October 13, 2025
Ottawa Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven (undisclosed) plans to return to action Monday against the Nashville Predators, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. An undisclosed injury has kept Kleven out for the first two games of the season, and he has started the year on Injured Reserve. Kleven is eligible to be activated from Injured Reserve on Monday. Kleven's return is great news for the Senators, but he has little fantasy impact. In 2024-25, the 23-year-old recorded 10 points (four goals, six assists), 78 shots, 97 blocks, and 105 hits over 79 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: Bruce Garrioch
October 13, 2025
New Jersey Devils right wing Evgenii Dadonov (hand) has been moved to long-term Injured Reserve, according to PuckPedia. Due to a fractured hand, Dadnov missed Saturday's matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning and will now sit out at least 10 more games. This is quite a blow for the Devils, as Dadonov opened the season on the first line. Following a reshuffle, Ondrej Palat skated with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt on Saturday. Meanwhile, Zack MacEwen made his season debut and is now likely to play regularly until Dadonov returns, although the Senators also recalled Brian Halonen from the minors on Sunday.
--Taavi PailkSource: PuckPedia
October 13, 2025
Ottawa Senators winger Drake Batherson (upper body) is aiming to return to action on Wednesday, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. Batherson has been out of the lineup at the start of the season due to an upper-body injury. He's likely to miss a third straight contest on Monday against the Nashville Predators, but it looks like Ottawa will have him back on Wednesday night versus the Buffalo Sabres. Batherson has become a key top-six contributor for the Senators and still has a chance to post a fourth consecutive 60-point campaign, despite missing some time.
--Taavi PailkSource: Bruce Garrioch
October 13, 2025
Washington Capitals forward Pierre-Luc Dubois missed the end of Sunday's 1-0 win against the New York Rangers due to an undisclosed injury, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters after the game that Dubois was still being evaluated. The Capitals return to action on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dubois has been quiet at the start of the season, going scoreless in three outings, but Washington would definitely feel his absence. The team will likely promote Connor McMichael to a second-line center role if Dubois isn't available against the Lightning. Like Dubois, McMichael has yet to tally any points this term, but he has tons of offensive upside.
--Taavi PailkSource: Bailey Johnson
October 12, 2025
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Steven Lorentz (upper body) played only three shifts in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. He was hurt early into the game but wasn't ruled out for the contest until the third period. Lorentz appeared to have suffered an upper-body injury on a hit by Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot. While Lorentz is somewhat limited offensively, he started this season well, recording two assists in Wednesday's 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Lorentz's injury could give highly rated Easton Cowan a chance to make his NHL debut on Monday when Toronto and Detroit meet up for a rematch.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
October 12, 2025
New York Rangers defenseman Carson Soucy (upper body) was injured during Saturday's 6-1 road win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The physical blue-liner was limited to 6:35 of ice time in the contest. Soucy's early departure from Saturday's game raises doubts about his availability for Sunday's matchup against the Washington Capitals. If he can't play, Matthew Robertson will probably make his season debut. The 24-year-old featured in two games with the Rangers last season, recording two shots, one block, and two hits with a plus-three rating. In the AHL, Robertson has produced three consecutive 20-point campaigns, showing he has a bit of offensive upside in his game.
--Taavi PailkSource: New York Rangers PR
October 12, 2025
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) is being evaluated after leaving Saturday's game against the Minnesota Wild early, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports. Gudbranson exited Saturday's impressive 7-4 win in the third period, finishing the contest with one block, one hit, and four penalty minutes. Columbus will mainly miss Gudbranson's physical presence if he needs to sit out some games. Jake Christiansen, who has been a healthy scratch at the start of the season, could be inserted into the lineup as Gudbranson's replacement. Christiansen has only recorded 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) in 112 career games and can be left on the waiver wire in fantasy leagues.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jeff Svoboda
October 12, 2025
Utah Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi (undisclosed) was injured in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win against the Nashville Predators, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports. He appeared to have gotten hurt on a hit by Predators forward Jonathan Marchessault and left the game during overtime. Durzi had a busy night against Nashville, racking up one assist, two blocks, two hits, and four penalty minutes. He'll be a significant miss for the Mammoth blue line if the injury forces Durzi to the sidelines. Utah has started the season with seven defensemen in the lineup, so a forward may step into action in Durzi's absence. If the team wants to continue with seven blue-liners, Nick DeSimone can be brought into the lineup.
