Vaakanainen crashed heavily into the end boards in Friday's preseason game and had to be stretchered off of the ice. The Ducks said that Vaakanainen was released from the hospital on Friday night and continues to improve. They have yet to issue another update but expect Vaakanainen to miss the start of the season.
Zegras left the game after he was crunched at centre ice by Coyotes' forward Jan Jenik. Zegras was slow to get up and did not return to the game. Expect the Ducks to provide an update on his status in the coming days, but with the start of the Ducks' season just 13 days away, he could be in danger of missing the start of the campaign.
Strome found a home on the Rangers' second line playing with Artemi Panarin for the last three seasons, tallying 53 goals and 109 assists (162 points) in 200 games--22 goals and 45 assists (67 points) per 82-game pace. In Anaheim he should play a similar role as the No.2 centre behind Trevor Zegras but likely will not have the star power of Panarin on his wing.
Meyer was a sixth-round pick in the 2017 NHL draft and made his NHL debut during the 2022 season, scoring one goal with two assists (three points) in 13 games with the Blue Jackets. During his time in Cleveland (AHL), he was seventh on the team with 27 points (16G / 11A) in 57 games.
Dumoulin will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury that he suffered in Game 2. Mark Friedman will remain in the Penguins lineup with Dumoulin sidelined.
