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Atlantic Notes: Gadjovich, Marchand, Kesselring, Järnkrok

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The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have been severely affected by injuries this season. That theme continues today as team reporter Jameson Oliven shared that forward Jonah Gadjovich would miss the next week after being elbowed against the Vegas Golden Knights.

After appearing in nearly half of Florida’s regular-season games over the past two years, Gadjovich had appeared in all 10 for the Panthers to begin the 2025-26 campaign. He’s tallied three assists while averaging 7:57 of ice time per game, only one point shy of his totals over 42 games last year. The Panthers are expected to utilize Noah Gregor on the fourth line in his stead.

Gadjovich won’t be the only freshly missing piece from Florida’s forward core in their next contest. According to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, veteran Brad Marchand will miss tomorrow’s contest due to a death in his family. The 37-year-old wing has scored five goals and 11 points in 10 games to start the year, and there’s no word on when he’ll return to the Panthers lineup.

More notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Buffalo Sabres could be getting a huge boost to their defensive core. After today’s practice, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald relayed a note from head coach Lindy Ruff indicating Michael Kesselring could be activated from the injured reserve for tomorrow’s game. Kesselring, who was acquired from the Utah Mammoth this past offseason, scored seven goals and 29 points in 82 games last year, averaging 17:41 of ice time per game.
  • According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, forward Calle Järnkrok is questionable for the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night due to a lower-body injury. Järnkrok missed the team’s practice today and has dealt with lower-body injuries over the past few years. He’s registered three goals in eight games for the Maple Leafs this season, but has already sustained a -5 rating in the team’s middle-six.

West Notes: Hughes, Foegele, Thomas, Foligno

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The Canucks were without their top defenseman tonight against Edmonton as Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province notes that Quinn Hughes was scratched due to a lower-body injury.  Head coach Adam Foote indicated that the absence should be short-term, at least, as Hughes is listed as day-to-day.  The 26-year-old didn’t appear to be impacted by the injury on Saturday against Montreal as he picked up two assists and logged more than 26 minutes of playing time, right around his season average.  Hughes is off to another strong start to his season, picking up seven points in nine games while his 26:38 ATOI is an NHL high.

More from out West:

  • The Kings announced (Twitter link) that winger Warren Foegele exited tonight’s game against Chicago with an injury and will not return. The injury occurred in the first period on a hit from Nick Foligno and he looked to be favoring his shoulder afterward.  After putting up his second straight season of at least 20 goals and 40 points in 2024-25, Foegele has had a slow start to his campaign with just one point – a goal – in his first ten outings.  There was no update on his status after the game, mentions Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider (Twitter link).
  • The Blues announced (Twitter link) last night that center Robert Thomas sustained an upper-body injury, causing him to leave the game early. Losing the 26-year-old for any amount of time would be a tough blow for St. Louis as he’s their top center and is coming off back-to-back seasons of more than 80 points.  He has six points in eight outings so far this year after getting off to a bit of a quiet start.  The Blues don’t have an open roster spot at the moment so they’d need to make a roster move before calling up a replacement for Thomas if one is needed.
  • Wild winger Marcus Foligno is dealing with an upper-body injury that caused him to miss tonight’s game against San Jose, relays Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). The veteran has already had X-rays but the results are not yet known.  Foligno is off to a tough start to his season offensively as he has been held off the scoresheet in his first nine appearances although he’s averaging a little over three hits per game.

Red Wings’ Patrick Kane To Miss Fourth-Straight Game

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Future Hall-Of-Famer Patrick Kane won’t travel with the Detroit Red Wings for the start of their upcoming five-game road-trip, but could join the team partway through, head coach Todd McLellan told broadcast reporter Daniella Bruce. Detroit will visit the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, then head for a series of games on the west coast, with McLellan insinuating Kane could be ready for the latter stretch.

Kane was injured in last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, after taking a hard fall into the boards. He has missed three games since – a run that will grow to four absences on Tuesday. Kane has continued to bring electric offense to the Red Wings lineup. He has five points in five games, making him one of only two Red Wings scoring at-or-above point-per-game pace. The other is scoring leader Dylan Larkin, who has 13 points in nine games.

