NHL Player News

Lundestrom (Achilles) was placed on non-roster injured reserve by the Blue Jackets on Friday.

Lundestrom underwent offseason Achilles surgery and had already been expected to be sidelined until at least early November. As a result, it isn't particularly surprising to see him placed on non-roster injured reserve just under a week before Opening Night. Once the 26-year-old is healthy, he'll likely handle a bottom-six role for Columbus.

Merzlikins (shoulder) was placed on non-roster injured reserve by the Blue Jackets on Friday.

Merzlikins underwent shoulder surgery in late August and failed his physical at the start of training camp. He's considered out indefinitely, so it isn't particularly surprising that he's been placed on non-roster injured reserve ahead of Opening Night. Jet Greaves should serve as the Blue Jackets' No. 1 netminder this year, while Cam Talbot will likely be the team's backup until Merzlikins is able to return.

Marchment scored twice on three shots in Thursday's 10-0 preseason win over the Ducks.

Marchment got a look alongside Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith for this game. If that trio holds into the regular season, Marchment will get a significant boost in fantasy value. It's still possible the 31-year-old winger is just a placeholder for Ivar Stenberg on the top line, but Marchment came to San Jose on a five-year, $33.75 million contract, so he is all but guaranteed to play a prominent role regardless of his linemates.

Nedeljkovic posted a 21-save shutout in Thursday's 10-0 preseason win over the Ducks.

Nedeljkovic took care of his job, and the Sharks' offense did the rest. The 30-year-old netminder is poised to enter the season as Yaroslav Askarov's backup, but Nedeljkovic never went more than three games in a row without an appearance in 2025-26. Considering the Sharks are still on the rise, Nedeljkovic should have a good chance to match his 2.87 GAA and .896 save percentage from 40 games last year.

Chernyshov scored twice, dished an assist and went plus-3 in Thursday's 10-0 preseason win over the Ducks.

Chernyshov looked NHL ready in a 28-game sample over two stints as a rookie last year. He produced 19 points, 46 shots on net and a plus-2 rating while averaging 15:03 of ice time per game. The 20-year-old winger will still need to earn a top-six job and power-play time, but he could be a good depth pick or waiver-wire addition in fantasy if he can produce at a similar pace over a full campaign.

Misa scored a goal on three shots, added three assists and went plus-3 in Thursday's 10-0 preseason win over the Ducks.

Misa didn't pop as a rookie last year, producing 21 points over 45 games. The 19-year-old is poised to take a big leap as the Sharks look to grow as a team in 2026-27. Misa looks likely to feature in a top-six role and on the power play, so keep an eye on this potential breakout candidate.

Stenberg had a hat trick and an assist in Thursday's 10-0 preseason win over the Ducks.

Stenberg, the No. 2 overall pick from June, is all but guaranteed an NHL job to begin the campaign. The 18-year-old took advantage of AHL-level competition in this game, and he should continue to see prominent usage once the puck drops next Thursday versus the Panthers in the season opener. Stenberg could find his way into the Calder Trophy conversation if he hits the ground running.

Husso stopped 13 of 19 shots in Thursday's 10-0 preseason loss to the Sharks.

The Ducks brought their most of AHL roster for this contest, aside from Husso, who is projected to be the NHL backup. The game went about as expected, with Husso getting no help in the ugly loss. Laurent Brossoit didn't do much better, allowing four goals on eight shots, so this isn't likely to change the pecking order for starts. Expect Lukas Dostal to operate as the starter in 2026-27 with Husso serving as backup as long as he can produce passable numbers.

Theodore logged three assists, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 5-4 preseason overtime win over the Mammoth.

Theodore enters the season as the top blueliner for Vegas, though not by much with the likes of Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin around. Theodore should at least get first dibs on the top power-play unit, assuming the Golden Knights don't roll out a five-forward group. Theodore is coming off his worst campaign in years -- he was limited to 39 points in 70 regular-season outings, falling short of the 40-point mark for the first time since 2018-19.

Eichel scored a goal on three shots and added two assists in Thursday's 5-4 preseason overtime win over the Mammoth.

Eichel looks good to go to start 2026-27. The 29-year-old's tally was the overtime winner Thursday. Eichel will center the top line and see ice time in all situations as the leader of the Golden Knights' offense. He's posted consecutive seasons of at least 90 points, though he hasn't reached the 30-goal mark since 2023-24.