NHL Status Report: Barzal could miss season opener for Islanders

Welcome to the NHL Status Report. Training camp is underway and NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.

New York Islanders

Mathew Barzal could miss the Islanders' regular-season opener at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept. 30 (7:30 p.m. ET; Prime, MSGSN).  The forward is not at training camp and is expected to remain off the ice for about two weeks after he aggravated a prior injury that has caused some inflammation. "It could be a little bit before (two weeks)," general manager Mathieu Darche said Thursday. "Could we say 12 days, 13 days, 10 days? I guess we just said two weeks. He still has a chance for opening night. Is it guaranteed he's there opening night? No, it's not, because we're playing the long game here." Barzal led New York with 72 points (19 goals, 53 assists) in 81 games last season and has led or tied for the team scoring lead in seven of nine seasons since being selected by the Islanders in the first round (No. 16) of the 2015 NHL Draft.

New Jersey Devils

Nick Bjugstad will be out 4-6 months for the Devils after having offseason surgery. The forward had surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle he sustained earlier in September. Bjugstad had two assists in 26 games with the Devils after he was acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 4. ... Defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic is rehabbing an offseason knee procedure and will be a limited participant at camp.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Max Domi failed his physical and will be out indefinitely, Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka said Wednesday. The forward, who had 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists) in 80 games last season, had surgery during the offseason for an injury that he dealt with last season. "He's going to address that personally about his injury in the near future," Chayka said. ... Defenseman Chris Tanev has been fully cleared to play after undergoing core muscle surgery during the offseason, Chayka said. "Had a pretty large surgery; he's had amazing recovery and he pushes himself as hard as anybody in the gym and on the ice," Chayka said. "So, (we) feel really confident that his injuries are in a good place. He's as healthy as anybody, and obviously he's a big part of the team." Tanev had two assists in 11 games last season. He did not play after Dec. 28.

Carolina Hurricanes

Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned and was not on the ice Thursday for the first day of training camp. The 24-year-old restricted free agent was third among Hurricanes defensemen and second among NHL rookie defensemen last season with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) and averaged 18:11 of ice time in 81 regular-season games. He had one assist in 14:50 of ice time in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help Carolina win the Cup.

Colorado Avalanche

Cale Makar did not practice with the Avalanche on their first day of training camp Thursday because of a lower-body injury, although he was on the ice prior to practice. The defenseman had 79 points (20 goals, 59 assists) and averaged 24:51 of ice time in 75 regular-season games last season. He was a finalist for the Norris Trophy, which is awarded to the best defenseman in the NHL. Makar, who signed an eight-year, $163.2 million contract Aug. 28 that begins next season, missed two playoff games because of an upper-body injury. 

"He's kind of just feeling his way through it right now. He's feeling good health-wise," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "So, like I said yesterday, we're not really concerned about it. I think he'll be ready to play. ... I don't want to throw him out there for a full, heavy practice after not being on the ice and having a chance to build up a little bit. And I'm guessing by next week we're going to get into some special teams and stuff, and I think he'll be full-go for practice, and we'll still try and get him in one of those last two exhibition games."

Pittsburgh Penguins

Filip Hallander is at training camp and the Penguins forward has been cleared to play after missing most of last season with a blood clot. Hallander was limited to 13 games, last playing on Nov. 3. "I've been skating as normal through this whole process from November on. So, I did everything except contact," Hallander said Friday. He was fully cleared for contact about a month ago after he had a setback in February. "Then, we (made) a decision to shut it down for the season," he said. "So, yeah, I mean, that was probably the hardest part after coming back there are a couple of months. But in the end, it all worked out. So, it's good."

Los Angeles Kings

Defenseman Brian Dumoulin passed his physical and was on the ice Friday. He failed his physical and was not at training camp on Thursday. "We sent him for further tests, and we're awaiting further tests," Kings general manager Ken Holland said on Thursday. Dumoulin had 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 17:45 of ice time in 82 regular-season games with the Kings last season. ... Forward Kevin Fiala, who sustained fractures to his left lower leg while playing for Team Switzerland in the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, will hopefully be "in the lineup before the first of November," Holland said. "He can't do anything for two weeks until the scar heals. ... Three to four weeks, he's going to be on the ice with the team, but we'll see how his body reacts to surgery."

Montreal Canadiens

Kaiden Guhle will be out 4-5 weeks after having a minor surgery to his adductor muscle during the offseason. The Canadiens defenseman had 11 points (two goals, nine assists) and averaged 19:28 of ice time in 39 regular-season games last season. He had eight assists in 19 playoff games. "We're going to evaluate throughout camp and we'll make decisions based on what we think, what we see," coach Martin St. Louis said Wednesday about replacing Guhle. "But we have really good problems to have right now. I know 'Guhls' is out, not a great thing, but you know we have a lot of depth and guys that are knocking on the door. So we're going to evaluate and make the best decisions."

Washington Capitals

Defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who is recovering from surgery in April to repair a torn ACL in his right knee, skated on his own during the time between the Capitals' two practice groups on Thursday. General manager Chris Patrick said, "It's still a little early to make a call," though, on whether Sandin will be able to return earlier the 6-9 month window the Capitals projected for his recovery. "I think we're all hopeful based on how he looks that maybe we're closer to the earlier part of that. … I think it's just very positive how he looks right now and we hope it continues to go that way." Patrick said he did not know exactly when Sandin, who had 29 points (five goals, 24 assists) in 73 games last season, resumed skating.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Yanni Gourde is expected to be out until December after having offseason hip surgery. The forward had 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 82 regular-season games for the Lightning and one assist in seven playoff games last season. ... Forward Dominic James broke his hand during offseason training and will be out the first several weeks of the season. He had 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 43 regular-season games and three points (two goals, one assist) in seven playoff games last season.

Ottawa Senators

Artem Zub and Warren Foegele each are recovering from injuries, did not skate when the Senators opened training camp Thursday and could miss their season opener, at Toronto on Oct. 3. "They're skating. I always tell you guys that when they're skating, they're close," Ottawa coach Travis Green said Wednesday. "I would expect both of them to be with the team in the next week to two weeks." Foegele had eight points (six goals, two assists) in 21 games after the forward was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on March 5. Zub had 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) in 81 games last season. The defenseman averaged 20:48 of ice time.

Dallas Stars

Tyler Seguin will be a full participant in training camp, but it's unclear when he will be ready to play, Stars GM Jim Nill said Wednesday. The 34-year-old forward had ACL surgery in December after he was injured during a game against the New York Rangers on Dec. 2. The expected recovery timeline is nine months, and last week Seguin said he wasn't sure if he'd be ready for the season opener against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 2. He had 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 27 games last season. "He's been cleared by his surgeon for contact now so he'll get into more of the contact, see how he feels," Nill said. "... It's really up to him to see how he adapts. Our expectations are he is going to be OK but I want to see when he gets into contact where he is at. We're expecting him to bounce back."

Buffalo Sabres

Jason Zucker is expected to miss the start of the regular season because of a sports hernia, Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Wednesday. The forward had 45 points (24 goals, 21 assists) in 62 games last season. "He's very close to (being ready for) the start of the year. He could miss maybe a couple weeks of the regular season," Kekalainen said. Defenseman Louis Crevier, acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in June, underwent offseason shoulder surgery but could be ready for the season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 1. "He looks like he's ready," Kekalainen said. "I think he still needs to talk to the doctor that operated on him, but we think he'll be ready for the start of the regular season. We still don't have a final answer on it."