NHL Player News

Washe was recalled from AHL San Diego on Wednesday.

Washe's promotion is likely in response to the news of Ryan Strome (upper body) being ruled out for the Ducks' first two games of the season. It's unclear if Washe will play while he's with the big club, but he'll provide some additional center depth.

Bolduc (lower body) is set to make his Canadiens debut Wednesday against Toronto.

Bolduc missed Saturday's exhibition game against Ottawa but appears to be available for Opening Night. The 22-year-old had 19 goals and 36 points in 72 regular-season outings with the Blues last year. Montreal acquired him over the summer in exchange for Logan Mailloux. Bolduc is projected to open the season on a line with Kirby Dach and Brendan Gallagher.

Eichel agreed to an eight-year, $108 million contract extension with the Golden Knights on Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

The Golden Knights made it a priority to extend Eichel ahead of the regular season, and the two sides ultimately came to an agreement hours before the team's Opening Night matchup against the Kings. Although Connor McDavid signed a short-term deal with the Oilers on Monday, Eichel maintained his interest in a long-term deal, and after Vegas signed Mitch Marner to an eight-year, $96 million deal during the offseason after acquiring him via trade, the Golden Knights have their core secure for nearly a decade. The 28-year-old made 77 regular-season appearances for the Golden Knights last year and recorded 28 goals and a career-high 94 points to go with 55 blocked shots and 22 hits while averaging 20:32 of ice time.

Dorofeyev (lower body) is available for Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against the Kings, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Dorofeyev was officially labeled a game-time decision for Wednesday's regular-season opener, but head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated Tuesday that he expected the 24-year-old to play. Dorofeyev led the Golden Knights with 35 goals last year, and he also racked up 17 assists, 37 blocked shots, 30 PIM and 28 hits while averaging 16:32 of ice time across 82 regular-season appearances. He'll serve in a middle-six capacity to begin the 2025-26 campaign and should see plenty of work with the man advantage once again this year after he averaged a career-high 2:10 of power-play ice time last season.

Strome (upper body) will miss Anaheim's first two games, the team announced Wednesday.

That rules Strome out for the Ducks' road clashes in Seattle on Thursday and San Jose on Saturday. The 32-year-old had 10 goals, 41 points and 70 PIM in 82 regular-season outings with Anaheim in 2024-25. Due to Strome's absence, Beckett Sennecke will likely make his NHL debut against the Kraken on Thursday in a top-six spot.

Head coach John Hynes said Wednesday that he expects Sturm (back) to miss significant time, Sarah McLellan of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Sturm missed most of training camp due to a back injury but was able to suit up in Friday's preseason finale against Chicago. However, he landed on injured reserve to begin the regular season and is apparently facing a lengthy early-season absence. It's not yet clear when he'll be in the mix to return to action, but he'll likely take on a bottom-six role once he's healthy.

Bjugstad (illness) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.

Bjugstad should be fine for the Blues' season opener against Minnesota on Thursday after missing Tuesday's practice. He had eight goals and 19 points in 66 regular-season outings with Utah in 2024-25. The 33-year-old will likely center the fourth line versus the Wild.

Ritchie (lower body) has resumed skating on his own, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports Wednesday.

Ritchie suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday's preseason game against the Flyers and is on the non-roster injured list to begin the regular season. He initially carried a return timetable of 1-2 weeks after sustaining his injury, and he'll likely report to AHL Bridgeport once he's healthy.

Lizotte scored an empty-net goal on four shots in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Rangers.

The Penguins were working on thin margins for most of the game, but Lizotte's goal stretched the lead to 3-0 just 20 seconds after Justin Brazeau potted an empty-netter. While it's a positive sign Lizotte started the year with a goal, he's unlikely to be a regular contributor on offense while in a fourth-line role. He had 11 goals and nine assists over 59 appearances in 2024-25, and that was with a career-high 21.6 shooting percentage, so expect a little regression this season. Lizotte could also be at risk of losing his place in the lineup altogether when Kevin Hayes (upper body) or Bryan Rust (lower body) return from injured reserve.

MacKinnon supplied two assists, two shots on goal, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Kings.

MacKinnon's first helper, on a Martin Necas goal in the second period, set a team record for the most points by any player since the Avalanche relocated from Quebec. MacKinnon also helped out on an Artturi Lehkonen goal later in the frame. The 30-year-old MacKinnon is up to 1,017 points in 871 regular-season appearances and continues to be one of the most effective players in the NHL. He has exceeded the 100-point mark in three straight seasons and is off to a great start for 2025-26.