Roman Josi Out Week-To-Week
The Predators will be without their captain and top defenseman for a little while. Team reporter Brooks Bratten relays (Twitter link) that Roman Josi is listed as out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. He further clarified that this is not related to his diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome earlier this year.
The 35-year-old was off to a solid start to his season before the injury. Josi has played in eight games so far, picking up a goal and four assists while averaging over 24 minutes a night. As usual, he has played a big role on both special teams units while posting the best possession numbers of any regular Predators blueliner. He was injured in their last game on Thursday and while he returned to the game after missing part of the second period, clearly, the injury was more significant than originally thought.
Nashville has gotten off to an okay start to their season, picking up eight points in as many games as they look to rebound from a disastrous showing in 2024-25 when expectations were high following a summer spending spree. However, staying afloat in the tough Central Division will get a lot tougher without their top rearguard in the lineup.
However, it’s not all bad news on the back end for the Preds. Team broadcaster Max Herz notes (Twitter link) that defenseman Nicolas Hague appears to be set to be activated off injured reserve and make his team debut. Nashville acquired the blueliner from Vegas this summer, quickly signing him to a four-year, $22MM contract after that. He’s projected to play alongside Adam Wilsby on Nashville’s top pairing, subbing in where Josi typically lines up.
Kraken Place Jared McCann On IR; Brandon Montour Returns To Team
The Kraken appear to be set to welcome back a key blueliner to their lineup tonight against Edmonton. The team announced (Twitter link) that Brandon Montour has returned to the team after stepping away last weekend on a leave of absence to attend to a family matter; Montour revealed soon after that his brother passed away following a battle with ALS. To make room for him on the roster, forward Jared McCann has been placed on injured reserve.
Montour had gotten off to a strong start before his leave, notching four assists in his first four games of the season while logging nearly 23 minutes a night of playing time. That usage was in line with how he was deployed in 2024-25 in his first season in Seattle, one that saw him record 18 goals and 23 assists in 81 appearances while averaging 22:59 per night. That was a particularly strong showing in the first season of a seven-year, $50MM contract signed last summer.
The Kraken only had six blueliners on their active roster which is why it made sense for McCann to be the corresponding move instead of another defender. With Montour returning, Cale Fleury will likely lose his spot in the lineup.
As for McCann, he has missed the last week with a lower-body injury. Assuming that Seattle has back-dated that placement, he’ll be eligible to be activated at any time. He had also gotten off to a strong start to the season before the injury, picking up three goals and an assist in his first outings, producing at largely the same rate he has offensively over the past several seasons.
Patrik Laine Out Three To Four Months
A tough start to the season for Canadiens winger Patrik Laine just got even tougher. The team announced that he has undergone surgery to repair a core muscle injury. As a result, he will miss the next three to four months.
This is Laine’s second season with Montreal after he was acquired from Columbus in the 2024 offseason. It’s also now the second straight season that he has sustained a significant injury early on. Last season, a preseason knee injury cost him a couple of months of action and this one could keep him out for twice as long.
While Laine got through training camp healthy this time, it didn’t take long for him to drop down the depth chart. While he started the year on Montreal’s second line, he was down to fourth-line minutes at five-on-five within a couple of weeks. As a result, he was limited to just one assist through five games while averaging just 12:36 per night, a career low in that regard. He didn’t accompany the team on their four-game Western road trip while getting a second opinion on his injury; clearly, that second opinion concurred with the first with him undergoing surgery soon after.
Last season, Laine made an immediate impact when he returned to the lineup, tallying 15 power play goals. In doing so, he was among the league leaders in that regard despite missing 29 games while he helped Montreal’s power play get closer to the middle of the pack. However, his playing time and effectiveness waned down the stretch and into the playoffs where he was injured partway through their series against Washington.
