NHL Player News

Norris (upper body) was put on injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Norris was already expected to miss a significant amount of time after sustaining the injury Thursday, so his placement on IR isn't surprising. That Norris will miss a meaningful chunk of time this campaign also isn't unusual -- the 26-year-old hasn't reached the 60-game mark in a regular season since 2021-22. Zach Benson (face) is also on the shelf, so Buffalo is expected to have Jason Zucker and Jiri Kulich serve on the top line alongside Tage Thompson against Boston on Saturday.

Trocheck (upper body) is week-to-week, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic on Saturday.

Trocheck sustained the injury in Thursday's 4-0 win over Buffalo. He has earned one assist, one shot on goal, three blocked shots and one hit through two appearances this season. Due to Trocheck's absence, Mika Zibanejad will play between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere in Saturday's matchup against Pittsburgh.

Per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio, Dickinson (upper body) will not play Saturday and could miss a week of action, according to head coach Jeff Blashill.

Dickinson sustained the injury against Boston on Thursday. He has one shot on goal and one hit in two games this season. Lukas Reichel will take Dickinson's spot in the lineup against Montreal on Saturday.

Norris (upper body) will be out for a "significant amount of time," coach Lindy Ruff told Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News on Saturday.

Norris had four shots on goal and one hit over 18:51 of ice time against the Rangers on Thursday. He sustained the injury late in the contest and will be unavailable for a while. After being acquired from the Senators at the trade deadline, Norris missed the final 18 games of the 2024-25 regular season because of an oblique injury. He possesses plenty of potential, but staying healthy continues to be an issue for the 26-year-old forward. With Norris and Zach Benson (face) unavailable to play, Jiri Kulich and Jason Zucker will play on the top line versus Boston on Saturday.

Thomas scored a goal on four shots and added an assist in AHL Ontario's 5-4 overtime loss to Tucson on Friday.

Thomas didn't get any games in the AHL last year, logging three points in 25 NHL regular-season outings with the Kings. He was waived to begin 2025-26, so he'll be motivated to earn his way back to the big club. Friday was a positive start for him, but he'll need to sustain his offense throughout the year to be in line for a call-up.

Gard scored a goal on three shots, dished an assist and added 17 PIM in WHL Red Deer's 6-4 loss to Moose Jaw on Friday.

Gard logged his first multi-point effort in five games this season. While he's trending a little better than his 36-point effort over 66 regular-season games last year, the 18-year-old has yet to display high-end offense. He'll likely evolve into a defensive forward if he's able to make it to the NHL.

Hopkins scored twice on eight shots and added two assists in OHL Kingston's 9-1 win over Peterborough on Friday.

Hopkins' offense isn't a big positive, but he's on track to take another step up in 2025-26. He had 51 points over 67 regular-season games last year before being a third-round pick for the Maple Leafs in June. His big effort Friday has him over a point per game early this year with eight points and 27 shots on net through seven contests.

Washe was reassigned to AHL San Diego on Friday.

Washe was recalled from San Diego on Wednesday, but he didn't end up playing in Thursday's 3-1 loss to Seattle. The 24-year-old had 16 goals and 38 points in 42 outings with Western Michigan University in 2024-25. He also got into two games with Anaheim last year, recording no points, two shots and four hits.

Laba has recorded three hits and two blocks across the Rangers' first two games of 2025-26.

Laba hasn't recorded a point yet, but offense isn't necessarily going to be the main factor the Rangers consider when determining if the 22-year-old rookie should remain on the squad. After all, Laba is serving in a bottom-six capacity and doesn't have a role with the man advantage. It wouldn't be surprising if Laba remains in the lineup for Saturday's tilt in Pittsburgh, though Juuso Parssinen is still waiting to make his season debut.

Kindel has been auditioning in a middle-six role over Pittsburgh's first two games.

Kindel has no points, two PIM, three shots, one hit and one block while averaging 14:09 of ice time, including 0:43 with the man advantage. While those numbers don't jump out, it's a fine start, and Pittsburgh isn't likely to change much for Saturday's clash against the Rangers after opening the season with back-to-back wins. The 18-year-old Kindel can play up to nine games with Pittsburgh before this season burns the first year of his three-year, entry-level deal. For that reason, Kindel probably has seven more chances to impress the Penguins before they decide whether to keep him in the NHL or return him to WHL Calgary.