NHL Player News

Ruhwedel (undisclosed) practiced in a red non-contact sweater Thursday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Ruhwedel went into the boards hard during Tuesday's preseason win over the Devils, and while it's not yet clear what injury he's dealing with, he was limited during Thursday's practice session. Whether his ailment will hinder his availability for Friday's preseason finale against the Islanders remains to be seen.

Ryan is away from the team due to an undisclosed injury, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports Thursday.

Ryan joined Carolina on a one-year, two-way deal in mid-July, but he's dealing with an injury ahead of the team's final two preseason games. Whether he'll be available for those matchups remains to be seen, but once he's healthy, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 31-year-old head to the minors.

Josi collected two assists in Wednesday's 6-4 preseason win over the Hurricanes.

The veteran blueliner helped set up Nashville's first and last goals of the night, feeding Juuso Parssinen in the first period and Jonathan Marchessault in the third. Josi tied his personal best last season with 23 goals and racked up 85 points, the second-highest total of his career, and at 34 years old he doesn't appear to be slowing down. The Predators' offseason acquisitions of Steven Stamkos and Marchessault should also boost the ceiling of the entire offense, including Josi.

Dermott scored a goal on four shots and went minus-2 in Wednesday's 6-2 preseason loss to the Kraken.

The Oilers brought a mostly veteran roster to Seattle, with Dermott getting another chance on his tryout. It's unclear if he's done enough to earn a full contract, but that decision is unlikely to be made until Evander Kane (hip/abdomen) is placed on long-term injured reserve. Dermott would likely fill a rotational role on the third pairing in competition with Josh Brown and/or Troy Stecher for playing time.

Evans recorded two assists, three shots on goal, two hits, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 6-2 preseason win over the Oilers.

Evans was in the lineup over Josh Mahura with the Kraken playing a lineup that looks very similar to what they're expected to roll out for Opening Night versus the Blues on Tuesday. The pair of helpers were Evans' first points in four preseason outings. While it looks like he's set to begin the year on the third pairing, he won't have an obvious path to power-play time -- Brandon Montour and Vince Dunn are expected to be the blueliners that see time with the man advantage.

Borgen scored a goal, added an assist, logged two hits and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 6-2 preseason win over the Oilers.

Borgen typically isn't a huge part of the offense -- he set a career high with 25 points last season. The 27-year-old helped out on a Brandon Tanev goal in the second period, and his teammate returned the favor late in the third. Borgen will likely begin 2024-25 on the third pairing with no power-play time, though he can be a help to fantasy managers playing in deep leagues that reward physical play.

Montour scored a goal on two shots, added an assist, blocked five shots and logged two PIM in Wednesday's 6-2 preseason win over the Oilers.

Montour's pair of points came in the second period, which included the game-winning goal. The 30-year-old defenseman looks to be settling in with his new team after signing a seven-year contract with the Kraken on July 1. Montour is expected to play in a top-four role and see significant power-play time, though he'll likely end up closer to his 33-point 2023-24 season than the 73-point campaign he produced in 2022-23.

Gudbranson (lower body) isn't expected to play in Thursday's preseason game against Pittsburgh, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Gudbranson didn't skate in Tuesday's practice session due to a minor lower-body injury, and he'll remain sidelined for a second consecutive preseason game Thursday. His final chance to play during the preseason will be in a rematch against the Penguins on Friday, but it's unclear whether he'll be able to suit up.

Kral (leg) is set to play in Thursday's preseason game against Columbus, the team announced Wednesday.

Kral missed some exhibition action after being injured Sept. 24 during a preseason game against Buffalo. He'll probably start the 2024-25 campaign in the minors, but there's a chance he'll get promoted during the season. He had five goals and 37 points in 46 appearances with the Pelicans in Finland's top league in 2023-24.

Mintyukov (lower body) will draw into the lineup for Wednesday's preseason game against Utah, per Eric Stephens of The Athletic.

Mintyukov had four goals, 28 points, 85 hits and 65 blocks in 63 contests with the Ducks in 2023-24. He's projected to open the upcoming campaign in a top-four role, but he might not see time with the man advantage.