Ekblad was sent home after suffering a neck injury and a reported concussion at the World Cup of Hockey. Ekblad is back skating in Florida and is expected to be ready to anchor the Panthers’ top-pair in the season opener.
Vatrano was expected to push for a top-6 role in Boston following a strong rookie year in Providence (AHL) and Boston. Vatrano will undergo foot surgery on Monday and is expected to be out until late-December/early-January.
Backlund suffered a concussion while representing Team Sweden at the World Cup of Hockey and he will return to Calgary where he will be reevaluated this week. The 27-year-old has had a tough time staying healthy during his career, but is coming off of a year where he played 82-games for the first time in his career. With two weeks before the start of the regular season, Backlund could be ready for opening night.
Faksa suffered a concussion while representing Team Czech Republic at the World Cup of Hockey, but he is expected to return to practice on Monday or Tuesday and should be ready for the season opener. With Cody Eakin out for six weeks, Faksa could take on a larger role than he was expected to to start the season.
Hemsky suffered the groin injury during a scrimmage on Sunday, but Stars’ GM Jim Nill expects the veteran winger to be ready for the season opener on October 13th. Hemsky is coming off of a 39-point (13G / 26A) season and is expected to play in a dangerous top-6 again this year.
Seguin was set to play for Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey but suffered a hairline fracture to his heel and was returned to Dallas. Stars’ GM Jim Nill expects Seguin to be ready for their season opener in two weeks.
Eakin suffered a knee injury in Stars’ practice last Friday and will miss the first month of the regular season. Injuries are starting to mount for Dallas, but Eakin is expected to miss the most amount of time. Look for Mattias Janmark to shift to centre on their third line while Eakin is out.
Murray broke his hand while representing Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey. The Penguins were expected to start the season with a two-goalie system, splitting time between Marc-Andre Fleury and Murray. The 22-year-old led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup last season and is still expected to be a huge part of their success this season. Murray will miss 1-4 weeks to start the regular season.
Steen is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery that kept him out of the World Cup of Hockey, but he is expected to be ready for the start of the season. The 32-year-old winger has missed 37 games over the last three years, but has produced solid numbers despite injury woes. Steen has averaged 25 goals and 35 assists (60 points) over that stretch and should be expected to post similar numbers in 2016-17.
Lupul missed 36 games last season and has been sidelined since February 6th with a sports hernia. Lupul has had a very difficult time staying healthy, so this is nothing new for him. His injury leaves a roster spot open for one of the Maple Leafs’ many prospects to make the opening night roster.
Clarkson, 32, failed his physical on Wednesday and will not start training camp because of a back injury. Clarkson was limited to just 23 games last season and the debilitating back injury has put his career in jeopardy.
Grabovski appeared in just 11 games after January because of concussion issues and it doesn’t look like he will be ready for the start of the 2016-17 season. Grabovski’s injury leaves a roster spot open for someone like Mathew Barzal to make the team on opening night.
Jurco underwent offseason back surgery and will not be ready until November. The 23-year-old had just six points (4G / 2A) in 44 games last season and might find it difficult to find regular playing time on a packed Red Wings’ roster again this season.
Orlov is a key member of the Capitals’ top-4 on the blueline and will still be a restricted free agent after his one-year contract is up. The 25-year-old is coming off of his best offensive season, having posted eight goals and 21 assists (29 points) in 82 games.
Strome, 23, was a restricted free agent who is coming off of a tough year. The 23-year-old had just 28 points (8G / 20A) in 71 games with the Islanders and was sent to Bridgeport (AHL) for a period of time. The former fifth overall pick (2011) had 17 goals and 33 assists (50 points) in 2014-15, showcasing his high-end offensive ability. He is an intriguing late-round pick for 2016-17.
Nichushkin was unhappy with his playing time in Dallas and the 21-year-old restricted free agent has decided to return to Russia for the 2016-17 season. Nichushkin was the 10th overall pick in 2013 but has yet to develop into the scoring power-forward that he was expected to become. He had just 29 points (9G / 20A) in 79 games last season and 64 points (23G / 41A) across 166 career NHL games.
Gaustad, 34, played 11 NHL seasons with the Sabres and Predators. Gaustad was mostly known for his face-off ability, having posted a career-high of just 36 points (10G / 26A) in 2007-08. The American-born centre had 89 goals and 142 assists (231 points) in 727 career NHL games.
Leighton, 35, spent the las two season with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL)—the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate—he went 28-8-8 with a 2.44 GAA and .918 SV%. The 15-year veteran also appeared in one game with Chicago and has 35 career NHL wins while posting a 2.96 GAA and .901 SV% in 106 games.
Huberdeau, 23, is coming off of a career-year, having posted 20 goals and 39 assists (59 points). The former third overall pick (2011) has turned in back-to-back 50-plus point seasons and appears to only be scratching the surface of what he might be able to accomplish on the Panthers’ top-line with Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr.
Pirri, 25, split his 2015-16 season with the Panthers and Ducks, totalling 14 goals and 15 assists (29 points) across 61 games. Pirri is a quality goal-scorer, who will bring some offensive punch to the Rangers’ bottom-6. He had 49 goals and 31 assists (80 points) in 166 career games.
