NHL Player News

Keller doesn't believe he's hit his peak and is looking to be more productive in 2026-27, according to Cole Bagley of KSL Sports on Wednesday.

Keller was fantastic last year, scoring 26 goals and 88 points in 82 regular-season outings with Utah. It was his fourth straight regular season with at least 25 goals and 75 points. It's hard to imagine the 28-year-old hitting another level, but he's certainly capable of repeating last year's success.

General manager Eric Tulsky announced Wednesday that Nikishin isn't currently under contract with the Hurricanes and won't be present for the start of camp Thursday.

Nikishin remains a restricted free agent on the eve of training camp, and it's unclear if he will be a member of the Hurricanes in 2026-27 following his offseason trade request. The 24-year-old made 81 regular-season appearances during his first year in the NHL last campaign. He recorded 11 goals, 22 assists, 132 hits, 94 blocked shots and 33 PIM while averaging 18:11 of ice time per game.

Danforth should be ready for the start of training camp after undergoing a minor procedure in his knee, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald reports Wednesday.

There were apparently some doubts originally about whether Danforth would be ready for the start of camp, but it seems he is good to go. In his four regular-season games with the Sabres last year, the 33-year-old winger failed to get on the scoresheet. Still, Danforth has been a 20-point producer in the past and could offer low-end fantasy value in deeper formats if he can rediscover that form.

Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said Wednesday that Larkin recently sustained an upper-body injury while training and won't be skating when camp begins, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Larkin's offseason has been headlined by his June trade request, but the Red Wings haven't yet found a trade partner, and he was expected to report to training camp despite being stripped of his captaincy. However, he'll miss at least some time to begin camp, and it's not yet clear when he could return to action.

Barzal is not expected to skate for two weeks after aggravating a previous knee injury, the team announced Wednesday.

Based on that timeline, Barzal faces an uphill battle to be in the lineup for Opening Night against the Maple Leafs, which is in exactly two weeks. While fantasy managers should expect the veteran forward to miss that Sept. 30 clash, it doesn't sound like he will be out of action long. Barzal played in 81 regular-season games in 2025-26, notching 19 goals and 53 assists, including 20 power-play points.

Fantilli is set to miss the start of training camp because he's unsigned, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic on Wednesday.

Fantilli is a restricted free agent after completing his entry-level contract. He notched 24 goals and 59 points in 82 regular-season appearances with the Blue Jackets in 2025-26. He might re-sign soon, but if he misses a significant chunk of training camp, it could be tougher for him to get into the swing of things for the start of the regular season.

Vejmelka said Wednesday that he's excited about the Mammoth's core for the 2026-27 season and feels "great energy" heading into camp.

Vejmelka made a career-high 64 regular-season appearances last year, going 38-20-3 with a 2.75 GAA and .896 save percentage. While his ratios regressed slightly from the 2024-25 campaign, Vejmelka's 38 wins represented a career-best mark. He should have plenty of opportunities to succeed once again in 2026-27 as the clear No. 1 netminder for a Utah team with ambitious expectations.

Miller is expected to provide even more leadership this year as captain of the Rangers, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.

It will be Miller's second season as the Rangers' captain. In 68 regular-season games last year, the veteran forward produced just 17 goals, missing the 30-goal threshold for the first time since the 2020-21 COVID-shortened campaign.

Head coach Marco Sturm said Wednesday that Hagens seized an opportunity to shine during rookie camp, Joe Haggerty of Boston Sports Journal reports.

Sturm said Hagens' participation in rookie camp gave the young forward a head start going into training camp. The 19-year-old Hagens worked hard to prepare for the likelihood of playing regularly in the NHL in 2026-27. Hagens made a pair of regular-season appearances with Boston last year, recording an assist, two PIM and a hit while averaging 14:33 of ice time per game. He spent most of 2025-26 at Boston College, where he recorded 23 goals, 24 assists and 24 PIM across 34 outings.

Lohrei and the blue line will be asked to provide more offensive production this season, Joe Haggerty of Boston Sports Journal reports Wednesday.

Lohrei produced seven goals and 19 assists in 73 regular-season games last year, with five power-play points, but he ended the year mired in a 17-game goalless streak, including the playoffs. If the 25-year-old defenseman can offer more with the man advantage, he should be capable of getting back over the 30-point threshold or even push for 40.