Ottawa Senators forward Clarke MacArthur practiced Tuesday but isn't guaranteed to be in the lineup for the season opener against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday after leaving their final preseason game because of an injury.

"I feel good. I took a little bump to the neck-chin area or whatever, but I've been hit harder by my daughter with her toys than that," MacArthur said after practice, referring to an accidental hit from teammate Mark Fraser that forced him to leave the preseason game last Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.

Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom skated at practice Tuesday wearing a non-contact jersey and could return from offseason arthroscopic hip surgery sooner than expected.

"Originally, it's zero to 10 games," general manager Brian MacLellan told the Washington Post. "Now, it seems to be four or five games. There's still uncertainty there, but looks like he's progressing well."

Coach Barry Trotz told the Post that Backstrom will see his surgeon next week to assess his recovery from the May 28 surgery while providing a clearer time frame for his return to the lineup. The Capitals open their regular season Saturday against the New Jersey Devils at Verizon Center.

"Nick is progressing very, very well," Trotz said.

The New Jersey Devils on Tuesday returned top 2015 NHL Draft pick Pavel Zacha to his junior hockey team and acquired forward Brian O'Neill from the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.

Zacha, a center, was the sixth pick in June. He had 16 goals and 34 points in 37 games for Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League, where he'll return to play this season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday claimed defenseman Frank Corrado off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks.

Corrado, a Toronto native, has two goals in 28 NHL games over parts of three seasons with the Canucks.

"In my head I thought I was good enough to play and had done well enough," Corrado told The Canadian Press. "Just by the decision they made, they clearly thought that it wasn't good enough."

Forward Mikko Rantanen, the 10th pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, made the Colorado Avalanche's opening night roster.

The Avalanche set their 23-man roster Tuesday, which includes forward Jack Skille, who signed to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"I like the energy that Jack brings to the team," coach Patrick Roy said in comments tweeted by the Avalanche. "[Mikko] is playing really well. I like his work ethic."

The Minnesota Wild assigned defenseman Mike Reilly to Iowa of the American Hockey League and placed forward Justin Fontaine on injured reserve among a series of roster moves Tuesday.

Reilly, 22, signed with the Wild as a free agent this summer after playing collegiately at the University of Minnesota. He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth round (No. 98) of the 2011 NHL Draft but did not sign.

"This is not a long-term deal," coach Mike Yeo said about Reilly's demotion in comments tweeted by the Wild. "We don't know what's going to happen a week out ... it's just part of the process."

Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara returned to practice Tuesday, two days ahead of the season opener against the Winnipeg Jets.

"I'm not looking at Thursday," Chara said in comments tweeted by the Bruins. "It's day-to-day. I'm looking forward to [Wednesday] practice. My goal is to be better than I was today."

Bruins coach Claude Julien said it was a good sign Chara was on the ice and that he'll continue to be evaluated after each on-ice session.

Kristers Gudlevskis, who had been competing for the Tampa Bay Lightning backup goalie position, was one of four players assigned to Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Tuesday, the Lightning announced.

Defenseman Luke Witkowski, and forwards Mike Angelidis and Jonathan Marchessault, were also sent to the Crunch.

The Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday claimed forward Paul Byron off waivers from the Calgary Flames.

Byron, 26, had six goals and 19 points in 57 games last season.

A sixth-round pick (No. 179) of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2007 NHL Draft, Byron has 17 goals and 48 points in 138 games over parts of five seasons with the Sabres and Flames.

The New York Islanders on Tuesday claimed goaltender Jean-Francois Berube off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings.

Berube, 24, led the Kings' American Hockey League affiliate in Manchester to a Calder Cup championship last season. He won 37 games in the regular season with a 2.18 goals-against average and .913 save percentage, and 13 games in the postseason.

He had 28 wins with a 2.37 GAA and .913 save percentage for the Monarchs the previous season.