NHL Player News

Monday, September 20

• 09/20/10 - 11:45AM ETChris Pronger : (Knee) Questionable for Season Opener

  Pronger (knee) is still considered questionable for the Flyers' season opener on October 7, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

  Pronger was on the ice with the other injured Flyers for about 30 minutes before the team's practice on Sunday. It was his fifth straight day on the ice, which is encouraging, but he still has some work to do if he hopes to be in the lineup for the season opener.

• 09/20/10 - 9:52AM ETMikael Samuelsson : Top Line Duty Could be On Tap

  With Alex Burrows (shoulder) likely starting the season on the injured reserve, Samuelsson is expected to be promoted to the Canucks' first line, the Vancouver Sun reports.

  Samuelsson is expected to be a fixture in the Canucks' top six all season, but a spot alongside the Sedin twins will give him a nice boost in value for the start of the season.

• 09/20/10 - 9:43AM ETChris Drury : (Finger) Likely Out Four Weeks

  Drury suffered a broken finger in a Monday morning scrimmage and he'll miss four weeks as a result, the Rangers' official site reports.

  He won't require surgery, but this will almost certainly knock him out for the first week or two of the regular season barring a recovery that goes much faster than the team is initially anticipating. The early outlook here suggests that he'll miss approximately three regular season games.

• 09/20/10 - 8:50AM ETValtteri Filppula : More Production Could be in Store

  Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock still believes that Filppula can be a 20-goal, 70-point player as the team's second-line center, MLive.com reports.

  He's a good two-way player at even strength and key member of the penalty-killing unit, but Babcock wants to see Filppula make more of an impact at the offensive end. He averaged a career-high 2.07 shots per game last season, but the coaching staff would still like to see Filppula take more of them going forward. Keep in mind that he was slowed by a wrist injury last season, so there could be significant uptick in production here if he starts to see more time on the man advantage.

Sunday, September 19

• 09/19/10 - 11:05AM ETScottie Upshall : (Knee) Good Opening Practice

  Upshall described his opening practice with the Coyotes as "great" after missing 33 games last season with a knee injury, the Arizona Republic reports.

  That's great news for Upshall, who had 18 goals and 14 assists before the injury. "The summer's been really good, a big step forward for me," he said. "An injury like this, it's hard to know what to expect. I'm happy with the way things have progressed, and it was good to get today out of the way."

• 09/19/10 - 10:50AM ETRoman Hamrlik : Tweaks Knee in Collision

  Hamrlik tweaked his knee in a collision with Jaroslav Spacek during a recent informal workout, the Montreal Gazette reports.

  Hamrlik hopes to ready for the start of the season. He fought through a knee injury last season as well, so be sure to monitor his status as the season approaches.

• 09/19/10 - 9:00AM ETRyan Whitney : Foot Not Fully Healed Yet

  Whitney's foot is still not 100 percent after offseason surgery, according to the Edmonton Journal.

  Whitney has abnormally high arches which realigned the bones in his feet, forcing him to have two surgeries to correct the problem. Whitney states that he is not in any pain and that everything is coming along fine, but this could be a situation worth watching.

Friday, September 17

• 09/17/10 - 2:41PM ETMartin St. Louis : Could Switch Lines This Season

  St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier may be reunited, reports the St. Petersburg Times.

  New coach Guy Boucher was effusive in his praise for the duo: "To me, that tandem, Lecavalier and St. Louis, is extremely, extremely strong in possibilities on ice and off. They might not start together, but they will play together at some point, whether it's on the power play or five-on-five." Mighty Mite is a hot fantasy play whether he's rolling beside Vinny or Steven Stamkos.

• 09/17/10 - 1:48PM ETAntti Niemi : Will Compete For Starting Spot During Camp

  Sharks head coach Todd McLellan has not been specific about how many starts Niemi will get in goal, rather suggesting that there will be an "open competition" in training camp, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

  "Ultimately, a goalie decides his own fate when it comes to how many games he plays," McLellan said. "Whoever is playing well and doing what they're supposed to do is going to get to play." Niemi is the proven winner, but Antero Niittymaki has the most NHL experience (210 games) and Thomas Greiss is the team's top netminder prospect just waiting for his chance. It sounds like the hot hand in training camp will win the job.

• 09/17/10 - 10:16AM ETMarc Savard : Will Not Be Ready For Start of Camp

  Savard, who is dealing with symptoms that are consistent with post-concussion syndrome, will not be ready for the start of the Bruins' training camp, the Boston Globe reports.

  According to GM Peter Chiarelli, Savard has not worked out in the last few weeks. There is currently no timetable for when the B's playmaking center could start working out and skating, but this is clearly a troubling situation, given how long ago (this past March) Savard initially sustained his Grade 2 concussion.