After missing the first 21 games of the season with an ankle injury, Eichel will play tonight vs. the Senators. Eichel had a strong rookie season, having picked up 24 goals and 32 assists (56 points) in 81 games and he will start his 2016-17 season on a line with Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart.
Eichel has not played in a game this season because of a preseason ankle injury, but he skated on the second line and on the top power-play at Monday’s practice. Head coach Dan Bylsma said it is possible for Eichel to make his debut tomorrow, so monitor his status during the morning skate.
Theodore, 21, has split his season between the AHL and NHL and has been a yo-yo for the Ducks so far. Theodore has picked up seven assists in nine games with San Diego and one assist in eight games with the Ducks.
Eichel had been skating on his own prior to Wednesday, but he joined the Sabres for his first practice session since getting injured a few days before the season started. Eichel won’t play tonight, but is only expected to miss 3-5 more games before making his season debut. This is massive news for the Sabres, who currently sit last in the NHL in goal scoring.
Hertl is expected to miss a few weeks with a knee injury, so moving him to IR was simply a formality to create a roster spot to recall Daniel O’Regan from San Jose (AHL).
Hertl has returned to San Jose and will miss Saturday’s game and possibly more depending on the result of his MRI. With Hertl out, Michael Haley will draw into the lineup and rookie Kevin LaBanc will skate on the top-line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski.
Eichel is nearly four weeks into a 6-8 week timetable, but his return to the ice on Thursday is a great sign that he is recovering on schedule. It appears as if Eichel is on-pace to return to the lineup in late November/early-December. Monitor Eichel’s progression over the next few weeks.
Stone missed Thursday’s game vs. the Canucks, but will be back in tonight vs. the Sabres. Stone has just one goal with four assists (five points) in nine games this season.
Stone missed Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury that he suffered on Tuesday, but he was back skating on the Senators’ top-line on Friday and head coach Guy Boucher is hopeful that he will be available on Saturday. Stone has had a slow start to the season, having recorded just one goal and four assists in nine games.
McNabb suffered an upper-body injury last night and has been placed on IR. With McNabb out, Matt Greene will play on Sunday in Chicago. There's no word on how long McNabb is expected to be out, but his movement to IR means that he will miss at least the next four games.
Theodore has appeared in three straight games and his demotion and promotion was just salary manipulation. Theodore has picked up one assist in three games since being recalled.
Theodore, 21, had eight points (3G / 5A) in 19 games with the Ducks last year, but didn’t make the team out of training camp. However, he picked up two assists in his first two games with San Diego and is already up with the big-club. Expect him to see bottom pairing minutes and power-play time in the early going.
Dowd was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the year, but will replace Kyle Clifford in Tuesday’s lineup. The 26-year-old centre had 48 points (14G / 34A) in 58 games with the Manchester Monarchs (AHL) a season ago.
Eichel was hurt in Wednesday’s practice and the Sabres said it was a high ankle sprain but did not give a timetable for his return. On Thursday, Sabres’ GM Tim Murray said that 6-8 weeks could be a possible timetable for Eichel. The second-year forward can’t put any weight on his injured ankle, he was seen on Thursday using a scooter to get around.
Eichel suffered a high ankle sprain in Wednesday’s practice and will likely miss a minimum of 4-to-6 weeks. It could be much longer, but the Sabres have not released a timetable. Eichel’s injury means that Johan Larsson and Tyler Ennis will likely take on bigger roles.
Eichel’s leg bent backwards awkwardly and had to be helped off of the ice and appeared to be a serious amount of pain. All signs are pointing towards Eichel missing some time, but there likely won’t be an update until later today. Consider him doubtful for Thursday’s season opener.
Stone suffered a concussion during the Senators’ practice on Friday and will be held off of the ice until he is symptom free. Stone is coming off of a 23-goal, 38-assist (61 points) season and with two weeks left until the start of the regular season, he could still be ready for the season opener.
Dowd, 26, forced the Kings to give him a look this year, after collecting 48 points (14G / 34A) in 58 games with Ontario (AHL). In his brief, five-game stint with the Kings he failed to record a point. Dowd will try and crack the NHL roster in training camp, but there’s a good chance he starts the year back in the AHL.
Hertl, 22, is coming off of his best year as a pro, having racked up 21 goals and 25 assists (46 points) in 81 games with the Sharks. The former 17th overall pick found a nice spot on the left wing with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski and if he plays there for most of 2016-17, we could see Hertl’s first 25-goal and 50-point season.
