NHL Player News

Guentzel scored a goal and added an assist in Saturday's 3-1 win over Washington.

The Great Guentzel has averaged 84 points, including 39 goals, 29 power-play points and 218 shots over the last two seasons. That puts him squarely in the NHL's top-20 offensive players. Guentzel is poised to deliver similar numbers this season.

Calvert scored twice in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 3-2 loss to Springfield on Saturday.

Calvert is in his third AHL campaign. He posted 38 points in 70 regular-season appearances last season while on a minor-league deal, which was enough to earn the 23-year-old an entry-level contract. It'll still be a while before he gets his NHL debut, but he has shown he can score in the AHL.

Barkov (knee) was placed on long-term injured reserve Saturday, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Barkov will miss at least 10 games and 24 days following his LTIR placement. The Panthers might provide a timeline for his return after Saturday's practice. Barkov injured his left leg in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to San Jose. He sat out the entire 2025-26 campaign after he had reconstructive surgery to repair his right ACL and MCL.

Gustafsson was placed on waivers by the Penguins on Saturday.

The Penguins designated Gustafsson on the non-roster list ahead of his move to waivers. The 26-year-old center hasn't played in the NHL since the 2024-25 campaign, but he signed a one-year deal in the offseason for the first change of scenery in his hockey career. Across 48 regular-season games with AHL Manitoba, he posted 10 goals and 32 points. If he clears waivers over the next 24 hours, he will likely report to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Kindel (lower body) was activated from injured reserve Saturday.

Pittsburgh cleared a spot by designating David Gustafsson as a non-roster player before placing him on waivers. Kindel will be available to return to the lineup against Montreal on Saturday after missing Wednesday's season-opening 7-0 win over Philadelphia.

Strome notched two assists, including one on the power play, and fired two shots on goal in Friday's 5-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Strome is off to a positive start this year. While he's nominally the first-line center, alongside Alex Ovechkin and Ryan Leonard, the Capitals have enough scoring depth to rotate three lines through heavy usage. Strome saw just 13:11 of ice time in Friday's win, but regardless of even-strength usage, he should be productive as long as he maintains a power-play role. He had 58 points, including 21 on the power play, over 80 regular-season games last year, his worth output in the last four seasons.

Kapanen (lower body) won't play against Pittsburgh on Saturday, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Kapanen remains day-to-day and will miss his second straight outing. Once healthy, Kapanen could replace Alexandre Texier, Kirby Dach or Zachary Bolduc in the lineup.

Kasper (upper body) won't play Sunday against Winnipeg, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Kasper didn't participate in Saturday's practice and is still being evaluated. He had four shots on goal and five PIM over 10:50 of ice time against the Rangers on Friday. However, he wasn't injured in his second-period fight with Rangers defenseman Sean Durzi. Carter Mazur will probably play against the Jets on Sunday because of Kasper's absence.

Lizotte (lower body) expects to play in Saturday's home opener against Montreal.

Lizotte declared himself good to go after he participated in Saturday's optional morning skate. He had four shots on goal and one blocked shot in 13:13 of ice time against Philadelphia on Wednesday to begin the 2026-27 campaign.

Stankoven tallied a goal, fired four shots on net and put out two hits in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Capitals.

After a phenomenal postseason run where he tallied 11 goals across 19 games, Stankoven found the back of the net in just his second appearance of the 2026-27 campaign. The 23-year-old continues to improve each season, as he posted a career-high 21 goals and 44 points across 81 regular-season games in 2025-26. Fresh off a season with 32 goals in 100 total games, Stankoven could make the jump to being a 30-goal scorer in the 2026-27 regular season as a top-six center for one of the league's strongest rosters.