With Kane’s productive offense usually comes meager defense, a routine that hasn’t changed this season. Alongside center Marco Kasper and winger Alex DeBrincat, Kane’s line has outshot their opponents 51-to-37 at even-strength, but been outscored two-to-three. That imbalance, and Kasper’s mere one point in nine games, could be a sign of even more offensive upside to come once Kane is back to full health.

Until their star winger can return, Detroit will continue to deploy the hard-nosed Mason Appleton in a top-six role. Appleton stepped into the elevated role in Saturday’s win over the St. Louis Blues. He didn’t manage any scoring in the six-goal effort, but brought a helpful amount of grit to the top of Detroit’s offense. With how well the scorers performed, Detroit should feel no pressure to shake things up ahead of a rematch on Tuesday.

Afternoon Notes: Pesce, Hintz, Finnie

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Amanda Stein, team reporter of the New Jersey Devils, shared mid-game that Brett Pesce did not return for the second period of the team’s matinee tilt vs Colorado. The defenseman notched 6 minutes in the first but missed his final shifts of the period and did not return. 

Especially given the Devils’ hot start, currently atop the league, and their consistent stream of injuries, it is certainly the hope that Pesce’s injury is not serious, and many will keep a watchful eye on further updates today. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas News wrote earlier today that Stars forward Roope Hintz will miss tonight’s game in Nashville. Given the club’s activation of Oskar Bäck earlier today, it appears the 6’4” center could appear tonight for his season debut. Meanwhile, Hintz was shaken up last night from a big hit into the boards from Taylor Hall, one which gave Hall a charging minor. Further details of Hintz’s injury have not been disclosed, but Dallas will cross their fingers that their star, currently at a point a game pace, is not out long-term. 
  • Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now shared earlier today a story on Red Wings rookie Emmitt Finnie, a former seventh-round-pick who has burst onto the scene. Finnie first earned a spot on the Wings’ roster which was impressive enough, but now he is featured on the team’s top line, with 8 points in 9 games. As mentioned by Allen, few seventh-rounders even make the NHL (20 since 2019) but zero have made an immediate impact like Finnie, who is right among the league’s best rookies so far in 2025-26. His contributions have helped Detroit to a great start as they aim to finally take a step back into the playoffs. Whatever may happen, Finnie’s all-around-game is showing to be an absolute steal from the Wings at 201st overall in the 2023 draft, a franchise no stranger to such throughout their history. 

 

Evening Notes: Strome, Granlund, Ellis

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Washington Capitals centerman Dylan Strome exited Saturday night’s game after sustaining a lower-body injury in the opening minutes. The injury occured after Strome got tangled up with teammate Jakob Chychrun and tumbled hard into the endboards. He made a brief return to the ice during a TV timeout later in the game – but didn’t stick around after taking a few small laps.

The chance to see Strome already testing out his injury will be a silver lining for the Capitals, who could be losing their second-highest scorer with this news. Strome has racked up 10 points in eight games this season, all scored across a five-game point streak he was riding entering Saturday night. He led the Capitals in scoring with 82 points in 82 games last season.

Nic Dowd earned the most ice time of Washington’s centers following Strome’s absence. He was already in an elevated role to support Pierre-Luc Dubois, who made his return from a five-game absence. Dowd and Justin Sourdif should be the biggest beneficiaries, though both behind Dubois, should Washington need to fill-in Strome’s minutes.

Other later-night notes:

  • Anaheim Ducks forward Mikael Granlund also exited his team’s game, in the first period, with a lower-body injury. It’s not exactly clear when Granlund’s injury occured, though he appeared in discomfort away from play and headed towards the locker room after just six minutes of ice time. Granlund is tied with Leo Carlsson for the Ducks’ scoring lead with eight points in seven games. He’s in his first year in Anaheim, after spending last season split between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. He scored 66 points in 83 games between the two teams, his most since he scored 67 points in the 2017-18 season. Now playing for his sixth NHL club, Granlund has continued to prove he can be a flexible scorer in any lineup. His absence would leave Anaheim with a big role to fill. The Ducks would likely lean on Carlsson, Mason McTavish, and Nikita Nesterenko to fill in.
  • The Buffalo Sabres intended to start Colten Ellis in Saturday’s overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but opted to rest the rookie after he woke up with tightness in his back, head coach Lindy Ruff told Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. Ellis made 29 saves on 31 shots, and recorded a win, in his NHL debut on Wednesday. He was strong throughout, carrying over the same sharp movement that earned him a .922 save percentage in 42 AHL games – sixth-highest in the league – last season. Ellis is another promising young goaltender in Buffalo’s system, and could get a chance to compete with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for a role behind Alex Lyon, should the Sabres continue carrying three goalies. Ellis should be back to game-readiness soon.

