NHL Player News

Brown was placed on waivers by the Oilers on Friday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Bakersfield.

Brown made 10 regular-season appearances with the Oilers during the 2024-25 campaign but spent the entirety of last year with the Condors. Across his 57 regular-season outings with Bakersfield last season, he recorded two goals, 11 assists and 78 PIM. He appears to be on track to spend the majority of the year in the minors once again during the 2026-27 season.

Makar (lower body) will make his first and only preseason appearance Friday against Winnipeg, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Makar entered training camp with a lower-body injury but shed his non-contact jersey this week and has been a full participant in practice. The 27-year-old will sit in Saturday's preseason finale against Utah, but that seems to be related more to managing his workload ahead of the regular season rather than due to his lower-body issue. Makar made 75 regular-season appearances with Colorado last year and recorded 20 goals, 59 assists, 118 blocked shots, 35 hits and 24 PIM while averaging 24:51 of ice time. He was rewarded with the largest contract in NHL history in August and should be available for Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against Los Angeles.

Kulich (undisclosed) will not play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Penguins.

Kulich saw action in just 12 regular-season games last year in which he tallied three goals and two assists while averaging a career-high 16:22 of ice time. If the 22-year-old winger can get into the lineup on a more regular basis, he should be capable of pushing for the 30-point threshold.

Head coach Jim Montgomery indicated Friday that Tucker (knee) will likely miss the start of the regular season, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Tucker suffered a knee injury during Sunday's practice session and doesn't yet have a clear return timetable, but it appears as though the issue will force him to miss some time early in the regular season. Montgomery didn't elaborate much on Tucker's status Friday, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect the defenseman to be in the lineup for the Blues' Opening Night matchup against Dallas on Oct. 2.

Head coach Lindy Ruff said Friday that Samuelsson (lower body) could return on the early end of his week-to-week timetable.

Samuelsson suffered a lower-body injury during Tuesday's preseason game against the Blue Jackets and was labeled as week-to-week a day later. However, the 26-year-old told Ruff that he doesn't expect to be sidelined for long, so Samuelsson should be in the mix to return early in the regular season. Samuelsson's status for Thursday's Opening Night matchup remains in question, but it's encouraging that both Ruff and Samuelsson are downplaying the severity of the issue.

MacKinnon will make his first and only preseason appearance Friday against the Jets, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

MacKinnon didn't appear in Colorado's first two preseason games, but he'll suit up Friday before sitting again Saturday against the Mammoth. Despite his limited appearances during the preseason, the 31-year-old is healthy ahead of the regular season and is in line for a massive workload once again after he recorded 53 goals, 74 assists, 64 hits, 39 PIM and 35 blocked shots while averaging 22:16 of ice time across 80 regular-season appearances during the 2025-26 campaign.

Head coach Todd McLellan said Friday that Bernard-Docker is considered day-to-day due to an upper-body injury, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Bernard-Docker has appeared in two of the Red Wings' first three exhibition games ahead of the regular season, but he's dealing with an injury ahead of Saturday's preseason finale. It seems likely that he'll be held out for Saturday's exhibition against Columbus, and it's not yet clear whether he'll be available for the team's Opening Night matchup against the Rangers on Oct. 2. The 26-year-old made 63 regualr-season appearances during his first year with the Red Wings in the 2025-26 campaign, and he recorded a goal, four assists, 87 blocked shots, 66 this and 25 PIM while averaging 14:49 of ice time.

Larkin (upper body) has been ruled out for Saturday's preseason finale against the Blue Jackets, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Head coach Todd McLellan said Friday that Larkin is progressing in his recovery, but he'll ultimately be held out for the Red Wings' final preseason game. Larkin participated in Wednesday's practice session and will now shift his focus toward Detroit's Opening Night matchup against the Rangers on Oct. 2. It's not yet clear whether the 30-year-old will be able to suit up for the regular-season opener, but he's at least progressing in the right direction in his recovery process.

Shesterkin will defend the road crease during Friday's preseason game against the Islanders, Andrew Crane of the New York Post reports.

Shesterkin drew the home start against the Islanders during Tuesday's preseason matchup and turned aside 18 of 20 shots while playing the first two periods. He's slated to play the full game during Friday's rematch to close out the preseason as he prepares to serve as the Rangers' top netminder to begin the 2026-27 campaign.

Head coach Lindy Ruff that Zellweger (concussion) felt good after skating Friday and will likely be ready for Thursday's Opening Night matchup against Columbus, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

Zellweger sustained a concussion during Tuesday's preseason game against the Blue Jackets and entered the concussion protocol a day later. While he's slated to miss Saturday's preseason finale against Pittsburgh, the 23-year-old is making encouraging progress ahead of Opening Night. He made 76 regular-season appearances with the Ducks last year and generated seven goals, 15 assists, 85 blocked shots, 34 PIM and 33 hits while averaging 16:59 of ice time.