NHL Player News

Englund was placed on waivers by the Flames on Friday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Calgary.

Englund joined the Flames on a one-year, two-way contract during the offseason and will begin the regular season with the team's AHL affiliate, assuming he clears waivers. The 30-year-old has a decent amount of experience at the NHL level, but he spent most of last year in the minors, where he recorded three goals, 10 assists and 65 PIM across 52 regular-season appearances with AHL Milwaukee.

Benning was placed on waivers by the Flames on Friday.

Benning logged 18 regular-season games as a rookie last year in which he notched two goals, four assists and 15 shots while averaging 16:54 of ice time. With the 24-year-old blueliner likely headed to the minors, assuming he clears waivers, fantasy managers shouldn't be banking on him offering much in the way of value this year.

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

Tralmaks hasn't yet made his NHL debut, but he joined the Oilers on a one-year, two-way contract over the summer. He logged 26 goals, 16 assists and 14 PIM across 64 regular-season appearances with AHL Grand Rapids last year and will likely spend most of the 2026-27 campaign in the minors, assuming he clears waivers.

Stillman was waived by the Oilers on Friday.

Stillman played in a mere four regular-season games last year, failing to produce any points while chipping in seven hits, four blocks and one shot. At this point, the 28-year-old blueliner is unlikely to see significant enough minutes to be fantasy-relevant.

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.