NHL Player News

Faber underwent a procedure to repair his fractured skull and is without a timetable to return, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Faber left Friday's preseason contest against the Stars in the second period with his confirmed skull fracture. The 24-year-old's status will be closely monitored in the coming days until a timetable for his return is provided. Faber's role is not one that can be easily filled, as he exploded for 15 goals, 51 points, 173 shots on net and 148 blocked shots across 80 regular-season games in the 2025-26 campaign. He's a worthy candidate to occupy the IR spot in fantasy until he's able to return to Minnesota's top defensive pairing.

Head coach Lindy Ruff stated that Samuelsson (lower body) could return to practice Wednesday, per Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report.

Samuelsson suffered his lower-body injury early in the preseason, but he appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery, given his initial timetable for return of week-to-week. The 26-year-old blueliner had a breakout season in 2025-26, where he posted 13 goals, 41 points, 109 shots on net, 132 hits and 154 blocked shots across 78 regular-season contests. While he might take a step back in the goal-scoring department in 2026-27, he remains a well-rounded defensemen that is a valuable player to have in category-based fantasy formats. If he can log full practice ahead of his eligible return date from IR, Samuelsson might only miss a handful of games to start the upcoming season.

Cormier (undisclosed) will begin the 2026-27 regular season on the injured non-roster list, per SinBin.vegas.

Cormier was a limited participant throughout the Golden Knights' training camp before he ultimately appeared on injured reserve Tuesday. The 24-year-old blueliner wore a red non-contact jersey when he did skate, and his placement on IR will keep him out of action for at least the next seven days. He was highly effective with AHL Henderson in 2025-26, where he compiled eight goals and 47 points across 49 regular-season games. He should be involved with the Silver Knights in a similar role once he's healthy this season.

Perbix, who was waived by the Predators on Sunday, is on the team's Opening Night roster.

Perbix went on unclaimed on the waiver wire, but rather than reporting to AHL Milwaukee, the right-shot blueliner will seemingly be with the Predators for their season opener at home against the Wild on Thursday. There are nine defensemen on Nashville's Opening Night roster, so Perbix will have to earn his ice time in the early going.

Iorio (lower body) landed on injured reserve Monday, according to PuckPedia.

Per Mollie Walker of the New York Post, Iorio skated Monday in a non-contact jersey, so his injury doesn't appear to be overly serious. The Rangers had to either waive Iorio or place him on IR on Monday in order to be compliant with the 23-man roster limit, but it's currently unclear how long Iorio will be sidelined for.

Moore (lower body) will begin the 2026-27 regular season on injured reserve.

Moore's move to injured reserve was expected, as the team announced that he was expected to miss 2-4 weeks in mid-September. The 24-year-old blueliner had a solid rookie campaign, where he posted four goals, 12 points, 66 shots on net, 42 hits and 80 blocked shots across 67 regular-season games in the 2025-26 season. With the Ducks losing multiple key defensemen over the past calendar year, Moore has the potential to see increased playing time once he's available to return. Tyson Hinds, Nick Jensen and Tristan Luneau will open the upcoming campaign as the team's right-handed defensemen in Moore's absence.

Kovacevic (knee) will begin the 2026-27 regular season on the injured non-roster list, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.

Kovacevic was a limited participant across the majority of New Jersey's training camp and didn't appear in a preseason game. The 29-year-old blueliner battled through injuries early in the 2025-26 regular season as well, where he posted eight points, 30 shots on net, 57 hits and 39 blocked shots across 34 games. When he's available to return, he'll likely begin the season as the team's sixth or seventh defenseman, as he and Declan Chisholm are the team's current candidates to claim the right-defenseman role on New Jersey's third pairing.

Casey (knee) was placed on non-roster injured reserve Monday, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.

Casey was hurt in Thursday's preseason game versus the Rangers, and head coach Sheldon Keefe said afterward that Casey will miss some time. There hasn't been further clarification on the extent of the defenseman's injury, so the length of his absence won't be known until the Devils provide another update on Casey's status.

Sandin (knee) will begin the 2026-27 regular season on the injured non-roster list.

Sandin continues to recover from the procedure he underwent in April to repair his torn ACL. Prior to injuring his right knee, the 26-year-old blueliner was a regular contributor for the Capitals, as he posted five goals, 29 assists, 90 shots on net, 88 hits and 127 blocked shots across 73 regular-season outings in 2025-26. Barring any major setbacks, his recovery will likely keep him out for the first one to four months of the upcoming season.

Englund (not injury related) was moved to the non-roster list Monday.

Englund has to resolve an immigration issue before being eligible to play for the Red Wings. Detroit claimed him off waivers from Calgary on Saturday.