Franson has been battling a left-knee injury since crashing into the boards in last Sunday's preseason game vs. the Sabres. Not being able to complete practice this morning puts his status for Wednesday's season opener in doubt. Should be unavailable, 21-year-old Stuart Percy will enter the lineup.
Simmonds was listed as day-to-day last week, but getting back on the ice this morning suggests that he might be ready to go in the Flyers' season opener on Wednesday. Simmonds is coming off of a career-year and will be a crucial member of the Flyers' offence again this season.
Drouin is at the two-week point in a three-four week timetable. Drouin was expected to miss a handful of games to start the season and that appears to still be the case. Monitor his status as the season approaches, but he will need to shed that no-contact jersey before he gets in the lineup.
Tatar left a game last week after being kneed in the head by a linesman. There has been no reports of Tatar struggling with headaches or anything, so expect him to be ready to go in the Red Wings' season opener on Thursday.
Nylander will head back to Sweden and play for Modo for a second season. The 2014 eighth overall pick had a strong camp with the Maple Leafs, but will have to wait a year for another shot at making the NHL roster. The Leafs had a lot of competition at forward, so letting the 18-year-old grow for another season was probably the best decision for his future.
The lengthy contract dispute is finally over and it is a good thing for the Blue Jackets, who looked like they would be without their entire top-line to start the season. Johansen and the Blue Jackets were significantly apart on the dollar value, but were able to get a deal done before the start of the 2014-15 campaign. Johansen had his coming out party last year when he scored 33 goals and 30 assists (63 points) in 82 games. Expect another 30-30 season from the 22 year old.
Details on Malkin's injury have been very vague. Six days ago head coach Mike Johnson originally said that Malkin would be out four or five more days, so it appears that Malkin's recovery is on schedule. Malkin has battled injuries throughout his career, so this is not the way he wanted to start the 2014-15 season. The Penguins start their season on Thusday, so monitor Malkin's status as the season approaches.
Boychuk, 30, had five goals and 18 assists (23 points) in 75 games with the Bruins last season. He has played 321 games in five seasons with the Bruins, but will head to Long Island where he should play a key top-4 role. He has a big slapper and should see some an increased power-play role with the Islanders. Boychuk will be an unrestricted free-agent at the end of next season, and gives the Bruins some cap flexibility.
Pokka, 20, was one of the Islanders' top D prospects. He was selected 34th overall in 2012 and is in his third full season with Karpat of the SM-liiga. He had six goals and 21 assists (27 points) in 54 games as a teenager last season.
Nilsson, 24, has posted a 4-1-2 record, 2.10 goals-against average and .928 save percentage in eight games with the KHL’s Ak Bars this season. Nilsson split the 2013-14 season between the New York Islanders and American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Nilsson posted an 8-7-2 record with a 3.11 GAA and .896 SV% in 19 regular-season games with the Islanders. He collected a 12-4-2 mark, 2.81 GAA, .901 SV% and two shutouts in 29 regular-season games with Bridgeport.
Brennan, 25, had a great season with the Toronto Marlies last season. He finished the year with 25 goals and 47 assists (72 points) in 76 AHL games. He signed with the Isles this offseason, but will now likely report to Rockford (AHL).
Simpson, 22, was the 58th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft. He went 11-14-1 with a 3.64 GAA and .891 SV% with Rockford (AHL) last season. He will report to Bridgeport (AHL).
Leddy, 23, had seven goals with 24 assists (31 points) in 82 games with the Blackhawks last season. Leddy has never missed a regular season game in three NHL seasons and should be in the Isles' top-4 with a lot of power-play time.
The Maple Leafs will be without Bozak and his linemate Phil Kessel tonight as both battle lower-body injuries. He should be back in-time for the Maple Leafs' regular season opener, so don't panic if you drafted Bozak.
Kessel is dealing with an undisclosed lower-body injury, but it does not appear to be too serious and we expect to see him in the regular season opener on October 8th. With nothing on the line it appears they are keeping him out as a precaution.
Tatar was injured on Wednesday but passed the concussion test and is not suffering from any headaches, which is a great sign for the 23-year-old. Expect him to be in the lineup on October 9th and push for 20-plus goals this season.
Datsyuk skated for the second straight day on Friday (non-contact) but does not appear to be ahead of his original timetable, which would have him missing the first two weeks of the season. The retroactive IR move allows the Red Wings to activate him as soon as he is healthy.
Dillon, 23, had six goals and 11 assists in 2013-14. The 6-foot-3, 225 lbs. defensemen led the Stars in hits last season with 168 and finished second in blocked shots (149). Dillon will once again play 20-plus minutes a night, but his fantasy value is limited due to his lack of power-play time.
Gonchar, 40, had 22 points (2G / 20A) in 2013-14. His better days are behind him and he does not play nearly the amount of minutes as he used to, but will be a key member of the Stars' power-play when he gets back. The injury will allow the Stars' young defencemen like Jamie Oleksiak to get a shot at the NHL.
Domi, 19, is a dynamic offensive talent and had a lot of people believing that he would stick with the team this season. The Coyotes must feel that he will be better served with one more year of junior under his belt. He heads back to London where he has 73 goals and 107 assists (180 points) in 125 games over the last season. A huge boost for the Knights.
