NHL Player News

Kesselring (undisclosed) has been ruled out for Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Rangers, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Kesselring sustained an undisclosed injury during Wednesday's preseason game against the Penguins, and head coach Lindy Ruff said Friday that Kesselring was considered week-to-week. Kesselring will officially be sidelined for at least one game to begin the regular season, and it's not yet clear when he'll be able to return.

Head coach Paul Maurice said Monday that Ekblad (undisclosed) is good to go for Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against Chicago, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Ekblad sustained an undisclosed injury early in Saturday's preseason game against Tampa Bay, but the issue won't force him to miss the start of the regular season. He made 56 regular-season appearances for the Panthers last year, recording three goals, 30 assists, 90 hits, 64 blocked shots and 53 PIM while averaging 23:31 of ice time.

Brodin (upper body) likely won't be ready for the start of the regular season, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic on Monday.

Brodin has been sporting a non-contact jersey at practice since last Sunday, when he participated in a session with contact. It was always unlikely he would play at the start of the 2025-26 campaign after undergoing offseason surgery. Brodin could be a candidate to begin the year on injured reserve. He had four goals, 20 points, 71 shots on net and 104 blocked shots across 50 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.

York (lower body) is day-to-day, according to Charlie O'Connor of PHLY Sports on Monday.

If York is unavailable for Thursday's season opener against Florida, the Flyers could move him to injured reserve and keep Dennis Gilbert, who cleared waivers Sunday, around for the Opening Night roster. The 24-year-old York earned four goals, 17 points, 65 shots on net, 126 blocked shots and 60 hits across 66 regular-season games in 2024-25.

Samuelsson (upper body) returned to practice in a non-contact sweater Monday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Samuelsson aggravated an upper-body injury in late September and is considered week-to-week. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available for Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Rangers, but it was at least encouraging to see him back on the ice for Monday's practice session, even though he practiced in a limited capacity. If Samuelsson is unavailable for Opening Night, Ryan Johnson and Jacob Bryson are candidates to enter the lineup.

Schaefer will make his NHL debut against Pittsburgh on Thursday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

The Islanders selected Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He cracked the team's Opening Night roster out of training camp and should see some power-play action during his regular-season debut. The talented blueliner earned two assists and eight shots on goal in four outings during the Islanders' exhibition schedule.

Bear (undisclosed) was put on injured reserve Monday.

While Bear doesn't have an exact timeline for his return to the lineup, he is expected to be out for the first few weeks of the regular season. The 28-year-old defender had 10 goals and 46 points in 62 regular-season outings with AHL Hershey last campaign. Once healthy, he could be a depth option for the Islanders or end up with AHL Bridgeport.

George was loaned to AHL Bridgeport on Monday.

George got his first taste of NHL action last year by making 33 regular-season appearances for the Islanders. He recorded a goal, four assists, 34 blocked shots, 14 hits and six PIM while averaging 15:39 of ice time, but he'll be left off the team's Opening Night roster ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. However, he'll likely be one of the first defensemen in the mix for a call-up if the team deals with injuries at some point.

Mancini was assigned to AHL Abbotsford, the team announced Sunday.

Mancini was among the final roster cuts by the Canucks. The defenseman is still waivers-exempt, so he'll report right to the AHL and begin the season there. The 23-year old, who came over as part of the J.T. Miller trade, played 30 AHL games between Abbotsford and Hartford last season, putting up 13 points.

Walman (undisclosed) suffered a setback in his recovery that has put his status for the season opener in doubt, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports Sunday.

Edmonton did not completely rule out Walman for the team's Wednesday night opener against Calgary, but the original timeline that had him back on time is in jeopardy. The 29-year-old will likely be trusted to play a top-four role for the team when healthy, so any time that he misses would be a big blow to the cap-strapped Oilers. During last season, Walman had eight points in the 15 regular-season games with the Oilers after coming over from San Jose in a trade.