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Injury

Islanders Notes: Lee, Tsyplakov, Varlamov

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Islanders captain Anders Lee will miss one to two weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced. That puts the latter end of his return timeline one day ahead of the team’s regular season opener against the Penguins on Oct. 9. It doesn’t look like that will be much of a concern, though. While he could be done for the preseason, the team told the beat (including Stefen Rosner of NHL.com) that the issued timeline is precautionary and that his injury is “very minor.” Lee will skate on his own tomorrow, head coach Patrick Roy said (via Andrew Gross of Newsday).

His regular-season availability isn’t a legitimate concern at this stage as a result. Starting on a strong note is a must-have to set up an encore performance to last year’s resurgent campaign from Lee, who posted a 29-25–54 scoring line in 82 games to total the second-best offensive numbers of his career. He must do so in a contract year, although the lack of extension talks thus far isn’t of much concern to either side.

The Isles also said that winger Maxim Tsyplakov is banged up and has been given a day-to-day designation, although he did skate this morning. After averaging nearly 15 minutes per game in his rookie season last year, the 27-year-old looks ticketed for a fourth-line role to start the year after the free-agent additions of Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov this summer pushed him down the depth chart. He’s factored in on a line with Casey Cizikas and Emil Heineman so far in camp after recording a 10-25–35 scoring line in 77 appearances last year.

It’s also looking more and more as though free-agent pickup David Rittich will remain safe from waivers and start the season as Ilya Sorokin’s backup between the pipes. Semyon Varlamov’s return from a knee surgery that’s kept him out for over nine months is still quite far off, Roy reaffirmed today (via Gross). He continues to skate on his own as he has for a few weeks now, but is not expected to join full team skates anytime soon.

Injury Notes: Blackwood, Jensen, Garland, Aitcheson

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Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters today, including The Denver Gazette’s Evan Rawal, that starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood is currently progressing in his recovery from a lower-body injury but is questionable to play in the team’s season opener October 7th in Los Angeles. Blackwood is firmly entrenched as the Avalanche starter, a status the team confirmed last December when they signed him to a five-year, $5.25MM contract extension.

Blackwood played well to begin his time in Colorado, posting a .913 save percentage in 37 games, and an .892 in a tough seven-game first-round series loss to the Dallas Stars. Should Blackwood’s injury linger into the regular season, veteran Scott Wedgewood would slot in as the Avalanche’s starting goalie. Interestingly, if Blackwood misses the game in Los Angeles, this would become the second consecutive season in which Wedgewood has gotten the chance to start a season-opener due to injury – he played in the Nashville Predators’ 2024-25 opener due to an injury to starter Juuse Saros. Wedgewood, who is a pending UFA with a $1.5MM cap hit, posted a .917 save percentage in 19 games for the Avalanche after a mid-season trade.

Other injury updates from across the NHL:

  • TSN’s Claire Hanna relayed word from Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen today that Jensen is currently without a firm return timeline regarding his hip injury. Jensen said he feels he’d probably be able to handle playing if the season started tomorrow, but since he hasn’t tested himself in a game-like situation this preseason, it’s difficult to tell for sure. Jensen added that when it comes to his recovery, he’s looking to balance getting back as soon as possible with being able to “hit the ground running.” Jensen has a spot on the Senators’ second defensive pairing waiting for him whenever he is healthy, as the 35-year-old pending UFA is set to resume his pairing with Thomas Chabot.
  • Vancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote told the media today (including Rink Wide Vancouver’s Jeff Paterson) that winger Conor Garland will not play in the club’s preseason game tomorrow as he manages a minor injury. Foote clarified that the absence is more about maintaining Garland’s health in advance of the regular season than it is about recovery from anything serious, so it does not appear this preseason absence will in any way impact Garland’s readiness for the team’s season opener. The tenacious Garland is an integral middle-six piece for the Canucks and is coming off of a 19-goal, 50-point season.
  • New York Islanders 2025 first-round pick Kashawn Aitcheson had a bit of an injury scare in the club’s first preseason game, but it appears he’s now fully healthy. Aitcheson dressed for the team’s preseason game tonight against the New Jersey Devils, meaning he has another chance to impress Islanders brass before he is, in all likelihood, reassigned to his junior team. The third of the Islanders’ trio of 2025 first-rounders, Aitcheson is a rangy two-way blueliner who was recently ranked as the club’s No. 4 prospect by EliteProspects.

