Camp Diary: Day 1
Thirty-two camps opened on Thursday, September 17. The loudest story came off the ice: Winnipeg suspended Connor Hellebuyck for failing to report. Here is what happened at every rink on day one.
Anaheim Ducks
Cutter Gauthier was on the ice on time for the first skate. Troy Terry will miss the start of the season.
Boston Bruins
Morgan Geekie opened camp at center on the top line between Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak. The kid line of James Hagens, Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov skated together in Group B, and prospect Frederic Brunet was deliberately paired with Charlie McAvoy. Nobody was missing: everyone skated, with Swayman in net for Group A.
Buffalo Sabres
Peyton Krebs opened on the top line with Tage Thompson and Josh Doan, and beat writers are already skeptical of the fit. Jiri Kulich is expected to push Krebs down the lineup. The Sabres opened camp with Luukkonen, Lyon and Ellis in net.
Calgary Flames
Team Red's rushes had Gridin–Frost–Coronato on top, with Bahl–Nemec and Middleton–Parekh as the first two pairs and Wolf and Cooley in net. Jonathan Huberdeau will open the season on injured reserve, opening a center audition for Morton, Castagna and Gross. Zayne Parekh looked noticeably stronger on day one.
Carolina Hurricanes
Alexander Nikishin was officially absent: the unsigned restricted free agent is holding out. Seth Jarvis skated in a noncontact jersey. Nikishin's absence opens a spot on defense.
Chicago Blackhawks
Connor Bedard did not take part in team sessions and is out until November. The day-one top trio was Kantserov–Nazar–Kane, with Bertuzzi–Frondell–Lardis behind them. Levshunov and Donato collided hard in practice but both were fine.
Colorado Avalanche
Cale Makar was not ready for day one: on a lighter program with a lower-body injury, he skated about twenty minutes with the main group, then left for the locker room. Goalie prospect Trent Miner also missed the start of camp.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Adam Fantilli did not report. The unsigned restricted free agent is holding out, and he was penciled in at first-line center between Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko, so his absence forces a reshuffle. Don Waddell says he is confident a deal gets done, and Jet Greaves opens camp as the starter ahead of Elvis Merzlikins.
Dallas Stars
Tyler Seguin was a full participant, but there is no timeline for games. The core is healthy, and 57 players opened camp in Frisco split into three groups.
Detroit Red Wings
Dylan Larkin did not skate with an upper-body injury, and he would not say whether he has rescinded his trade request. With Larkin out, Nate Danielson gets an extended audition at center. Viktor Arvidsson got the first look beside DeBrincat, and 49 players are in camp.
Edmonton Oilers
The first practice ran four hours. McDavid and Draisaitl skated together with Podkolzin on the top line; rookie Isaac Howard opened between Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman. Frederik Andersen (knee) and Matt Savoie are out until late October, so Jarry and Devon Levi have the early net.
Florida Panthers
Brad Marchand will miss October. Brady Tkachuk opened on the top line with Barkov and Reinhart, not with his brother; Maurice's explanation: "They'll be in jail before the puck drops." Barkov is back on the ice, and Jacob Markstrom opened camp as the starter in net.
Los Angeles Kings
Three veterans opened camp on the shelf: Fiala (targeting November 1), Zuccarello (a few days), and Dumoulin, who failed his physical and is seeking a second opinion. The 63-man camp skated in three groups, with a B-vs-C scrimmage in the afternoon.
Minnesota Wild
Filip Gustavsson is out until November and will start the season on injured reserve, leaving Jesper Wallstedt and Calvin Pickard as the NHL goalies. Quinn Hughes addressed his contract on day one: final year of his deal, no extension yet, and he says he feels no pressure.
Montreal Canadiens
Chris Kreider opened camp on the top line with Suzuki and Caufield. Kaiden Guhle is out four to five weeks, opening a roster battle between Engstrom and Reinbacher. Eyebrow-raiser: Dobeš and Fowler practiced with the main group while Montembeault was with Team B. Kirby Dach is being tried at center.
Nashville Predators
55 players opened camp at Ford Ice Center: a quiet opening skate.
