NHL Player News

McIlrath won't return to Saturday's preseason game against Columbus after sustaining a lower-body injury.

McIlrath had two assists, 28 PIM and 38 hits in 17 regular-season appearances with Washington in 2024-25. He's been in the mix for a spot on Washington's Opening Night roster. However, there's a chance McIlrath will make the team but be scratched in the opener versus Boston on Wednesday, even if he's healthy enough to play.

Ekblad (undisclosed) won't finish Saturday's preseason game versus the Lightning.

Ekblad was on the receiving end of a hit from Scott Sabourin, leading to the first of many ejections in the game. The 29-year-old Ekblad's exit may be precautionary, but nonetheless, his status for Opening Night versus the Blackhawks on Tuesday is now in question. If Ekblad misses time, Seth Jones and Gustav Forsling will likely help cover his absence, while Jeff Petry might gain power-play time.

Behrens (undisclosed) sustained an injury in Saturday's preseason game versus the Stars, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports.

The details of Behrens' injury weren't revealed after the contest. The 22-year-old defenseman missed all of 2024-25 while recovering from a torn ACL, and it's possible he could end up on season-opening injured reserve again if this is a substantial injury.

Carlsson (lower body) won't play in Saturday's preseason game versus the Mammoth, per the NHL media site.

Carlsson has been unable to play in the preseason while continuing to recover from a lower-body surgery. The 28-year-old defenseman has been skating for about 10 days but may still end up on the injured non-roster list Monday if he isn't cleared to play. Once healthy, Carlsson figures to be waived for assignment to AHL San Jose.

Hague (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Hague is still approximately 2-3 weeks away from returning to action after sustaining an injury in the Predators' first preseason contest. The defenseman will be in the mix for bottom-four minutes once healthy. Look for Nick Blankenburg to get the first chance to fill in for Hague on the blue line.

Kleven (undisclosed) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's preseason game against Montreal, per Stu Cowan of The Montreal Gazette.

Kleven hasn't played since exiting a preseason tilt against Toronto on Sept. 21, so it's not clear if he will be an option for Ottawa's regular-season opener against Tampa Bay on Thursday. If Kleven can't play, then Jordan Spence might land a spot on the third pairing.

Cernak (undisclosed) is set to miss Saturday's preseason game against Florida, per Lightning radio announcer Dave Mishkin.

Cernak had three goals, 21 points, 50 PIM, 157 hits and 99 blocks across 76 regular-season appearances with Tampa Bay last year. If he's not available for the Lightning's regular-season opener versus Ottawa on Thursday, then that would significantly increase the chances of Max Crozier being in the lineup.

Hedman (undisclosed) is not on the Lightning's game roster for Saturday's preseason finale versus the Panthers, Lightning radio announcer Dave Mishkin reports.

Hedman will miss his fourth straight preseason game. It's not clear if this is still a precautionary situation after his exit from a Sept. 26 preseason contest versus the Hurricanes. Hedman's next chance to play is the regular-season opener Thursday versus the Senators.

Burroughs (upper body) isn't expected to play in Saturday's preseason game versus Anaheim, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Burroughs had three assists and 39 PIM in 33 regular-season outings with the Kings in 2024-25. The 30-year-old might spend the season with Los Angeles, but he's probably going to only occasionally be in the lineup, even if he's healthy.

Gilbert was put on waivers by Philadelphia on Saturday, according to PuckPedia.

Gilbert had six assists, 50 PIM, 63 hits and 36 blocks across 29 regular-season appearances with Buffalo and Ottawa in 2024-25. The 28-year-old could be claimed off waivers by another team. However, even in that scenario, Gilbert is unlikely to serve as more than a third-pairing option while potentially spending some time as a healthy scratch. If Gilbert clears waivers, he'll report to AHL Lehigh Valley.