NHL Player News

Vlasic (lower body) isn't expected to play against Florida on Tuesday, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear if Vlasic will play in Thursday's road matchup against Boston, but he did accompany the Blackhawks on the team's season-opening trip. The 24-year-old rearguard accounted for four goals, 30 points, 103 shots on net and 157 blocked shots across 82 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.

Bichsel was loaned to AHL Texas on Monday.

While Bichsel will briefly join the minor-league club ahead of the regular season, he was sent down as a cap-saving move and is slated to be on Dallas' Opening Night roster, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports. Bichsel made 38 regular-season appearances for Dallas last year, logging four goals, five assists, 155 hits, 41 PIM and 23 blocked shots while averaging 14:53 of ice time.

Walman (undisclosed) signed a seven-year, $49 million contract extension with Edmonton on Monday.

Walman generated seven goals, 40 points, 164 shots on net, 145 blocked shots and 57 hits across 65 regular-season appearances between Edmonton and San Jose in 2024-25. He is questionable for Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against Calgary due to an injury. However, once he's healthy, he could slot into a top-four role and see time on the Oilers' second power-play unit.

Moore was reassigned to AHL San Diego on Monday, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Moore played in just three NHL games last season in which he tallied one assist, one hit and four shots while averaging 13:38 of ice time. While the Ducks could still bring Moore back up to the NHL roster before Opening Night against the Kraken on Thursday, it seems likely he will start the year in the minors with the Gulls.

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.