during training camp and is still expecting to be ready for the start of the regular season.
- Another member of the Flyers is dealing with an injury, albeit a mild one. Philadelphia announced that defenseman Oliver Bonk is dealing with an upper-body injury, and he’ll miss the next few days. Bonk is entering his first year of professional hockey, likely with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, after spending the last three years with the OHL’s London Knights.
No Extension Talks Between Blackhawks, Connor Bedard
Although he hasn’t been mentioned in much of the extension buzz that dominated a quiet summer, Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and became extension eligible on July 1st. Still, Bedard and the Blackhawks don’t seem rushed to get anything figured out soon.
Speaking with Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio, General Manager Kyle Davidson was quoted, saying, “It’s nothing we’re actively working on right now but Connor’s mentioned it and I’ll say it: I have zero concern about where that’s headed. He wants to be here for a long time, we want him here for a long time, we’re going to make that happen.”
Unlike his extension-eligible counterparts, since he’ll only experience the expiration of his entry-level deal, Bedard will become a restricted free agent next summer without arbitration rights. It is becoming more common for players with draft pedigrees similar to Bedard’s to sign long-term extensions when the opportunity arises.
In the three drafts preceding Bedard being selected first overall, each of the three before him has signed long-term extensions with their respective clubs. Jack Hughes kicked things off with an eight-year, $64MM extension with the New Jersey Devils, followed by Owen Power signing a seven-year, $58.45MM extension with the Buffalo Sabres, and finished with Juraj Slafkovsky signing an eight-year, $60.8MM extension with the Montreal Canadiens.
Although Chicago will have ample cap space to grant Bedard a long-term contract, projecting his hypothetical extension is quite challenging. Although he erased any injury concern from his rookie campaign, Bedard hasn’t necessarily taken the league by storm, as he was expected to when drafted.
Since debuting with the Blackhawks for the 2023-24 season, Bedard has scored 45 goals and 128 points in 150 games, averaging 20:03 of ice time per game. For better or for worse, Bedard was strongly compared to Connor McDavid upon his entrance into the league. While also dealing with injury concerns during his rookie season, McDavid performed notably better in his first two years with the Edmonton Oilers, scoring 46 goals and 148 points in 127 contests.
Because of this, Bedard is unlikely to ink a similar deal to the eight-year, $100MM contract that McDavid signed upon expiration of his entry-level contract. It will likely be comparable to the recent extensions signed by Hughes, Power, and Slafkovsky, if Bedard and Chicago are leaning toward a long-term deal, with the added bump of the salary cap increase.
Central Notes: Connor, Evangelista, Zuccarello, Neighbours, Molendyk, Reid
As expected from reports a few weeks ago, the Winnipeg Jets have begun extension negotiations with All-Star winger Kyle Connor. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much substantial progress made before the start of training camp.
Murat Ates of The Athletic shared a quote from General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, saying, “We’ve had great dialogue with KC’s representatives and we continue to have that. He’s obviously a big part.” A few moments later, Cheveldayoff added, “Every conversation, you’re hopeful that this is the one that closes it. But it’s not… I don’t know that it’s a timeframe sort of thing. You just keep on working at it.”
Regardless, Connor is poised for a major payday, from the Jets or elsewhere, on the heels of a career year and with the salary cap continuing to rise. Although he didn’t match his career-high in goals, he did in points, scoring 41 goals and 97 points in 82 games, averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Despite being the only member of the team without a new contract heading into training camp, there’s little chance forward Luke Evangelista is moving on from the Nashville Predators. Speaking with Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean, General Manager Barry Trotz said that trading Evangelista is “not even a thought.” Over the last two years, playing full-time in Nashville, Evangelista scored 26 goals and 71 points in 148 contests.
- In a vague report from Michael Russo of The Athletic, it doesn’t appear that veteran forward Mats Zuccarello will start the Minnesota Wild’s training camp on time. Without specifying the nature of the injury, there’s some concern in Minnesota that Zuccarello will miss some of the regular season due to the injury.
