NHL Player News

Hague (upper body) is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports Wednesday.

Hague sustained the injury during Sunday's preseason game. He had five goals, 12 points, 40 PIM, 82 hits and 74 blocks across 68 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. Hague's absence makes it more likely that Nick Blankenburg will start the regular season as a member of the third pairing, though Jordan Oesterle and Andreas Englund are presumably competing with Blankenburg for that spot.

Reid (upper body) rejoined the Predators for Wednesday's practice.

Reid hadn't been able to participate in the early stages of training camp due to the injury, but it seems that's now behind him. The 18-year-old is likely to start the upcoming campaign with OHL Kitchener after scoring 14 goals and 54 points across 67 regular-season appearances with that squad last year.

Benoit (upper body) hasn't resumed participating in training camp, but head coach Craig Berube doesn't believe Benoit's injury is serious, Luke Fox of Sportsnet reports Wednesday.

Although it's been five days since Benoit was on the ice with the Leafs, it makes sense to err heavily on the side of caution for even a minor injury during training camp. The 27-year-old had a goal, 10 points, 59 PIM, 204 hits and 111 blocks across 78 regular-season appearances with the Maple Leafs in 2024-25.

Aitcheson was reassigned to OHL Barrie on Wednesday.

Aitcheson's demotion before the start of the season does come as a bit of a surprise, considering the team could have given him a handful of games in the NHL before shipping him off to the OHL. Last season, the 19-year-old blueliner notched 26 goals and 33 helpers in 64 regular-season games with the Colts, numbers he should be capable of exceeding this year. Look for Aitcheson to make the Opening Night roster ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Mateychuk (groin) will miss Wednesday's preseason clash with Pittsburgh, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Mateychuk is poised to make the Jackets' roster out of training camp, but will need to get back to 100 percent before Opening Night to avoid splitting his time this year between the AHL and NHL. When he was up with Columbus last year, the 21-year-old blueliner registered four goals, nine helpers and 44 shots while averaging 18:02 of ice time in 45 contests.

Klingberg (upper body) missed Tuesday's practice and is day-to-day, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Klingberg sustained an upper-body injury in Sunday's 3-0 preseason win over Vegas. The 33-year-old defender is doubtful for Friday's exhibition rematch against the Golden Knights. He signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Sharks in the summer after earning one goal, three assists, 19 shots on net and 13 blocked shots across 11 regular-season appearances with Edmonton in 2024-25.

Lindgren is day-to-day with an eye injury, but head coach Lane Lambert expects the defenseman to be back with the team "in the near future," per Alison Lukan of the Kraken Hockey Network on Tuesday.

Lindgren took a puck to the face in Sunday's scrimmage, and his eye swelled up as a result. The 27-year-old skated on his own Tuesday and is making progress with his recovery, so he shouldn't be in danger of missing too much time. The Kraken signed Lindgren to a four-year, $18 million deal in free agency.

Hanifin (undisclosed) will play in Tuesday's exhibition game versus the Kings, according to Hannah Kirkell of Vegas Hockey Now.

Hanifin is good to go after skipping Friday's practice for precautionary reasons. He accounted for 10 goals, 39 points, 145 shots on net and 106 blocked shots across 80 regular-season outings in 2024-25.

Lauzon (undisclosed) won't play in Tuesday's preseason matchup against the Kings, per Hannah Kirkell of Vegas Hockey Now.

Lauzon will get some additional time to rest after leaving Friday's practice as a precaution. He had one assist, 25 shots on goal, 34 blocked shots and 127 hits in 28 regular-season appearances with Nashville last campaign. The Predators dealt the 28-year-old defender to the Golden Knights in the offseason.

Burns (undisclosed) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice, per Brennan Vogt of Hockey Mountain High.

After tweaking something, Burns didn't take part in Saturday's practice and wasn't an option for either of Colorado's preseason games against Utah on Sunday. However, he has put the minor issue behind him. Burns signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Avalanche in the summer after earning six goals and 29 points in 82 regular-season outings for Carolina in 2024-25.