This is a contract year for Laine, who carries a cap charge of $8.7MM, tops among Canadiens forwards. It’s fair to say his hopes of a big payday next summer have taken another hit as he’ll now miss more than half the season; that, coupled with his struggles at full strength, don’t bode well for him on the open market. That said, because he should wind up missing 100 days because of this injury and has more than 400 career NHL appearances, Laine should be eligible for a one-year contract with performance incentives next summer. That might be the best route to go for him, one that would allow him to maximize his compensation should he stay healthy while providing the signing team – be it Montreal or someone else in free agency – with less risk in signing him.
For Montreal, since they have over $4MM in cap space at the moment per PuckPedia, an LTIR placement wouldn’t make any sense for them. Since Laine is expected to return this season, the maximum amount of LTIR space they could amass is $3.82MM, not his full cap charge so, barring a rash of further injuries, don’t expect him to be moved to LTIR. As of yet, the Canadiens haven’t moved him to regular injured reserve although that is merely a formality for whenever they need to open up a roster spot.
Caleb Jones To Miss Eight Weeks
After spending most of last season in the minors, Caleb Jones was off to a nice start to his season with Pittsburgh, playing largely a regular role on their third pairing. However, that early momentum will be on hold for a while as the team announced (Twitter link) that Jones has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup for roughly eight weeks. He suffered the injury in the third period of Thursday’s victory over Florida.
The 28-year-old is in his first season with the Penguins after signing a two-year, $1.8MM contract with them in free agency, securing a one-way commitment despite his limited NHL action the year before. Jones has suited up in seven of eight games so far this season, picking up an assist along with 15 blocked shots and 10 hits in a little over 17 minutes a night of playing time.
Jones has 255 career NHL appearances under his belt over parts of eight seasons with five different organizations. When he has been in the lineup, it has typically been in the role he had with Pittsburgh to start the year, spending time on their third pairing with a bit of penalty killing action when needed.
With seven other healthy blueliners on their active roster, the Penguins don’t necessarily need to call anyone up to replace Jones on the roster. However, fellow blueliner Harrison Brunicke can only play in three more NHL games before a decision needs to be made about burning the first year of his contract. If they decide to send him back to junior, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a recall come within the next week or so, earlier if they decide they want to take more time before making that choice.
Avalanche Assign Ronnie Attard To AHL
Colorado’s injury list has been pretty full in the early going this season with three players on injured reserve (one on LTIR) plus several others on season-opening injured reserve who are destined for the minors when they’re cleared to return. The latter has been shrunk by one as the Avalanche have assigned defenseman Ronnie Attard to the minors, per the AHL’s transactions log.
The 26-year-old is in his first season with the Avs after signing with them as a Group Six unrestricted free agent this past summer, inking a one-year, two-way deal. He cleared waivers early in training camp but was recalled for a game after that, sustaining a lower-body injury that ultimately kept him out for the better part of a month.
Last season, Attard split the season between the AHL affiliates of Philadelphia and Edmonton after the latter acquired him in an early-season swap of minor league defensemen. Between the two squads, he put up seven goals and ten assists in 66 games.
Attard has 29 career NHL appearances under his belt, all with the Flyers, tallying six points altogether. However, he didn’t see any time on an NHL roster last season, meaning there was no lingering cap charge associated with his SOIR placement. He’ll now join the Eagles in the hopes of playing his way into a recall as the season goes on.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Detroit Red Wings
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up are the Red Wings.
Detroit Red Wings
Current Cap Hit: $83,641,833 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (three years, $942.5K)
D Simon Edvinsson (one year, $894.1K)
F Emmitt Finnie (three years, $821.7K)
F Marco Kasper (two years, $886.7K)
D Axel Sandin Pellikka (three years, $918.3K)
Potential Bonuses
Brandsegg-Nygard: $500K
Edvinsson: $850K
Kasper: $1MM
Sandin Pellikka: $500K
Total: $2.85MM
Considering the season he had overseas, it was a bit surprising to see Brandsegg-Nygard break camp with Detroit but tying for the league lead in preseason goals and points earned him a spot. Considering he’s just starting out, it’s too early to forecast another contract but if he wants a long-term second contract, he’ll need to be established as a regular top-six player by the time it expires. Finnie was another training camp surprise where his preseason efforts earned him a spot. He’s in the same boat as Brandsegg-Nygard when it comes to his next deal though.
