Snapshots: Luukkonen, Portillo, Paper Moves
The Buffalo Sabres are once again uncertain about the short-term health of their starting goaltender, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The team pulled Luukkonen after just one period of action in Wednesday night’s preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After the game, head coach Lindy Ruff said that Luukkonen was still feeling some discomfort with the lower-body injury he recently returned from, per Michael Aguello of The Hockey News.
Luukkonen returned to Buffalo’s practices last week, after missing the start of training camp due to a late-summer injury. He described his injury as a, “flare up” and told reporters that he had no concerns with being ready for opening night. One week later, it appears Luukkonen is still in need of a bit more conditioning. He’ll be headed for a major workload when he does reach full health. Luukkonen played at least 50 games in each of the last two seasons. He’s posted a cumulative .899 save percentage in 109 games since taking the reigns as Buffalo’s starter. The goal will be to push that average above .900 with a return to the starter’s crease this season. First, he’ll need to ease himself back into the role. Should Luukkonen be unavailable for opening night, the Sabres will turn towards Alexandar Georgiev, who posted a .875 Sv% in 49 games last season.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Los Angeles Kings have recalled goaltender Erik Protillo from the AHL. He will get a chance to continue his preseason action, after being assigned to the minors on Wednesday. Los Angeles also placed goaltender Pheonix Copley on waivers for the purposes of an AHL move, but the Tampa Bay Lightning submitted a claim to prevent that from happening. With Copley now out of the organization, Portillo is one of only fourt Kings goaltenders with an NHL contract, alongside the team’s top tandem of Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg – and top goalie prospect Carter George, who is on his entry-level contract. That standing will earn Portillo a bit more attention as Los Angeles’ training camp comes to a close. He hasn’t yet made his prseason debut, but posted . 966 Sv% in his NHL debut last season, and a .889 Sv% through 24 AHL games. Expect Portillo to get a hardier look in the Kings’ final preseason matchups, before vying for the Ontario Reign’s starting role out of the gates.
- The Kings would have been unable to make the swap with Portillo that they did had it happened after next weekend. The NHL has altered their use of “Paper Loans” for this season, and will now require that players assigned to the AHL play in at least one game before being called back up, per PuckPedia. However, the league clarified to teams that the new rule won’t take effect until October 10th, which could allow teams the opportunity for some cap gymnastics at the start of the regular season. PuckPedia points out that, under this rule, teams could assign waiver-exempt players to the minors and submit an eligible opening night roster, then place injured players on in-season, long-term injured reserve, and recall their waiver-exempt players. An example could be the Edmonton Oilers assigning winger Isaac Howard to the minors, placing Zach Hyman on LTIR, and then recalling Howard before their first game on October 8th.
Jack St. Ivany Out Six Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany will miss six weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Thursday. As a player on a two-way deal who played fewer than 50 games last season, he will be eligible for season-opening injured reserve. His $775K cap hit will be prorated down to around $200K as a result, offering some relief to Pittsburgh while they’re unable to waive him because of his injury.
St. Ivany left last night’s 5-3 exhibition win over the Sabres midway through the first period, but it wasn’t apparent what caused him to exit, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review noted. His hopes of cracking the opening night roster for the second year in a row have now been dashed.
The 26-year-old was a free agent signed out of Boston College back in 2022 after the Flyers, who selected him with a fourth-round pick in 2018, opted not to sign him. He spent the next year and a half playing exclusively for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but a breakout defensive showing in 2023-24 ended up getting him a call-up to the Pens for the last few weeks of the season. He impressed in a bottom-pairing role in his first big-league look, recording an assist with an even rating and 30 hits in 14 appearances while averaging 13:42 per game. He parlayed that performance into a unique three-year extension that carried a two-way structure for the first two years before becoming a one-way deal for 2026-27.
That also carried St. Ivany through to an opening-night job for the 2024-25 season, but it didn’t stick. He had a lone assist and a -3 rating in 19 appearances before being returned to the AHL in early December. He remained there for the rest of the season aside from an emergency recall in March that didn’t result in any playing time.
