Benson has played six of seven games to start the season for the Sabres, scoring zero points and recording a -4 plus/minus, but will miss his second contest on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars. Jordan Greenway, who missed the last game due to an undisclosed injury, will draw back into the Sabres lineup.
Slafkovsky has been battling a shoulder injury since last week. He was a game-time decision on Saturday but managed to play and recorded two points (0G / 2A), one shot, and four hits while playing 15:57 time-on-ice. This ongoing shoulder issue continues to be an impairment for Slafkovsky, who will be shut down for at least the next week before being reevaluated.
Tkachuk has not played since the second game of the season on October 10th, missing five contests, but is on schedule for his targeted return date of October 22nd. Over the past three seasons, Tkachuk has been among the league leaders in the NHL, averaging 1.25 points per game. He has two points (0G / 2A) and seven shots on goal in two games this season and will reclaim his spot on the Panthers' top line and top powerplay unit.
After missing 66 games in 2023-24 due to injury, Jared Spurgeon has missed three straight games in the 2024-25 campaign due to a lower-body injury. The 34-year-old Spurgeon was replaced by Declan Chisholm since he exited the lineup on October 12th.
Hartman will miss a second straight game on Tuesday when Minnesota visits the Florida Panthers. Hartman was off to a strong start to the season with two goals in his first four games.
Dunn, a staple on the back end since joining Seattle in their inaugural 2021-22 season, has been placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve, a crushing blow for Seattle's defensive core. Dunn has scored 110 points (25G / 85A) in 140 games over the last two seasons. In a corresponding move, the team has recalled Cale Fleury from Coachella Valley of the AHL.
Gibson underwent an emergency appendectomy on September 25th and is about four weeks into his original 3-6 week timeline. The American netminder has failed to produce a save percentage above .900 in each of the last two seasons and beginning 2024-25 on the Injured Reserve is a tough way to ensure a bounce-back campaign after only 13 wins in 2023-24. In addition, Lukas Dostal has been tremendous filling in for Gibson in his absence, posting a 2.48 GAA and .931 SV% in four games (2-1-1).
Lundestrom has not played since exiting last Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Utah Hockey Club after playing 11:18 time-on-ice, missing the last two contests. The 24-year-old Lundestrom has one point (1G / 0A) in three games this season.
Karlsson has not played yet this season after being injured late in the preseason. He has miss the first six games of the season and miss at least a seventh, but could return to the lineup on Friday against the Ottawa Senators. The 31-year-old Karlsson had 30 goals and 60 points in 70 games played in 2023-24.
Olofsson has missed the last two games due to a lower-body injury and will likely miss several more. The 29-year-old Olofsson had started his tenure with the Golden Knights in a positive way, scoring three goals in his first four games. Pavel Dorofeyev has been the main benefactor in Olofsson's absence, finding himself on the top powerplay unit in Vegas.
If Grieg is able to return from a three-game absence due to an upper-body injury, he could seamlessly be inserted into the lineup as David Perron (personal) will be away from the team. The 22-year-old Grieg had been held off the scoresheet in two games this season, recording a -2 plus/minus while averaging 14:03 time-on-ice.
Strome did not practice on Monday due to an illness and his status for Tuesday's game against the San Jose Sharks is up in the air. The 31-year-old Strome, in his third season with the Ducks, has three points (2G / 1A), 14 shots, and a -2 plus/minus rating through five games.
Maroon did not play on Saturday due to a lower-body injury but should return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks. Maroon, in his his first season with the Blackhawks, the eighth stop of his 14-year career, is averaging 11:59 time-on-ice and has one point (0G / 1A) and 14 penalty minutes through 5 games.
Lindgren has not played yet this season due to an upper-body injury suffered during the preseason but could make his season debut on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 26-year-old was a cog on New York's back end last season, putting up three goals, 17 points and a +22 plus/minus in 76 games played.
Perron will likely miss at least the first game of a three-game road trip for the Ottawa Senators due to personal reasons. The 36-year-old veteran has had trouble establishing himself in his first season with the Senators, scoring zero points and recording a -4 plus/minus through five games of playing predominantly on the third line.
Steel played 13:36 time-on-ice in Dallas' first loss of the season on Thursday against the Washington Capitals, but suffered an undisclosed injury in the waning minutes of the third period, forcing him to miss Saturday's 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Through five games this season, Steel has two points (1G / 1A) while playing predominantly on the fourth line.
Seguin was off to a strong start to the 2024-25 season, scoring three points (2G / 1A) in his first three games, but has been sidelined with a lower-body injury in the three games since. Seguin's impending return will create an interesting lineup dilemma for a Stars coaching staff rostering a deep and talented forward group.
Dumba exited the Stars' second game of the season after playing only 6:02 time-on-ice and has been replaced by Brendan Smith in the lineup in the four games since. The 30-year-old Dumba signed a two-year contract worth $7.5 million ($3.75 AAV) with the Stars in the offseason to be paired next to Miro Heiskanen on the Stars' top defensive pair.
Texier has not played since the season opener for the Blues, missing five games due to an upper-body injury. In his only game of the season, Texier recorded one assist and two shots on goal in 13:03 time-on-ice.
Lafreniere is battling an upper-body injury, and his status for Tuesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens is up in the air. After struggling to live up to his first-overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the 23-year-old Lafreniere is making a name for himself in his fourth NHL campaign, opening the 2024-25 season by scoring six points (3G / 3A) during a season-opening five-game point streak.