That can’t quite be said for Kasper. His first full NHL season was a strong one where he was in the top six more often than not. If he stays on that trajectory, he’s someone who could plausibly bypass a bridge deal. In this market of escalating salaries, a deal might push into the $7.5MM territory even if he remains more of a second liner at that time. Meanwhile, a bridge pact would check in with a number likely starting with a four.
Sandin Pellikka is also in his first full year in North America and while many expected he’d at least start the season in AHL Grand Rapids, he also broke camp with the big club. If he has the type of impact they hope he will (as an offensive top-four defender), he’s someone that they might look to sign to a long-term deal coming off his entry-level pact. But again, it’s far too early to forecast, given that he’s only a handful of games into his NHL career.
Edvinsson is a different case. A full-time top-four player in his rookie year, he’s someone who appears to be living up to his lofty draft billing. GM Steve Yzerman doesn’t dole out a lot of long-term deals but this is a case where it wouldn’t be surprising to see him try to do so. They did this with another young blueliner recently who we’ll get to later but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them use that price tag as an internal ceiling for an Edvinsson extension.
Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level
F Jonatan Berggren ($1.825MM, RFA)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker ($875K, RFA)
D Ben Chiarot ($4.75MM, UFA)
D Erik Gustafsson ($2MM, UFA)
D Travis Hamonic ($1MM, UFA)
D Justin Holl ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Patrick Kane ($3MM, UFA)
G Cam Talbot ($2.5MM, UFA)
F James van Riemsdyk ($1MM, UFA)
Potential Bonuses
Kane: $4MM
van Riemsdyk: $750K
Total: $4.75MM
Once again, it took until the eve of free agency for Kane and the Red Wings to work a deal out. This one gave him a bit less in guaranteed money by $1MM but added $1.5MM in incentives, giving him a chance at beating his earnings from last season. He’ll earn $2.5MM of those after just 10 games and another $500K by the time he reaches 50 games so as long as he stays healthy, he’s a $6MM player this season. In this market, that’s not a bad price tag for a winger who is probably best served as a second-line winger at this point but can move up in a pinch. While he turns 37 next month, he could plausibly keep playing for another couple of seasons with this type of contractual structure.
Berggren was largely a regular last season after spending most of his sophomore year in the minors but wasn’t able to match his rookie-season numbers, yielding this bridge deal this summer. He’ll need to establish himself a little higher on the depth chart or he risks becoming a non-tender candidate when he gains arbitration eligibility next summer. As for van Riemsdyk, he didn’t need a late-summer deal this time around after a decent showing in a depth role with Columbus. Notably, $500K of his bonuses are playoff-dependent while the other $250K kicks in at 50 GP. At this point in his career, he’s likely to remain around this price point on one-year deals.
Chiarot’s contract was a surprise three summers ago, both in terms of money and term. He remains a top-four blueliner for Detroit but is someone who is trending more toward being a fourth or fifth defender given that he’ll be 35 when his next contract begins. A two-year deal could still be doable but a drop down to a price tag starting with a three looks likely at this point. Holl has cleared waivers for the second straight year and is in Grand Rapids where his cap charge has dropped to $2.25MM. If he made half of what he makes now, there might have been a taker for him on waivers. Accordingly, despite teams passing on him for free now, there still could be enough of a market for him to land around $1.5MM on a one-year prove-it type of contract next summer.