West Injury Updates: White, Klingberg, Buium

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San Jose Sharks forward Colin White is dealing with an upper-body injury that will sideline him on a week-to-week recovery timeline, reports Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest. It’s a tough blow for the 28-year-old center as he’ll miss an opportunity to compete in training camp and preseason games that could help him push for an NHL role. The 28-year-old 2015 first-round pick was a full-time NHLer from 2018-19, when he scored 41 points for the Ottawa Senators, through 2022-23. But persistent injury issues (White missed most of 2021-22 due to shoulder surgery) along with declining performance led to White losing his status as a full-time NHL player.

White played in 24 AHL games in 2023-24 and spent most of 2024-25 as an AHL player. He scored 25 points for the San Jose Barracuda and got into a total of three NHL games. Despite the fact that he played in his fewest NHL games of any season in the past half-decade as a Shark, White elected to re-sign in San Jose on a one-year, two-way contract carrying a $775K NHL salary, $425K AHL salary, and $475K guarantee. Now sidelined by this upper-body injury, White won’t be able to compete for a spot on the Sharks’ opening-night roster.

Some other injury updates from the Western Conference:

  • Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky also issued an update on a second injured player, veteran blueliner John Klingberg. Klingberg is also dealing with an upper-body injury and is out on a day-to-day timeline. Warsofsky added that Klingberg’s injury isn’t related to the hip issues that cost Klingberg significant time over the last two years. After signing with the Edmonton Oilers and helping them reach the Stanley Cup Final, Klingberg signed a one-year, $4MM contract in San Jose with the expectation that he’d play in a top-four role. This injury appears to be a slight setback for him, but thankfully not one likely to impact his status for the start of the season.
  • There had been some concern among fans in the Twin Cities when Minnesota Wild rookie Zeev Buium, considered by many to be a leading Calder Trophy contender, missed a third consecutive day of training camp due to injury. But Buium was a full participant at practice today and Wild coach John Hynes told reporters (including The Athletic’s Joe Smith) that Buium is progressing well and is likely to dress for the club’s preseason game on Thursday. That Buium appears to have avoided any major injury trouble is great news for the Wild, who are likely to rely on Buium quite a bit in his rookie campaign. The 19-year-old former University of Denver star is an elite puck distributor and could very well start the season quarterbacking a power play unit ahead of one of Brock Faber or Jared Spurgeon.

Logan Cooley Among Four Mammoth Facing Injury Updates

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The Utah Mammoth issued a string of injury updates on Monday morning, after playing through their first preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. All injury updates come courtesy of Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Most notably, top center Logan Cooley was designated as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury sustained on a check from behind from Avalanche winger Zakhar Bardakov. Cooley left the ice after the hit, while teammate Lawson Crouse stepped in to fight Bardakov.

In addition to Cooley, forwards Jack McBain and Barrett Hayton have also been dubbed day-to-day with undisclosed injuries. Finally, defenseman Nate Schmidt is expected to be back in the lineup after being previously designated as day-to-day due to maintenance.

Much like the list of injuries, their ramification on Utah’s daily lineup will be a lot to take in. Cooley is set to return to the team’s top-line center role when the regular season kicks off – a spot he cemented with a fantastic 25 goals and 65 points in 75 games last season. He continued the all-star performance into the summer, netting 12 points in 10 games at the World Championship, tying him with Frank Nazar for the scoring lead on a USA squad that went on to win the tournament. Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny told the media, including Bagley, that he didn’t appreciate the blindside hit on Cooley in the preseason opener – and that he’s hoping Cooley’s absence is “really short”.

Those same hopes will be extended to McBain and Hayton, who seem well-set to fill the two center positions behind Cooley. Few details have emerged about either injury, though both players will be worth close attention from the Mammoth faithful. Both set career-highs in scoring while appearing in all 82 games of last season. For Hayton, that was marked by 20 goals and 46 points on the year, while McBain posted 13 goals and 27 points. With no indication otherwise, they should be set to return to camp activities within the week – though missing potentially all three of the lineup’s top centers will be a tough blow even in the short-term.

Utah will find their silver lining through the return of bulky defender Schmidt, who will make his debut with the Mammoth in his next game. He filled a bottom-pair role, and won the Stanley Cup, with the Florida Panthers last season. En route, Schmidt was able to rack up 19 points in 80 regular season games and 12 points in 23 playoff games. He’ll hope to bring his spark from the postseason straight to his new role with the Mammoth. If he can do that, Schmidt could find a way to usurp Ian Cole as the team’s second-pair left-defenseman. If not, he’ll face firm competition for a lineup role from rookie Dmitri Simashev, who scored six points in 56 KHL games last season.

