NHL Player News

Bjornfot was designated for waivers by Florida on Thursday, per PuckPedia.

Bjornfot was a waiver claim by the Panthers back in March, serving as an emergency depth option for the organization during its Stanley Cup run. Overall, the 23-year-old defenseman played in a meager four regular-season games last year for the Golden Knights, Kings and Panthers. At this point, assuming he clears waivers, Bjornfot could struggle for regular NHL minutes this year as well.

Megna was placed on waivers Thursday, per PuckPedia.

Megna recorded two assists, 22 PIM, 60 hits and 87 blocks across 44 regular-season contests with Chicago in 2023-24. It's not surprising that the 31-year-old appears to have not made the Panthers' Opening Night roster, but if he clears waivers, Florida might still promote him during the campaign as an injury replacement. The 31-year-old is a veteran of 185 career NHL outings, collecting four goals, 27 points and 73 PIM.

Blankenburg was waived by the Predators on Thursday, per PuckPedia.

Blankenburg played in 12 regular-season games for the Blue Jackets last year, notching one goal, 10 shots and 21 hits while averaging 16:13 of ice time. The 26-year-old blueliner figures to spend the majority of the upcoming season in the minors with AHL Milwaukee, though an injury or two could see him called up later in the year.

Tinordi was put on waivers Thursday, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

Tinordi had nine assists, 64 PIM, 170 hits and 94 blocks in 52 contests with Chicago in 2023-24. Although he's expected to start the season in the minors if he clears waivers, it wouldn't be surprising to see Tinordi among the first defensemen promoted by the Flames should Calgary run into injury troubles.

Koch was designated for waivers by Utah on Thursday.

Koch made his NHL debut last season, playing in one game for the Coyotes in which he generated one shot, four hits and 10 PIM. While Koch should be on the short list of potential call-ups this year, he will likely play the majority of his games in the minors. As such, Koch figures to be a relative non-factor from a fantasy perspective.

Fleury was placed on waivers Thursday.

Fleury will be sent to AHL Coachella Valley, should he pass through waivers. The 25-year-old defenseman was pointless in his only regular-season NHL game in 2023-24. Fleury had seven goals and 29 assists in 65 AHL games last season.

Middleton (bruise) will not play Friday in Chicago, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Middleton should be ready for Opening Night on Oct. 10 versus Columbus. He had seven goals and 18 assists in 80 regular-season games in 2023-24, setting career-highs in both categories. Look for a similar type season in 2024-25.

Lundmark was placed on waivers by Winnipeg on Thursday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Lundmark has yet to make his NHL debut, which could help him pass through waivers unclaimed and land with AHL Manitoba. Still, the 2019 second-round pick put together a strong camp while also offering some offensive upside after garnering 17 points in 67 minor-league games with the Moose last year.

Chabot (undisclosed) was on the ice Thursday and could play in at least one of the last two preseason games this weekend, according to Claire Hanna of TSN.

Chabot left Tuesday's tilt against the Canadiens early, but coach Travis Green said he wasn't overly concerned about the injury. Chabot had nine goals and 30 points in 51 regular-season games with the Senators in 2023-24 and should hit the 45-point mark this season, if he remains healthy.

Karlsson (upper body) will join the Penguins' non-game group in a non-contact jersey Thursday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.

At this point, Karlsson shouldn't be expected to play versus Columbus on Friday either, which means he will have missed the entirety of the preseason. In fact, the veteran blueliner could be in danger of missing regular-season action with the Penguins kicking off the 2024-25 campaign versus the Rangers on Wednesday. If Karlsson misses any time, Kris Letang will likely rejoin the top power-play unit.