It’s worth noting that St. Ivany had a great stretch of play in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after the demotion. He was one of the AHL club’s best two-way defenders and finished the year with 16 points and a +9 rating in 37 games. The bevy of depth additions Pittsburgh made on the blue line in free agency this summer, plus wanting to keep paths open for youngsters like Harrison Brunicke and Owen Pickering to grab spots, made an opening-night job a problematic task for St. Ivany to achieve this time around, though.
He’ll now look to make his season debut sometime in November. Whether that’s in Pittsburgh or WBS remains to be seen. He’s waiver-eligible for the first time this season, so he’ll need to pass through them unclaimed if it’s the latter.
St. Ivany is the third player projected to carry a prorated cap hit on SOIR for the Penguins, per PuckPedia. They’ll have around $700K in cap space tied up in him, Joel Blomqvist, and Rutger McGroarty, all of whom are expected to miss a significant chunk of time. They’ll also likely have veterans Kevin Hayes and Bryan Rust on standard injured reserve, the latter of whom was just ruled out today for two weeks with an undisclosed injury.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Leaves Game Due To Injury
Tough news came out of Buffalo tonight, as #1 goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has left tonight’s preseason game due to a lower-body injury, confirmed by the team. The 26-year-old appears to have reaggravated the ailment which has limited his participation in camp so far.
Luukkonen allowed one goal on 12 shots before coming out, however, he played the entire first period, perhaps encouraging for Buffalo. Likely with the ongoing injury in mind, the Sabres picked up Alexander Georgiev earlier this month on a one-year deal, to go with Alex Lyon, who was signed to a two-year contract after establishing himself as a legit NHLer with the Red Wings.
Even with top prospect Devon Levi having been sent back to AHL Rochester, the Sabres seem to have things covered between the pipes, if Luukkonen is set to miss time. However, a goaltender tandem of Lyon/Georgiev is a bit concerning for a team trying to, finally, take a leap forward in 2025-26. Potentially, Levi could be back on the big club sometime this fall, sooner than later.
Luukkonen’s status in the coming days will be worth monitoring as Buffalo finalizes their roster, and tries to start October on the right foot.
Evening Notes: Knoblauch, Wood, Miller, Rangers
Edmonton GM Stan Bowman told Ryan Rishaug of TSN that extension talks with Head Coach Kris Knoblauch continue, with no foreseen issues ahead. Having taken the Oilers to new heights, and with a window still as open as ever, keeping Connor McDavid‘s former OHL coach around is a no-brainer.
Speaking of the Oilers’ mega star, Bowman did not provide any updates on McDavid, other than that they’re happy to play the long game if needed, and talk consistently with his agent, Judd Moldaver.
Having acquired Connor Ingram earlier today, Bowman touched on the goalie front as well. Apparently, no talks have emerged with Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard yet, and that Ingram has been brought in as another good option for the club.
It’s fair to say that running it back with Skinner and Pickard again this year has been a bit unexpected. Yet it appears Bowman will keep a close eye on each, evaluating their long-term prospects in Edmonton, especially with an intriguing addition coming into the fold.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Brooks Bratten, Nashville’s beat reporter, shared today that top prospect Matthew Wood is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, an ailment sustained in the team’s Gold Star Showcase scrimmage last week. The 2023 first-round-pick has made a strong case to remain with the big club so far in camp, after a six-game trial fresh out of the NCAA last season. Now set to miss time, eyes turn to fellow key prospects Brady Martin and Joakim Kemell, who become more likely to make the team given Wood’s injury. Additionally, the Predators claimed Tyson Jost on waivers today.
- Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic updated today that J.T. Miller remains sidelined since an unassuming lower body injury sustained in practice two days ago. Thankfully, the captain’s ailment isn’t thought to be serious, so perhaps the Rangers are content with being patient. Meanwhile, Sam Carrick was seen back in a red no-contact jersey, and Casey Fitzgerald was absent, but due to being waived today rather than injury. The former Sabres defenseman is expected to be a key piece for AHL Hartford for the second straight season.
