Fantasy Hockey

Perfetti was injured on a blindside hit from Martin Pospisil in Wednesday's preseason game versus the Flames, John Lu of TSN reports.

Perfetti is set to be evaluated further Thursday. The injury comes at a bad time for Perfetti, as the 21-year-old appeared to have the inside edge to earning the second-line center spot on the Jets' roster. Given his history of injuries, this is a bit concerning. Perfetti could be a sleeper pick in fantasy drafts as a potential breakout candidate if he's able to move past this injury quickly.

Backlund signed a two-year, $9 million contract extension with the Flames on Wednesday and was named the captain of the team.

After a summer full of talks of upheaval, the Flames were able to get one of their longest tenured players to commit for two more years after this one. Backlund put up a career-best 56 points in 82 games last season, and he has shown consistency on offense and defense over the last decade. Expect the 34-year-old center to line up on the third line, but he'll also seen time in all situations.

Norris (shoulder) began taking contact during Wednesday's practice and could be available for Friday's preseason matchup with Winnipeg, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports.

Norris is working his way back from the shoulder surgery he underwent in January, but it appears he's on track to be 100 percent healthy for Ottawa's regular-season opener versus Carolina on Oct. 11. The 24-year-old racked up 35 goals and 55 points through 66 games with the Senators in 2021-22 before playing just eight games last year, making him an enticing player that may be overlooked in fantasy drafts this year.

Gambrell "won't be available for a while" due to a concussion, Terry Koshan of The Toronto Sun reports.

It sounds like Gambrell could be in danger of missing Toronto's regular-season opener Oct. 11 versus Montreal. The 27-year-old forward picked up just 10 points through 60 games with Ottawa last season, so there's no reason for fantasy managers to monitor his status.

Konecny (undisclosed) returned to practice Wednesday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Konecny missed a team scrimmage Sunday because he was "a little banged up," but he was never expected to be sidelined for long. Look for the 26-year-old, who racked up 31 goals and 61 points through 60 games last campaign, to continue to be a fixture in Philadelphia's top six this year.

Danielson potted a goal in his NHL preseason debut Tuesday, leading to a 4-3 win over the Penguins.

Danielson will be an exciting player to watch in training camp, as the Wings deemed him worthy of the ninth overall pick in this year's draft. Of course, Detroit has had some hits and misses when it comes to their top picks at forward in recent years. Filip Zadina, who is now with the Sharks, didn't pan out after the team from Motown took him sixth overall in the 2018 draft, but Lucas Raymond, their No. 4 overall pick from 2020, figures to be a mainstay on the top line for the foreseeable future. Lauded for his two-way skills, Danielson inked a three-year, entry-level contract in July. The strong power pivot tore his way through the WHL last season, adding 33 goals and 45 assists in 68 games for the Wheat Kings.

Zadina sustained an undisclosed injury that isn't believed to be serious in Wednesday's game versus the Ducks, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Zadina was hurt in the third period and didn't return to the game, but it sounds like that was more of a precaution. The 23-year-old winger is trying to win a roster spot in training camp after signing a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Sharks following his previous deal with the Red Wings being terminated. If Zadina makes the team, he'll likely play in a bottom-six role.

Sheary skated on a line with Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli in Monday's preseason loss to Carolina. He scored a goal.

Sheary is a capable winger when slotted beside the right line mates, and at first glance, it appears as though he has found a good match. Together, the trio had three scoring chances to just one against. And they generated 15 shot attempts while surrendering only six. If Sheary sticks on line two, it would mean he would likely skate with Cirelli and Steven Stamkos. In that situation, he could be a late round gem.

Hintz didn't practice due to an upper-body injury Wednesday, Mike Heika of the Stars' official site reports.

According to coach Pete DeBoer, the Stars are being cautious with Hintz since there's plenty of time left in the preseason, so it sounds like the 26-year-old pivot's injury probably isn't overly serious. Hintz racked up 37 goals and 75 points through 73 contests last season.

Pelletier suffered a shoulder injury during Monday's split-squad game versus Seattle that will require surgery and keep him sidelined indefinitely.

The Flames have yet to release an expected timetable for Pelletier's recovery, but it's probably safe to assume the 22-year-old winger will miss at least a few months of action. With Pelletier presumably headed to IR for the start of the year, Dryden Hunt's chances of making Calgary's Opening Night roster have likely improved significantly.

Barlow (illness) was back on the ice with the team ahead of Wednesday's matchup with Calgary, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Barlow faces an uphill battle to secure regular minutes with the Jets this season and almost certainly will find himself back in juniors for the upcoming campaign. Still, the 2023 18th overall pick should be a player to track for the future, especially for fantasy players in dynasty formats.

Ehlers (neck) is not expected to be in the lineup for the Jets' next two preseason contests, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports Wednesday.