Gustafsson had a so-so first season in Detroit as an offense-first defender, picking up 18 points in 60 games but also struggling defensively. He lost his roster spot and is now in the minors, carrying a reduced cap charge of $875K. He’s likely to land closer to half of his current cap charge unless he’s able to come back and be productive. Hamonic was a depth defender last season in Ottawa and has had a similar role this season. At 35 and with some heavy lifting in minutes in his prime, he’s unlikely to land much more than this if he gets a contract for next season. Bernard-Docker also spent most of last season in a depth role with the Senators and is merely looking to establish himself as a full-time player. He’s arbitration-eligible but unless he’s a regular, he’ll be a non-tender candidate, even if they want to keep him around since he entered the season with 144 games of NHL experience already.
Talbot was brought in via free agency in 2024 to help shore up the goaltending position. However, he was more of a platoon-level piece than a true starter, resulting in them attempting to shore up that spot this past summer. Still, this price tag for a serviceable backup at a minimum is pretty reasonable in this market. He’ll be heading into his age-39 year if he looks to play next season so his next contract, if there is one, should be a one-year pact around this price point.
Signed Through 2026-27
F Mason Appleton ($2.9MM, UFA)
F Andrew Copp ($5.625MM, UFA)
F Alex DeBrincat ($7.875MM, UFA)
G John Gibson ($6.4MM, UFA)
D Albert Johansson ($1.125MM, RFA)
F Elmer Soderblom ($1.125MM, RFA)
While the idea of signing a medium-term deal has grown in popularity around the league lately while looking for a more favorable cap environment next time, DeBrincat was one of the first to do so after being acquired in 2023. It bought Detroit three extra years of control but allows DeBrincat to hit the open market at 29. A max-term contract should be achievable for him at that time and given his offensive consistency as a legitimate top-six winger who typically collects between 65 and 70 points most years, he should be in a good position to push past the $10MM mark. Detroit won’t be able to use an internal ceiling if they want to retain him.
Copp was brought in via free agency in 2022 on the heels of a career year offensively. He hasn’t been able to match that in Detroit although he brings enough other elements to the table to give them at least a reasonable return. Still, even in this inflated market, he’ll be hard-pressed to match this price tag if he remains in the 30-point range offensively. However, another multi-year deal should be doable at least.
Appleton had a quiet contract year in Winnipeg which limited his market this summer. However, if he can get back to the 30-point range where he was in 2023-24, he could push for something closer to the $4MM range on his next deal. Soderblom split the last two seasons between Detroit and AHL Grand Rapids, making a low-cost bridge deal this summer a guarantee. He’ll have arbitration rights two years from now and if he’s a regular in their bottom six, doubling this cost doesn’t seem unreasonable.
Johansson got his first taste of NHL action last season, seeing regular action on the third pairing. Given the inexperience, a bridge deal was the only play here as well. Like Soderblom, he’ll have arbitration rights next time out and assuming he remains a regular top-six piece, doubling this price tag (at a minimum) should be doable.
Gibson was much better in Anaheim last season after some tough years but with Lukas Dostal in place as the starter of the present and future, the Ducks opted to move him with Yzerman seeking another short-term upgrade. If he can get back to being a starting-caliber netminder, the Red Wings will do quite well with what’s left of this contract. However, if he remains more of a platoon piece, he’ll be a considerable overpayment, albeit one they can easily afford right now. He might be more in the $5MM range on his next deal, if not a bit lower.
Injury Updates: Kane, Marchment, Girgensons, Marchessault
The Red Wings won’t have a key veteran winger available to them for the next two games. Team reporter Danielle Bruce mentions (Twitter link) that Patrick Kane will not be accompanying the team on their upcoming two-game road trip due to an upper-body injury that also kept him out on Sunday. However, he did skate on his own today and will be re-evaluated to see if he can return when the team returns home on Saturday. Kane has two goals and three assists through his first five games this season while playing a little more than 17 minutes a night.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- The Kraken announced before tonight’s game (Twitter link) that winger Mason Marchment is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He joins an ever-growing list of unavailable Seattle players, a list that includes Jared McCann (lower body), Brandon Montour (personal), Ryker Evans (upper body), and Frederick Gaudreau (upper body). In his first season with the team after being acquired in the offseason, Marchment has a goal and three assists in six games while logging 15:16 per night of ice time.