Oliver Bonk Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury
Although reporting from a few days ago that Philadelphia Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk was dealing with a milder upper-body injury, it doesn’t appear he’ll return for the team’s preseason. The Flyers announced that Bonk remains approximately two weeks out from returning, which will take him past the opening night of the NHL and AHL seasons.
It’s an unfortunate circumstance for the Ottawa native who had an outside chance of making the Flyers’ opening night roster, albeit on a short leash. Still, he’s expected to begin the first professional season of his career with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
After being drafted with the 22nd overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2022 NHL Draft, Bonk has spent the last three years with the OHL’s London Knights. He has been exceptional with the renowned OHL program, scoring 45 goals and 147 points in 179 games with a +82 rating. He’s sustained that high level of play in the postseason, scoring nine goals and 41 points in 56 playoff contests over that span.
Despite not having yet registered a game at the professional level, Bonk had a legitimate opportunity to make Philadelphia’s opening night roster, largely due to the poor play of his peers on defense. Head coach Rick Tocchet has reportedly become disenfranchised with the available defense options, telling NHL contributor Bill Meltzer that nobody has stepped up enough to grab one of the team’s bubble spots on defense.
Should that disappointing play continue into the first few weeks of the regular season, the Flyers could conceivably use Bonk’s first few games with the Phantoms as a makeshift training camp. If he excels through the first few weeks, Philadelphia could recall him for an opportunity at the NHL level.
Ryker Evans Out Six To Eight Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
While defenseman Vince Dunn is being evaluated for a mild injury, the Seattle Kraken are confirmed to be without at least one defenseman to begin the 2025-26 campaign. The Kraken announced that Ryker Evans will miss the next six to eight weeks with an upper-body injury.
It’s an unfortunate circumstance for Evans on the Kraken, as the defenseman was likely to start the year as the team’s next best option on the left side behind Dunn. Seattle signed Evans, who was a restricted free agent, to a two-year, $4.1MM contract in mid-August this past offseason.
He played well in his first full-time opportunity at the NHL level, scoring five goals and 25 points in 73 games for the Kraken last year, averaging 19:29 of ice time per night. Although his possession and defensive metrics left much to be desired throughout his first full campaign, Evans still finished with more than 100 blocked shots and 100 hits.
Although missing nearly two months to injury could hurt Evans’ development, the Kraken shouldn’t have much to worry about if his past AHL performances are any indication of his future ability. In one-and-a-half years with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, Evans became one of the most efficient scorers on defense, registering eight goals and 59 points in 96 games, including an additional nine goals and 36 points in 44 Calder Cup playoff contests.
Fortunately, despite the Kraken losing their fourth-best scorer from the blue line last season, they should have the depth to hold down the fort while Evans recovers. The team inked defenseman Ryan Lindgren to a four-year pact this summer, meaning they’ll have a suitable replacement for the time being behind Dunn.
Morning Notes: Demidov, Avalanche, Drouin, Benoit, Jets
In one of the more violent preseason contests in recent memory, the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens combined for 150 PIMs yesterday evening. Unfortunately, after multiple fights broke out between Hayden Hodgson, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and Jan Jenik, it was Montreal’s sensation, Ivan Demidov, who would leave the game with an injury after a malicious slash from Senator Nick Cousins.
Fortunately, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, there doesn’t appear to be any long-term injury concern for Demidov. The Canadiens may hold him out of the team’s next contest on Saturday, again against Ottawa, though he should be ready to start the season on time. The odds-on favorite to win the 2025-26 Calder Memorial Award has recorded three assists in three preseason contests with Montreal.
Understandably, the Canadiens’ admonishment of Cousins’ actions was clear. In an article from Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, head coach Martin St. Louis was quoted as saying, “There’s no need for that. It’s an exhibition game; both teams are trying to get ready for a long season. I don’t think there’s any need for that in the game.”
Other notes from this morning:
- After recalling five players for their preseason win against the Vegas Golden Knights last night, the Colorado Avalanche have sent nearly the entire group back to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. The Avalanche announced that Tye Felhaber, Jason Polin, Alex Gagne, and T.J. Tynan, who were all recalled yesterday, have been reassigned. Additionally, Jayson Megna and Tristen Nielsen will join them en route to the Eagles, while Ronnie Attard will remain on the roster for today’s contest.
