NHL Hockey Player News

McBain has battled an illness and an injury that have limited his preseason availability, but he will be ready to play in Utah's season opener next week. The 25-year-old McBain was productive from Utah's bottom-six last season, scoring a career-high 27 points (13G / 14A) and tallying 291 hits in 82 contests.

Cooley has been absent for most of the preseason, tending to an undisclosed injury, but will be available to play in Utah's season opener next week. The 20-year-old Cooley is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign, scoring 65 points (25G / 40A) in 75 games. He's slated to center a potentially dynamic top-line for an exciting and young Utah Mammoth club between Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka.

Colorado added some depth to their blueline on Friday, claiming Solovyov off of waivers from the Calgary Flames. The 25-year-old hard-hitting defenseman has four points (0G / 4A) and 26 hits in 15 career games over the past two seasons.

With several lingering and long-term injuries, the Panthers added some offensive depth by claiming Cole Schwindt off of waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights. The 24-year-old Schwindt played a career-high 42 games and scored eight points (1G / 7A) with the Golden Knights last season.

Kotkaniemi is inching closer to a return but still has not been cleared for contact. The 25-year-old Kotkaniemi, the third-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, scored 33 points (12G / 21A) in 78 games last season. It's unclear when he will return to full-contact drills at practice.

The Panthers, already battling several key injuries, received promising news on Friday, announcing that Lundell is day-to-day and his upper-body injury will not keep him out of the lineup long-term. With Aleksander Barkov (knee) out for most, if not all of the season, Lundell is slated for an increased role and uptick in ice time in the 2025-26 season. The 24-year-old Lundell had a career-high 45 points (17G / 28A) in 79 games last season.

Hunt was the 65th overall pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft but never found a permanent role with the team, limited to only 13 total NHL games before being claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 23-year-old defenseman will hope to find stability in his return to Minnesota.

Smith only played 13 NHL games last season, split between the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche, and has been signed to a two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 27-year-old Smith has 22 points (9G / 13A) in 168 career games.

Kesselring's regular-season debut with the Buffalo Sabres will be delayed after exiting Thursday's preseason game with an undisclosed injury and announcing he was out week-to-week on Friday. The 25-year-old is coming off a solid season with Utah, scoring 29 points (7G / 22A) and averaging 17:41 in 82 games.

Luukkonen had already missed the majority of pre-season due to a lower-body injury, which will likely keep him sidelined into the beginning of the regular season. If the 26-year-old is forced to miss any time, a combination of Alexandar Georgiev and Devon Levi will be expected to handle the crease in Buffalo.

Laughton was limited to only four points (2G / 2A) in 20 games with the Maple Leafs after being acquired before last season's trade deadline. The Maple Leafs will hope that an offseason helps the 31-year-old acclimate to the team's style, allowing him to return to the production he had in his previous two full seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, when he scored 82 points (31G / 51A) in 160 games. That said, his season debut with the Maple Leafs will have to wait as he will likely be unavailable when they hit the ice next week.

Ritchie was acquired before last season's trade deadline as part of a deal that sent Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche. The 20-year-old Ritchie has not yet made his regular-season debut with the Islanders and will likely have to wait a while longer, as he will likely not be ready for their season opener next week.

Bolduc was acquired by the Canadiens in the offseason and his team debut might have to wait, as he is day-today with a lower-body injury. Bolduc is a 22-year-old right-winger who was drafted in the 1st round (17th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. Across 72 games with St. Louis in his first full season in 2024-25, he had 19 goals, 36 points and a +20 plus/minus.

After a breakout 2024-25 season, scoring a career-high 90 points (35G / 55A) in 82 games, Tampa Bay is eagerly awaiting an update on Hagel's status, hoping he can replicate his totals from a year ago. The 27-year-old Hagel has spent most of the preseason playing alongside Anthony Cirelli.

There was no update on Pesce's status following his exit from Thursday's preseason game due to an undisclosed injury. The 30-year-old Pesce will look to improve after his first season with the Devils in 2024-25, averaging 21:19 time-on-ice and scoring 17 points (3G / 14A) in 72 games.

The Panthers can ill-afford any more injuries and will hope that Lundell is no worse for wear after being reevaluated on Friday. With Aleksander Barkov (knee) out for the long term, Lundell is slated for an increased role and uptick in ice time in the 2025-26 season. The 24-year-old Lundell had a career-high 45 points (17G / 28A) in 79 games last season.