NHL Player News

Helleson was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.

Helleson should be expected to miss at least the next two games, though it certainly could be longer. In 60 regular-season tilts last year, the 25-year-old blueliner notched two goals and 13 assists. If he can avoid an extended stint on the shelf, Helleson could reach the 20-point threshold for the first time in his career.

Zellweger (concussion) will miss Thursday's game in Columbus, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

Zellweger hasn't been ruled out for Saturday's tilt against Chicago, though. The 23-year-old defenseman had seven goals and 22 points in 76 regular-season outings with Anaheim in 2025-26. Zellweger might be part of Buffalo's third pairing once he's healthy.

Provorov (lower body) hasn't been on the ice for three straight days, Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch reports Wednesday.

Provorov hasn't been ruled out for Columbus' season opener against Buffalo on Thursday, but he's now missed enough morning skates for it to be concerning. The 29-year-old defenseman had nine goals and 31 points in 82 regular-season appearances with Columbus in 2025-26. If Provorov can't play Thursday, then Emil Andrae will probably draw into the lineup.

Sanderson (undisclosed) wasn't on the ice for Wednesday's practice, per Julian McKenzie of The Athletic.

Sanderson left Saturday's preseason game against Montreal due to the injury. Although the significance of his injury has been downplayed, Sanderson hasn't practiced since, and the earliest he could potentially skate with his teammates is Friday. At this point, his status for Ottawa's season opener in Toronto on Saturday is unclear.

Edvinsson, who is a restricted free agent, has returned to Sweden to resume his training, per Andreas III Johnsson of Goteborgs-Posten on Wednesday.

Edvinsson decided to attend the Red Wings' training camp, which was an unusual step for a restricted free agent. However, the two sides have been unable to agree to terms, so he remains unsigned. Given that Edvinsson opted to head to Sweden rather than stay in Detroit, it wouldn't be surprising if it turned out that the 23-year-old defenseman isn't optimistic about signing a deal in the coming days.

McNabb logged two assists and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Multi-point efforts won't be a regular thing for McNabb, but he can chip in some offense in a top-four role. His biggest source of fantasy value comes from blocked shots, especially if new head coach Ryan Craig doesn't make too many changes to Vegas' defensive style. McNabb was held to 12 points with 110 hits and 142 blocked shots over 63 regular-season appearances last year, but he had reached the 20-point mark in the previous two campaigns. Keep him in mind in deeper fantasy formats as well as banger leagues.

Theodore logged two assists, including one on the power play, and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Theodore helped out on first-period tallies by Victor Olofsson and Trevor Connelly. The 31-year-old Theodore getting a spot on the top power-play unit is a positive sign after he averaged just 1:23 per game with the man advantage in the 2025-26 regular season, leading to just five power-play points. He should be on the first unit as long as Vegas stays away from five-forward configurations for that group. Theodore has rebound potential, though he also carries injury risk, having missed at least 12 games in each of the last four years.

Hanifin scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Hanifin was on the third pairing for this contest, logging 18:51 of ice time. He hasn't averaged less than 20 minutes per game since 2017-18 with the Hurricanes, so his usage is worth monitoring. The Golden Knights also have five left-shot defensemen on the roster, which led to Hanifin playing his off side Tuesday. He was held to just 28 points in 71 regular-season outings last year. The 29-year-old also appears to be behind Shea Theodore and Rasmus Andersson for power-play time, which could further limit Hanifin's offense.

Bouchard had a hat trick, two assists, six shots on goal, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Canucks.

Bouchard is the first defenseman in NHL history to put up five points in a season opener. It took Bouchard seven games to get on the scoresheet in 2025-26 but even with the slow start, the 26-year-old blueliner still finished last year with a career-high 95 points in the regular season. If the Oilers continue to play in high-scoring games, Bouchard is likely to be heavily involved. He's an elite fantasy defenseman and should be in the lineup whenever Edmonton's on the schedule.

Hronek logged a pair of assists, including one on the power play, and added two shots on net, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Oilers.

Hronek is off to a strong start as the Canucks' clear-cut top blueliner. The 28-year-old led the team with 25:08 of ice time and will likely continue to see heavy usage in all situations. He's coming off a career year of 49 points in 82 outings in 2025-26. There are few Canucks worth rostering in fantasy right out of the gate, but Hronek is one of them for managers who aren't concerned about plus-minus rating.