NHL Player News

Bjornfot was placed on waivers by the Panters on Saturday.

Bjornfot signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Panthers when free agency opened in July, but he will begin the campaign in the minors. The 25-year-old blueliner posted two goals and four points across 19 regular-season games in the 2025-26 campaign. If he goes unclaimed over the next 24 hours, he will likely open the 2026-27 season with AHL Charlotte.

Ward was moved to the waiver wire Saturday, according to Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Ward provided three goals, seven points, 38 shots on net and 38 hits in 36 appearances with the Kings during the 2025-26 regular season. If he goes unclaimed, he could log NHL action for Los Angeles again at some point in the 2026-27 campaign.

Barron was put on waivers Saturday, Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey reports.

Barron registered nine assists, 31 shots on goal, 60 blocked shots and 37 hits in 52 appearances for the Predators during the 2025-26 regular season. Assuming he clears waivers, he will probably begin the 2026-27 campaign with AHL Milwaukee.

Askarov is expected to protect the road net in Saturday's preseason finale against the Golden Knights, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Askarov went 21-20-4 with a 3.63 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 47 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. He is poised to enter the 2026-27 campaign as San Jose's No. 1 netminder, but he will likely compete with Alex Nedeljkovic for starts.

Poirier was placed on waivers by the Stars on Saturday, per PuckPedia.

Poirier was the hero in the Stars' preseason outing Wednesday, where he made 24 saves in a 2-0 shutout win over the Wild. The 24-year-old backstop was an effective option for AHL Texas between the pipes last season, where he compiled a 27-19-8 record, a 2.61 GAA and a .912 save percentage across 52 regular-season outings. Given that Poirier was kept on the roster longer than Brandon Halverson, the former will likely be the organization's No. 3 option if either Jake Oettinger or Casey DeSmith are injured. However, Poirier will likely be challenged for playing time in the minors by Halverson, who had a solid showing with AHL Syracuse last season.

Nylander was placed on waivers by the Flames on Saturday, per PuckPedia.

Nylander signed a two-way deal with the Flames on Friday, and will start his new contract serving in the minors. The 28-year-old winger was an effective option with AHL Toronto a season ago, where he posted 24 goals and 53 points across 65 regular-season games. He is likely set to play a large role with AHL Calgary to open the 2026-27 season, but could factor into the NHL roster as well if the team experiences any injuries.

Saros will patrol the home crease in Saturday's preseason finale against Carolina, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Saros earned a 28-22-8 record with a 3.16 GAA and an .894 save percentage across 59 appearances with the Predators during the 2025-26 regular season. He is expected to get a heavy workload again in the 2026-27 campaign.

Luukkonen will defend the home goal in Saturday's preseason contest against the Penguins, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.

Luukkonen will get the nod to play in the Sabres' preseason finale before Buffalo opens their season on Thursday. The 27-year-old backstop looked sharp in his lone preseason outing, where he stopped all of the 13 shots he saw in a 5-1 win over Columbus. He played just two periods in that game, so Luukkonen could be in line to play all of Saturday's contest as a ramp-up outing ahead of the regular season. He is expected to serve in a time share alongside Alex Lyon and potentially Colten Ellis to begin the 2026-27 season.

Bussi will defend the road net in Saturday's preseason matchup against Nashville, according to Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.

Bussi posted a 31-6-2 record with two shutouts, a 2.47 GAA and an .894 save percentage in 39 regular-season appearances for Carolina in 2025-26. He will likely compete with Pyotr Kochetkov for playing time in the 2026-27 campaign.

Wood was placed on waivers Saturday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Wood contributed eight goals, 14 points, 71 shots on net and 63 hits across 54 regular-season appearances for Columbus in 2025-26. He still has three more campaigns remaining on his six-year, $15 million contract.