Blackwood appears to be nearing a return from a lower-body injury after being sent to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) on a conditioning loan at the beginning of last week, but will miss at least two more games before the team returns home. Scott Wedgewood has played well to start the season, filling in for Blackwood, but the team will be eager to have the services of Blackwood back in their lineup after posting a 22-12-3 record last season, alongside a 2.33 GAA and .913 SV% last season after being acquired from San Jose.

Gudbranson has been sidelined for two weeks due to a lower-body injury but will return to the lineup on Friday against the Washington Capitals. The 33-year-old Gudbranson is in his 15th NHL season, his fourth with the Blue Jackets, and was set to be a lineup-regular this season after being limited to only 16 games in 2024-25 because of a shoulder injury.

Carrier exited Carolina's previous game early in the first period after only 1:16 time-on-ice due to a lower-body injury. The 30-year-old bottom-six forward was off to a solid start to the season, with three points (1G / 2A) in seven games. He is expected be out of the lineup for an extended period.

Robinson exited Thursday's game in the second period after playing 7:38 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old Robinson has four points (3G / 1A) in seven games and is expected to be out of the lineup for the foreseeable future.

Miller participated in Carolina's pregame warmup on Thursday but was a late scratch due to a lower-body injury. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour emphasized that Miller "could be a while" before he returns to the lineup. The 25-year-old Miller was off to a strong start with the Hurricanes, averaging 23:32 time-on-ice and scoring four points (2G / 2A) in six games.

Barron has been productive early in the 2025-26 season for the Jets, scoring five points (3G / 2A) in six games. The 26-year-old forward scored a career-high 21 points (8G / 13A) in 70 games in the 2022-23 season.

Marchment is starting to find his rhythm in Seattle, scoring three points (0G / 3A) in his last three games. The 30-year-old Marchment was traded from the Dallas Stars to the Seattle Kraken in the offseason, and has four points (1G / 3A) in his first six games with his new team.

Hampus Lindholm did not play on Sunday, supposedly given an extra day of maintenance after returning from an injury, but was out of the lineup on Tuesday and will now miss a third consecutive game on Thursday.

McBain exited Utah's most recent game early after only 4:56 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury, but will not miss any more time, suiting up for Thursday's game against the St. Louis Blues. The 25-year-old McBain averaged 3.5 hits and 0.3 points per game in the 2024-25 season but is trailing that pace early in 2025-26, averaging only 2.1 hits and 0.1 points through seven games.

Kadri played 22:46 time-on-ice in yesterday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens, his second-highest total of the season. He was absent from practice on Thursday for maintenance but is not expected to miss any time. The 35-year-old Kadri has four points (0G / 4A) in eight games this season.

Dach has not played in Montreal's previous three games, recovering from a lower-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 24-year-old Dach is averaging 14:29 time-on-ice and has two points (1G / 1A) in five games this season.

Marchment was starting to find his rhythm in Seattle, scoring three points (0G / 3A) in his last three games, but could miss Thursday's contest against the Winnipeg Jets due to an undisclosed injury. The 30-year-old Marchment was traded from the Dallas Stars to the Seattle Kraken in the offseason, and has four points (1G / 3A) in his first six games with his new team.

Stone was limited to only 13:12 time-on-ice in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Calgary Flames, exiting the contest due to a wrist injury, and has been sidelined since. The 33-year-old Stone scored four points (2G / 2A) before departing the game, and has 13 points (2G / 11A) in six contests this season. He was given a week-to-week timeline, but will be sidelined for at least one month after being placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve.

Barron has been productive early in the 2025-26 season for the Jets, scoring five points (3G / 2A) in six games. The 26-year-old forward scored a career-high 21 points (8G / 13A) in 70 games in the 2022-23 season. It's unclear if Barron will be ready to play when the Jets return to action on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken.

Rielly showed no signs of an injury in Toronto's most recent game, playing a season-high 24:30 time-on-ice, but was absent from practice on Thursday. The 31-year-old Rielly is off to an impressive offensive start to the season, scoring six points (2G / 4A) in seven games.

Kapanen is battling an undisclosed injury and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future. The 29-year-old Kapanen was averaging 12:17 time-on-ice and had two points (0G / 2A) in six games before his injury. David Tomasek drew into the lineup as Kapanen's replacement earlier this week.

Dubois has missed four straight, tending to a lower-body injury, but could return to the lineup on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 27-year-old Dubois has been held off the scoresheet through three games this season. He had a career-high 66 points (20G / 46A) in 82 games last season.

Sundqvist suffered a lower-body injury at practice days before the season opened and has been sidelined since. The 31-year-old Sundqvist has 164 points (62G / 102A) in 493 career games. He will make his season debut on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth.

Hampus Lindholm did not play on Sunday, supposedly given an extra day of maintenance after returning from an injury, but was out of the lineup on Tuesday and could miss a third consecutive game on Thursday. Jordan Harris will exit the lineup if Lindholm is able to return.

Six game into his NHL career, Shabanov has been effective in a sheltered role, scoring three points (1G / 2) while averaging only 11:43 time-on-ice. The 25-year-old Russian forward is coming off a sensational season with Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL) where he had 23 goals and 67 points in 65 games played. He will not play on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings.