The Florida Panthers on Thursday reassigned forward Jayce Hawryluk to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League.

Hawryluk, a second-round pick (No. 32) in the 2014 NHL Draft, received 11:36 of ice time and had one shot in the Panthers' 4-3 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.

Hawryluk had 24 goals and 64 points in 59 regular-season games for Brandon last season. He had five goals and 12 points in eight playoff games.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nathan Horton has a degenerative back condition and it is unknown when he will return to action, The Columbus Dispatch reported Thursday.

"He is suffering," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told the newspaper.

The GM said Horton will attempt to overcome the condition without surgery.

"It's about getting stronger and managing the pain by getting stronger in the core," Kekalainen told reporter Shawn Mitchell. "Then your back gets stronger and the pain will go away. [He] is the only person that really knows where he is at and how much pain there is involved. It's impossible for anybody else to know what he is going through right now."

Sam Bennett, the No. 4 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, is set to make his preseason debut Thursday when his Calgary Flames host the Vancouver Canucks.

"I'm really excited," Bennett said. "It's a game I've been waiting for for a really long time. I got to watch a few games and see what it’s like in the [Scotiabank Saddledome]. I'm just so excited for my first game.

"When I found out I was playing, I think it was early yesterday morning and the first thing I did was text my parents and all my friends: 'I'm playing [Thursday] so you guys better watch.' It's definitely exciting for me and my family, for sure."

Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk is making progress three days after sustaining a second-degree shoulder separation, telling MLive.com he's feeling "much better" and has "good movement."

Datsyuk, expected to miss about four weeks, will be back on the ice soon, according to the report. He was at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday to receive treatment.

"I'll be skating, but it'll be alone," Datsyuk said.

New York Rangers center Derek Stepan said he feels lucky he was able to avoid surgery on his broken left fibula sustained during conditioning drills Wednesday.

"A little sore, but they said it will be sore for the next couple of days and then start the healing process from there," Stepan told BlueshirtsUnited.com. "They just said that we were pretty fortunate and that it's going to take some time to heal, and hopefully I'll be back as soon as possible."

Stepan will miss the next 4-6 weeks because of the injury.

Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz practiced again Thursday, and coach Mike Johnston said they could be cleared to play in a preseason game Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

"Crosby and Kunitz look good. I would expect if practice goes well [Friday], I'm hoping they will be cleared to play on Saturday," Johnston said.

Crosby and Kunitz have been rehabilitating unspecified injuries and have yet to play in a game this preseason. Evgeni Malkin, who has been out with an unspecified injury, was again not at practice.

Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux was back at practice Thursday morning, less than a week after sustaining a lower-body injury expected to keep him out most of the preseason.

According to NJ.com, Giroux joined his teammates about 20 minutes into their morning skate at the Flyers practice facility in Voorhees, N.J. Philadelphia plays the New Jersey Devils in a preseason game Thursday at Wells Fargo Center.

Giroux did some light skating and shooting but did not participate in any drills. After practice he joined the group of players who won't be in the lineup against the Devils on the second rink for extra skating.

"That was a pretty tough practice today," Giroux told NJ.com. "We did some battle drills and I felt good … better than I thought. Maybe [the injury] bothered me just a little bit, but other than that it was pretty good."

Alexander Steen, the St. Louis Blues' leading scorer last season, is "banged up" according to coach Ken Hitchcock and won't play in their preseason game Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Steen missed 14 games last season, including 11 due to a concussion but led the Blues with career-highs of 33 goals and 62 points.

Magnus Paajarvi will take Steen's place in the lineup. The game will mark the Blues debut for Paul Stastny, signed during the offseason from the Colorado Avalanche.

NHL Live with Bill Pidto and Butch Goring continues its preview of all 30 NHL teams for the upcoming 2014-15 season with a look at the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers at 5 p.m. ET on NHL Network.

New York Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan will be in studio to discuss what's ahead for his team this season. St. Louis Blues center David Backes also checks in via Arena Cam from Scottrade Center in St. Louis before the Blues' preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospect Game is Thursday at First Niagara Center in Buffalo. Analyst Craig Button will join the show to preview the game that will air live on NHL Network at 7 p.m. ET.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin was on the ice Thursday with his teammates. He did some light shooting and stickwork, but mostly observed drills.

Drouin isn't expected to be ready for the start of the 2014-15 season after sustaining a slight fracture in his right thumb in a training camp practice, but the organization is still trying to bring him up to speed while he's on the mend.

"I think it's just a little step, but there are many steps to come before I start shooting the way I want to," Drouin told the Lightning website.