--Taavi PailkSource: Cole Bagley
October 12, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin (undisclosed) didn't finish Saturday's 4-3 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers. He was unavailable for most of the third period and the entire overtime due to an undisclosed injury. "He's getting looked at," Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said postgame. "We'll know more about his status Monday. He came up a little gimpy." Slavin already battled a health issue during training camp and didn't feature in any of Carolina's preseason games. The Hurricanes are carrying Mike Reilly as an extra defenseman, and he will likely come into the lineup if Slavin has to sit out some games. Reilly offers more offensively than Slavin, but he probably won't see enough ice time to be a viable fantasy option.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
October 12, 2025
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (undisclosed) is under evaluation for an injury he suffered during Saturday's contest against the New York Rangers, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Letang played only one shift in the third period. The veteran defenseman finished a heavy 6-1 loss with two blocks and one hit while logging 15:29 of ice time. Unfortunately, Letang has dealt with health issues throughout his career, and he may have to miss time very early into the 2025-26 campaign. Letang's absence would likely bring Matt Dumba into the lineup. Dumba should remain a free agent in fantasy leagues.
--Taavi PailkSource: Seth Rorabaugh
October 12, 2025
Buffalo Sabres center Josh Norris (upper body) is set to have another extended spell on the sidelines. Before Saturday's game against the Boston Bruins, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said Norris will miss "a significant amount of time." Norris was hurt in Buffalo's season-openering 4-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday night. Luckily, this isn't another shoulder problem for Norris, as Ruff mentioned it's similar to a torn oblique, which caused Norris to miss the end of last season. On Saturday, Ryan McLeod replaced Norris in the top six and received extensive ice time in all situations.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
October 11, 2025
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Haydn Fleury (kneecap) left Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Kings in the second period after injuring his kneecap while blocking a shot. Jets head coach Scott Arniel told reporters after the game that Fleury was still being evaluated to determine the severity of his injury. In two games this season, Fleury has recorded two shots, five blocks, and seven hits. Colin Miller will likely join the lineup as Fleury's replacement if he can't play on Monday against the New York Islanders. Miller has much more offensive potential than Fleury but still lacks fantasy appeal.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
October 11, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body) is expected to miss at least a week of action. This rules him out for a minimum of three games. Kochetkov was hurt right before the regular season was about to start. With him on the shelf, Carolina has opened the campaign with Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi as the team's goalie tandem. Andersen made a winning start to the year on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, but his performance could have been better, as the Danish veteran finished a 6-3 victory with a save percentage of just .864.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
October 11, 2025
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard (upper body) has been ruled out for Saturday's matchup against the Dallas Stars and is considered week-to-week. Girard recorded two shots on goal, three blocks, and three hits in the first two games of the season. His absence will give Ilya Solovyov an opportunity to play. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect anything from Solovyov, as his previous impact has been limited in the NHL. In 15 appearances with the Calgary Flames prior to this season, Solovyov registered four assists, 16 shots, 25 blocks, and 26 hits.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
October 11, 2025
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin (upper body) is expected to step into the lineup for his season debut on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Minnesota has activated Brodin from Injured Reserve, and his addition will likely bump David Jiricek out of the lineup. Brodin had offseason upper-body surgery to fix a lingering issue and said he's now at "100 percent" for this year. In 2024-25, Brodin was limited to 50 appearances, posting 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) with 104 blocks. He's played more than 70 games only once in the past four seasons, so Brodin has the potential to be much more productive, but he needs to stay healthy.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
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