NHL Player News

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.

Sykora (lower body) will begin the 2026-27 regular season on injured reserve, per the NHL Media Site.

Sykora's move to injured reserve was expected, as the Rangers had already announced that he would miss roughly 4-5 months. The 22-year-old winger's absence is a tough loss for New York, who saw him post three goals, four points, 15 shots on net, 20 hits and 10 blocked shots across 11 regular-season outings in his rookie campaign. While he's not expected to return until the second half of the upcoming campaign, Sykora could play a meaningful role for the Rangers once he's healthy.

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.

Terry (hip) shifted to non-roster injured reserve Monday.

Terry is slated to miss a large chunk of the season, as it was announced Sept. 19 that the 29-year-old is expected to be out for another 2-3 months. The 2015 fifth-round selection played through his hip issue in the 2026 postseason and ultimately underwent surgery in June. Fantasy managers can now afford stash Terry on injured reserve rather than using an active roster spot on the forward.

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.

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.