NHL Player News

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.

Hedman (undisclosed) left Friday's preseason game versus the Hurricanes for precautionary reasons, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.

Hedman didn't play after the first period Friday, but the initial report from head coach Jon Cooper suggests the defenseman should be fine. It's unclear if Hedman will play Saturday versus the Predators, but don't expect the Lightning to rush him back for preseason action.

Bear sustained an undisclosed injury in Friday's game versus the Devils, and there was no update on his status after the contest, Ethan Sears of the New York Post reports.

Bear is competing for a depth role on the Islanders' blue line, but this injury could hinder his chances of making the roster. The 28-year-old should be considered day-to-day until more information is available.

Kettles (undisclosed) has not been participating at the Penguins' camp and did not skate with the non-game group Friday.

Kettles hasn't signed his entry-level deal since being selected in the second round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. It's not yet clear when Kettles will return to the ice, though that will likely happen with WHL Swift Current rather than the big club.

Mateychuk (groin) won't play in Saturday's preseason game versus Pittsburgh, the Blue Jackets announced Friday.

Mateychuk's next chance to get into a preseason game will come Tuesday versus Washington. He had four goals, 13 points, 20 PIM, 26 hits and 63 blocks across 45 appearances with Columbus last year.

Mitchell was placed on waivers by the Islanders on Friday, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.

Mitchell signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Islanders in mid-July, so this isn't much of a surprise. Mitchell, who has yet to play a game at the NHL level, had four goals, nine assists and 101 PIM across 65 appearances with AHL Bridgeport during the 2024-25 regular season. He will see action once again with Bridgeport, should he clear waivers.

Connauton was put on waivers by Utah on Friday, per Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports.

Connauton had six goals, 17 points and 78 PIM across 56 regular-season appearances with AHL Tucson in 2024-25. He's expected to spend most, if not all, of the upcoming campaign in the minors.

Head coach Lindy Ruff said Friday that Samuelsson is being evaluated for an upper-body injury, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

Samuelsson was able to practice Thursday despite his injury, but he was held out of Friday's practice and is set to be re-evaluated. His status for Saturday's preseason game against Detroit appears to be in question, and it's not yet clear whether his injury will impact his status for the start of the regular season.

Reinbacher suffered a broken metacarpal bone and will be out for four weeks, the Habs announced Friday.

Reinbacher missed much of the 2024-25 campaign with a knee injury and now once again finds himself on the shelf for at least four weeks. It was unlikely that the 20-year-old blueliner was going to make the Opening Night roster to begin with, but this injury all but guarantees he will start the year in the minors with AHL Laval.