NHL Player News

Samuelsson (undisclosed) was injured in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Blue Jackets, and he'll be evaluated further Wednesday, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.

Samuelsson was injured on a blocked shot in the second period. The 26-year-old defenseman's status should be updated prior to Thursday's preseason contest against the Red Wings, but expect the Sabres to be cautious with Samuelsson prior to the regular season.

Zellweger sustained a concussion in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Blue Jackets, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.

Zellweger will need to clear concussion protocol before he's able to get back into game action. The 23-year-old defenseman could now be at risk of missing the start of the season. If he ends up on injured reserve, Dennis Gilbert and/or Zach Metsa may begin the season with the Sabres.

Helleson (lower body) will be out for at least one week, but he could be available for the start of the regular season, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Helleson will miss the rest of the preseason after he logged only 9:08 of ice time in Sunday's 6-2 win over San Jose. He produced two goals, 15 points, 39 shots on net, 79 blocked shots and 63 hits in 60 appearances for the Ducks during the 2025-26 regular season.

Bear was put on waivers Tuesday, James Mirtle of The Athletic reports.

Bear generated four goals and 27 points in 40 appearances for AHL Bridgeport during the 2025-26 regular season. He will report to AHL Hamilton if he goes unclaimed.

Lagesson was put on waivers Tuesday, James Mirtle of The Athletic reports.

In the 2025-26 campaign with AHL Grand Rapids, Lagesson notched three goals and 21 points in 61 regular-season games before he added one assist in eight playoff appearances. He will report back to Detroit's top minor-league affiliate if he clears waivers.

Cholowski was placed on waivers Tuesday, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic.

Assuming he clears, Cholowski will report to AHL Hartford. He picked up two assists, 12 shots on goal and 17 blocked shots in 17 appearances for New Jersey during the 2025-26 regular season. He also chipped in five assists in 13 regular-season games for AHL Utica last campaign.

Vaakanainen was placed on waivers Tuesday, James Mirtle of The Athletic reports.

Vaakanainen contributed six assists, 23 shots on net and 26 blocked shots in 34 appearances for the Rangers during the 2025-26 regular season. Assuming he clears, he could begin the 2026-27 campaign with AHL Hartford.

Harley scored a goal, fired two shots on net and recorded three blocked shots in Monday's 2-1 preseason win over St. Louis.

Harley sparked the Stars' offense Monday, as he scored the first goal 15 minutes into the contest. The 25-year-old blueliner took a small step back offensively in 2025-26, where he posted six goals and 36 points across 70 regular-season outings, so his goal should help ease any early-season nerves. He did have a career year for blocked shots, deflecting 148 attempts, making him a strong choice to return to the Stars' top defensive pairing to start the 2026-27 campaign.

Makar (lower body) was a full participant in Tuesday's training camp session and could suit up for one of Colorado's upcoming preseason games, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

Makar was able to shed the non-contact jersey at Tuesday's practice, which is an encouraging sign for the superstar defenseman. The 27-year-old blueliner wasn't expected to miss any time to begin the regular season, so it appears as if his recovery is on schedule. Across 75 regular-season games in the 2025-26 campaign, he maintained strong numbers with 20 goals, 79 points, 199 shots on net, a plus-32 rating and 118 blocked shots. Head coach Jared Bednar mentioned that Makar is trending towards playing in one of the team's preseason games this weekend, meaning we could see the star blueliner as early as Friday against Winnipeg.

Byram scored three goals, including the OT winner, placed five shots on net and recorded two hits in Monday's 4-3 overtime preseason win against the Wild.

In his first official appearance since signing a six-year, $75 million contract with Chicago, Byram found favor with his new fanbase by scoring a hat trick. He found the back of the net in the second and third periods before placing the puck five hole past Minnesota's Calvin Pickard in overtime to secure the exhibition win. The 25-year-old blueliner is coming off a career year in 2025-26, where he posted 11 goals, 42 points, 109 shots on net, 50 hits and 93 blocked shots across 82 regular-season games. If Monday's showing was any indication of what's to come for the rising star, Byram may have found his new home in Chicago, where he'll likely lead the team's blueline at even strength and on the power play.