NHL Player News

Casey will be out of action for 6-8 weeks after undergoing a knee procedure, Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News reports Friday.

Casey figures to miss at least 19 more games if he is on the short end of his recovery timeline. While it's certainly a blow that will stretch the Devils' defensive depth, Casey would likely have served as a healthy scratch more often than not. Once given the all-clear, the 22-year-old Florida native could be headed to the minors in order to get his legs back under him.

Head coach Lindy Ruff said Friday that Zellweger (concussion) has been cleared to play ahead of Saturday's game against Chicago, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Zellweger missed Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Blue Jackets due to a concussion, but he practiced Friday and should be back in the lineup following a one-game absence to begin the regular season. The 23-year-old was traded to the Sabres from the Ducks during the offseason after he logged seven goals, 15 assists, 85 blocked shots, 34 PIM and 33 hits while averaging 16:59 of ice time across 76 regular-season appearances with Anaheim last year.

Samuelsson scored a goal, added four PIM and went minus-2 in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Samuelsson opened the scoring at 7:21 of the first period. The 26-year-old defenseman was listed on the first pairing but was limited to 18:21 of ice time in his first game back from a lower-body injury sustained during the preseason. The defenseman was a surprise last year with 41 points, 109 shots, 132 hits, 154 blocked shots and a plus-41 rating over 78 regular-season games, all of which were career highs. His place in the top four is secure, but expecting that level of offense again may be asking too much.

Sanderson (undisclosed) might be available for Saturday's clash with the Maple Leafs after returning to practice Friday, Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News reports.

Sanderson appears to be trending in the right direction after missing several days of practice. The fact that the Senators sent Hoyt Stanley down to the minors also seems to indicate that Sanderson will be ready to suit up. If given the all-clear, the blueliner should take his spot on the top power-play unit.

Ufko was assigned to AHL Milwaukee on Friday.

Ufko made 18 regular-season appearances with the Predators last year and was with the NHL club for Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Wild. He was held scoreless with a shot on goal, a blocked shot and a minus-1 rating in 15:27 of ice time, but he'll head to the minors a day later. Despite his demotion Friday, it wouldn't be surprising to see Ufko carve out more regular playing time at the NHL level during the 2026-27 campaign.

Gilbert was loaned to AHL Rochester on Friday.

Gilbert joined the NHL club for Thursday's Opening Night matchup in Columbus to provide additional depth, but he didn't see any playing time in the 6-3 loss. He'll head back to the minors a day later and will likely spend most of his time in the AHL this year.

Werenski picked up two assists, one on the power play, while adding three shots on net, one blocked shot and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

The reigning Norris Trophy winner began the new season in style, having a hand in first-period tallies by Matthew Knies and Adam Fantilli as the Blue Jackets grabbed an early 3-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish. Werenski is coming off back-to-back 20-goal, 80-point campaigns that also featured more than 20 power-play points, and as long as he stays healthy there's no reason to expect any regression from the veteran backbone of a roster looking to take a step forward in 2026-27.

Dunn scored a goal on two shots and added two assists, including one on the power play, in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Flames.

Dunn factored into three of Seattle's first four goals during an excellent season debut. He assisted on Jordan Eberle's power-play opener before blasting a point shot through traffic just 32 seconds later to give the Kraken a 2-0 lead. Dunn added his second helper on Chandler Stephenson's goal early in the third period, finishing the night with a plus-1 rating across 20:37 of ice time. The blueliner has had at least 40 points in three of his last four seasons and figures to be a top blueline option on both even-strength and power-play situations.

Power notched two assists with a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.

The 23-year-old helped set up tallies by Mattias Samuelsson in the first period and Konsta Helenius in the second. Rasmus Dahlin remains the top dog on the Sabres blue line, but with Bowen Byram now in Chicago, there figure to be more opportunities for Power on the second power-play unit in 2026-27 -- he failed to record a point with the man advantage last season, helping to contribute to a mildly disappointing 29 points (eight goals and 21 assists) in 81 regular-season games.

Hronek notched two assists, three blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Hronek helped out on goals by Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak. The 28-year-old Hronek has four helpers, three shots on net and six blocks across the first two contests of the season. While he has yet to log a hit, Hronek can still throw the body around while contributing plenty of offense. He has multi-category upside from the Canucks' top pairing, making him a decent depth option in fantasy.