New Jersey Devils
Nick Bjugstad is out four to six months and will miss camp entirely; Johnathan Kovacevic is a limited participant. Anthony Mantha got the first look beside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Dougie Hamilton skated with Jonas Siegenthaler.
New York Islanders
Mathew Barzal is out two weeks with knee inflammation and will miss all of camp; the opener is not guaranteed. Prospect Calum Ritchie gets a look down the middle with Barzal out. Kyle Palmieri is fully cleared, and about 50 players are in camp.
New York Rangers
The day-one lines had Perreault with Zibanejad and Lafrenière on top, and Alberts Smits paired with Braden Schneider on defense — the club says the young defenseman will get a real chance. Matt Rempe rotated in as an extra, then fought Marc Del Gaizo in the first scrimmage: he has to play his way into the lineup. Sullivan said carrying three goalies (Shesterkin, Garand, Korpisalo) is on the table, and there are zero PTOs in camp.
Ottawa Senators
Artem Zub and Warren Foegele did not skate with the main group; both are expected back in a week or two. Ben Hutton is in camp on a PTO. Samuel Ersson is a new name in the crease mix behind Ullmark. Green ran a hard first session — the players did not grab water for the first half hour, per Giroux.
Philadelphia Flyers
Matvei Michkov was flying on day one and did his full media availability in English. Oliver Bonk opened camp paired with Travis Sanheim, a real top-pair look, and Denver Barkey centered a line while getting penalty-kill reps. Only Nikita Grebenkin is limited with an upper-body flare-up; everyone else is healthy.
Pittsburgh Penguins
No day-one lines were published. Sixty-nine players are in camp, including PTO goalie Collin Delia, with 2026 picks Liam Ruck, Tomas Galvas and Matvei Nikonovich at their first camp.
San Jose Sharks
Mason Marchment opened camp on the top line with Celebrini and Will Smith. Second-overall pick Ivar Stenberg is at camp and expected to begin the season in the NHL.
Seattle Kraken
Camp opened at the Iceplex with 54 players; the first preseason game is Saturday against Vancouver. Shane Wright earning a bigger role is the headline camp battle.
St. Louis Blues
Mason McTavish centered McMichael and Buchnevich on day one, and Montgomery hopes he becomes a dependable second-line center. The Holloway–Thomas–Snuggerud line stayed together and scored twice in practice. Brandon Carlo skated with Fowler.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Yanni Gourde is out until December and Dominic James broke his hand: Tampa opens without its third- and fourth-line centers. Nikita Kucherov opened camp with no extension, in the final year of his deal. Luke Glendening is back on a PTO.
Toronto Maple Leafs
First-overall pick Gavin McKenna opened camp on the second line with Tavares and Nylander; the top line was Knies–Matthews–Roslovic. The day-one standout, per Jim Hiller, was Easton Cowan, skating on the third line with Paul and Sissons. Bobrovsky and Stolarz are the goalie pair, and Max Domi failed his physical and will start the season on long-term injured reserve.
Utah Mammoth
Fifty-five players reported for the first skate at the Mammoth Ice Center. There was no confirmation top prospects Desnoyers and Iginla skated Thursday. Three goalies are fighting for the net: Vejmelka, Cossa and Hrabal.
Vancouver Canucks
Thatcher Demko will be a limited participant with a left-leg muscle injury and no timeline, so Kevin Lankinen is the starter. Manny Malhotra ran an intense first session and was not shy about calling out coasting. DeBrusk–Pettersson–Karlsson opened as the top line, and rookies Rogowski and Novotny stood out in board battles. Defenseman Jack Thompson took a puck to the face and needs more time.
Vegas Golden Knights
Camp opened at City National Arena with 66 players.
Washington Capitals
The NHL group skated together from day one, and the lines look like opening night: Ovechkin–Strome–Leonard on top. The Protas–Kyrou line stood out for size and speed. Rasmus Sandin is out. Cal Petersen is in camp on a PTO among seven goalies.
Winnipeg Jets
Connor Hellebuyck was suspended Wednesday for failing to report, and the story dominated day one. Cheveldayoff said "no doors are closed" on a return, but there is no fair-value offer yet. Captain Adam Lowry: the team cannot spend time worrying about it. Six goalies are on the camp roster.