Here's the latest injury news from across the NHL! If you're looking for information about a specific player and don't see their name in this article, there probably haven't been any significant updates about their progress since our offseason article. If you ever need injury updates for a specific player, shoot me a message on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza.

Alex Galchenyuk – The Coyotes forward is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The last couple of seasons have been disappointing for Galchenyuk as he scored at a mediocre 30-point pace while seeing limited opportunity in Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Ottawa and Toronto. He returns to Arizona, where he posted a 47-point pace during the 2018-2019 campaign.

Phil Kessel – A foot injury kept the 34-year-old winger sidelined during training camp, but head coach Andre Tourigny is confident that Kessel will be available for Arizona's season opener on Thursday. 

Vincent Trocheck – The 28-year-old center was activated from Injured Reserve on Tuesday,, indicating he'll be in the lineup for Carolina's season opener against the Islanders on Thursday.

Nathan MacKinnon – On Tuesday, we learned that the superstar tested positive for COVID-19 but has no symptoms of the virus. MacKinnon won't be available when Colorado kicks off their season against Chicago on Wednesday, but the hope is he'll test negative in the coming days, allowing him to play in game two on Saturday.

Pavel Francouz – Will be sidelined for another two to three weeks with a sprained ankle. The 31-year-old netminder hasn't played many games in the NHL, but he's been excellent when called upon. Given Darcy Kuemper's injury history, Francouz is someone to keep an eye on as he could end up seeing a high volume of starts behind one of the league's best rosters.

Devon Toews – Had shoulder surgery during the offseason and while he has been skating recently, he isn't taking any contact. There's no timetable for his recovery, but once he gets cleared for contact and participates in a few full practices, we can start anticipating a return.

Jason Robertson – The 22-year-old forward is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and Isn't expected to play in Thursday's opener against the Rangers. Robertson is looking to build on last year's impressive rookie campaign that saw him tally 45 points in 51 appearances.

Jani Hakanpaa – Broke his pinky finger during the team's preseason opener on September 27^th and has been sidelined since. Fortunately, it sounds like he'll be cleared to play in Dallas' first game of the season, scheduled for this Thursday in New York. 

Ben Bishop – The Stars netminder has been placed on long-term injured reserve and will have to miss at least 10 games and 24 days of action. There's no timeline for his return as he continues to work his way back from a knee injury that caused him to miss the entire 2021 campaign. Dallas enters the season with a goaltending tandem of Anton Khudobin and Braden Holtby.

Zack Kassian – The Oilers forward was placed in concussion protocol after hitting his head on the ice during a preseason fight last Thursday. He has been skating recently and is officially day-to-day. As I write this, his status for Wednesday's game against the Canucks hasn't yet been determined.

Quinton Byfield – The 19-year-old forward suffered an ankle fracture during a preseason clash with the Coyotes and will be sidelined indefinitely. Byfield will be re-evaluated in the next few weeks, at which point we should get a better idea of when he'll return.

Andreas Athanasiou – On September 29^th, we learned that Athanasiou had sustained an injury during practice but wasn't expected to miss any regular season action. We haven't been given any updates recently and his status for Thursday's opener against Vegas remains up in the air as I write this.

Mike Hoffman – On September 25^th, the Canadiens revealed that Hoffman could be sidelined for up to four weeks because of a lower-body injury. We're about two and a half weeks into that timetable and Hoffman has already started skating. The hope is he'll return to practice in the next week or so.

Joel Edmundson – Will be sidelined for another week or two while he deals with an undisclosed injury. He provides a calm and steady presence on Montreal's blueline that benefits his usual partner Jeff Petry, as well as the team's goaltenders. He may not hold much fantasy value himself, but his absence might negatively impact other players on the roster.

Carey Price – The Canadiens netminder has entered the league's player assistance program, which was created to help players and their families deal with mental health, substance abuse and other matters. He'll be away from the team for at least 30 days while in the program. Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault will share the net in Montreal while Price is sidelined.

