NHL Player News

Jankowski was on the ice for Thursday's practice session wearing a non-contract jersey, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Jankowski played in just 19 regular-season games for the Hurricanes last year in which he garnered eight goals and zero assists while averaging 12:16 of ice time. Barring a long-term injury, the 31-year-old center should slot into a bottom-six role for the Canes but may have to settle for being an occasional healthy scratch.

Burke will attend the Penguins' training camp after signing a professional tryout prior to Thursday's first on-ice session.

Burke spent most of last season with AHL Henderson, earning 19 points in 60 games, as well as one goal over seven appearances with the Golden Knights. He had a two-way contract in 2024-25, and that is likely to be the best-case scenario for him if the Penguins see enough to extend a full contract.

Novak (lower body) is not listed among the injured players on the Penguins' training camp roster released Wednesday.

Novak was sidelined for over a month to end the 2024-25 season. He had 22 points over 54 contests between the Penguins and the Predators last year. Novak is set to fill a middle-six role, but it remains to be seen if he'll primarily work as the third-line center or a second-line winger early in 2025-26.

Acciari (undisclosed) has not been medically cleared to participate in training camp, which begins Thursday.

Acciari was ruled out with a week left in the 2024-25 regular season with an undisclosed issue, and it's a concern that he's still not ready to play. When healthy, he would slot in as a fourth-line and penalty-killing forward. He had 12 points, 180 hits, 100 blocked shots and a minus-25 rating over 79 games in a similar role last season.

Aston-Reese (undisclosed) is not listed with an injury on the Blue Jackets' training camp roster released Wednesday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Aston-Reese missed the Blue Jackets' final game of 2024-25 due to the issue, but it was not considered a long-term concern. The 31-year-old will compete for a bottom-six spot ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

General manager Craig Conroy said Wednesday all Flames players are healthy for on-ice practice Thursday, indicating Sharangovich (foot) has recovered from his injury, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Sharangovich sustained a broken foot in the final game of the 2024-25 season. He was limited to 32 points in 73 contests last year. The 27-year-old is expected to fill a versatile role in Calgary's middle six and should be a candidate for power-play minutes as well.

General manager Craig Conroy said all of the Flames' players are healthy for Thursday's first practice at training camp, indicating Zary (knee) has recovered from his injury, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Zary signed a three-year deal in September as a restricted free agent. The 23-year-old had 27 points in 54 contests in his second NHL campaign, a small step back from his 34-point rookie season. Zary will be in contention for a top-six role this season, though it's not yet clear if he'll center his own line or play on the wing.

Backlund signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract extension with the Flames on Wednesday.

Backlund was slated to enter the final year of his contract this season, but his new agreement with the team will keep him under contract with Calgary through the 2027-28 campaign. The 36-year-old made 76 regular-season appearances for the Flames last year, racking up 15 goals, 17 assists, 51 blocked shots, 41 hits and 32 PIM while averaging 18:44 of ice time.

Hyman (wrist) won't be ready to join the Oilers for the beginning of training camp, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports.

Hyman underwent surgery to address a wrist injury in late May and is progressing in his recovery, but he'll need some additional rehab time ahead of the regular season. He's no longer in a cast and has resumed skating, but he'll spend some time away from the team to begin training camp. It isn't yet clear whether he'll be ready for the Oilers' regular-season opener against the Flames on Oct. 8, but it seems likely that he'll at least be in the mix to return around that time.

Paul underwent surgery to address an upper-body injury and will be out until early November, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports Wednesday.

Paul had been dealing with this injury last season. He initially tried rehab before ultimately settling on surgery. The 30-year-old had 22 goals and 41 points across 76 regular-season appearances with Tampa Bay in 2024-25, which made it his second straight campaign with at least 20 goals and 40 points. While Paul is out, Zemgus Girgensons might be moved up to the third line, which creates an opening on the fourth unit. Jakob Pelletier, Boris Katchouk and Mitchell Chaffee should be among those competing for that vacancy, with Chaffee being the most likely to win the job.