- The St. Louis Blues announced that forward Jake Neighbours would miss the first three days of the team’s training camp due to a family matter. As expected, the team didn’t share any insights into the matter, though it doesn’t appear they expect Neighbours to miss much more time. The former first-round pick has become a quality secondary scorer for the Blues over the past few years, recording 49 goals and 84 points in 159 games.
- Moving back to the injury train, Daugherty reported that Nashville prospects Tanner Molendyk and Cameron Reid are both out with lower-body injuries. Molendyk’s injury likely stems from being on the receiving end of a large hit during the team’s rookie camp, while Reid’s injury (likely longer term) was also suffered during rookie camp.
Senators Notes: Jensen, Pinto, Eller
In mid-May, Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen went under the knife for hip surgery. Despite the most recent update indicating he was ahead of schedule in his recovery, that assurance now seems uncertain.
Sharing a quote from head coach Travis Green, Claire Hanna of TSN quoted the coach saying, “[I]t’s too early to tell if he’ll start the season.” Still, Green remained optimistic, adding, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s skating with the group in the next week, he’s progressing nicely.”
Fortunately, the Senators added quality depth on the right side of the blue line this offseason in their acquisition of Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings. Still, Ottawa may have to give significant minutes to Nikolas Matinpalo, something he hasn’t demonstrated the ability to handle in his limited NHL career, if Jensen isn’t ready to start the regular season.
Other Ottawa Senators notes:
- The Senators will open camp without an extension in place with forward Shane Pinto. During yesterday’s media availability, TSN’s Bruce Garrioch relayed a note from General Manager Steve Staios saying the two sides have had positive dialogue, and there was no timeline to getting something worked out. Pinto is entering the final year of a two-year, $7.5MM contract with Senators, scoring 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games last year.
- One of Ottawa’s free agent pickups this past summer won’t be able to start training camp on time. According to Garrioch, Lars Eller had a minor abdominal procedure, which will eat into a few day’s of his avilability during camp. Still, there’s no indication that the 36-year-old center will be out long-term due to the injury.
No Extension Talks Between Capitals, John Carlson
Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Washington Capitals have a pair of franchise legends heading into unrestricted free agency. There’s been a lot of speculation about Alex Ovechkin‘s playing future after this season, but there hasn’t been as much regarding defenseman John Carlson.
Earlier today, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN provided the first meaningful update to the extension negotiations between the Capitals and Carlson, or lack thereof. Wyshynski reported that Carlson hasn’t been contacted yet regarding an extension, and quoted Carlson saying, “I think anybody would probably love security. I think that’s a normal thought to have. But I’m not thinking about it.”
It’s been a few years since Carlson was a consistent contender for the Norris Trophy voting. He remains a valuable offensive defenseman, although his defensive skills have slightly declined in recent years.
Since missing half of the 2022-23 season due to injury, Carlson has scored 15 goals and 103 points in 161 games with the Capitals from 2023 to 2025, averaging 24:45 of ice time per game. He’s continuing to block shots, as evidenced by his 325 total over that stretch.
Last season, Carlson achieved a career-high CorsiFor% at even strength with a mark of 53.6%, following a season in which he matched a career low of 47.0%. Although that’s a dramatic increase, it’s important to remember how much better Washington performed last season compared to the 2023-24 season. His on-ice save percentage at even strength has steadily declined since the 2017-18 season, nearly reaching a career-low last season with an 88.7%.
If Carlson wants to remain with the Capitals beyond this season, there shouldn’t be much hesitation from the organization. Washington had multiple defensemen poised for free agency this summer, but signed each one to an extension during last year’s regular season.
There’s no word if Carlson is unwilling to engage in extension negotiations throughout the regular season, though there shouldn’t be too much to work through. The 2025-26 campaign will be Carlson’s 17th with the Capitals, and a new deal would only be his fourth with the team.