Florida Panthers forward Marcel Goc and defenseman Erik Gudbranson are unlikely to play in Saturday's season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes due to injuries, general manager Dale Tallon said via the team's official Twitter account.

Miami Herald reporter George Richards wrote via Twitter that Tallon also said Goc and Gudbranson are suspended until medically cleared.

Goc injured his ankle while playing in his native Germany during the lockout, while Gudbranson is recovering from shoulder surgery resulting from a wakeboarding accident back in September.

Another key member of the team, forward Sean Bergenheim, was also hurt while playing overseas during the lockout. Bergenheim suffered a groin injury playing in Finland, but according to a tweet from Richards is not currently suspended by the Panthers because the team has not determined the extent of his injury.

Forward Jonathan Huberdeau, who was selected No. 3 in the 2011 NHL Draft and has spent the past several months playing in juniors, did not practice Monday. Tallon said Huberdeau is fine and will practice Tuesday, according to Richards.

The Panthers, who won the Southeast Division last season and earned the franchise's first playoff berth in 12 years, also begin training camp without the services of young defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who remains a restricted free agent. Kulikov has been playing for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv of the Kontinental Hockey League during the lockout.

The Vancouver Canucks added to their defense corps Monday with the free-agent signing of veteran Jim Vandermeer. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Vandermeer, 31, played in 25 games for the San Jose Sharks last season, recording one goal and four points along with 33 penalty minutes.

After going undrafted, Vandermeer broke into the League with Philadelphia back in 2002-03 and has played in 461 career games for the Flyers, Blackhawks, Flames, Coyotes, Oilers and Sharks, compiling totals of 25 goals, 105 points and 664 penalty minutes.

Vandermeer also has a pair of assists in 21 career playoff games.

The Philadelphia Flyers have named John Paddock as an assistant coach for the 2012-13 season, according to a report from Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly.com.

Paddock had been serving with the Flyers as assistant general manager.

Panaccio writes that Paddock's new role will involve concentrating on the defensive side of the puck and he'll operate from out of the press box rather than behind the bench.

“I’m going to be a sounding board on different things,” Paddock said.

Panaccio writes that the change in Paddock's job title came about over the summer after a conversation with general manager Paul Holmgren and coach Peter Laviolette.

The Buffalo Sabres are again a hot ticket in Western New York.

The Sabres announced Monday that they sold 31,213 tickets for the 2012-13 season on Sunday during a 24-hour pre-sale period for current season-ticket holders and current mini-pack holders. The amount sold sets a club record for single-day ticket sales -- excluding sales on the first day of availability for the 2008 NHL Winter Classic.

Individual game tickets will be available for the general public beginning Tuesday at 10 a.m.

"With the uncertainty surrounding the schedule and the timing of the start of hockey, we didn't know what to expect," Sabres President Ted Black said in a statement released by the team. "However, Sunday's ticket sales took us by surprise and, frankly, blew us away.

"Our box office staff is the best in the business and they worked tirelessly all day, fielding more than 800 phone calls, to keep up with the record volume of orders. The extraordinary fan response makes us humble, grateful and even more committed to our core mission. We can't wait to drop the puck before a full house."

Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla did not skate with his teammates Sunday on the first day of training camp because of a groin injury.

General manager Jay Feaster told reporters it was a precautionary move. The Flames were also short center Roman Cervenka and defenseman Anton Babchuk.

Cervenka is not allowed to skate because he is still taking blood-thinning medication after dealing with blood clots while playing in the Kontinental Hockey League. Feaster said Cervenka will visit a specialist in the next week to determine when he can stop taking the medication.

A free-agent addition in the offseason, the Flames hope Cervenka can fortify what has been an ongoing problem for several seasons at center.

Feaster said Babchuk is expected to be out three weeks with a shoulder injury he incurred while playing in the KHL during the lockout.

The Carolina Hurricanes continue to be among the busiest teams Sunday, the first day of the 2012-13 season.

Sunday afternoon, the team announced it acquired rugged forward Kevin Westgarth from the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Anthony Stewart and a fourth-round pick in 2013 and a sixth-round pick in 2014.

"We were looking for a character, team guy who can play a gritty role for our team," said Rutherford. "Kevin is a good addition to fill that spot."

It is the second trade pulled off by general manager Jim Rutherford on Sunday. In the morning, the Hurricanes traded backup goalie Brian Boucher and prospect Mark Alt for minor leaguer Luke Pither. Boucher became expendable when the club invited veteran goalie Dan Ellis, who was playing for the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League, to training camp to be the back up to Cam Ward.

The club signed Ellis to a one-year deal for $650,000, Rutherford announced Sunday afternoon.

The Washington Capitals made several roster moves Sunday, including the loaning of veteran defenseman Tom Poti to Hershey of the American Hockey League for a conditioning assignment.

Poti hasn't played a game in two years and is trying to come back from chronic groin issues and a fractured pelvis. He said this week that he is healthy and wants to try to make the Capitals this season.

The club also announced that goalie Braden Holtby and defenseman Cameron Schilling have been recalled from the Bears. Also, forward Tom Wilson has been recalled from Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League.

Holtby is expected to battle Michal Neuvirth for the No. 1 goalie job. He had been playing in Hershey during the lockout and compiled a 12-12-1 record with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage, which is third-best in the AHL.

Schilling, in his first pro season after a four year career with Miami University, has three goals and four assists with the Bears. He is one of 10 defenseman on the training camp roster.

Wilson, 18, who was drafted in the first round (No. 16) by the Capitals in the 2012 NHL Draft in Pittsburgh. He has recorded 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) and 59 penalty minutes in 31 games with the Whalers this season.

The Philadelphia Flyers admit that they need help on the blue line and took a significant step in that process Sunday, signing free agent Kurtis Foster.

Foster, 31, has been in the NHL for 11 seasons and has 41 goals and 114 assists to go along with 283 penalty minutes in 382 games.

Last season, Foster played for three NHL teams. He started the season with Anaheim, but was traded to New Jersey and then moved to Minnesota. He finished the season with four goals and 14 points in 51 games.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound defenseman played for Finnish club Tappara during the lockout, scoring three goals and three assists in 13 Elitserien games.