NHL Player News

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

Bjugstad underwent surgery earlier in September to repair the torn left pectoral muscle he suffered while training in the offseason. The 34-year-old forward had a quiet 2025-26 campaign, where he posted six goals, nine points, 77 shots on net, 108 hits and 33 blocked shots across 61 regular-season games between St. Louis and New Jersey. He would've potentially had a similar role with New Jersey if he was healthy for Opening Night. His expected timeline for return is 4-6 months, which places him off the fantasy radar until the second half of the upcoming season.

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.

Miner cleared waivers and has been reassigned to AHL Colorado.

Miner will report to the Eagles once again in 2026-27 after he cleared waivers Monday. The 25 year-old backstop had a solid AHL season in 2025-26, compiling a 17-8-8 record, a 2.62 GAA and a .904 save percentage across 32 regular-season outings. He's the clear No. 3 backstop in Colorado's organization, making him the top name to watch if either Scott Wedgewood or Mackenzie Blackwood suffers an injury in the upcoming campaign. However, he's currently dealing with an injury of his own, making his status for AHL Colorado's season opener unknown at this time.

Merkulov (undisclosed) was put on non-roster injured reserve Monday.

It wasn't immediately clear when Merkulov was injured or how long he is expected to be on the shelf for. The 25-year-old will probably suit up for AHL Colorado once he's given the green light to appear in a game.

Makar (undisclosed) landed on non-roster injured reserve Monday.

Makar was reportedly hurt during Saturday's preseason finale against the Mammoth, per Hockey Mountain High. The severity of Makar's injury is unclear at this time, but he might report the AHL Colorado once he's deemed healthy enough to play in a game.

Gaudette (upper body) will begin the 2026-27 regular season on the injured non-roster list, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.

Gaudette was ruled day-to-day near the start of training camp and didn't log any preseason appearances. The 29-year-old forward was a solid role player for San Jose in 2025-26, where he posted 17 goals, 25 points, 96 shots on net, 53 hits and 33 blocked shots across 66 regular-season outings. When he's ready to return, Gaudette will likely slot somewhere in the team's bottom six or if there's no spot available for him, he could be optioned to AHL San Jose.

Barre-Boulet (undisclosed) will begin the 2026-27 regular season on injured reserve, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.

After the Sharks stated that Barre-Boulet was day-to-day for an undisclosed injury Wednesday, the issue has been deemed to warrant a stint on IR. The 29-year-old forward was efficient with AHL Colorado in 2025-26, where he posted 26 goals and 70 points across 70 regular-season games. While he's expected to play primarily with AHL San Jose in 2026-27, the six-year veteran could play a couple of stints at the NHL level if the team's center depth experiences any injuries.

L'Heureux (lower body) landed on injured reserve Monday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

L'Heureux can still be activated for Wednesday's season opener against the Kings, as his placement on injured reserve is retroactive to Sept. 21. Logan O'Connor (lower body) was also placed on injured reserve Monday, so if neither forward suits up Wednesday, the Avalanche will likely roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, per Rawal. L'Heureux will provide Colorado with some grit when he's in the lineup in 2026-27.

Keyser (upper body) was placed on non-roster injured reserve by the Sharks on Monday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The Sharks announced in mid-September that Keyser was facing a long-term absence due to an upper-body injury, so his placement on non-roster injured reserve isn't particularly surprising. Once he's cleared to return, the 27-year-old will likely report to AHL San Jose.

O'Connor (lower body) was put on injured reserve Monday, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

O'Connor's placement on IR is retroactive to Sept. 21, so he could still be activated prior to Colorado's season opener at home against the Kings on Wednesday. T.J. Hughes earned a roster spot out of training camp, so O'Connor might not be guaranteed to be an everyday player once he's ready to be inserted into the lineup. The 30-year-old O'Connor played in just 13 regular-season games in 2025-26, registering two assists while averaging 11:27 of ice time.