NHL Player News

Jones (foot) looked good on the ice in practice Thursday, Kacy Hintz of Local 10 Miami reports.

Jones suffered a broken foot late in the season after dealing with an upper-body injury sustained in the Winter Classic. The 31-year-old defenseman spent the offseason in Florida while rehabbing, and he looks set to resume his usual top-four role, as long as he can stay healthy. Expect Jones to be a factor in all situations for the Panthers, though it remains to be seen if he'll get the top power-play assignment over Aaron Ekblad.

Verhaeghe (lower body) is ready for the start of training camp, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports Thursday.

Verhaeghe had 25 goals and 55 points in 77 regular-season appearances with the Panthers in 2025-26. He skated alongside Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk during Thursday's line rushes. Head coach Paul Maurice did suggest that it would be one of Florida's lines "if we had to drop the puck tonight," but the Panthers will presumably continue to evaluate their options ahead of the season opener.

Gudas (ankle) was on the ice for the first day of training camp Thursday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Gudas was dealing with an injury late in 2025-26 while he was a member of the Ducks. That didn't stop the Panthers from signing him to a six-year, $9 million contract at the start of free agency. The 36-year-old defenseman has taken a lot of wear and tear with his physical playing style, but he will likely see less ice time in a third-pairing role this year.

Kulikov (finger) skated on a pairing with Radko Gudas on Thursday to open training camp, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Kulikov and Gudas would provide a physical shutdown pairing if they stick together for the 2026-27 campaign. The 35-year-old Kulikov was shut down early with a broken finger to end 2025-26, but he appears to have no lingering injury concerns to begin training camp. He'll likely fill a bottom-four role this year.

Bennett (lower body) told reporters Thursday that he feels mentally and physically fresh ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Bennett ended last season on the shelf, missing the last three games. He had battled a couple of injuries late in the campaign, but he was still productive with a career-high 58 points over 76 appearances. The 30-year-old is in good shape for 2026-27 and should continue to center the Panthers' second line.

Head coach Joel Quenneville said that Moore sustained an injury early in Thursday's practice session to begin training camp, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune reports.

The exact nature and severity of the injury are unclear, but Quenneville indicated that he'd provide an update on Moore's status Friday. The 24-year-old recorded four goals, eight assists, 80 blocked shots, 42 hits and 24 PIM while averaging 13:40 of ice time per game across 67 regular-season appearances in 2025-26.

The Panthers announced Thursday that Gadjovich (upper body) will be out indefinitely.

Gadjovich hasn't played since Oct. 25, 2025 due to his injury. He had three assists, seven PIM and 30 hits in 10 regular-season appearances last year. Gadjovich is expected to see time on the fourth line once he's available.

Duehr is dealing with a lower-body injury, but he is skating, per Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site on Thursday.

Duehr had 17 goals and 34 points in 62 regular-season appearances with AHL Manitoba in 2025-26. The 28-year-old has also scored 11 goals and 21 points across 95 career regular-season NHL games. Duehr is projected to start the upcoming campaign in the minors.

Keyser has suffered a long-term upper-body injury, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports Thursday.

Keyser's injury led the team to sign Ilya Samsonov ahead of training camp. Even without his long-term injury, Keyser was a near-lock to spend the bulk of the season in the minors with AHL San Jose.

Dumoulin (undisclosed) failed his physical and is undergoing further testing, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports Thursday.

Dumoulin had two goals, 17 points, 22 PIM, 36 hits and 89 blocks in 82 regular-season appearances with the Kings in 2025-26. He's played in at least 80 games in each of the past four regular seasons, but it remains to be seen if he'll be available for the start of 2026-27. If Dumoulin does start the campaign on the shelf, then Erik Gustafsson is likely to serve on the third pairing in his place.