NHL Player News

Evans (upper body) was shifted to injured reserve Monday.

Evans is expected to be on the shelf for 6-8 weeks, so it shouldn't be a shock to see him moved to injured reserve. If Brandon Montour (ankle) or Vince Dunn (undisclosed) isn't available for Opening Night against the Ducks on Thursday, the Kraken will need to bring a player up from the minors. Once Evans is given the all-clear, he should still be capable of pushing for the 20-point threshold for the second straight year.

Woo (upper body) was put on non-roster injured reserve Monday.

Woo is month-to-month after undergoing offseason surgery to address an upper-body injury. He had two goals and 18 points in 67 regular-season appearances for AHL Abbotsford in 2024-25. Once he's healthy, he could be waived by the Canucks to return him to the minors, or he could stay with the big club as a depth defender.

Aitcheson was named the OHL Player of the Week on Monday.

Aitcheson has been back in the junior ranks for just under two weeks and already has a weekly award to his name. He posted five goals and an assist over three games for OHL Barrie this past week after returning to the Colts following his stint at the Islanders' camp. The 19-year-old blueliner looks poised to continue dominating the OHL after a 59-point campaign in 64 regular-season outings last year.

Brisebois (lower body) was placed on non-roster, injured reserve Monday.

Considering Brisebois underwent surgery in late September, it shouldn't be a surprise to see him headed for the injured, non-roster list. The team hasn't provided a clear recovery timeline other than to say the 28-year-old blueliner is out indefinitely. At this point, it would be somewhat surprising to see Brisebois back in action before November. Once healthy, the defenseman will likely be waived for reassignment to AHL Abbotsford.

Kleven (undisclosed) was designated for injured reserve Monday.

Kleven's injury status hasn't been updated by the team, so it's hard to know just how long the blueliner will be on the shelf. Having said that, the team wouldn't have placed Kleven on injured reserve if he was going to be available for Opening Night against the Lightning on Thursday. Donovan Sebrango figures to jump into the lineup with Kleven out of action.

McIlrath (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Monday.

After suffering an injury in Saturday's preseason finale against Columbus, McIlrath won't be available for the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign. Once he's healthy, the 33-year-old defender will be a depth option for the Capitals, or he could end up on waivers for assignment to AHL Hershey.

Vlasic (lower body) isn't expected to play against Florida on Tuesday, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear if Vlasic will play in Thursday's road matchup against Boston, but he did accompany the Blackhawks on the team's season-opening trip. The 24-year-old rearguard accounted for four goals, 30 points, 103 shots on net and 157 blocked shots across 82 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.

Bichsel was loaned to AHL Texas on Monday.

While Bichsel will briefly join the minor-league club ahead of the regular season, he was sent down as a cap-saving move and is slated to be on Dallas' Opening Night roster, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports. Bichsel made 38 regular-season appearances for Dallas last year, logging four goals, five assists, 155 hits, 41 PIM and 23 blocked shots while averaging 14:53 of ice time.

Walman (undisclosed) signed a seven-year, $49 million contract extension with Edmonton on Monday.

Walman generated seven goals, 40 points, 164 shots on net, 145 blocked shots and 57 hits across 65 regular-season appearances between Edmonton and San Jose in 2024-25. He is questionable for Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against Calgary due to an injury. However, once he's healthy, he could slot into a top-four role and see time on the Oilers' second power-play unit.

Moore was reassigned to AHL San Diego on Monday, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Moore played in just three NHL games last season in which he tallied one assist, one hit and four shots while averaging 13:38 of ice time. While the Ducks could still bring Moore back up to the NHL roster before Opening Night against the Kraken on Thursday, it seems likely he will start the year in the minors with the Gulls.