NHL Player News

Fowler signed a three-year, $18.3 million contract extension with St. Louis on Saturday, per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Fowler still has one season remaining on his existing eight-year, $52 million contract, so his new deal will begin with the 2026-27 campaign. The 33-year-old had nine goals, 40 points, 14 PIM, eight hits and 87 blocks in 68 regular-season outings between Anaheim and St. Louis in 2024-25. Fowler is likely to serve as part of the Blues' top four and the first power-play unit this year.

Brisebois is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery because of a lower-body injury, per Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com on Saturday.

Brisebois had two goals, five points and 19 PIM across 48 regular-season appearances with AHL Abbotsford in 2024-25. He'll probably be reassigned to the minors once he is healthy.

Maatta (undisclosed) didn't participate in Saturday's practice and is day-to-day, Catherine Bogart of Utah's official site reports.

Maatta is not expected to be out for long, but he probably won't be rushed back for preseason action. He compiled two goals, 16 assists, 70 shots on net, 117 blocked shots and 22 hits across 70 regular-season games in 2024-25.

Brown was placed on waivers Saturday for the purpose of assigning him to AHL Bakersfield.

Brown had one assist, nine shots on goal, 18 blocked shots and 21 hits across 10 regular-season outings with the Oilers in 2024-25. He could be among the first call-ups this year should injuries occur.

Buffalo put Rathbone on waivers Saturday, per PuckPedia.

Rathbone is expected to clear waivers and start 2025-26 in the minors. He had six goals, 23 points and 51 PIM in 63 regular-season outings with AHL Rochester last year. The 26-year-old hasn't appeared in an NHL game since the 2022-23 campaign.

Cormier was put on waivers Saturday, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Cormier contributed nine assists in 19 regular-season outings for AHL Henderson in 2024-25. If he clears waivers, he will report back to Vegas' top minor-league affiliate.

Benoit (upper body) won't play at home against Montreal in preseason action Saturday, Mark Masters of TSN reports.

Benoit participated in Saturday's morning skate as the seventh defenseman, so he is closing in on a return. Benoit had one goal, 10 points, 59 PIM, 204 hits and 111 blocks over 78 regular-season appearances with the Maple Leafs in 2024-25.

Hedman (undisclosed) is unavailable for Saturday's preseason tilt versus Nashville, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Hedman likely wasn't going to play in Saturday's game anyway after leaving Friday's exhibition contest against Carolina early as a precaution. According to Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley, Hedman didn't participate in Saturday's practice. The outstanding defenseman had 15 goals, 51 helpers and 133 blocked shots over 79 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. He could return as early as Tuesday versus Florida, but the Lightning probably won't rush him back into the lineup during preseason action.

Samuelsson (upper body) will sit out Saturday's preseason tilt versus Detroit, according to Heather Engel of NHL.com.

Samuelsson didn't participate in Friday's practice. He still needs to be evaluated further, so it's unclear if he will be available to play against Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Walman was deemed day-to-day Friday, and his status for Sunday's preseason game versus the Canucks has yet to be determined, Tom Gazzola of Edmonton Sports Talk reports.

It's unclear when Walman sustained the injury, but this appears to be a minor issue that the Oilers would rather not push during the preseason. The 29-year-old is expected to play alongside Darnell Nurse in the regular season when Edmonton's blue line is at full strength.