- One of the New York Islanders’ freshly signed forwards missed today’s practice. According to Andrew Gross of Newsday, Jonathan Drouin missed this morning’s practice due to illness. The veteran forward has gone scoreless in three preseason contests for the Islanders, averaging 19:02 of ice time per contest.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs got some positive news this morning regarding one of their injured defenseman. David Alter of The Hockey News reported that Simon Benoit has shed his non-contact jersey, indicating he’s nearly recovered from his upper-body injury. The heavy-hitting blue liner skated in 78 games for the Maple Leafs last season, scoring one goal and 10 points with 204 hits.
- Moving to Manitoba, the Winnipeg Jets announced they’ve extended their ECHL affiliation with the Norfolk Admirals through the 2025-26 season. The new campaign will be the Admirals’ third as the ECHL affiliate of the Jets. The team has qualified for the Kelly Cup playoffs in each of the last two seasons, losing in the Division Finals both times.
Nils Höglander Out Eight To Ten Weeks With Sprained Ankle
Sept. 30: Höglander will be missing quite a bit of time. The team announced that he has undergone successful lower-body surgery and will miss eight to ten weeks as a result. That would put him on track to return between late November and early December.
Sept. 26: Canucks winger Nils Höglander‘s availability for the beginning of the regular season is in doubt after the team announced Friday he’s been given a week-to-week designation with a lower-body injury, according to Jeff Paterson of Rink Wide: Vancouver. His injury is a sprained ankle, according to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK.
Evidently, Höglander was banged up in Vancouver’s preseason win over the Flames on Wednesday. He scored the first goal of that 3-1 win, a power play marker. Shift and time on ice data for the game, which was played at the home of the Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, isn’t available. It’s unclear if he finished the contest or not.
Now entering his age-25 season, Höglander remains a bit of a unicorn. He’s undersized and flashy, but at 5’9″, he plays with a physical bend, recording 76 hits last year. The 2019 second-round pick has steadied his development and, over the past two seasons, has emerged as a consistent top-nine piece. He’s played in 152 out of 164 possible regular-season games during that frame and broke out in a big way in 2023-24, shooting at a 20% clip for a career high 24 goals while seeing a good chunk of time in the top six at even strength.
Like many other Canucks, last year wasn’t as fruitful for Höglander. His shooting percentage regressed to 9.6% and he finished the year with an 8-17–25 scoring line in 72 appearances. He was deployed as a Swiss army knife nonetheless, logging time seemingly everywhere in Vancouver’s top nine and not logging more than 90 total minutes with the same set of linemates.
His deployment in camp suggested he was ticketed for a middle-six role to start the campaign, perhaps on a third-line unit with Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland. He’s still got 13 days until Vancouver’s first regular-season game to recover. That’s unlikely but not impossible for a week-to-week timeline.
If he can’t go, the Canucks have some quality wing depth they can elevate. Drew O’Connor and Kiefer Sherwood combined for nearly 30 goals and 65 points last year. Either could seamlessly slot in next to Blueger and Garland, a combination that new head coach Adam Foote seems intent on keeping together. Former top-10 pick Vitali Kravtsov, whom the organization brought back over from Russia this offseason, could be the recipient of those minutes as well.
Mats Zuccarello Out “Minimum” Of Seven To Eight Weeks
While the Wild ensured one top-six winger will be staying with the club long-term earlier today, they’ve lost another in the short term. The team confirmed Mats Zuccarello will miss a “minimum” of seven to eight weeks with the lower-body injury that’s sidelined him for all of training camp so far.
There was concern Zuccarello would miss the start of the regular season back at the beginning of camp. This is a bit more significant than just the start of the season, though. A seven-to-eight-week timeline from today puts his most optimistic return date on Nov. 18, by which Minnesota will have already played a quarter of its season. In all likelihood, it could be Thanksgiving or even further down the calendar until he’s able to make his season debut.
