NHL Player News

Walker (shoulder) appears to be healthy for the start of training camp based on his participation in Thursday's practice, per Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.

Walker missed Carolina's final three playoff games last year because of the injury. He finished the 2024-25 regular season with five goals, 16 points, 46 PIM, 91 hits and 90 blocks across 82 regular-season appearances with the Hurricanes. He will likely start the 2025-26 campaign on the second or third pairing.

Chatfield (hip) was on the ice for Thursday's opening practice of training camp, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Chatfield had no limitations after being bothered by a hip injury in the playoffs. He was in a regular jersey while the Hurricanes had K'Andre Miller (upper body) in a non-contact jersey. Chatfield is more of a shutdown defenseman, though he picked up 18 points in 79 regular-season games last year while averaging a career-best 18:53 of ice time, so he looks ticketed for a top-four role.

Jiricek (spleen) skated alongside Jack Johnson in Thursday's practice, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Jiricek sustained a lacerated spleen near the end of March, cutting his 2024-25 campaign short. The 21-year-old defenseman will compete for a regular role to begin 2025-26, and he could benefit early on since Jonas Brodin (upper body) is expected to miss the start of the season. Jiricek will likely have to settle for third-pairing minutes initially.

Hughes isn't with the Devils for the start of training camp because he's still a restricted free agent, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports Thursday.

Hughes is looking for his first big payday after completing his three-year, entry-level deal. He recorded 47 and 44 points during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 regular seasons, respectively. As long as his contract dispute is settled in time for the start of the regular season, Hughes is expected to open the campaign on New Jersey's top four and receive significant power-play ice time.

Joseph (upper body) participated in Thursday's practice, according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic, indicating that he's healthy for the beginning of training camp.

Joseph didn't play past March 1 due to the injury. He finished 2024-25 with three assists across 47 regular-season appearances between St. Louis and Pittsburgh. The Penguins decided against presenting him with a qualifying offer over the summer, which led to him inking a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Canucks. He should be in the mix for a spot on Vancouver's third pairing, but he's far from a safe bet to earn that assignment.

Wilsby (upper body) practiced with the Predators on Thursday, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site, which suggests that he's over his injury from the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Wilsby didn't play past Feb. 3 last year and ended the season on injured reserve. He had a goal, five points, 18 hits and 17 blocks in 23 outings with Nashville in 2024-25. He'll be in a mix to earn a spot on the Predators' third pairing for Opening Night.

Myers (undisclosed) took part in Thursday's practice, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic, which indicates that he's healthy for the start of training camp.

Myers missed the final seven games of the Canucks' 2024-25 campaign due to the injury. He had six goals, 24 points, 74 PIM, 87 hits and 125 blocks across 71 appearances in 2024-25. Myers is likely to serve in a top-four role this year, but he probably won't see much ice time with the man advantage.

Forbort (orbital) participated in Thursday's practice session to begin training camp, signaling that he seems to have put his injury concerns behind him, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports.

Forbort missed the final two games of the 2024-25 regular season due to a broken orbital bone, but it wasn't very surprising to see him back on the ice to begin training camp. Over 54 regular-season appearances last year, he recorded two goals, nine assists, 77 blocked shots, 65 hits and 45 PIM while averaging 17:06 of ice time.

Kovacevic (knee) was deemed out indefinitely by the team Thursday.

Kovacevic was not expected to be back in time for Opening Night after undergoing offseason knee surgery. Still, it seems like the 28-year-old blueliner will be out even longer based on this update. With Kovacevic out of action, Simon Nemec could get more opportunities to feature in the early months of the season.

Dillon (neck) participated in Thursday's practice session, indicating that he appears to be healthy ahead of the 2025-26 season, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Dillon dealt with a neck injury during last year's playoffs that forced him to miss the final four games of the Devils' first-round series, but he appears to have moved past the issue during the offseason. The 34-year-old appeared in all 82 regular-season games last year and logged two goals, 14 assists, 191 hits, 108 blocked shots and 67 PIM while averaging 18:35 of ice time.