NHL Player News

Melanson's upper-body injury was diagnosed Saturday as an anterior mediastinum hematoma with vascular pseudo aneurysm. He will continue to be evaluated and is out indefinitely.

The Kraken said that there would be a "gradual progression to return to hockey," so Melanson shouldn't be expected to play for a while. The 23-year-old suffered the injury in Seattle's Season Opener against Calgary on Oct. 1. Melanson had two goals and five points in 36 regular-season outings with the Kraken in 2025-26.

Sherwood (upper body) will play against Edmonton Saturday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Sherwood won't miss any game action because of his upper-body issue. He has one goal, five shots on net and 30 hits in four appearances this campaign.

Celebrini (lower body) is expected to play against Edmonton on Saturday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Following a two-game absence, Celebrini is poised to return to the lineup. He has registered five assists, nine shots on goal and three blocked shots in two outings this season. He will likely play on the first line and log time on the top power-play unit against the Oilers.

Merilainen is set to start on the road against the Devils on Saturday, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.

Merilainen has a 1-0-0 record, 1.62 GAA and .941 save percentage across three appearances this season. That's in stark contrast to Vancouver's other goaltender, Kevin Lankinen, who is 1-3-0 with a 7.06 GAA and a .786 save percentage in four outings. With that in mind, there might be an opportunity here for Merilainen to earn a bigger share of Vancouver's starts. New Jersey has gotten off to a slow start offensively, averaging just 2.00 goals through three games.

Kapanen (lower body) won't play against Detroit on Saturday, per Marco D'Amico of BPM Sports.

Kapanen remains day-to-day, but he will miss his fifth straight game to begin the 2026-27 campaign. He produced 22 goals, 37 points, 131 shots on net and 68 blocked shots in 82 games during the 2025-26 regular season.

Walman (upper body) will not play in Saturday's road matchup against the Sharks, per Max Miller of NHL.com.

Head coach Mike Babcock mentioned that he believes Walman's injury isn't too serious, which was revealed by Janson Duench of The Athletic to be an upper-body issue. In Walman's absence, Shakir Mukhamadullin will appear in the Oilers lineup Saturday. The 30-year-old Walman is off to a slow start offensively in the 2026-27 regular-season, where he has a minus-3 rating, five shots on net and seven blocked shots across four appearances. His next opportunity to get back on the right foot is Tuesday's road game against the Kings.

Ellis is expected to start at home against Utah on Saturday, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.

Ellis is set to make his second start of the campaign after stopping 18 of 20 shots en route to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Wild on Tuesday. He had an 8-4-2 record, 2.90 GAA and .903 save percentage in 16 regular-season appearances with the Sabres in 2025-26. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has gotten off to a rough start, and Alex Lyon (upper body) is on the shelf, so there might be an opportunity for Ellis to get extra work in the short term if he performs well.

Miner (undisclosed) was placed on waivers Saturday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Miner is ready to return to the crease after starting the 2026-27 campaign on the Avalanche's injured non-roster list. Assuming he clears waivers, he should be in the mix for starts with AHL Colorado.

Turcotte (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve by the Kings on Saturday.

Prior to the injury, Turcotte was off to a solid start to the 2026-27 campaign, where he had an assist, a plus-1 rating, four PIM, a shot on goal and four hits across three appearances. He had been operating as the Kings' second-line center alongside Alex Laferriere and Trevor Moore. With the move to injured reserve, Turcotte will be sidelined for at least a week, meaning his next chance to play will be Oct. 17 against the Bruins. In his absence, Samuel Helenius will likely be a regular name in the Kings' lineup.

Zuccarello (undisclosed) was put on injured reserve Saturday.

Zuccarello was declared week-to-week Friday, so moving him to IR is a logical next step to free a roster spot. The 39-year-old has an assist in three appearances with the Kings in 2026-27. Alex Turcotte (undisclosed) was also placed on injured reserve Saturday, and Los Angeles was already missing Kevin Fiala (lower leg), so the Kings' forward group is in a rough spot. Erik Haula and Trevor Moore might be among those who play a bigger role due to the Kings' injuries.