Aston-Reese underwent shoulder surgery in August and is expected to miss at least the first month of the season. With Aston-Reese out, the Penguins will likely have Evan Rodrigues or Drew O'Connor in their bottom-6 for the first month.
With Bishop out for at least one month, the Stars will continue to lean on Anton Khudobin as their No.1 netminder, as they did during their playoff run. Bishop told The Athletic that the surgery was to repair the meniscus in his right knee and that he is expecting to get back to Dallas in the next couple of weeks and hopes to be on the ice soon.
Depending on when Khudobin gets his visa issues cleared up and arrives in Dallas, he could be in danger of missing the start of the regular season. He will be forced to quarantine for seven days once he arrives in Dallas. With Ben Bishop expected to be out until March, Khudobin will be leaned on to serve as the Stars No.1 netminder for at least a month and a half.
After a breakout 2019 campaign, he finished 2020 with 38 points (12G / 26A) in 58 games. Strome appeared set to open the 2021 campaign as the Blackhawks' No.3 centre behind Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach, but with both with Toews dealing with a health issue and Dach out for five months, Strome will be their No.1 centre when they start training camp on Monday.
Kapanen is in Finland as he works through immigration issues that have been complicated by COVID-19. HE is not slated to have a visa meeting until later this week and the hopes are that he will be on a plane to Pittsburgh shortly after. However, once he arrives, he would need to quarantine for seven days, which will force him to miss training camp and likely the first game of the regular season.
Marino was originally drafted in the sixth-round by the Oilers but was traded to Pittsburgh for a sixth-round pick back in the summer of 2019. What a trade that has turned out to be for the Penguins. Marino had a terrific rookie season, compiling six goals with 20 assists (26 points) in 56 games. He averaged over 20 minutes per game in 2020 and should continue to eat huge minutes in the Penguins' top-4 in 2021.
Olofsson was shaken up after losing his balance and crashing into the post at Saturday's practice. Olofsson tried to return to the skate following a video session but ended up retiring to the dressing room shortly after. Following the practice the Sabres said that Olofsson is still being evaluated, so consider him day-to-day until more information is released.
The Rangers called Zibanejad day-to-day, so it doesn't sound like he's going to miss any regular-season time at this point, but his situation is certainly one worth monitoring as the season approaches.
Eichel suffered an upper-body injury while training and was held off of the ice for the first day of training camp. The Sabres consider Eichel as day-to-day, so it doesn't sound like he will miss any games. In practice, Casey Mittelstadt skated on the top line as a placeholder for Eichel, cantering a line with Taylor Hall and Victor Olofsson on his wings.
As expected, Pastrnak will not be ready for the start of training camp and will miss at least the first few games of the regular season. Pastrnak's original timetable was mid-February, so it looks like that remains true as training camp gets set to begin this week.
Marchand underwent sports hernia surgery in mid-September and was expected to be sidelined until mid-January. On Thursday, the Bruins announced that Marchand has been skating regularly, will be there for the start of training camp and should be good to go for the start of the regular season.
Alain, 23, was an undrafted free agent out of the QMJHL and spent the last two seasons in the AHL. According to the Laval Rocket, Alain has decided to pursue full-time studies, which is the reason for terminating his contract.
Ustimenko was 1-3-1 with a 3.84 GAA and .889 SV% in five AHL games with Lehigh Valley (AHL) last season and wasn't expected to make a push for an NHL spot in 2020. The former third-round pick may be the future backup in Philadelphia, but he may be sidelined for all of 2021 after undergoing hip surgery.
Dunn was the last of the Blues unsigned RFAs and gets a one-year contract for a very good number for a team tight up against the salary cap. Dunn's numbers dipped a bit in 2020 and he still has plenty of competition for playing time with Torey Krug coming over to replace Alex Pietrangelo. Still, he's scored 21 goals over the last two seasons and should continue to be a good source of goals with modest assist totals in 2021.
Hischier suffered a leg injury while training in Switzerland and will not be available for the opening of training camp. Hischier did not have surgery and the Devils do not consider it a long-term injury. The fourth-year centre could be ready for the start of the season but may get out of the gates slowly with a limited training camp.
In a statement, Toews said that he's been experiencing symptoms that have left him feeling "drained and lethargic." He is working with doctors to get a better understanding of his condition and will not join the Blackhawks until he "can get [his] health back to a place where feel [he] can perform at an elite level and help [his] team."
