September 18, 2025
New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (shoulder) will be kept out of intra-squad games during training camp, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports. Schneider is working his way back from shoulder surgery, and if everything goes according to plan, the 23-year-old will feature in two of the team's last three preseason games. Since making his NHL debut in 2021-22, Schneider has steadily improved and recorded a career-high 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 80 games last season, along with 145 blocks and 146 hits.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mollie Walker
September 18, 2025
Ottawa Senators center Lars Eller (abdomen) may have to sit out the start of training camp, general manager Steve Staios told reporters on Wednesday. The Danish veteran, who celebrated his 36th birthday in May, had a minor abdomen procedure in the summer. Eller is preparing to start his first season with the Senators after signing a one-year, $1.25 million contract as a free agent in July. He split last season between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, registering 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 80 games. Eller lacks fantasy appeal but typically does a solid job for teams as a bottom-six center.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
September 18, 2025
Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen (hip) may not be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season. According to Senators head coach Travis Green, it's "too early to tell" whether Jensen can recover in time for the season opener. The veteran blue-liner had hip surgery during the offseason. Jensen was Mr. Reliable on the blue line for Ottawa last season, posting 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 71 games with 95 blocks and a team-high plus-18 rating. Jensen's absence at the beginning of the season would give more playing time to highly-rated prospect Carter Yakemchuk.
--Taavi PailkSource: Alex Adams
September 18, 2025
Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour (ankle) will be sidelined for two weeks. He underwent surgery for ankle bursitis earlier this month. This may cause Montour to miss training camp and the preseason games. However, Montour should be ready for the regular-season opener, which comes on Oct. 7 for the Kraken against the Anaheim Ducks. After winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2024, Montour played his first season in Seattle last year. He set a franchise record among defensemen with 18 goals and finished the year with 41 points in 81 games. The 31-year-old has averaged 0.5 points per game for two seasons in a row, but his 73-point campaign from 2022-23 shows Montour has the potential to be much more productive.
--Taavi PailkSource: Curtis Crabtree
September 18, 2025
Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog will face no restrictions at the start of the season. "Right now, he's full go," Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday. "I'm not going to limit his minutes. I'm not going to sit him out games when he's feeling good or taking practices off when he's feeling good." The Avalanche captain has missed three regular-season campaigns due to a knee problem, but he returned to action during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bednar's words suggest Landeskog is fully healthy for the start of the 2025-26 season. Despite sitting out three years, Landeskog made a positive impact in the postseason, tallying four points (one goal, three assists) with 10 shots in five games and delivering 16 hits.
--Taavi PailkSource: Evan Rawal
September 18, 2025
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard (lower body) is expected to miss parts of training camp, but the team is hopeful that he will be ready for the start of the regular season, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports. Girard has been part of the Avalanche core for many years, but he hasn't really made an impact in fantasy hockey. The 27-year-old finished last season with 24 points (three goals, 21 assists), 95 shots, 111 blocked shots, and 62 hits in 73 regular-season games.
--Taavi PailkSource: Evan Rawal
September 18, 2025
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body) has been labeled as week-to-week by head coach Jared Bednar. "Things seem to be going good," Bednar said Wednesday. "Week-to-week I would say right now, but he's going to be limited and missing some time in camp as well. We're hoping he's ready to go for the start of the season; if not right at the start, then maybe the first week or two." Blackwood's injury means that we will likely see a lot of Scott Wedgewood in exhibition games. Nonetheless, Bednar seems confident that his No. 1 won't miss much time at the start of the regular season, if any. Blackwood had a superb start to his Avalanche career last season, going 22-12-3 in 37 appearances. He posted three shutouts and had a 2.33 goals-against average with a .913 save percentage.