Injury Notes: Blackhawks, Slavin, Aitcheson

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The Chicago Blackhawks have one more day of practice before their first preseason contest tomorrow night, and the jury is still out on who exactly will be available. In a series of injury updates from Scott Powers of The Athletic, the Blackhawks will have André Burakovsky back at practice this morning. However, defenseman Connor Murphy and forwards Brett Seney and Landon Slaggert will not participate.

As Powers noted, Burakovsky missed the team’s practice yesterday due to a lower-body injury, and there’s no indication he won’t be a full participant in today’s skate. The 30-year-old Austrian was acquired this summer in a salary dump trade with the Seattle Kraken. After signing a five-year, $27.5MM contract with the Kraken in the summer of 2022, Burakovsky struggled to stay healthy in his new environment, scoring 30 goals and 92 points in 177 contests.

Unlike the other three, it doesn’t appear Murphy is dealing with any injuries, and he’s only being held out for a maintenance day, which isn’t uncommon for veteran players during training camp. Seney and Slaggert are each dealing with undisclosed injuries, and there are no updates to their availability in tomorrow night’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings.

Other injury updates:

  • Following on the heels of last night’s report that the Carolina Hurricanes may hold out All-Star defenseman Jaccob Slavin from their preseason contests, it appears that will be the case. Outside of his absence from preseason action, there haven’t been any specifics regarding Slavin’s injury concerns at the time being. However, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer reported this morning that Slavin is on the ice in a non-contact jersey.
  • The New York Islanders made a few cuts to their training camp roster this morning, and recent first-round pick, Kashawn Aitcheson, wasn’t one of them. According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, Aitcheson is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury after last night’s contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. The belief is that the Islanders want to get one more look at him once he’s healthy before sending him back to the OHL’s Barrie Colts.

Snapshots: Zuccarello, Flames Power Play, Perfetti

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Veteran forward Mats Zuccarello has begun Minnesota Wild training camp limited to light activity due to an injury, the full nature of which currently remains undisclosed. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported today that Zuccarello has an appointment on Monday that will “determine surgery vs no surgery,” according to Wild head coach John Hynes. Zuccarello is already slated to miss the start of the regular season per prior reporting from Russo, but depending on the medical opinion received tomorrow, the absence could conceivably extend quite a bit.

The loss of Zuccarello, 38, would be a major one for a Wild team entering a potentially franchise-altering regular season. Franchise face Kirill Kaprizov is a pending UFA and while the club has been vocal in its willingness to do pretty much anything in order to secure Kaprizov’s signature on an extension, Kaprizov has thus far appeared hesitant to commit the future of his playing prime to Minnesota. The best thing the Wild can do to convince Kaprizov is likely to win as much, and as early, as possible – something that will be made more difficult by any extended Zuccarello absence. Zuccarello scored 19 goals and 54 points in 69 games last season, and in his absence his lineup spot has been filled by 2022 first-rounder Liam Ohgren, who has reportedly had an impressive start to camp.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • TSN’s Salim Nadim Valji reported today that Calgary Flames 2024 first-round pick Matvei Gridin is currently taking reps on the club’s top power play unit, alongside MacKenzie Weegar, Connor Zary, Nazem Kadri, and Matt Coronato. While it’s unlikely that Gridin ultimately settles into that role in the immediate term, it does shed some light on how the organization might view Gridin’s long-term future. The 19-year-old Russian winger is a skilled offensive creator who scored 36 goals and 79 points in 56 games for the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes last season. He could end up a long-term power play weapon for the Flames if he can continue his development in 2025-26.
  • With Nikolaj Ehlers’ offseason departure, the Winnipeg Jets lost 24 goals and 63 points of production to the Carolina Hurricanes. One of the areas where Ehlers was particularly lethal was on the man advantage, and with his departure, a spot on the Jets’ top unit has opened up. The Athletic’s Murat Ates reports from Winnipeg training camp that young forward Cole Perfetti is “first in line” to replace Ehlers on the Jets’ top unit. Perfetti filled in for Ehlers on that unit when Ehlers was injured last season, so he should be able to hit the ground running. It’s a big year for Perfetti, who scored a career-high 50 points last season. He’s a pending restricted free agent and likely due for a notable raise from the $3.25MM cap hit he’s playing out his current deal on.

