NHL Player News

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.

Ekberg scored three goals in OHL Ottawa's 10-3 loss to Sarnia on Sunday.

Ekberg has collected four points over two games this season. The 19-year-old forward's production stagnated in 2025-26, posting 46 points over 59 regular-season outings a year after his 45-point campaign in 53 regular-season appearances in his first year of junior hockey. Ekberg was a seventh-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2025, so his developmental timeline will likely be on the longer side.

Martone is expected to start the 2026-27 campaign on the top line, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Martone has been skating on the top line with Owen Tippett and Trevor Zegras during training camp. The 19-year-old Martone has also been working with the No. 1 power-play unit to this point, so the young winger has plenty of upside heading into the 2026-27 campaign. The 2025 No. 6 pick was excellent across nine regular-season games last year, generating four goals, 10 points (four on the power play), 32 shots and a plus-4 rating. Martone has breakout potential and will certainly be a Calder Trophy candidate, so don't let him fall too far if your fantasy draft hasn't occurred yet.

Wilson signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Flyers on Sunday.

Wilson spent most of the 2025-26 campaign with AHL Lehigh Valley, and he recorded four goals, 12 assists and 101 PIM across 54 regular-season appearances. He'll likely spend most, or all, of the 2026-27 campaign in the minors.

Pastrnak was named the Bruins' 28th captain in franchise history Sunday.

Pastrnak reached the century mark in points for the fourth straight regular season in 2025-26, but his goal scoring took a major dip. The star winger finished with just 29 goals last year after netting at least 40 in four straight seasons, as his 11.1 shooting percentage was his lowest since the 2020-21 campaign. The 30-year-old made up for it in the playmaking department, however, with his 71 helpers marking a career high. Pastrnak also registered just 261 shots in 2025-26 after recording at least 312 in each of the previous four years, which is a statistic that's somewhat surprising considering his 20:39 of average ice time represented a career high. Nonetheless, Pastrnak's dual-threat ability makes him one of the best options at forward in the fantasy realm. The 2014 first-round pick is projected to begin the season on the top line alongside Elias Lindholm and newcomer JJ Peterka, per Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe.

L'Heureux (lower body) is day-to-day and didn't participate in Sunday's practice, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.

L'Heureux left the ice before Sunday's session after speaking with Colorado's head trainer. It's unclear if the 23-year-old L'Heureux will be ready for Wednesday's season opener against the Kings.

O'Connor (lower body) was deemed day-to-day Sunday, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.

Head coach Jared Bednar shared that O'Connor is currently day-to-day with a lower-body injury, which puts his status up in the air for Colorado's regular-season opener. The 30-year-old forward scored a big goal in the team's first game of the 2026 postseason, but he missed the majority of the 2025-26 campaign while recovering from hip surgery. While his roster spot isn't guaranteed, O'Connor has been a reliable depth winger for the Avs since the 2021-22 campaign, which gives him a strong case to make the Opening Night roster.