Now 38 years old, the 5’8″ Zuccarello has kept up his reputation as a consistent top-six scorer in what should be his twilight years. The Norwegian forward ranked fourth on the team with a 19-39–54 scoring line in 69 appearances last year, his sixth in Minnesota after first signing there as a free agent in 2019. While injuries have remained a concern – he hasn’t hit the 70-game mark in the past two years – he’s clicked above expectations since signing with the Wild and has scored at a 70-point clip per 82 games during his time there.
That’s a sizable absence in the scoring department, especially considering he still averaged over 19:30 of ice time per game last year. While he’s spent a good portion of his tenure in St. Paul opposite Kirill Kaprizov on the top line, Matt Boldy ended up getting that job in the playoffs last year after Kaprizov returned from surgery. Zuccarello dropped down to a middle-six role with Marcus Johansson and Frédérick Gaudreau, the latter of whom has since been traded to the Kraken. Since he hasn’t been in camp, it’s hard to predict where the Wild planned on slotting him this season, but it likely would have been in second-line duties while keeping the top line loaded with Boldy.
Zuccarello’s top-six vacancy could mean increased opportunity for veteran Vladimir Tarasenko to start the year. The Wild picked him up from the Red Wings for future considerations over the summer after the four-time All-Star had just 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games for Detroit. The Wild are now his sixth team in the last four years, but he could get a shot at second-line duties with Joel Eriksson Ek as his centerman. There’s also a clear path for one of the Wild’s recent first-rounders, namely Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov, to snag top-nine roles as they look to establish themselves as full-timers.
One player who won’t be getting an opportunity in the lineup is 220-game veteran Brett Leason. He was released from his PTO today, the club announced. He had a 5-12–17 scoring line in 62 games for the Ducks last year before being non-tendered.
Evening Notes: Chinakhov, Oilers, Golden Knights, Stevenson
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported that Yegor Chinakhov has not been happy with his role of late. The tantalizing 24-year-old has been skating on the Jackets’ fourth line, with no attention on the power play either. When asked about the role, Chinakhov said, “No comment.”
Portzline also mentioned Head Coach Dean Evason’s thoughts on the situation. The Jackets’ bench boss complimented the Russian forward’s play, but emphasized the team’s forward depth.
The remark is interesting, considering that Chinakhov requested a trade over the summer, only to backtrack just 10 days ago, saying he had reached an understanding with Evason and was open to staying with the Blue Jackets.
Columbus’ first-round choice in 2020 (21st overall), Chinakhov has flashed his high skill, lighting up the AHL in short stints, but has yet to put everything together in the NHL. The emergence of other forwards such as Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko has had Chinakhov on the outside looking in. It appears the former top prospect is at a crossroads that many have found themselves at: accepting a lesser role for the greater good to stick in the NHL, or finding a home elsewhere.
Elsewhere across the league:
- In Edmonton, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reported that Jake Walman, who has had rumblings of an extension lately, is day-to-day, but is expected to be ready for opening night. Vasily Podkolzin is expected to resume skating on Wednesday, after the tragic loss of his father.
- SinBin.vegas noted that two Golden Knights, Pavel Dorofeyev and Jeremy Lauzon, are both progressing, per Head Coach Bruce Cassidy. They will remain sidelined tomorrow and are questionable for the Knights’ remaining preseason games. Dorofeyev was an 82-game player last year, breaking out with an eye-popping 35 goals, while Lauzon only notched 28 games in Nashville due to injury, before an offseason trade to Vegas.
- Having been mentioned by Kevin Weekes last week, Elliotte Friedman echoed that the Capitals will likely lose goaltender Clay Stevenson on waivers, as reported by Russian Machine Never Breaks. The undrafted 26-year-old has yet to make a sizeable NHL impact (just one game played) but has caught the eye of many clubs, and could be the latest under-the-radar goaltender to burst onto the scene. Interestingly, Friedman noted the Rangers as a possible suitor, saying they pursued the Alberta native as a college free agent before the Capitals won out. Such a claim would especially be a blow to the marquee AHL franchise, the Hershey Bears. With Weekes pointing it out and Friedman following suit, Stevenson will be a name to watch closely.