Preseason Notes: Gibson, Daws, Blackhawks Injury Updates

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Despite trading a second-round pick and committing $6.4MM in cap space over the next two years in order to acquire veteran John Gibson, the Detroit Red Wings aren’t entering the 2025-26 season with firm plans in mind in terms of how they’ll allocate their goaltending starts. The Athletic’s Max Bultman relayed word from head coach Todd McLellan today who said about the team’s goaltending plans “We’re going to start by letting it play out,” adding “We’ll start the season and see where it takes us.”

McLellan specifically cited the possibility for injuries or one goalie having a hot streak as reasons for why trying to plan out a specific workload for his goaltenders would be “a pretty futile exercise.” Regardless of their plans at this stage, it’s clear the Red Wings’ position in net is considerably stronger than it was one year ago. Gibson is an accomplished veteran who, before Anaheim began its current rebuilding phase, could be counted amongst the league’s more reliable netminders, while Cam Talbot made it to the 2023-24 season’s All-Star game and posted a .913 save percentage across 54 games.

Some other notes as preseason begins in earnest around the NHL:

  • With veterans Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen firmly entrenched as the New Jersey Devils’ starting and backup netminders, respectively, young goalie Nico Daws has become one of the names to watch in the preseason. The 24-year-old Swiss goalie is no longer exempt from waivers, and looks highly likely to end up exposed to all 31 other NHL clubs at some point in the preseason. As a result, the 2020 third-round pick’s preseason performances are particularly notable as he’s likely to be watched closely as a waiver claim option by teams in need of a goalie. To that end, Daws hasn’t had the strongest start to his preseason – he was tagged for four goals against on just 13 shots in his debut preseason appearance against the New York Rangers. Daws had a .939 save percentage in six NHL appearances in 2024-25 and had an .894 across 21 games in 2023-24. He’s a pending RFA with an $812.5K cap hit.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Powers relayed the following injury updates from Chicago Blackhawks training camp – André Burakovsky was held out of practice due to a lower-body ailment, while Landon Slaggert and Brett Seney exited practice for undisclosed reasons. No further detail on the latter two players was provided, but head coach Jeff Blashill did indicate he “hoped to have more info on them tomorrow.” 23-year-old Slaggert in particular has a big opportunity ahead of him this training camp, as if he can manage to earn a spot next to Jason Dickinson on the team’s third line, he could find himself with the chance to play tough minutes against top competition in a shutdown capacity.

Snapshots: Capitals, Schmidt, Buium, Celebrini

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Training camp updates are rolling in as many teams approach their first round of cuts. The most pertinent updates came for the Washington ahead of an early-morning scrimmage. Superstar Alex Ovechkin didn’t take the ice with the team as he continues to face a day-to-day, lower-body injury per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Silber also reported that forward Justin Sourdif and defenseman Martin Fehervary continue to not take contact during practice, and thus didn’t take part in Washington’s scrimmage.

None of Washington’s updates are cause for much concern. Ovechkin is expected to continue progressing towards a return, and be held out of action as a precaution. Ovechkin will return to his perennial role on top of Washington’s lineup when the regular season kicks off. Fehervary is also still on an expected track, continuing to work his way back from a torn meniscus suffered late last season. He underwent surgery on the knee during the off-season, but has since been unable to kick minor inflammation. Once that goes down, he’ll return to a solid role in Washington’s daily lineup. Sourdif was facing illness, and should work back to full speed after taking a few laps with the non-playing group on Sunday.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Utah Mammoth defenseman Nate Schmidt was absent from the team’s Saturday practice. He was designated as day-to-day due to maintenance by head coach Andre Tourigny, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. That designation makes Schmidt’s availability over the next few days difficult, though it doesn’t seem the Mammoth are concerned about the long-term availability of their summer signing. Schmidt played a bottom-pair role on the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers last season, working his way up to 19 points in 80 games. He’ll likely fill a similar role in Utah, though brings the experience of a 741-game veteran and one-time Cup-winner to the NHL’s newest club.
  • Continuing the list of absences was top Minnesota Wild prospect Zeev Buium, who missed his third-consecutive practice on Sunday per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Russo pointed out that Buium did skate with Jonas Brodin before practice started. Again, Buium’s ailment isn’t expected to be a serious issue, head coach John Hynes told Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports. Buium will be pushing for a starring role on the Wild roster this season, after playing the first four games of his NHL career in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. He recorded one assist and four penalty minutes in those outings. An extended absence will make a run to the NHL a bit tougher, but the one-time NCAA National Champion should have no problem convincing the Wild brass when he’s back to full health.
  • In a positive swing, San Jose Sharks star centerman Macklin Celebrini returned to the team’s practices after missing multiple days to illness, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Celebrini won’t take part in San Jose’s first preseason game, though he’ll otherwise be fully on track to return to the role of San Jose’s top forward when the season kicks off. Celebrini scored 63 points in 70 games as a rookie last season, marking a franchise record in San Jose.

