NHL Player News

Haight is a part of Minnesota's Opening Night roster, per Michael Russo of The Athletic on Tuesday.

Haight was expected to start the year in the minors, but Nico Sturm's placement on injured reserve due to a back injury necessitated the Wild adding another forward to the roster. Haight embarked on his professional career with AHL Iowa in 2024-25, contributing 20 goals and 34 points over 67 games. He might open the 2025-26 campaign as Minnesota's fourth-line center.

Sturm (back) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

In a corresponding move, Minnesota recalled Hunter Haight. Sturm had been dealing with a back issue during training camp, but he returned to the lineup in Friday's preseason finale. If he aggravated the injury during Monday's practice, he will miss at least the first three games of the 2025-26 campaign. Still, a timeline for his return is unclear. Once healthy, he will be in the mix for a fourth-line role.

Gustafson was moved to the injured non-roster list, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday.

It's not clear what Gustafson is contending with, but he could make his professional debut with AHL Henderson as soon as he receives the green light. The 2022 third-round pick, No. 79 overall, recorded six goals and nine points over eight regular-season games with WHL Lethbridge in 2024-25.

Demek (undisclosed) was put on the non-roster injured list, according to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday.

Demek, a fourth-round selection by the Golden Knights in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, will report to AHL Henderson once he moves past his injury. The 22-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut.

Sundqvist (lower body) is considered week-to-week, the Blues announced Tuesday.

While general manager Doug Armstrong told reporters he didn't think Sundqvist's injury was serious, the forward is still facing at least a week on the shelf. Without Sundqvist in the lineup, there will be a spot available for either Alexandre Texier or Nathan Walker to get into the squad versus Minnesota on Thursday.

Barkov (knee) was shifted to injured reserve Tuesday.

This move was not unexpected, as Barkov recently underwent knee surgery to repair injuries to his right ACL and MCL. Florida's captain has a 7-9 month recovery timeline, and it's a possibility he'll be held out of a potential playoff run to allow him to fully heal for the 2026-27 campaign. Sam Bennett is slated to center the top line in Barkov's stead.

Gregor inked a one-year, two-way contract with Florida on Tuesday.

Gregor parlayed his training camp tryout into a full NHL contract with the Cats. The 27-year-old forward appeared in 52 regular-season games last year for the Senators and Sharks in which he garnered four goals, three assists and 60 shots. The Alberta native's chances of making the team likely improved when Aleksander Barkov went down with a season-ending knee injury. Look for Gregor to fill a bottom-six role for Florida this year when he's not in the press box as a healthy scratch.

Toews (undisclosed) was placed on non-roster, injured reserve Monday, per PuckPedia.

Head coach Scott Arniel deemed Toews day-to-day Thursday, but it's currently unclear if the severity of the 37-year-old's injury has worsened over the last several days due to his placement on non-roster injured reserve. The Manitoba native "tweaked something" in preseason action last week. Considering the Jets have a deep forward group, the organization will probably be extremely cautious with Toews' recovery, especially since he hasn't played in the NHL since 2022-23. Vladislav Namestnikov will center the second line as long as Toews is unavailable.

Lowry (hip) landed on non-roster injured reserve Monday, according to PuckPedia.

Although Lowry will begin the season on non-roster, injured reserve, he's not expected to miss a significant amount of the 2025-26 campaign, as he's anticipating a return to the lineup in late October or early November. Winnipeg's captain is working his way back to full strength from offseason hip surgery, and he'll likely center the third line once he's fully recovered.

Rooney inked a one-year, two-way contract with the Mammoth on Monday, per PuckPedia.

Rooney signed a professional tryout agreement with the Devils in early September, but it seems as though his play in the preseason earned him a full contract with his new club. Considering he's on a two-way deal, the veteran center might begin the 2025-26 season in the minors, but he could be called up at some point during the early portion of the year if Alex Kerfoot (lower body) misses substantial time.