Ehlers is running out of time to get into a preseason game for the Jets, as he will have just two more opportunities. Even if he doesn't play before Opening Night, the 27-year-old winger figures to fill a second-line role for the club this season where he will no doubt be eager to play more than the 45 games he did last year and get back to being a 50-plus point producer.

Simek (lower body) is doubtful to finish Wednesday's game versus the Ducks, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Simek was seen limping down the tunnel in the first period. The defenseman has never played more than 48 games in a season, so any injury at this stage of the campaign is a concerning one. His status should be updated prior to Saturday's preseason tilt against the Kings.

Timmins scored two goals and added two assists in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Sabres in the Kraft Hockeyville game in St. Thomas, Ontario.

The town of West Lorne, Ontario earned the title, but the ice surface in their arena is below NHL standards and there are only a few seats. So they moved it to a nearby city. Timmins showed off his strong offensive abilities, which have never been in doubt. He's competing for the seventh man role because of his glaring defensive issues. Still, spot starting Timmins when he's given the opportunity to showcase his skill can help fantasy managers if they pluck him from the wire.

Matheson is dealing with a lower-body injury, which is the reason for his absence from Wednesday's game versus the Senators, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

Head coach Martin St. Louis added that Matheson would have played if it was a regular-season contest. Most importantly, Matheson's injury isn't related to the one he sustained at the end of last season. He is day-to-day, and the Canadiens will likely exercise caution before the 29-year-old is cleared to rejoin the lineup for preseason action.

Klingberg left Wednesday's preseason game versus the Sabres after something tightened up during the first period, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.

Klingberg's exit sounds precautionary for now, though the 31-year-old defenseman will be evaluated further Thursday. Klingberg is expected to be the Maple Leafs' quarterback on the first power-play unit as well as a top-four option this season. Given his importance to the team's offense, it's understandable that they'll be cautious with him during the preseason slate.

Clarke (shoulder) is expected to suit up for Wednesday's preseason game versus the Golden Knights, Scott Coffman of Mayor's Manor reports.

Clarke was held out of the Kings' Global Series games in Australia due to the injury, but he practiced while remaining in North America. The 20-year-old defenseman is set to make his preseason debut, beginning his quest for an Opening Night roster spot. Clarke will likely see a significant role throughout the rest of the preseason.

Whitecloud (undisclosed) is being evaluated for an injury, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

For now, Whitecloud can be considered day-to-day. The 26-year-old blueliner picked up 12 points through 59 games last campaign.

Per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Sandstrom was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, putting him on track to start in goal on the road against the Islanders on Wednesday.

Sandstrom went 3-12-3 while posting a sub-par 3.72 GAA and .880 save percentage through 20 games with the Flyers last season. He's expected to start the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL.

Kinkaid (undisclosed) isn't on the ice for Wednesday's practice, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Kinkaid suffered an injury Monday versus Montreal, and at this point it isn't clear how long he might be sidelined. Either way, once healthy, look for the veteran netminder to start the season in the AHL.

Johansson has good size and mobility, and he could be counted on to play at least 30 games this season.

At 28, he's younger than the Bolts' previous backups -- last season, Brian Elliott played in 22 games with the team, but that wasn't enough to keep Andrei Vasilevskiy fresh in the postseason. The all-star admitted that he was physically worn down at the end of last season. Johansson "brings a different energy" to the crease, according to Bolts goalie coach Frantz Jean. "He's got really good feet, and that's one thing that I always look at at a goaltender and as an organization. There's not that many 6-5 guys around playing in the minors. So, that was attractive to us." Johansson had a 2.33 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 26 AHL games last season and stopped 68 of 73 shots (.932 save percentage) in two starts (2-0-0) with the Avs. He's a definite sleeper for fantasy managers.

Schneider announced his retirement from professional hockey Tuesday, according to Phil Stacey of The Salem News.

Schneider posted 171 wins, a 2.43 GAA, a .918 save percentage and 26 shutouts in 410 career contests for the Canucks, Devils and Islanders across 13 NHL seasons. The 37-year-old netminder spent most of the past two campaigns in the AHL with Bridgeport.

Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) participated in practice Tuesday, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.

The second part of the session included an intrasquad scrimmage, so Vasilevskiy appears to be fine after taking it slow to begin training camp. He posted a 34-22-4 record last season with a 2.65 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 60 appearances.

Francouz (groin) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, per CBS.

Francouz is still recovering from the adductor procedure he underwent following the Avalanche's first-round playoff loss last year, and it sounds like his status for Colorado's first game of the season Oct. 11 versus LA could be in doubt. If Francouz is forced to miss time to begin the year, look for Justus Annunen to step in as Alexandar Georgiev's backup.