Maple Leafs Camp Notes: Domi, Roy, Benoit

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The Toronto Maple Leafs received a wave of positive injury updates on Sunday morning. The good news kicked off when winger Max Domi stepped onto the ice for the first time in training camp, captured by TSN’s Mark Masters. Domi joined the Leafs’ non-playing group, indicating that he won’t be a part of the team’s first preseason game later in the day.

Domi has been dealing with a lower-body injury sustained during off-season training. The injury has been dubbed minor, with Domi designated as day-to-day, but its nonetheless become a focal point of camp as many expect Domi to take on a top-six role. With Sunday’s practice, he’ll take the first step towards vindicating those expectations – and break camp in a top-line wing role vacated by Mitch Marner earlier this summer. Domi scored eight goals and 33 points last season, though he also managed 47 points in his first year with the Leafs in 2023-24.

Other notes from Toronto’s camp:

  • Also returning to the practice sheet was recently-acquired forward Nicolas Roy, who sat out of the team’s Saturday skate with a lower-body injury, per Masters. Roy is another candidate for a growing role in the Toronto lineup, after being acquired as the sweetener in Toronto’s sign-and-trade of Marner with the Vegas Golden Knights. Roy scored 15 goals and 31 points with Vegas last season, and 41 points in the year prior. He’s a toolsy forward who can fill a role at center or right-wing. That standing could help him earn a pivotal role behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares, or an important grinder role beside them.
  • Away from the positives, defenseman Simon Benoit was absent from yet another practice on Sunday. He is facing an upper-body injury, per David Alter of The Hockey News. Head coach Craig Berube shared that the Leafs will be taking all of their injuries day-by-day, though he didn’t mention Benoit’s injury or prognosis directly, per Alter’s colleague Nick Barden. Benoit played through 78 games in a Leafs uniform last season. He tied his career-high in scoring with 10 points, to go with 59 penalty minutes and a plus-12 on the full year. Benoit is a strong candidate to fill a daily, bottom-pair role this season – though an extended injury at camp will give newcomers like Henry Thrun and Dakota Mermis a chance to catch up. Both Thrun and Mermis will take the ice for Toronto’s first preseason game on Sunday.

East Injury Updates: Maple Leafs, Panarin, Jensen

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The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Simon Benoit is dealing with an upper-body injury while center Nicolas Roy has a lower-body injury.  Neither player took part in practice today while goaltender Joseph Woll was also absent due to illness.  Benoit was a regular on Toronto’s third pairing last season while Roy is likely to break camp as their third-line center after being acquired from Vegas just before free agency opened up.

Meanwhile, there is some good news on injury front for the Maple Leafs as well.  Head coach Craig Berube told reporters including Nick Barden of The Hockey News that forward Max Domi is expected to rejoin the team for practice on Sunday.  He has yet to take part in training camp due to a lower-body injury.  This could be a big camp for Domi with a spot on Toronto’s top line up for grabs following Mitch Marner’s departure and as their roster stands, he’s one of the players who could have a shot at that spot.

Other injury news from around the Eastern Conference:

  • After exiting practice early on Friday, it appears the Rangers have dodged a significant injury to Artemi Panarin. Newsday’s Colin Stephenson notes (Twitter link) that while the winger didn’t take part in practice today, he’s listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.  It’s a contract year for the 33-year-old so he’ll be looking for a big year to help boost his market value.  Despite a 31-point drop in points to 89 last season, Panarin still led New York in scoring for the sixth straight year, comprising his entire tenure with the team.
  • Senators defenseman Nick Jensen took part in practice today but not the scrimmage game, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). The veteran underwent hip surgery back in May with the belief that he is a little ahead of schedule although his availability for the start of the season next month remains in question.  Jensen was a big contributor on Ottawa’s back end in 2024-25, notching 21 points in 71 games while logging over 20 minutes a night.

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