- Lightning center Zemgus Girgensons could return to the lineup as soon as Saturday, notes Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. The veteran has yet to play this season due to an undisclosed injury sustained in the preseason but was a regular on the fourth line in 2024-25. His pending return was believed to be part of the impetus in sending Conor Geekie to the minors on Monday, ensuring he’ll keep having regular playing time moving forward.
- Prior to tonight’s game against Anaheim, the Predators announced (Twitter link) that winger Jonathan Marchessault is dealing with a lower-body injury and is listed as out day-to-day. The 34-year-old is off to a solid start to his campaign, collecting two goals and two assists in the first five games, good for a share of the team lead in points heading into tonight’s action. Brady Martin suited up in his third game of the season in Marchessault’s absence; he can play in nine NHL games total before officially activating the first season of his entry-level contract.
West Notes: Canucks, Lundkvist, Duchene, Pospisil
Under the new CBA rules, players sent to the minors must play in at least one game before being recalled. However, Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province reports that the Canucks asked for a waiver of that rule as it applies to defenseman Victor Mancini. In order to maximize their LTIR pool when they moved Nils Hoglander on there, they needed to swap out Mancini for Jimmy Schuldt. Their hope was to get a waiver to allow them to immediately recall Mancini to the active roster since it wasn’t quite the same type of paper transactions that some teams engaged in daily in previous years. Considering the 23-year-old remains with AHL Abbotsford, it’s fair to say their request was denied but his stint in the minors is likely to be a short-lived one.
Elsewhere out West:
- The Stars announced Monday (Twitter link) that defenseman Nils Lundkvist was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. The placement is retroactive to October 21st so he’s eligible to be activated as soon as Thursday although the expectation is that he’ll miss multiple weeks. The 25-year-old got off to a strong start to his season with three points in his first four games after recording just five assists in 39 outings in 2024-25. Notably, Dallas lacks the LTIR space required to recall a replacement so if they need one in the short term, they’ll likely have to move Lundkvist to LTIR at some point.
- Still with Dallas, Victory Plus’ Brian Rea relays (Twitter link) that the Stars will be without forward Matt Duchene tonight against Columbus. Originally listed as probable for this one, he’ll instead miss his second straight game due to an upper-body injury. After surpassing the 80-point mark for just the second time in his career last season, Duchene has a goal and an assist in his first two outings in 2025-26.
- Flames winger Martin Pospisil skated on his own for the first time on Monday as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury that has caused him to miss the first seven games of the season, notes Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link). The 25-year-old had 25 points and 301 hits in 81 games with Calgary last season. With Daniil Miromanov clearing waivers and being sent down today, the Flames now have an open roster spot to activate Pospisil when he’s cleared to return, barring any further roster movement between now and then.
Metropolitan Notes: Luchanko, Gostisbehere, Wood
With his usage being limited thus far, the odds of Jett Luchanko spending the full season with the Flyers are dropping. However, Daily Faceoff’s Anthony DiMarco suggests that Philadelphia will at least look to drag the decision out a little longer by assigning him to AHL Lehigh Valley on a conditioning stint at some point. While he’s ineligible to play for the Phantoms full-time, he is allowed to play on a conditioning stint for up to two weeks. Luchanko won’t officially burn the first year of his entry-level deal until he plays in ten NHL games this season. He’s at four so between his five games he can still play without starting the deal and a possible conditioning stint, he could remain with the Flyers for a while yet before returning to junior.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the hope was that Shayne Gostisbehere’s lower-body injury wasn’t serious, it will hold him out for at least the next two games. The Hurricanes announced that they have sent him back to Raleigh for further evaluation, meaning he will miss the last two games of their road trip. The 32-year-old got off to a hot start before the injury, picking up a goal and six assists in his first five games this season, notching at least one point in his first four outings.