Damon Severson – Is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury and isn't expected to play in the team's season opener on Friday. Severson is reportedly dealing with a muscle strain that he sustained when he slipped on a puck and went into boards during last Monday's morning skate.

Ty Smith – Hasn't been practicing recently as he's dealing with a lower-body injury. It seems unlikely that Smith will be available for New Jersey's season opener against Chicago on Friday.

Semyon Varlamov – Won't be available for Thursday's season opener against the Hurricanes as he's dealing with an undisclosed injury. According to GM Lou Lamoriello, this doesn't look like a long-term issue and the team simply wants to ensure Varlamov gets enough time to recovery fully. The Isles will lean on Ilya Sorokin until Varlamov returns, but it should be close to a 50/50 split when both goalies are healthy.

Matt Murray – Ottawa's goaltender is dealing with a non-COVID-19-related illness and his status for Thursday's season opener will be determined on Thursday.

Colin White – The Sens forward will be sidelined for four to six months while he recovers from surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder.

Rasmus Ristolainen – Hasn't been practicing recently due to minor upper-body issues but he should be available for Friday's opener against Vancouver. He has been skating on his own but his participation in Thursday's practice will be the best indicator of his status moving forward.

Ryan Ellis – Hasn't been practicing recently but is expected to be available for Friday's season opener against the Canucks. Coach Alain Vigneault said that Ellis' absences at practice are related to some minor lower-body bumps and bruises. If Ellis doesn't participate in Thursday's practice, we may need to start questioning the severity of these injuries.

Kevin Hayes – The Flyers forward underwent abdominal surgery on September 21^st, which came with a recovery period of six to eight weeks. There are a few more weeks left in that timetable, but Hayes has already resumed skating.

Jake Guentzel – On Monday, the 27-year-old winger skated with his teammates for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19 on October 3^rd. He missed the team's season opener on Tuesday in Tampa but will be reassessed ahead of Thursday's clash with the Panthers. Reports indicate that Guentzel didn't experience any symptoms related to the virus, but he'll have to ramp up his conditioning since he wasn't allowed to skate while sidelined.

Sidney Crosby – The Penguins captain underwent wrist surgery five weeks ago and has about a  week left in the initial recovery timetable. He has been practicing recently and expects to return within a week or two.

Evgeni Malkin – The superstar center has been placed on long-term injured reserve and will be sidelined for a minimum of 10 games and 24 days. Of course, Malkin was already expected to miss the first two months of the season while recovering from offseason knee surgery, so this transaction won't delay his return at all.

Yanni Gourde – The 29-year-old forward is day-to-day and ahead of schedule in his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery. He has been a full participant in recent practices and is currently travelling with the team as they continue a five-game road trip, which ends on October 19^th and includes four more games.

Ilya Mikheyev – The Leafs forward will be sidelined for at least eight weeks as he recovers from surgery on a broken thumb.

Mitch Marner – Will be a game-time decision ahead of Wednesday's season opener against the Habs. Fortunately, Marner felt good during the morning's optional skate, so I'd say it's likely he plays.

Auston Matthews – On August 13^th, the Leafs superstar underwent surgery to clean up a nagging wrist injury. He's still not completely comfortable and is expected to miss all three of Toronto's games this week as the team wants to make sure he's feeling 100-percent before returning to the lineup. Allowing his wrist to fully heal now might prevent it from being a recurring issue – which was the case last season.

Brock Boeser – Is currently travelling with the team as they kick off their season with a six-game road trip. Boeser is officially day-to-day with an undisclosed injury that has been bothering him since late-September. He has been skating recently and could be available for game one on Wednesday against the Oilers.

Alex Ovechkin – Suffered a lower-body injury during Washington's preseason finale on Friday. Ovi was on the ice for Tuesday's optional practice but his status for Wednesday's regular season opener against the Rangers remains up in the air as I write this.

Nicklas Backstrom – On Tuesday, Washington's top center was placed on long-term injured reserve due to a hip injury. The move requires Backstrom to miss at least 10 games and 24 days of action, meaning he won't be eligible to return until November 6^th when the Caps face the Flyers.