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Remains with big club.
Perbix, who was waived by the Predators on Sunday, is on the team's Opening Night roster.
Analysis: Perbix went on unclaimed on the waiver wire, but rather than reporting to AHL Milwaukee, the right-shot blueliner will seemingly be with the Predators for their season opener at home against the Wild on Thursday. There are nine defensemen on Nashville's Opening Night roster, so Perbix will have to earn his ice time in the early going.
Makes opening night roster.
Listed on the Predators's Opening Night roster.
Analysis: After being placed on waivers by Nashville on Sunday, Lyubushkin will do a 180 and is set to open the 2026-27 regular season with the Predators. The 32-year-old blueliner was a solid role player in limited action with Dallas in 2025-26, where he posted a goal, nine points, 33 shots on net, 68 hits and 90 blocked shots across 53 regular-season outings. Lyubushkin has proven to be a productive player defensively at the NHL level, but his limited offensive upside could land him back in the AHL at some point in the upcoming campaign.
Starting year in minors.
Will begin the 2026-27 campaign with AHL Milwaukee.
Analysis: Pinchuk was very close to making the Predators' Opening Night roster, so he might be the first forward to receive a call-up this season. The 24-year-old generated 31 goals, 66 points and a plus-21 rating over 65 regular-season games with KHL Minsk in 2025-26, so he certainly has some offensive upside. Moreover, the Predators elected to start the season with just 12 forwards and nine defensemen on the roster, so if the team gets off to a slow start, it may not be long before Pinchuk makes his NHL debut.
Put on injured reserve.
Landed on injured reserve Monday, according to PuckPedia.
Analysis: Per Mollie Walker of the New York Post, Iorio skated Monday in a non-contact jersey, so his injury doesn't appear to be overly serious. The Rangers had to either waive Iorio or place him on IR on Monday in order to be compliant with the 23-man roster limit, but it's currently unclear how long Iorio will be sidelined for.
Shifts to IR.
Will begin the 2026-27 regular season on injured reserve, per the NHL Media Site.
Analysis: Sykora's move to injured reserve was expected, as the Rangers had already announced that he would miss roughly 4-5 months. The 22-year-old winger's absence is a tough loss for New York, who saw him post three goals, four points, 15 shots on net, 20 hits and 10 blocked shots across 11 regular-season outings in his rookie campaign. While he's not expected to return until the second half of the upcoming campaign, Sykora could play a meaningful role for the Rangers once he's healthy.
Shelved on IR to start season.
Will begin the 2026-27 regular season on injured reserve.
Analysis: Moore's move to injured reserve was expected, as the team announced that he was expected to miss 2-4 weeks in mid-September. The 24-year-old blueliner had a solid rookie campaign, where he posted four goals, 12 points, 66 shots on net, 42 hits and 80 blocked shots across 67 regular-season games in the 2025-26 season. With the Ducks losing multiple key defensemen over the past calendar year, Moore has the potential to see increased playing time once he's available to return. Tyson Hinds, Nick Jensen and Tristan Luneau will open the upcoming campaign as the team's right-handed defensemen in Moore's absence.
Placed on injured non-roster list.
Shifted to non-roster injured reserve.
Analysis: Terry is slated to miss a large chunk of the season, as it was announced Sept. 19 that the 29-year-old is expected to be out for another 2-3 months. The 2015 fifth-round selection played through his hip issue in the 2026 postseason and ultimately underwent surgery in June. Fantasy managers can now afford stash Terry on injured reserve rather than using an active roster spot on the forward.
Appears on injured non-roster list.
Will begin the 2026-27 regular season on the injured non-roster list, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.
Analysis: Kovacevic was a limited participant across the majority of New Jersey's training camp and didn't appear in a preseason game. The 29-year-old blueliner battled through injuries early in the 2025-26 regular season as well, where he posted eight points, 30 shots on net, 57 hits and 39 blocked shots across 34 games. When he's available to return, he'll likely begin the season as the team's sixth or seventh defenseman, as he and Declan Chisholm are the team's current candidates to claim the right-defenseman role on New Jersey's third pairing.
Starting on injured non-roster.
Analysis: Bjugstad underwent surgery earlier in September to repair the torn left pectoral muscle he suffered while training in the offseason. The 34-year-old forward had a quiet 2025-26 campaign, where he posted six goals, nine points, 77 shots on net, 108 hits and 33 blocked shots across 61 regular-season games between St. Louis and New Jersey. He would've potentially had a similar role with New Jersey if he was healthy for Opening Night. His expected timeline for return is 4-6 months, which places him off the fantasy radar until the second half of the upcoming season.
Shifts to IR-NR.
Placed on non-roster injured reserve.
Analysis: Casey was hurt in Thursday's preseason game versus the Rangers, and head coach Sheldon Keefe said afterward that Casey will miss some time. There hasn't been further clarification on the extent of the defenseman's injury, so the length of his absence won't be known until the Devils provide another update on Casey's status.
Goes on non-roster list.
Placed on the non-roster list.
Analysis: The 25-year-old backstop had a solid 2025-26, posting a 17-8-8 record, a 2.62 GAA, and a .904 save percentage in 32 regular-season outings for AHL Colorado. It's unclear when he will be ready to return, but he should head back to the minors once he's healthy.
Moves to IR-NR.
Put on non-roster injured reserve.
Analysis: It wasn't immediately clear when Merkulov was injured or how long he is expected to be on the shelf for. The 25-year-old will probably suit up for AHL Colorado once he's given the green light to appear in a game.
Dealing with injury.
Landed on non-roster injured reserve.
Analysis: Makar was reportedly hurt during Saturday's preseason finale against the Mammoth, per Hockey Mountain High. The severity of Makar's injury is unclear at this time, but he might report the AHL Colorado once he's deemed healthy enough to play in a game.
Beginning on injured reserve.
Will begin the 2026-27 regular season on the injured reserve, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.
Analysis: Gaudette was day-to-day early in training camp and didn't log any preseason appearances. The 29-year-old forward was a solid role player for San Jose in 2025-26, posting 17 goals, 25 points, 96 shots on net, 53 hits and 33 blocked shots across 66 regular-season outings. When he's ready to return, Gaudette will likely slot somewhere in the bottom six.