NHL Player News

The Panthers released Livingstone from his professional tryout agreement Thursday.

Livingstone was unable to land a spot on Florida's Opening Night roster, but he'll report to AHL Charlotte for the start of the regular season. The 26-year-old will likely spend the bulk of the 2025-26 campaign in the minors.

The Panthers released Harpur from his professional tryout agreement Thursday.

Harpur inked a PTO with the Panthers on Sept. 10, but he was unable to land a spot on the team's Opening Night roster, even as the team deals with multiple injuries. The 30-year-old hasn't appeared in the NHL since the 2022-23 campaign, and he'll have to seek out other opportunities ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Head coach Travis Green said Thursday that he hopes Jensen (hip) will be able to suit up in Saturday's preseason finale against the Canadiens, Claire Hanna of TSN reports.

Although Jensen has already been ruled out for Thursday's preseason game against the Blues, he could have an opportunity to suit up to close out the preseason. The 35-year-old underwent offseason hip surgery that has forced him to miss the start of the preseason, but he resumed full participation in practice last week and seems to be trending in the right direction ahead of Opening Night.

Benoit (upper body) is on the roster for Thursday's preseason game against the Red Wings, signaling that he'll be able to return.

Benoit sustained an upper-body injury early in training camp, but he shed his non-contact jersey Wednesday and will return to game action a day later. Assuming he remains healthy ahead of Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against Montreal, Benoit will likely begin the year on the third pairing.

Kleven (undisclosed) isn't on the roster for Thursday's preseason game against the Blues, signaling that he'll be sidelined once again.

Kleven has dealt with an undisclosed injury for over a week, and he'll be held off the ice for the Senators' penultimate preseason game. It's not yet clear whether he'll be able to suit up in Saturday's preseason finale against the Canadiens, and his status for next Thursday's regular-season opener against the Lightning also hasn't yet been revealed.

The Penguins announced that St. Ivany (lower body) is still being evaluated for his injury and won't participate in Thursday's practice session.

St. Ivany exited Wednesday's preseason game against the Sabres due to a lower-body injury, and he's still hampered by the issue a day later. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available for Friday's preseason finale against Buffalo, but the 26-year-old seems like a long shot to make the Penguins' Opening Night roster, especially in the wake of his injury.

Bear (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup versus Philadelphia on Thursday.

At this point, Bear has missed enough preseason games and training camp sessions that he may have to start the 2025-26 campaign in the minors. After some decent campaigns with the Oilers, Hurricanes and Canucks, the 28-year-old defenseman saw himself relegated to the minors for all of 2024-25. With AHL Hershey last year, Bear was solidly productive with 10 goals and 36 helpers in 62 regular-season tilts. With youngsters Matthew Schaefer and Isaiah George pushing for NHL opportunities, Bear likely has fallen too far behind at this point to be a full-time option for the Isles.

Mikkola agreed to terms on an eight-year, $40 million contract extension with Florida on Thursday.

Mikkola's new deal will keep him with the Cats through the 2033-34 campaign at a $5 million AAV, a number that should age very well over the next several years as the cap is expected to rise significantly. In 76 regular-season games last year, the 29-year-old blueliner dished out 137 hits and made 88 blocks while recording his first 20-plus point season. His offensive numbers may not be that impressive, but he offers enough category coverage to provide some value in deeper formats.

Kesselring (undisclosed) left Wednesday's preseason game versus the Penguins, but his injury is not believed to be serious, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Kesselring departed late in the second period, but it appears to be precautionary for now. The Sabres are already dealing with a number of injuries on the blue line, so it's unclear if they'll take any chances with Kesselring's health in the team's preseason finale Friday in Pittsburgh.

Attard (lower body) won't play in Wednesday's preseason game versus the Golden Knights, Brennan Vogt of Hockey Mountain High reports.

Attard was hurt in Tuesday's game against Vegas, and he's not ready to go a day later. It is unclear if he'll return to the lineup prior to the end of the preseason -- the Avalanche's last exhibition game is versus the Stars on Saturday.