NHL Player News

Burakovsky didn't practice Monday due to an undisclosed injury, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Burakovsky exited last Saturday's preseason finale against Montreal early after taking a hard hit, and while the nature of his injury isn't yet clear, it's discouraging that he hasn't yet returned to practice a few days later. It's not yet clear whether the 31-year-old will be available for Saturday's Opening Night matchup against the Maple Leafs.

Sanderson (undisclosed) is fine despite sitting out Monday's practice, Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet reports.

Sanderson is expected to participate in Tuesday's on-ice session. He left Saturday's 4-3 preseason win over Montreal for precautionary reasons. Assuming he avoids any setbacks, Sanderson should be available for Ottawa's season opener against Toronto on Saturday.

Samanski was loaned to AHL Bakersfield on Monday.

Samanski was slated to compete for a checking-line center role during training camp, but he'll be left off the Opening Night roster while Owen Michaels remains with the NHL club ahead of the regular season. Samanski made 24 regular-season appearances with the Oilers last year, recording two goals, two assists, 27 hits, 14 blocked shots and six PIM while averaging 10:33 of ice time.

Tkachuk (undisclosed) will be in the lineup against the Hurricanes on Tuesday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Tkachuk will make his Panthers debut in the season opener after being acquired by the club in a blockbuster trade this summer. With the Senators last season, the 27-year-old winger notched 22 goals and 37 assists in 60 regular-season games. If he can stay healthy, Tkachuk should be capable of challenging for the 70-point threshold after missing that mark in each of the previous two campaigns.

Tucker (knee) was placed on injured reserve Monday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Tucker is week-to-week and will miss the start of the 2026-27 campaign. It's unclear when he will be ready to return. Tucker earned three goals, 17 points, 68 shots on net, 51 blocked shots and 100 hits in 69 regular-season appearances for the Blues in 2025-26.

General manager Alexander Steen said Monday that Mailloux is slated to be re-evaluated in approximately eight weeks after undergoing a successful procedure to address a hand injury, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports. As a result, the team placed Mailloux on injured reserve Monday.

Mailloux suffered his injury during Saturday's preseason finale against the Blackhawks and appears to be on track to be sidelined for approximately two months to begin the regular season. Across 67 regular-season appearances with St. Louis last year, he recorded five goals, eight assists, 93 hits, 56 blocked shots and 48 PIM while averaging 16:46 of ice time. Justin Barron and Adam Jiricek are candidates to see time in the lineup during Mailloux's early-season absence.

Kapanen (lower body) is day-to-day and won't participate in Monday's practice.

Kapanen registered 22 goals, 37 points, 131 shots on net and 68 blocked shots in 82 appearances for Montreal during the 2025-26 regular season. It's currently unclear if he will be ready for Opening Night against Toronto on Tuesday.

Barzal (knee) was placed on non-roster injured reserve, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports Monday.

Barzal's designation will allow him to be activated as soon as he is deemed healthy without the seven-day minimum required by standard injured reserve. Still, the fact that the Isles are using any sort of roster tool almost certainly means the 29-year-old center will not be ready to face the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

Vladar (upper body) was a full participant in Sunday's practice and is on track to be ready for the Flyers' regular-season opener against the Penguins on Wednesday, Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Regarding Vladar's status, head coach Rick Tocchet said, "I wouldn't say he's 100 percent, but he's very hopeful. Pretty spirited practice, and he made it through; he seemed like he looked good to me. So we'll see." General manager Danny Briere also said Saturday that Vladar should be ready for Wednesday's regular-season opener. Furthermore, the Flyers loaned netminder Aleksei Kolosov to AHL Lehigh Valley on Sunday, which is another indication that the Flyers aren't overly concerned with Vladar's availability for Wednesday. For now, though, Vladar should still be considered day-to-day until there is official word that he is good to go.

Portillo was loaned to AHL Ontario on Sunday.

The Kings have two veteran netminders on their roster in Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg, so the move to loan Portillo to the minor-league club doesn't come as much of a surprise. The 26-year-old Portillo will now shift his focus to working as the Reign's top netminder for the 2026-27 season.