Devils Notes: Bordeleau, Markstrom, Lammikko

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The New Jersey Devils acquired depth winger Thomas Bordeleau in a trade for center Shane Bowers in early July. In reflecting on that trade on Saturday, Bordeleau told Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News that he requested a trade from San Jose before the 2025 Trade Deadline. He explained that he didn’t feel he got a fair opportunity after coming back from an injury sustained in the 2023-24 training camp. With the path blocked ahead of him, he felt it was time for the fresh start.

After a full year with the San Jose Barracuda last year, Bordeleau hasn’t yet found a way to break out of the AHL in the Devils’ organization. He has two points, six penalty minutes, and a minus-four through five games with the Utica Comets this season – far below the scoring pace that led him to 38 poinnts in 59 games with the Barracuda last year. Bordeleau split time between the NHL and AHL lineups for three years before last season, ultimately totaling 18 points in 44 games in the Sharks’ lineup. With a quiet start to the 2025-26 season, Bourdeleau likely sits behind a few AHL teammates on New Jersey’s call-up chart.

Other notes out of New Jersey:

  • Starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom returned to the Devils’ practice on Saturday, per team reporter Amanda Stein. He will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip to the west coast, which spans matchups against the Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks. Markstrom has already missed five games with a lower-body injury sustained in October 13th’s win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has a meager .845 save percentage through parts of three games this season – far below the .900 he posted in 49 games last year. A return to practice will put Markstrom on pace to soon return to the crease, and begin working on improving those numbers.
  • Stein also shared that depth forward Juho Lammikko participated in practice in place of top center Nico Hischier, who sat out for a maintenance day. Lammikko is not yet ready to return to the lineup, though he’s continuing to progress from a lower-body injury sustained before the start of the season. Lammikko has had intermittent stints in the NHL. He played in 40 games, and recorded six points, with the Florida Panthers in 2018-19 – then spent one season in both Finland’s Liiga and Russia’s KHL. He returned to the NHL for 119 games, combined between the Panthers and Vancouver Canucks between 2020 and 2022. He scored 20 points in those appearances. Lammikko has spent the last three years in a starring role for Zurich SC in Switzerland’s National League. His hot scoring – 112 points in 144 games – helped lead Zurich to back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025. Now, Lammikko is nearing his first chance to crack into the Devils’ lineup.

Canucks Issue Several Injury Updates

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Following his acquisition of Lukas Reichel from Chicago on Friday, Canucks GM Patrik Allvin met with the media (video link).  While the trade itself was the focus of the scrum, Allvin also provided several updates on the status of some of their injured players.

Center Filip Chytil has been making progress as he works through his upper-body injury.  While the team won’t confirm it, Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province relays that the belief is that the 26-year-old has indeed suffered another concussion which is believed to be his sixth.  Allvin noted that Chytil still has to go through protocol and hasn’t been cleared yet.  That said, the fact they’re not talking about a possible extended absence – something he has endured multiple times – has to be considered a promising sign.

Meanwhile, winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki is expected to miss another two to three weeks with what is believed to be a shoulder injury.  The 21-year-old made the team out of training camp after spending most of last season in the minors and had a goal in his first four games after putting up six points in his rookie year in 24 games.

Center Teddy Blueger was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Sunday to open up a roster spot for Reichel, who they hope to have available tonight against Montreal.  However, while he’s eligible to return to the lineup as soon as Monday, Allvin relayed that the veteran is going to miss at least a couple of weeks with his undisclosed injury.

Meanwhile, there is also some bad news on the back end.  Allvin indicated that defenseman Derek Forbort suffered a setback in his recovery from his undisclosed injury sustained in the second game of the season.  Now, he’s listed as out week-to-week.

