Avalanche's Zachary L'Heureux: Set to miss start of season
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L'Heureux (lower body) won't be available for the start of the 2026-27 campaign, per Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now on Tuesday.
L'Heureux is currently on injured reserve, and it's unclear when he will be ready to return. He has been ruled out for at least Wednesday's matchup against the Kings. With Logan O'Connor (lower body) also unavailable, the Avalanche will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their season opener.
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Avalanche's Zachary L'Heureux: Goes on IR
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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.
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Avalanche's Zachary L'Heureux: Considered day-to-day
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L'Heureux (lower body) is day-to-day and didn't participate in Sunday's practice, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.
L'Heureux left the ice before Sunday's session after speaking with Colorado's head trainer. It's unclear if the 23-year-old L'Heureux will be ready for Wednesday's season opener against the Kings.
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Avalanche's Zachary L'Heureux: Involved in trade
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L'Heureux was traded along with Fedor Svechkov to Colorado from Nashville on Wednesday in exchange for Jack Drury, Chase Bradley and a 2029 third-round pick.
L'Heureux had four goals, five points, 21 PIM and 64 hits in 25 regular-season appearances with Nashville in 2025-26. The 23-year-old also had 14 goals, 28 points and 65 PIM in 30 regular-season outings with AHL Milwaukee. Although his physical play gives him the potential to be a great source of PIM and hits, L'Heureux might have to compete for a regular role in Colorado's bottom six.
L'Heureux scored a goal on two shots, added four hits and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-4 shootout win over the Kings.
L'Heureux saw a season-high 16:55 of ice time in a top-line twirl. The 22-year-old has mostly played in the bottom six this season, but he's worth keeping an eye on as long as he's skating with Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos. L'Heureux is up to three goals, 22 shots on net, 50 hits, 21 PIM and a plus-3 rating across 18 NHL appearances this year.
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Predators' Zachary L'Heureux: Scores in loss
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L'Heureux scored a goal in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Canadiens.
The 22-year-old has played regularly in March, but this was just his second goal of the season, and his playing time as a bottom-six forward has also been inconsistent. He has 16 shots on net, 11 blocked shots and 45 hits across 16 NHL appearances this campaign.
L'Heureux signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract extension with the Predators on Wednesday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.
L'Heureux has split time between Nashville and AHL Milwaukee this season, recording 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists) in 28 AHL games while appearing in 10 contests at the NHL level. Selected by Nashville in the first round (27th overall) of the 2021 Draft, the 22-year-old winger produced five goals and 15 points across 62 appearances during his rookie campaign in 2024-25. L'Heureux profiles as a physical bottom-six forward with the ability to chip in offensively, but he'll need to improve his scoring consistency to lock down a full-time NHL role.
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Predators' Zachary L'Heureux: Assigned to AHL
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L'Heureux (lower body) was loaned to AHL Milwaukee on Saturday.
L'Heureux didn't see any playing time with the Predators following his recall from the minors in early November because of a lower-body injury. The 22-year-old forward should see game action in the AHL now that he's healthy.
L'Heureux suffered a lower-body injury and is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks, the team announced Saturday.
L'Heureux was summoned from AHL Milwaukee on Tuesday to provide the team with forward depth due to the absence of Cole Smith (upper body). L'Heureux didn't end up dressing in a game for the Predators before sustaining this injury. Nashville will probably recall another player from the minors to serve as the team's new 13th forward.
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Predators' Zachary L'Heureux: Elevated from AHL
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L'Heureux was recalled from AHL Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Cole Smith (upper body) will be out for multiple weeks, so L'Heureux is poised to provide depth up front with the big club for the time being. The 2021 first-round pick (No. 27 overall) has contributed four goals and six points over seven appearances with the Admirals this campaign. L'Heureux also had five goals and 15 points over 62 outings with the Predators in 2024-25, so he doesn't lack experience at the NHL level.
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Predators' Zachary L'Heureux: Goal, assist in AHL win
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L'Heureux scored a goal on five shots and added an assist in AHL Milwaukee's 5-3 win over Texas on Saturday.
L'Heureux missed out on the Predators' Opening Night roster after producing 15 points in 62 regular-season appearances in the NHL last season. While the 22-year-old is starting in the AHL this year, he could have his name called in the likely event Brady Martin is sent back to junior hockey in the near future. L'Heureux will be competing with Joakim Kemell, Matthew Wood and David Edstrom as the forwards most likely to get a call-up during 2025-26.
