NHL Player News

Askarov told reporters Friday that he changed his training regimen and added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

The extra muscle should help Askarov hold up over a longer NHL campaign. He played in 47 games last year, going 21-20-4 with a 3.63 GAA and an .883 save percentage while occasionally sharing the crease with Alex Nedeljkovic. Askarov is poised to compete for starts again early in the year, but if his performance improves, it won't be long before he's the clear No. 1 between the pipes.

Balinskis (foot) has skated for the first two days of training camp, David Dwork of The Hockey News reports Friday.

Balinskis' injury was expected to be healed in 4-6 weeks last spring, so it's no surprise he's good for camp. The 30-year-old defenseman had 15 points in 54 outings with the Panthers last year. He's been skating alongside Alex Petrovic in camp, with both of those blueliners likely competing with others for one or two roster spots that probably won't lead to full-time usage.

Mikkola (knee) has skated with Seth Jones during the first two days of training camp, David Dwork of The Hockey News reports Friday.

Mikkola was sidelined by a knee injury at the end of 2025-26, but his recovery was expected to be 4-6 weeks at the time. His presence on the ice for training camp suggests he has no lingering injury concerns heading into the new season. The 30-year-old will be in line to fill a shutdown role in the top four again in 2026-27 after posting 11 points, 116 hits, 81 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 68 appearances last year.

Luostarinen focused on adding muscle during the offseason, Rob Darragh of the Panthers' official site reports Friday.

Luostarinen is slated to be on the third line to begin 2026-27, though he has occasionally moved up in the lineup. The longer offseason created by the Panthers missing the playoffs last spring opened the door for Luostarinen to do more in his offseason workouts. He has recorded at least 24 points in each of the last five years, so he'll have some appeal in deeper fantasy formats.

Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters Friday that he will not be the one to end Burns' ironman streak, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports.

Burns has the longest active ironman streak in the NHL, having played in 1,007 consecutive regular-season games since the streak began in 2013. The defenseman sits 58 games away from surpassing Phil Kessel's record. Bednar's comments indicate that as long as Burns avoids injuries and illness in 2026-27, he will get the chance to set the record. Burns had 35 points, 172 shots on net, 91 blocked shots and a plus-33 rating over 82 regular-season contests in 2025-26, so he could still carve out enough fantasy value to help in a depth capacity.

Cagnoni has impressed over the first two days of training camp, Max Miller of NHL.com reports Friday.

Cagnoni appears to be the leading contender for a third-pairing role as the Sharks look to round out their depth. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky has been among those impressed by Cagnoni's performance so far. The 21-year-old defenseman will still need to keep his momentum going through preseason games, but he looks likely to start the year in the NHL.

Gustavsson (hip) is expected to return around early November, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports Friday.

This is the first timeline that's been provided regarding Gustavsson's recovery. It also means he'll be missing about a month to begin the campaign. In Gustavsson's absence, expect Jesper Wallstedt to get a heavy workload while Calvin Pickard mixes in as the backup.

Pickard is set to start at home against Chicago for Saturday's preseason game, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

While goaltenders will sometimes serve in only half of an exhibition tilt, the intention is for Pickard to play the full 60 minutes. He had a 5-6-2 record, 3.68 GAA and .871 save percentage in 16 regular-season appearances with Edmonton in 2025-26. If Filip Gustavsson (hip) isn't available for the start of the campaign, then Pickard will likely enter the season as Jesper Wallstedt's understudy. However, Pickard might lose his roster spot once Gustavsson is healthy.

Bobrovsky is expected to start at home against Montreal for Saturday's preseason game, per Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun.

Bobrovsky might not play in the full game. The Maple Leafs are also playing in a split-squad format with the Canadiens on Saturday, so part of each team's training camp roster will be playing in Toronto while another group from each team will be playing simultaneously in Montreal. Bobrovsky is getting ready for his first campaign with the Maple Leafs after inking a three-year, $21 million contract over the summer. He's expected to enter the season as Toronto's clear No. 1, and Anthony Stolarz is set to serve as the understudy.

The Ducks announced that Poehling will miss practice Friday due to a lower-body injury, and he's considered day-to-day moving forward.

Poehling made 75 regular-season appearances during his first year in Anaheim last season, and he recorded 11 goals, 25 assists, 86 blocked shots, 44 hits and 12 PIM while averaging 15:04 of ice time. While he's dealing with some limitations early in training camp, it's not yet clear whether his lower-body injury will impact his availability for preseason action or the start of the regular season.