Jarnkork has been placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve due to a lower-body injury after he re-aggravated a training camp injury in last Thursday's preseason game. The 33-year-old was originally day-to-day with the injury but is now without a timetable to return. If he is forced to miss significant time it will be a massive loss for the Maple Leafs after he had 10 goals, 21 points, and a +16 plus/minus in 52 games played in 2023-24.
Hakanpaa was absent from a large portion of training camp but did begin practicing with his new club last week. The bruting 6'7 defenseman spent the last three seasons with the Dallas Stars but battled injuries last season, missing the entirety of the playoffs while playing only 64 regular season games.
Minten suffered a high-ankle sprain in early September, causing him to miss the entirety of training camp and the preseason. The 20-year-old Minten appeared in four games with the Maple Leafs in 2023-24 before being returned to junior, but failed to pick up a point during his brief showing.
Dewar was absent from training camp after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery and will begin the 2024-25 campaign on Injured Reserve. The 25-year-old Dewar was traded to the Maple Leafs from the Minnesota Wild ahead of last year's trade deadline and tallied five points (1G / 4A) in 17 games with his new club.
Aube-Kubel played only 5:45 time-on-ice before exiting Friday's season-opening 4-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Sabres in the offseason after a 2023-24 campaign with the Washington Capitals where he scored 16 points (6G / 10A) in 60 games.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Rangers open their season on October 9th against the Pittsburgh Penguins and expect that Panarin will be ready to suit up. Panarin battled a lower-body injury through a large portion of training camp. The 32-year-old Panarin is coming off a career-best season where he scored an astonishing 120 points (49G / 71A) in 82 contests. Panarin has played all 82 games in back-to-back seasons and is averaging an impressive 1.32 points per game in his five seasons with the Rangers.
Seeler is battling a lower-body injury and his status for the Flyers' season opener on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks is uncertain. The 31-year-old Seeler has spent the last three seasons with the Flyers, tallying 30 points (6G / 24A), 433 blocks, and 333 hits in 191 combined games.