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Predators' Zachary L'Heureux: Nets lone goal in loss
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L'Heureux scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Flyers.
L'Heureux got the Predators on the board at 13:14 of the second period, but Jamie Drysdale gave the Flyers the lead just 34 seconds later. The goal was L'Heureux's first point in nine outings since he returned from an upper-body injury. He's playing in a bottom-six role, so his offense could remain limited. Overall, he has five goals, 14 points, 70 shots on net, 167 hits and 59 PIM across 54 appearances.
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Predators' Zachary L'Heureux: Activated from IR
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L'Heureux (upper body) was activated from injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.
L'Heureux appears available to return from a 12-game absence and could play against the Kings on Saturday. He has compiled four goals, 13 points, 56 shots on net, 143 hits and 52 PIM through 45 appearances this season.
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Predators' Zachary L'Heureux: Not playing Saturday
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L'Heureux (upper body) won't play Saturday versus the Sabres.
L'Heureux is day-to-day after being hurt Friday against the Blackhawks, and it appears the Predators won't push him with a two-week break on the horizon. Ozzy Wiesblatt was recalled from AHL Milwaukee and will likely fill in as a bottom-six forward. L'Heureux's next chance to play is Feb. 22 versus the Avalanche.
L'Heureux is considered day-to-day after sustaining an upper-body injury in Friday's game versus the Blackhawks, Nick Kieser of 102.5 ESPN Nashville reports.
L'Heureux was limited to 6:52 of ice time in the contest. The Predators are already running a bit thin on healthy bodies -- Luke Evangelista (lower body) and Adam Wilsby (upper body) were out Friday, and Mark Jankowski (upper body) is considered week-to-week. If L'Heureux can't play Saturday versus the Sabres, the Predators may need to make another roster move for a forward.
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Predators' Zachary L'Heureux: Registers pair of assists
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L'Heureux notched two assists, four shots on goal, two hits and five PIM in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Sharks.
The Predators quickly took a 3-0 lead in the first period, and the Sharks didn't like that. L'Heureux participated in one of three fights right after the third goal. The winger has three helpers over his last two contests, and his second assist Thursday was his first career power-play point. The 21-year-old is up to 12 points, 49 shots on net, 42 PIM, 121 hits and a minus-6 rating over 39 appearances in a middle-six role.
L'Heureux has been issued a three-game suspension Thursday for slew-footing Jared Spurgeon on Tuesday, Sportsnet's John Shannon reports.
This is L'Heureux's 12th suspension, though it's the first of his NHL career. The 21-year-old previously received nine suspensions during his time in the QMJHL and two in the AHL. L'Heureux has four goals, nine points, 32 PIM and 106 hits in 33 appearances with the Predators this season. Ozzy Wiesblatt, who was recalled from AHL Milwaukee on Thursday, will likely make his NHL debut Friday versus Vancouver because L'Heureux is unavailable.
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Predators' Zachary L'Heureux: Set to suit up against Philadelphia
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L'Heureux (upper body) will be available for Wednesday's game against Philadelphia, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports.
L'Heureux exited Monday's 5-2 loss to the Devils after taking a cross-check to the face, but he'll be able to suit up a few days later while wearing a bubble. Over 17 appearances this season, the 21-year-old has tallied two goals, three assists and 50 hits while averaging 10:16 of ice time.
L'Heureux posted an assist and two hits in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Oilers.
He snapped a five-game point drought with the helper on a Cole Smith goal in the third period. L'Heureux is up to three assists, 11 shots on net, 35 hits, six PIM and a minus-1 rating over 12 contests while filling a fourth-line role. The 21-year-old winger's gritty style has been a fine fit for the bottom six, and he's doing enough to keep Mark Jankowski in the press box for now.
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Predators' Zachary L'Heureux: Pockets helper
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L'Heureux notched an assist in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.
L'Heureux had the secondary helper on Colton Sissons' go-ahead goal in the second period. This was the second assist in six games for L'Heureux this season. The 21-year-old has added three shots on net, 19 hits, two PIM and a plus-1 rating. He's seeing fourth-line minutes in his first taste of NHL action, but he could earn a look in the middle six later in the campaign if he puts up decent scoring numbers. If he gets hot, he could also be a streaming option in fantasy formats that reward hits.