At the moment, Vancouver has a little over $1MM left in their LTIR pool, per PuckPedia.  That doesn’t leave them much flexibility should they have anyone else get injured over the next couple of weeks before some of their injured players start to return to the lineup.  Teams can rarely afford injuries but in the case of the Canucks, it’s especially true with no immediate help on the horizon.

Ducks Activate Jansen Harkins From IR

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The Anaheim Ducks have activated forward Jansen Harkins off of injured reserve. Harkins has missed the first seven games of Anaheim’s season due to an upper-body injury sustained in the preseason. Despite returning to the active roster, Harkins is expected to serve as a healthy scratch in Anaheim’s Saturday matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Harkins is a true fourth-line forward for Anaheim. He recorded six points and a minus-13 through 62 games with the Ducks last season, while averaging roughly 11 minutes of ice time. But it was his off-puck impact that stood out. Harkins posted the best faceoff percentage (53.4) and third-most hits (136) on the Ducks 2024-25 roster. He had a similar impact with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023-24 season – recording four assists and 74 hits in 45 games. Before a one-year stay in Pittsburgh, Harkins sepnt four years with the Winnipeg Jets, where he racked up 27 points and 86 hits in 154 games.

Despite Harkins bringing a poised and physical style, the Ducks will have little motivation to change up their fourth-line. Ryan Poehling has managed well enough as the team’s fourth-line center. He has managed two assists, splitting the gap in scoring between his wingers Sam Colangelo (one point) and Ross Johnston (three points). With chemistry looking strong between that trio, Harkins’ season debut may need to wait until Anaheim needs a physical, shutdown presence that Poehling can’t provide.

Sabres Recall Josh Dunne, Place Tyson Kozak On IR

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Josh Dunne’s time in the minors was short-lived.  After being sent back down earlier this week, the Sabres announced that they’ve recalled the winger from AHL Rochester.

The move comes on the heels of center Tyson Kozak suffering a lower-body injury on Friday against Toronto.  While Kozak was still being evaluated after the game, it’s clear that he will be out for at least a week as Buffalo has placed him on injured reserve, per the NHL’s media site.

Dunne has played in two games with the Sabres this month, albeit in a very limited role as he’s averaging just 6:30 per outing while failing to register a shot on goal or a point.  The 26-year-old has 19 career contests at the top level, split between Buffalo and Columbus.  He was on Buffalo’s roster for nearly two weeks earlier this month and technically has spent more days with them than with Rochester since the season started.  Dunne played in last night’s game with the Americans, making him eligible to be recalled once again.

As for Kozak, the 22-year-old had locked down a regular spot on Buffalo’s fourth line in the early going this season, in part thanks to being waiver-eligible for the first time.  He had done relatively well, picking up a pair of goals while chipping in with 19 hits in just under 10 minutes a night of playing time and will likely return to that role whenever he’s cleared to return.

Roman Josi Out Week-To-Week

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The Predators will be without their captain and top defenseman for a little while.  Team reporter Brooks Bratten relays (Twitter link) that Roman Josi is listed as out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.  He further clarified that this is not related to his diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome earlier this year.

The 35-year-old was off to a solid start to his season before the injury.  Josi has played in eight games so far, picking up a goal and four assists while averaging over 24 minutes a night.  As usual, he has played a big role on both special teams units while posting the best possession numbers of any regular Predators blueliner.  He was injured in their last game on Thursday and while he returned to the game after missing part of the second period, clearly, the injury was more significant than originally thought.

Nashville has gotten off to an okay start to their season, picking up eight points in as many games as they look to rebound from a disastrous showing in 2024-25 when expectations were high following a summer spending spree.  However, staying afloat in the tough Central Division will get a lot tougher without their top rearguard in the lineup.

However, it’s not all bad news on the back end for the Preds.  Team broadcaster Max Herz notes (Twitter link) that defenseman Nicolas Hague appears to be set to be activated off injured reserve and make his team debut.  Nashville acquired the blueliner from Vegas this summer, quickly signing him to a four-year, $22MM contract after that.  He’s projected to play alongside Adam Wilsby on Nashville’s top pairing, subbing in where Josi typically lines up.

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