--Taavi PailkSource: Evan Rawal
September 18, 2025
Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (undisclosed) may miss Day 1 of training camp on Thursday. According to Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams, Tuch is dealing with a minor injury. "He may not be out there tomorrow or the next day or two, but nothing significant," Adams said Wednesday. "Just a little bit of a minor thing." It appears highly unlikely that the injury will impact Tuch's status for the start of the season. He's set to start his fifth year in Buffalo and has a lot to live up to after tying his career high with 36 goals last season and earning 67 points, the fourth most on the team.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
September 18, 2025
Buffalo Sabres left wing Jordan Greenway (lower body) will not be available for training camp, general manager Kevyn Adams announced. Greenway underwent a second surgery in July to address an issue that had affected him throughout last season. According to Adams, Greenway is expected to be available "around opening night." Greenway can be an effective two-way force on the ice, but he was limited to only eight points (three goals, five assists) in 34 appearances last season. The 28-year-old power forward hasn't played more than 67 games in any of the past four seasons but has still recorded at least 100 hits each year.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
September 18, 2025
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) is considered day-to-day. Luukkonen reported to training camp with a minor injury, and it looks like it will take some time before he can fully participate in practice sessions. Buffalo signed Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year deal last week, in case Luukkonen's injury is more serious than initially feared. "There's no alarms right now saying that it's a significant injury [to Luukkonen]," Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said Wednesday. "There was a tweak that he just didn't feel great. So, we just have to make sure that we protect ourselves." As Buffalo's starting goaltender, Luukkonen finished last season with a 24-24-5 record, allowing 3.20 goals with a .887 save percentage and two shutouts.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
September 18, 2025
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson (lower body) will be out for a couple of weeks, general manager Steve Yzerman announced. It's a blow for the young blue-liner, but he's on track to be healthy for the start of the season. "We'll have him ready to go sometime around the start of the regular season," Yzerman said. Edvinsson enjoyed a solid rookie year last season, producing 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) in 78 contests. Additionally, he racked up 144 blocks and delivered 86 hits. The 22-year-old has the potential to become a very valuable defenseman in fantasy hockey if he continues to develop.
--Taavi PailkSource: Helene St. James
September 18, 2025
Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund has signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract extension. His current deal was set to expire in 2026. Backlund has spent his entire 17-year NHL career in Calgary, becoming the team captain in 2023. He has put up 563 points (215 goals, 348 assists) in 1,066 career games. During the last campaign, Backlund contributed 15 goals and 17 assists in 76 appearances. Backlund has been a consistent performer for the Flames for many years, but in recent seasons, he hasn't been productive enough to make a significant impact in fantasy hockey.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
September 18, 2025
Utah Mammoth goaltender Connor Ingram is set to move on to another team. He did not report to training camp on Wednesday, and Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong announced that Ingram will be waived. "We had a mutual agreement where we said, 'Hey, listen, we have our goaltenders,'" Armstrong said. "It's probably best for him not to come to camp and put himself in a [tough] situation." Ingram's performances were inconsistent last season as he dealt with personal issues. The 28-year-old went 9-8-4 with a 3.27 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage. In March, Ingram entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, but he was cleared from the program last month, allowing him to continue his NHL career.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
September 18, 2025
Edmonton Oilers right wing Zach Hyman (wrist) won't be available for the start of training camp and remains without a timetable for his return. However, it seems that he has a good chance to be ready for the season opener. "He's not going to miss much time, if he misses any," Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said Wednesday. "I'm not worried about Zach Hyman." Hyman, who is recovering from offseason wrist surgery, told reporters that he's skating, just not yet with the team. Both fantasy managers and the Oilers brass will be hoping for a bounce-back season from Hyman in 2025-26. He finished last season with just 44 points (27 goals, 17 assists), which was by far his lowest scoring total since joining the team in 2021.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
September 18, 2025
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nick Paul (upper body) is expected to be out of action until November. He had surgery last Friday to fix an upper-body issue. "It's something he had been dealing with most of last season, to be honest," Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said Wednesday. "We tried every conservative method of getting him back to 100 percent over the course of summer, and everything we tried just wasn't working. And as we got closer to the start of the season, we decided this was probably best to be addressed through surgery." In 2024-25, Paul had a second consecutive 40-point campaign, notching 22 goals and 19 assists in 76 outings. Zemgus Girgensons may get a chance to work on the third line until Paul's return, although he doesn't have any significant fantasy value.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
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