Stalberg was given a 2-4 week timetable about two weeks ago, so he should not be far from returning to the Predators lineup. Expect him to miss the season opener on Thursday, but should be back in a week.
There is no timetable on Cullen's return, but the veteran centre had fallen in the Predators' depth-chart after they added a number of centres via free agency. Expect a more detailed update to come in the next few days.
Dumba, 20, played 13 games with the Wild last season before being sent back to juniors. He has cracked the Wild opening day roster and will play on the third pair with Christian Folin, but will also lineup on the top power-play unit next to Ryan Suter. If he can lock this spot down, he makes for a great pick-up and sleeper candidate. The second-year D-man has a ton of offensive talent, evidenced by his 24 points (8G / 16A) in 26 games with the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) last season.
Simmonds has been on the ice for the last two days which is a good sign that he will be in the lineup tomorrow vs. the Bruins. Simmonds is coming off of a career-year and appeared to be a candidate to replace Scott Hartnell on the Claude Giroux line, but it looks like he will start the year with Couturier and Read.
Malkin skated with the Sidney Crosby and Patric Honrqvist this morning and said that he is feeling good, just a little out of shape. He added that if he doesn't play in the opener on Thursday, he expects to be in the lineup on Saturday vs. the Maple Leafs. This is great news for the Penguins and Malkin owners.
With Franson out, rookie Stuart Percy will make his NHL debut on Wednesday. Franson said he has "a little ways to go" and is hoping to be back on Saturday against the Penguins. Franson is coming off of a season where he had 33 points (5G / 28A) and was second among Toronto D-men averaging 2:54 power-play time per game.
Boychuk, who was acquired from the Bruins on Saturday has a booming slapshot and will see an increased power-play role with his new team. He was behind some dynamic offensive-defensemen in Boston, but he will play a key role on Long Island. His fantasy value is definitely on the rise.
Grabner is coming off of a season in which he was limited to 64 games. He has a terrible year, scoring just 12 goals, four less than he recorded in 19 less games in the shortened season. Expect a bounce-back season from the former 30-goal scoring winger. The retroactive moves means he can comeback as soon as he is healthy.
de Haan was injured in the preseason and the retroactive move allows the Isles to keep some young defensemen on the roster until de Haan is fully healthy. de Haan appeared to be in-line for a heavier workload this season, but the additions of Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk should push him down the depth chart when he returns.
Visnovsky, 38, will start the season on IR with an upper-body injury. The veteran was limited to 24 games last season with a concussion and upper-body injuries. He is one of the Islanders' best offensive defensemen, but with he and Calvin de Haan, the Isles recently beefed up their D by adding Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk via trade. There is no timetable on Visnovsky's return.
Being used on the wing suggests that Malkin was simply filling in for Chris Kunitz and may not be ready for Thursday's season opener. Malkin missed the preseason with a lower-body injury, but his status should be monitored over the next two days.
Gagne participated in training camp with the Bruins on a professional tryout, but has yet to be signed. He will travel with the Bruins and practice with them as he continues to try and make an NHL comeback.
Pastrnak, 18, was the Bruins' first round pick (25th overall) in this summer's draft. He stuck around for awhile and had a solid camp, but was one of the last cuts and will start the season in the AHL.
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock has been saying for months that Brian Elliott would open the season as the team’s No. 1 goalie, so it should be no surprise that he will be in net Thursday against the New York Rangers. Elliott had a rough preseason, going 1-1 with a 3.21 GAA and .862 SV% in 56 minutes of playing time. That said, it is only the preseason and Elliott has been great in three seasons with the Blues. St. Louis will be a strong two-way team again this season, making Elliott a high-end number-2 option.
Head coach Claude Julien said that Krejci has not "healed" as well as they thought he would. There is no word on what is ailing Krejci, but it caused the Bruins to shake their lines up significantly. Monitor Krejci's status during tomorrow's morning skate.
Skinner sustained the concussion on a hit by Matt Niskanen in Sunday's preseason game vs. the Capitals. Skinner has had concussion issues in the past, so this is not the way he or the Hurricanes wanted to start the season.“He will continue to be monitored by our team doctors and go through proper protocols in the coming days," said GM Ron Francis. Don't expect to see Skinner in the season opener vs. the Islanders.
Ward finished the preseason with a 1-1 record while posting a 2.80 GAA and .887 SV% in 50 minutes of playing time. He is coming off of an injury plagued season where he posted a 3.06 GAA, which was his worst since his rookie season. On Friday, it looks like he will get the call against an improved Islanders team.
The trio of Shaw, Saad and Kane played together in the Western Conference Final, but were broken up to start training camp when Brad Richards arrived. However, Shaw was back between the two skilled wingers in the final preseason game and will be there for the season opener on Thursday in Dallas.
Johansen is currently in Toronto waiting to be cleared by immigration on both sides of the border before he can travel to Columbus. Johansen is expected to be in Columbus today for a physical and on the ice for Wednesday's practice and in uniform on Thursday night vs. the Sabres. "I feel good. I feel close (to game shape)," Johansen said. "I haven’t had any preseason games, so that's a challenge. My two linemates (forwards Boone Jenner and Nathan Horton) are hurt. That’ll be one of the biggest thing, being thrown in with two new guys."
Franson injured his knee in a preseason game last week and was unable to finish practice this morning, so there was already some doubt surrounding his availability. If he can't play, look for rookie Stuart Percy to make his NHL debut.