NHL Player News

Sanderson (lower body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Flyers, Claire Hanna of TSN reports.

Sanderson suffered a lower-body injury Saturday against the Maple Leafs and was unavailable for the end of the Senators' recent road trip. The team returns home Thursday, but the 24-year-old will be unavailable for at least one additional matchup. It's not yet clear when Sanderson will be able to return, but Cameron Crotty should continue to see time in the lineup during his absence.

Zub, who has been recovering from a knee injury, was seen skating during Senators' morning skate Thursday, per Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet.

Zub faced a setback in his recovery in the late stages of Ottawa's training camp. While he's missed each of the Senators' first three games of the new season, his presence at morning skate Thursday indicates that he could be nearing a return. The 31-year-old blueliner had a career year offensively in 2025-26, where he compiled five goals, 30 points, 92 shots on net, 66 hits and 120 blocked shots across 81 regular-season games. Once he's ready to return, he'll likely occupy a top-four pairing alongside either Thomas Chabot or Jake Sanderson.

Bouchard scored twice on four shots, added a power-play assist and went plus-4 in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Ducks.

Bouchard was right in the middle of the Oilers' five-goal second period. The 26-year-old defenseman is the first blueliner to cross the 10-point mark this year, doing so with six goals, five assists, 16 shots on net and a plus-10 rating over four appearances. There's been no slow start on offense in Edmonton this season, and Bouchard's strong play cements his status as one of the top blueliners in the league.

Samberg notched two assists, two shots on goal, five hits and two PIM in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Avalanche.

Samberg picked up his first points of the season in this contest. He's added four shots on net, seven hits, nine blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over four contests while filling a top-four role. Samberg is primarily a shutdown defenseman, having maxed out at 20 points over 60 games in the 2024-25 regular season. He could get a bit more usage if Josh Morrissey (upper body) ends up missing time after exiting Wednesday's game.

Morrissey (upper body) won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Avalanche.

Morrissey went for a hit late in the first period but came out of the situation ailing. Per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press, the injury is likely to Morrissey's right hand or arm. For now, Morrissey can be considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's contest versus the Ducks.

Helleson (lower body) hopes to return at the end of Anaheim's upcoming road trip, per Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune on Wednesday.

Helleson isn't expected to play Wednesday versus Edmonton or Friday in Winnipeg, but it sounds like he might be an option for Saturday's game in Calgary. Helleson hasn't played this campaign due to the injury. The 25-year-old is likely to serve on the third pairing once he's healthy, possibly at the expense of Noah Warren.

Romanov will miss the next six-to-eight months and undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee, the team announced Wednesday.

Romanov's timetable doesn't completely rule him out for the remainder of the 2026-27 campaign, but even in a best-case scenario, he would be returning for only the Islanders' final few games. He has no points, a plus-2 rating, three shots, five hits and seven blocks in three outings this year. Romanov's long-term absence creates an opportunity for Scott Mayfield or Matt Kessel to play far more often this campaign than they might have otherwise.

Wallinder logged an assist and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Senators.

Wallinder dressed as a seventh defensemen Tuesday, which could happen on occasion since the Red Wings' forward group has sustained some injuries. The 24-year-old blueliner logged 9:07 of ice time in his NHL debut. Wallinder will likely be limited to third-pairing minutes at best as he adjusts to the NHL.

Stastney was traded to the Penguins from the Oilers on Wednesday in exchange for Filip Hallander.

Stastney split time between Nashville and Edmonton during the 2025-26 campaign, recording two goals, eight assists, 63 blocked shots, 20 PIM and 13 hits while averaging 15:30 of ice time. He signed a one-year, $1.575 million contract with the Oilers during the offseason but didn't appear in any of the team's first three regular-season games. He'll now have the opportunity to attempt to carve out a role with the Penguins.

Faulk scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in Tuesday's 5-3 win over Ottawa.

The veteran blueliner gave the Red Wings a 4-1 lead early in the second period on a strong individual effort that saw him begin a rush from center ice and crash through the Ottawa defense before wiring the puck past Samuel Ersson. Faulk then had a hand in Alex DeBrincat's empty-netter late in the third. The points were Faulk's first of the season in three games as the 34-year-old begins his first full campaign with Detroit, and looks to follow up a 16-goal, 40-point season in 2025-26 split between the Blues and Wings.