Opening week has already put several NHL clubs into lineup repair mode. Edmonton will be without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins against Vancouver, while Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Utah are also managing significant absences before the regular season gets rolling.
- Edmonton Oilers: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been ruled out for Tuesday’s season opener against the Vancouver Canucks after suffering a lower-body injury late in Monday’s practice. He posted 17 goals and 27 assists in 63 games last season. Coach Mike Babcock said Edmonton will have to adjust its approach without the forward.
- Buffalo Sabres: Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson skated Tuesday and may rejoin practice Wednesday. He has been sidelined since blocking a shot in a Sept. 22 preseason game and was initially listed week to week with a lower-body injury. Defenseman Olen Zellweger remains day to day while in concussion protocol following a Sept. 22 injury. Forward Conor Timmins is on injured reserve with a lower-body issue and has no return timetable after playing Sept. 26.
- Utah Mammoth: Defenseman Maveric Lamoureux underwent surgery for a dislocated shoulder and is expected to miss four to six months. The 22-year-old had one assist in five NHL games for Utah last season and added five goals and 15 assists in 65 AHL games with Tucson. Arizona selected Lamoureux 29th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft.
- St. Louis Blues: Logan Mailloux is on injured reserve following Sunday surgery on his right hand and will miss at least eight weeks. He had been in line to open the season on the right side of a top defensive pairing. General manager Alexander Steen said Mailloux had a strong camp, the procedure went well and his focus now turns to rehabilitation. Defenseman Tyler Tucker also went on IR with a lower-body injury and is considered week to week.
- Vancouver Canucks: Jake DeBrusk missed Monday’s practice while being assessed for a lower-body injury, but coach Manny Malhotra expects him to be available Tuesday in Edmonton. DeBrusk was struck by a Brock Boeser shot during Saturday’s preseason game against the Seattle Kraken. He could skate on Vancouver’s first line with Elias Pettersson and Jonathan Lekkerimaki; Arshdeep Bains filled DeBrusk’s spot in practice.
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Bryan Rust was placed on injured reserve after sustaining an upper-body injury in Saturday’s preseason win over Buffalo. Coach Dan Muse called Rust an important part of the club and said the winger had an excellent camp. Pittsburgh also placed Justin Brazeau and Ben Kindel on IR with lower-body injuries, Blake Lizotte with an upper-body injury and Ryan Graves with a knee injury. Lizotte is day to day; Brazeau and Kindel are week to week; Graves has no timetable. General manager Kyle Dubas said Graves is dealing with continued trouble in the knee that was cleaned up surgically late last season, plus issues in his other knee.
What it means for the next puck drops
Edmonton opens at home against Vancouver on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET. The Oilers must replace Nugent-Hopkins, while the Canucks expect DeBrusk to be ready after his precautionary practice absence.
Buffalo begins its schedule Thursday at Columbus at 7 p.m. ET, with Samuelsson’s potential return to practice worth watching as the Sabres sort out their blue line.
Utah hosts the Chicago Blackhawks in its regular-season opener Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Lamoureux’s long-term absence removes a young right-shot defenseman from the organization’s depth chart.
Pittsburgh starts Wednesday in Philadelphia against the Flyers at 7:30 p.m. ET. Rust’s injury is the most immediate hole up front, and the Penguins will open with several injured-reserve placements already on the board.
