NHL Player News

LaCombe inked an eight-year, $72 million contract extension with Anaheim on Thursday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

LaCombe's new deal comes in at the same $9 million AAV as the recently signed Luke Hughes, which seems to be driving the market. It's a somewhat risky play for Anaheim, considering the 24-year-old LaCombe has just two NHL seasons under his belt, including the 2024-25 campaign in which he notched 14 goals and 29 helpers, along with nine power-play points.

Hedman (undisclosed) has been ruled out for Thursday's preseason game against the Panthers, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Hedman sustained an undisclosed injury during Friday's preseason game against Carolina, and he hasn't been seen on the ice since then. However, the Lightning hope that he'll be available for next Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Senators. The 34-year-old made 79 regular-season appearances last year, racking up 15 goals, 51 assists, 133 blocked shots, 39 hits and 30 PIM while averaging 23:05 of ice time.

Casey didn't skate Thursday due to a lower-body injury, signaling that he'll be unavailable for the Devils' preseason matchup against the Rangers, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.

Casey was hindered by a lower-body injury earlier in training camp, and the issue has apparently resurfaced a week before the start of the regular season. It's not yet clear whether his injury will prevent him from playing in Saturday's preseason finale against the Flyers.

St. Ivany suffered a lower-body injury that will sideline him for at least six weeks, the Penguins announced Thursday.

St. Ivany was unlikely to make the Penguins' Opening Night roster, with veteran Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba ahead of him on the depth chart -- not to mention youngster Harrison Brunicke. Once cleared to play, fantasy managers should expect St. Ivany to be reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

The Panthers released Livingstone from his professional tryout agreement Thursday.

Livingstone was unable to land a spot on Florida's Opening Night roster, but he'll report to AHL Charlotte for the start of the regular season. The 26-year-old will likely spend the bulk of the 2025-26 campaign in the minors.

The Panthers released Harpur from his professional tryout agreement Thursday.

Harpur inked a PTO with the Panthers on Sept. 10, but he was unable to land a spot on the team's Opening Night roster, even as the team deals with multiple injuries. The 30-year-old hasn't appeared in the NHL since the 2022-23 campaign, and he'll have to seek out other opportunities ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Head coach Travis Green said Thursday that he hopes Jensen (hip) will be able to suit up in Saturday's preseason finale against the Canadiens, Claire Hanna of TSN reports.

Although Jensen has already been ruled out for Thursday's preseason game against the Blues, he could have an opportunity to suit up to close out the preseason. The 35-year-old underwent offseason hip surgery that has forced him to miss the start of the preseason, but he resumed full participation in practice last week and seems to be trending in the right direction ahead of Opening Night.

Benoit (upper body) is on the roster for Thursday's preseason game against the Red Wings, signaling that he'll be able to return.

Benoit sustained an upper-body injury early in training camp, but he shed his non-contact jersey Wednesday and will return to game action a day later. Assuming he remains healthy ahead of Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against Montreal, Benoit will likely begin the year on the third pairing.

Kleven (undisclosed) isn't on the roster for Thursday's preseason game against the Blues, signaling that he'll be sidelined once again.

Kleven has dealt with an undisclosed injury for over a week, and he'll be held off the ice for the Senators' penultimate preseason game. It's not yet clear whether he'll be able to suit up in Saturday's preseason finale against the Canadiens, and his status for next Thursday's regular-season opener against the Lightning also hasn't yet been revealed.

The Penguins announced that St. Ivany (lower body) is still being evaluated for his injury and won't participate in Thursday's practice session.

St. Ivany exited Wednesday's preseason game against the Sabres due to a lower-body injury, and he's still hampered by the issue a day later. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available for Friday's preseason finale against Buffalo, but the 26-year-old seems like a long shot to make the Penguins' Opening Night roster, especially in the wake of his injury.