Appleton has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Senators and is considered week-to-week due to an undisclosed injury.
Appleton missed the end of the 2025-26 campaign due to an upper-body injury, and he's now facing a multi-game absence early in the 2026-27 regular season due to an unspecified issue. Across his first two appearances of the regular season, Appleton had been held without a point with six hits while averaging 9:51 of ice time.