NHL Player News

Namestnikov (undisclosed) was skating on the second line during Thursday's practice session on the first day of training camp, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Namestnikov was unavailable for the end of the 2025-26 campaign due to an undisclosed injury, but he appears to have returned to full health ahead of the 2026-27 season. The 33-year-old was limited to 60 regular-season appearances last year, and he recorded eight goals, six assists, 76 hits, 37 blocked shots and 28 PIM while averaging 13:47 of ice time.

Rasmussen (lower body) was skating on the second line during Thursday's practice session to begin training camp, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Rasmussen missed the end of the 2025-26 campaign due to a lower-body injury, but he appears to have moved past the issue during the offseason. It seems unlikely that he'll face limitations stemming from his previous injury leading up to Opening Night. Across 64 regular-season appearances last year, he recorded six goals, eight assists, 64 hits and 63 blocked shots while averaging 12:39 of ice time.

Glendening signed a professional tryout agreement with the Lightning on Wednesday.

Glendening played for the Lightning in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. In 70 regular-season appearances between New Jersey and Philadelphia last year, he recorded two goals, seven assists, 97 hits, 53 blocked shots and eight PIM while averaging 10:32 of ice time per game. Glendening hasn't had a significant offensive impact in recent years. Still, he could push for a roster spot since Yanni Gourde (hip) and Dominic James (hand) are expected to miss the start of the regular season.

Head coach Lindy Ruff indicated Wednesday that Kulich could step in for Jason Zucker (abdomen) early in the 2026-27 season, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports.

Zucker is slated to miss the start of the 2026-27 campaign while recovering from sports hernia surgery, which could lead to increased early-season opportunities for Kulich. The 22-year-old Kulich made 12 regular-season appearances for Buffalo last year and recorded three goals, two assists, 12 blocked shots, nine hits and four PIM while averaging 16:22 of ice time.

Head coach Lindy Ruff indicated Wednesday that he wants to begin training camp with Thompson working as the Sabres' No. 1 center, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports.

Thompson has spent time on the wing and in the middle, but the Sabres seem interested in seeing how the lineup would fare with him centering the top line. Thompson made a career-high 81 regular-season appearances last year. He racked up 40 goals, 41 assists, 85 hits, 48 blocked shots and 35 PIM while averaging 19:15 of ice time per game. Regardless of where he lines up in 2026-27, the 28-year-old should continue to have plenty of opportunities to contribute.

Poehling (upper body) isn't listed as injured on the Ducks' training camp roster.

Poehling sustained an upper-body injury in May during the Ducks' second-round playoff series against the Golden Knights, and there was no timetable to return when Anaheim was eliminated. However, he appears to have moved past the injury during the offseason and should be available for the start of training camp. Poehling appeared in 75 regular-season games during his first year in Anaheim in 2025-26, and he put together one of the best years of his career. He generated 11 goals, 25 assists, 86 blocked shots, 44 hits and 12 PIM while averaging 15:04 of ice time per game.

Smith has been in contact with the Sharks throughout the offseason and remains likely to sign an extension with the team at some point, Max Miller of NHL.com reports Wednesday.

Smith and the Sharks didn't strike a new deal before Tuesday's deadline for players to sign eight-year extensions. Still, the 21-year-old forward seems likely to reach an agreement before becoming a restricted free agent next summer. General manager Mike Grier hasn't signed a player to an extension longer than five years since assuming the role in San Jose, but Smith is a candidate to receive a long-term deal. Smith racked up 24 goals, 35 assists, 16 PIM, 16 hits and 12 blocked shots in 69 regular-season games last year.

Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said Wednesday that Larkin recently sustained an upper-body injury while training and won't be skating when camp begins, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Larkin's offseason has been headlined by his June trade request, but the Red Wings haven't yet found a trade partner, and he was expected to report to training camp despite being stripped of his captaincy. However, he'll miss at least some time to begin camp, and it's not yet clear when he could return to action.

Barzal is not expected to skate for two weeks after aggravating a previous knee injury, the team announced Wednesday.

Based on that timeline, Barzal faces an uphill battle to be in the lineup for Opening Night against the Maple Leafs, which is in exactly two weeks. While fantasy managers should expect the veteran forward to miss that Sept. 30 clash, it doesn't sound like he will be out of action long. Barzal played in 81 regular-season games in 2025-26, notching 19 goals and 53 assists, including 20 power-play points.

Fantilli is set to miss the start of training camp because he's unsigned, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic on Wednesday.

Fantilli is a restricted free agent after completing his entry-level contract. He notched 24 goals and 59 points in 82 regular-season appearances with the Blue Jackets in 2025-26. He might re-sign soon, but if he misses a significant chunk of training camp, it could be tougher for him to get into the swing of things for the start of the regular season.