Lindgren suffered an upper-body injury early in training camp and is currently two weeks into his initial four-week timeline. The 26-year-old Lindgren will be an important part of the Rangers defensive core when he is healthy. He had 17 points (3G / 14A), 103 blocks, and 114 hits in 76 games last season.
The Rangers will be without Vesey in their bottom-six for an extended period due to a lower-body injury after he was placed on long-term injured reserve on Monday. The 31-year-old is entering his third season in New York after joining on a PTO in 2022-23 and put up an impressive 13 goals, 26 points, 20 PIMs and 116 SOG in 80 games played in 2023-24.
Lehkonen has a check-in at the end of the month on the same shoulder he had surgery on in May and is not expected to return to the Avalanche until after the check-up is complete. The 29-year-old should find himself back in his top-six role when able to return and will hope to produce as efficiently as he did in 2023-24, with 16 goals and 34 points in 45 injury-plagued games played.
Hellebuyck is away from the team due to a personal family issue but is expected to play in the Jets' season opener on Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 31-year-old American netminder was tremendous last season, winning his second Vezina trophy with a 2.39 GAA and .921 SV% in 60 games (37-19-4).
Nieto underwent knee surgery in May after the conclusion of the 2023-24 season and is nearly five months into his original six to seven month recovery timeline. The 31-year-old left winger appeared in 22 games with Pittsburgh in 2023-24 and had a goal, four points, 13 SOG and a +5 plus/minus in his first season with the team.
The Penguins will rely heavily on Tristan Jarry between the pipes to start the 2024-25 season with Joel Blomqvist serving as his backup. The 28-year-old Nedeljkovic surprisingly took over Pittsburgh's crease for the Penguins end of season playoff run in 2023-24 due to his 18-7-7 record, 2.97 GAA and .902 SV% during his first season in Pennsylvania.
Blake Lizotte's Pittsburgh debut may have to wait after it was announced on Monday that the forward has been placed on Injured Reserve due to a concussion. The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $3.7 million contract in the offseason with Pittsburgh after five solid seasons in Los Angeles. In 62 games in 2023-24, Lizotte had seven goals, 15 points, 76 SOG and 20 PIMs while averaging just 11:49 TOI/GP.
Although his lower-body injury doesn't seem too concerning, Rust has been placed on IR. With this latest development, it appears the 32-year-old will not be ready for the Penguins' season opener on October 10th when they take on Columbus. He had 28 goals and 56 points in 62 games played in 2023-24.
Aston-Reese signed a one-year, two-way contract with Vegas in the offseason but has been claimed off waivers by Columbus on Monday. The 29-year-old carries a $775,000 cap hit into the 2024-25 season and should provide much-needed depth for the Blue Jackets offence. In three games with Detroit in 2023-24, he failed to pick up a point while averaging only 5:09 TOI/GP.
Vegas made another waiver claim on Monday as they scooped up right-winger Raphael Lavoie from Edmonton. The 24-year-old was Edmonton's 2019 2nd-round pick (38th overall) and has appeared in seven games with the Oilers since making his debut last season. In 66 games with Bakersfield (AHL) in 2023-24, he had 28 goals, 50 points and 64 PIMs in 66 games played.
Schwindt was the 81st overall pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and has spent most of his professional career thus far in the AHL. Last season, he scored 36 points (14G / 22A) in 66 games with the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
Patera has had a whirlwind offseason, signing with the Canucks at the beginning of July, being claimed on waivers by the Boston Bruins last week, and ultimately rejoining the Canucks after being claimed from waivers on Monday. Patera had a 1-3-1 record, a 3.98 GAA, and a .893 SV% in six games with the Vegas Golden Knights last season.
Reimer was signed by the Buffalo Sabres when free agency opened up in July but has since been placed on waivers and claimed by the Anaheim Ducks. Reimer played with the Red Wings last year, going 11-8-2 with a 3.11 GAA and .904 SV% in 25 games (20 starts).
Bourque was the 2023-24 AHL points leader with 77 (26G / 51A) in 71 games and was projected to crack the opening night roster for Dallas before suffering an undisclosed injury that caused him to exit the team's final preseason game. The 22-year-old Bourque was expected to play on a line with Jamie Benn and fellow rookie Logan Stankoven.
Johnston had been unavailable for the latter half of training camp after battling an undisclosed injury but could be ready for the Stars' season opener on Thursday against the Nashville Predators. The 21-year-old is coming off a breakthrough season, scoring 65 points (32G / 33A) in 82 games, and is expecting to be a driving force for a deep Dallas Stars offense.
In mid-September, the Canucks announced that 28-year-old Dakota Joshua had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and successfully had a tumor removed but would not be ready for the start of training camp. The fifth-year winger is coming off his best season in 2023-24, with 18 goals, 32 points, 60 PIMs, 84 SOG, and a +19 plus/minus through 63 games played and could return to the lineup by November.
Demko is still several weeks away from ramping things up, but with tenuous uncertainty surrounding his injury, this is positive news for Demko and the Canucks. The 28-year-old Demko was tremendous for the Canucks last season, posting a career-best 2.45 GAA and .918 SV% in 51 games (35-14-2). In the interim, the Canucks are rolling with Arturs Silovs and Kevin Lankinen between the pipes.
Highmore spent most of the 2024 season in the AHL, where he had 31 points (9G / 22A) in 43 games. During a brief time in the NHL, he had two assists in seven games, giving him 29 points (12G / 17A) in 146 career NHL games with the Blackhawks, Canucks, Blues and Senators. He is expected to be out for a week to two weeks.
After prolonged contract negotiations kept Swayman out of the Bruins' training camp, the two sides finally reached an agreement on a massive eight-year contract extension worth $66 million over the weekend. Swayman cemented his part in the Bruins' crease last season after posting a tremendous 2.53 GAA and .916 SV% in 44 games (25-10-8). The American netminder is expected to see the majority of action between the crease for the Bruins this season but, despite returning to practice on Monday, will be backing up Joonas Korpisalo in the team's debut on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers.
Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said that Jenner is going to be out "a while" and is going to see another specialist next week. The team should release a more detailed timetable following that appointment. Jenner battled injuries last season but still managed 35 points (22G / 13A) in 58 games. In an effort to replace Jenner, the Blue Jackets signed Kevin Labanc on Sunday.
