Ekblad was hurt in Saturday's preseason finale, but head coach Paul Maurice said that he'll be in the lineup on opening night vs. Chicago. Ekblad will open the season on the top pair with Gustav Forsling and the top power-play unit in a two-defensemen look alongside Seth Jones.
Lafferiere was banged up in the Kings' preseason game last Thursday and missed the preseason finale on Saturday, but was a full participant in Monday's practice. The Kings are "optimistic" but said that is's "not a guarantee" that Lafferiere will be in the lineup on opening night when the Kings host the Avalanche.
Rooney had been on a PTO with New Jersey but signed with Utah on Monday for a one-year, two-way contract. The 32-year-old appeared in a career high 70 games with Calgary in 2024-25, picking up five goals, 10 points and 14 PIMs. He should provide forward depth for the bottom six in Utah.
Blackwood was on the ice Monday but won’t travel with the team for their one-game trip to Los Angeles. With him unavailable, expect Scott Wedgewood to start and Trent Miner to serve as backup. Blackwood’s status for Thursday’s home opener vs. Utah is also in doubt, though his participation in Monday’s practice is an encouraging sign that the injury isn’t long-term.
Luukkonen missed the majority of training camp due to a lower-body injury and will be sidelined for at least the first week of the regular season. If the 26-year-old is forced to miss significant time, a combination of Alexandar Georgiev and Devon Levi will likely handle the crease in Buffalo.
Kesselring left the Sabres' preseason game on October 1st after aggravating an injury that he'd been dealing with throughout camp. Sabres' head coach Lindy Ruff said that Kesselring will be re-evaluated on a week-to-week basis, effectively ruling him out for the start of the regular season.
Power suffered an undisclosed injury early in training camp and was expected to be ready for Buffalo's season opener, but has been placed on Injured Reserve and will be sidelined for at least one week. The 22-year-old Power is coming off a career-best season in 2024-25, scoring 40 points (7G / 33A) in 79 games. With Rasmus Dahlin locked into Buffalo's top powerplay unit, Power will likely spend most of the season quarterbacking the second unit upon his return.
It was announced earlier that Greenway would miss Buffalo's season opener with a lower-body injury, but the forward was also placed on IR on Monday and will miss at least the next seven days. It appears the 28-year-old's run of bad injury luck in Buffalo will continue this season after missing 128 games combined in his first three seasons with the Sabres.
Calgary placed Jonathan Huberdeau and Martin Pospisil on IR ahead of their season opener and has recalled Samuel Honzek from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) in a corresponding move. The 20-year-old left-winger was Calgary's 2023 1st round pick (16th overall) and will look to pick up his 1st career NHL point in 2025-26 after failing to do so in five appearances with the Flames last season.
With St. Louis off on Monday, they were unable to provide an update on Oskar Sundqvist after he left practice on Sunday with what appeared to be a lower-body injury. The 31-year-old is entering his third season in St. Louis and was batting for a bottom-six role before the injury. His status for St. Louis' opening night game vs. Minnesota remains uncertain.
After extending Connor McDavid with a two-year contract, the Oilers took care of additional business on Monday, signing Walman to a seven-year extension. The 29-year-old Walman is gearing up for his first full season as an Oiler. He had eight points (1G / 7A) in 15 games with the Oilers after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks before the trade deadline last season. He is currently battling an undisclosed injury and is questionable for Edmonton's season opener on Wednesday.
After being an NHL regular for nine straight seasons, Sheary was limited to a career-low five games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, spending the majority of the campaign with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL), scoring 61 points (20G / 41A) in 59 games. The 593-game NHL veteran will hope for more NHL exposure with the Rangers this season, though he may again be hard-pressed to do so with a two-way contract.
Batherson suffered an upper-body injury earlier in training camp and will miss at least one more week after being placed on Injured Reserve. The 27-year-old right-winger is entering his eighth season in Ottawa after putting up career highs in points (67) last season across 82 games played. He will likely play an integral role in Ottawa's offence this season.
Kleven will begin the 2025-26 season on Injured Reserve, recovering from an undisclosed ailment. The 23-year-old defenseman played a career-high 79 games last season, averaging 14:28 time-on-ice and scoring 10 points (4G / 6A).
Douglas was a fourth-round pick of the Dallas Stars in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft but he has yet to make his NHL debut. The 25-year-old forward has spent the previous several seasons in the AHL, including scoring 23 points (10G / 13A) in 63 games with the Tucson Roadrunners in 2024-25.
Vlasic had his preseason cut short due to a lower-body injury, and his status is unlikely for Chicago's season opener. The Blackhawks are expected to take eight defensemen to Florida, and Ethan Del Mastro is expected to take his spot in the lineup if he's unable to go.
Pospisil returned to practice on Thursday after suffering an injury in a preseason game the night before, but will not suit up for Calgary's season opener against the Edmonton Oilers after being placed on IR on Monday. The 25-year-old Slovak forward is entering his third NHL season after recording career highs in games played (81), points (25), and hits (301).
Huberdeau was ruled out of Calgary's opener earlier on Monday with an undisclosed injury and will now miss the next seven days after he was placed on IR by the Flames. The 32-year-old Huberdeau averaged 19:33 time-on-ice and had 62 points (28G / 34A) in 81 games last season, his most productive campaign with the Flames.
Ellis was the 93rd overall pick of the Blues in 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 25-year-old goalie has yet to play an NHL game but could get an opportunity this season with Buffalo. He had a solid 2.63 GAA and .922 SV% in 42 games (22-14-3) last season with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL).
