NHL Player News

Salomonsson (shoulder) won't play in Thursday's game against the Blackhawks, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Salomonsson has spent the first few weeks of the regular season recovering from shoulder surgery that he underwent in late April. He's believed to be ahead of schedule in his recovery and was targeting a return to game action by mid-October, but he'll miss another game Thursday. It's not yet clear when he'll get the green light to return, but it seems likely that he'll be in the mix to suit up sooner rather than later given his previous return timetable.

Walman (upper body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Mammoth, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports.

Walman continues to deal with an upper-body injury, and he'll be unavailable for a third consecutive game Thursday. It's not yet clear when he'll be able to return to game action, but his next opportunity to do so will be in a rematch against Utah on Saturday.

Byram (upper body) has been deemed day-to-day, indicating that he will miss Thursday's home clash against the Jets, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

It's unclear whether Byram picked up his upper-body injury in Tuesday's contest against the Penguins or in Wednesday's practice, but it will cost the blueliner his second game of the season Thursday. The 25-year-old Byram was just beginning to find his groove, as he picked up his first point of the season on Tuesday to go along with five shots on net, two hits and nine blocked shots across six games. His next chance to play will come Saturday against the Stars.

Dahlin (upper body) has been ruled out for Thursday's clash against the Maple Leafs and is considered to be questionable for Saturday's game in Montreal, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.

Head coach Lindy Ruff stated that Dahlin is a 50/50 to play in Saturday's clash, which ultimately rules him out for the Sabres' matchup on Thursday. The 26-year-old Dahlin is slated to miss his second consecutive game Thursday after compiling two goals, four points, 19 shots on net, eight hits and 14 blocked shots across six appearances to begin the 2026-27 campaign. If he's given the green light for Saturday, he'll likely return to the Sabres' top pairing, where he's been an elite fantasy option thus far.

Spurgeon (upper body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Blues and doesn't have a timetable to return, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.

Spurgeon will be sidelined for a second consecutive game due to his upper-body injury, and it's not yet clear when he'll be able to return to action. David Spacek will likely remain in the lineup during Spurgeon's absence.

Maatta (upper body) will not play in Thursday's home game against the Blues, per Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News.

Maatta was injured in the late stages of Minnesota's Frozen Frenzy game, which caused him to miss the final six minutes of the contest. Prior to going down with the injury, Maatta posted a strong start to the 2026-27 campaign with two assists, three shots on net and nine blocked shots across six outings. In his absence Thursday, Matt Kiersted will be elevated to play in Maatta's second line role. Further information will need to be provided regarding the veteran blueliner's timetable to return, but if the injury isn't too serious, he'll likely have a shot to appear in Sunday's matchup against the Blue Jackets.

Crotty (illness) will play in Thursday's game against the Islanders, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Crotty has missed the last week while on injured reserve due to an illness, but he participated in Thursday's morning skate and has been cleared to return to action against the Islanders. Across his two appearances to begin the regular season, Crotty has been held scoreless with a hit and a plus-1 rating while averaging 10:54 of ice time.

Sanderson (lower body) will not be available versus the Islanders on Thursday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Sanderson will be sidelined for his seventh consecutive game after being injured in the season opener versus the Leafs on Oct. 3. With the 24-year-old blueliner still shelved, Artem Zub (knee) and Cameron Crotty (illness) will suit up in Thursday's contest.

Zub (knee) will be in the lineup against the Islanders on Thursday, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Zub will make his season debut after having last played in an NHL game April 18 in a playoff clash with Toronto. In his 81 regular-season appearances last year, the Russian blueliner notched five goals and a career-high 25 assists, all scored without a power-play role.

Gudas (undisclosed) won't be an option versus Vancouver on Thursday, instead looking to Saturday's matchup with Seattle, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Gudas will miss his second straight game due to his undisclosed injury, but at least he has a target return date. With zero points through six games this year, the veteran defenseman is unlikely to be a waiver wire pickup in most leagues once given the all-clear.