With Adam Larsson going on LTIR, replacing Ethan Bear with Bouchard increases the Oilers' LTIR pool. Bouchard was close to making the team out of training camp and earns his first call-up because of some salary cap manipulation.
The movement to LTIR means that Larsson will miss at least 24 days but his timeline should become more clear when the Oilers disclose what his injury is. Larsson took a Quinn Hughes shot off of his foot in Wednesday’s win and it could be related to that. For a corresponding move, the Oilers sent Ethan Bear to Bakersfield (AHL) and recalled Evan Bouchard.
Little is making progress and is scheduled to skate on Thursday but will not be in the lineup against the Rangers. With Little sidelined to begin the season, Andrew Copp will get a chance to show what he can do as the team’s No.2 centre between Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor.
Cizikas has been dealing with a lower-body injury since the late stages of the preseason but it won’t keep him out of Friday’s season opener. Cizikas will fill a familiar fourth-line role with Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck on his wings.
Larkin was banged up when he fell into the boards in Tuesday’s practice. He returned in a no-contact jersey on Thursday and told reporters all tests were negative and he’ll be in the lineup for the season opener on Saturday.
Dermott, who is expected to miss the first 12-to-14 games of the season, practiced with his teammates for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery. Rasmus Sandin had a great preseason and looked solid in his NHL debut, which will allow the Maple Leafs to be patient with Dermott.
Hyman, who is expected to miss the first 12-to-15 games of the season, practiced with his teammates for the first time since undergoing knee surgery. If Hyman can make quick progress, he could return to the lineup by late-October.
It originally looked like Dzingel would miss the first few games of the season with a lower-body injury that he suffered in the preseason. However, Dzingel was back at practice on Wednesday and is skating on the third line prior to Thursday’s season opener. He had 26 goals and 30 assists (56 points) last year and will skate with Erik Haula and Jordan Martinook in his Hurricanes debut.
Pitlick was questionable for the opener due to a wrist injury that he suffered in the preseason. With Pitlick being cleared, Joel Farabee has been sent back to the AHL.
Murphy has landed on IR to begin the 2019-20 season but is not expected to be sidelined long-term. Slater Koekkoek will open the year as the Blackhawks No.6 defensemen while Murphy is out.
Larkin left Tuesday’s practice early but head coach Jeff Blashill said that the injury is not significant and he could play in Saturday’s opener. This is obviously huge news for the Red Wings, but monitor their No.1 centres status over the next few days.
Schmidt had to be aided off the ice following a knee-on-knee collision midway through the first period. Schmidt did not return and head coach Gerard Gallant did not have a postgame update. Expect the Golden Knights to release some more information on Thursday.
Karlsson was a late scratch from the Sharks season opener in Vegas. Karlsson had to attend to a personal affair and will be replaced by Tim Heed on the blueline and Kevin Labanc on the first power-play unit.
Eakin was left off of IR on Tuesday but still won’t be available for Wednesday’s season opener vs. the Sharks. The early-season injury has opened the door for Cody Glass to centre the Golden Knights second line between Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. Eakin remains day-to-day.
Backlund was on the ice for Wednesday’s practice but remains a question mark heading into the first game of the year. Monitor his status during tomorrow’s morning skate and expect Sam Bennett to replace him on the second line if he doesn’t play.
Kempny will not be available for the Capitals season-opener but head coach Todd Reirden did not rule out a possible return against the Islanders on Friday. Kempny will likely replace Martin Fehervary when he’s set to return.
Johnson will get a huge opportunity early in the season, as he’s set to centre Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov on Thursday. Johnson skated between the dynamic duo on Wednesday and will also skate on the top power-play unit while Brayden Point is sidelined.
Hedman was listed as day-to-day on Monday but was always trending towards playing in the season opener. Hedman is coming off of 54 points (12G / 42A) last season and will skate with Kevin Shattenkirk at 5v5 and anchor the top power-play unit.
Crosby has practiced for the last two days and will play in the Penguins season opener. Crosby is set to centre the top line with Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist on his wings. The 32-year-old centre is coming off of his first 100-point season since 2014.
As expected, Galchenyuk was back on the ice for Wednesday’s practice, skating on the second line with Evgeni Malkin and Brandon Tanev. Head coach Mike Sullivan called Galchenyuk a “game-time decision” but all signs point towards him making his Penguins debut in the top-6 and on the second power-play unit.
The NHL injury report is updated daily so that you can see the latest injury news ahead of puck drop in any of today’s matchups. Seeing timely updates to the NHL injury report can make a major impact on your daily fantasy sports picks and wagers on a particular game. All information provided on the NHL injury report is provided directly by the NHL and each respective franchise to ensure accuracy.
While the minimum amount of time spent on the injured reserve list is seven calendar days, there is no maximum amount of time that a player can be placed on the injured reserve list. If a player is set to be sidelined for longer than 24 calendar days or 10 NHL games, then a club may opt to place them on the long-term injured reserve instead. This allows franchises with the ability to exceed the salary cap while a player is placed on this reserve list.
No injury recovery timeline is the same as another as there are several factors that go into the rehab process for a player being affected by injury. Factors include but are not limited to, injury severity, player injury/medical history, age, as well as the location of the injury. Some injuries are able to clear up in a matter of days, while others may take an athlete out of action for the entirety of a season.