- There’s a chance that Blue Jackets winger Miles Wood could return by the end of the month, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). The 30-year-old was injured a little more than a week ago after taking a high stick to the eye. GM Don Waddell indicated that Wood is now able to see out of that eye but that further testing is required once all of the blood clears. That testing will ultimately determine if he’s able to come back quickly or if he’ll be out longer term.
Five Key Stories: 10/13/25 – 10/19/25
With the regular season now in full swing, injuries are starting to take their toll around the league. Several significant injuries around the NHL are highlighted in our key stories.
Tkachuk Has Surgery: The Senators won’t have their captain available to them for a while as Brady Tkachuk underwent wrist surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for six to seven weeks. The 26-year-old went for a second opinion in the hopes that surgery could be avoided which could have cut down the recovery timeline by a few weeks but that’s not the case. One of the premier power forwards in the NHL, Tkachuk was off to a decent start before the injury with three assists in his first three games but Ottawa will now be looking to find someone to fill his spot on the top line until around December.
Rangers Fielding Calls On Othmann: When the Rangers drafted forward Brennan Othmann with the 16th pick in 2021, they were hoping to get a power forward who would be part of their core for the long term. However, he has spent the bulk of his professional career in the minors and was an early cut in training camp, resulting in New York receiving some calls about his potential availability. The 22-year-old has just two assists in 25 NHL games while notching 49 hits in a little under 10 minutes a night of playing time. He’s been productive with AHL Hartford though, picking up 70 points in 97 games. If the Rangers do decide to move him, it could be a trade that winds up being a swap of similar prospects in need of a change of scenery.
Canadiens Signings: While Lane Hutson didn’t get a contract extension in place before the season started, he didn’t have to wait too long to get one as he signed an eight-year, $70.8MM pact that begins next season. The 21-year-old had a great rookie season, picking up 66 points in 82 regular season games, earning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. He and Noah Dobson will now be Montreal’s top two defenders for the foreseeable future. Notably, two elements of this deal will soon be illegal when the new CBA begins next September. First, the eight-year term will be outlawed while Hutson received $55MM in signing bonus money, or 77.6% of the contract. Signing bonus money will be capped at 60% of the contract next year.
Meanwhile, the other person who signed the contract also received a new deal as well as Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton inked five-year extensions. Hughes, a former agent before being hired, has been GM in Montreal since January 2022 and has overseen a rebuilding process that saw Montreal turn over a significant chunk of its roster while becoming the youngest team in the league this season. Meanwhile, Gorton, who was promoted to President of Hockey Operations as well with this signing, has been in place since November 2021. While he didn’t get a chance to see his rebuilding efforts conclude with the Rangers, it looks like he’ll get that opportunity now.
More Injuries: There were more injuries of note across the NHL. The Mammoth will be without blueliner Sean Durzi for the next four weeks due to an upper-body injury. The 26-year-old had a breakout year two years ago in Arizona but he missed 52 games due to injuries last season and now this year is off to a tough start. Meanwhile, the Panthers won’t have Dmitry Kulikov anytime soon as he’ll miss five months due to a torn labrum. He’s a capable veteran depth piece for Florida as their infirmary continues to grow. His $1.15MM AAV will become LTIR-eligible when needed. Lastly, the Kings, who have struggled considerably out of the gate, will now be without one of their top players for a while as Anze Kopitar is listed as week-to-week with a foot injury. The captain, who is in his final NHL season, is a key two-way center and was averaging a point per game in the early going before being injured.
Hart To Vegas: The Golden Knights will be adding some goaltending depth as unrestricted free agent Carter Hart has joined the Golden Knights on a PTO deal. It’s expected he’ll spend some time with AHL Henderson and he could sign a two-year contract when he becomes eligible to play in December. Hart was Philadelphia’s number one goalie for several years before being charged with sexual assault, a charge he was acquitted of this summer. If he can get back to form, he could be an intriguing addition for the Golden Knights who currently have a relatively inexperienced backup goaltender in Akira Schmid playing behind Adin Hill.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.