Victor Eklund is getting a real look higher up the Islanders’ lineup.
According to Stefen Rosner, the 19-year-old forward has moved up the line charts and is now being slotted into New York’s top six. That’s a notable step for Eklund, who had already been told he could make the NHL roster this season and earned his place on the 23-man roster.
Eklund opened the Islanders’ 2026-27 season on the third line, skating 11:58 with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Emil Heineman, with a brief stretch alongside Simon Holmstrom as well, in a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The former 16th overall pick in 2025 posted 10 points in nine games with Bridgeport in the AHL last season after putting up 24 points in 43 SHL games for Djurgardens IF.
Andrei Kuzmenko is back with the Penguins after being away from the team on leave to deal with personal matters following the death of his father, Alexander, according to Pens Inside Scoop. The 30-year-old winger signed a one-year, $5MM deal when free agency opened on July 1st, and Pittsburgh is now the fifth team he has played for since 2023.
He previously suited up for the Canucks, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, and Los Angeles Kings. Kuzmenko’s production has dipped sharply since his standout rookie season in Vancouver, when he scored 39 goals and finished with 74 points in 2022-23.
Last season, he managed 13 goals and 25 points on a one-year deal with the Kings.
In Buffalo, the Sabres have assigned defenseman Dennis Gilbert to Rochester. Gilbert was with the club for its game in Columbus but did not play, sitting as a healthy scratch. The Buffalo native joined the Sabres after a year hiatus in 2025-26 in Ottawa, where he appeared in three Stanley Cup playoff games for the Senators.
The Sabres are carrying six defensemen on the active roster while waiting on Olen Zellweger, who remains in concussion protocol after taking a hit from Carson Soucy in the Sept. 22 preseason game against the Blue Jackets. Zellweger was placed on injured reserve and missed the Oct. 1 opener, according to Sabres PR, but he has not been ruled out for the Oct. 3 home opener. If he’s available, it would be the first in-season look at Buffalo’s new $9.3MM blueliner.
In Other News...
Flames May Have A Familiar Blue Line Option Back In Play
Blake Lizottes start to the season has already hit another snag for the Penguins. After being activated from injured reserve and getting into just one game, the forward is now being evaluated for a lower-body injury, and he did not practice Thursday as the club went back to work following the opener.
For Pittsburgh, it adds another layer of uncertainty to a roster that is still trying to settle in early. The Penguins do not have a timeline yet on Lizottes return, which leaves his status open-ended while the team waits to see whether this is a short-term setback or something that lingers beyond the immediate stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Suddenly Have A Saturday Lineup Question Fans Didn't Expect
The Penguins daily lineup picture changed Thursday afternoon when Rutger McGroarty was sent to Wilkes-Barre, another reminder of how quickly a teams options can shift during the season. Pittsburgh has already been juggling different layers of roster business around the league, from trade chatter involving defensemen to the bigger debate over how players can shape movement with no-trade clauses.
Friday brought a fresh wrinkle when practice opened with one forward absent and another back on the ice, adding a little more uncertainty to how Saturday could look. The returning player also appeared to be moving well, which gives the coaching staff something positive to weigh, but the missing name left just enough of a question mark to make this one worth watching as the weekend approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins New Blue Line Faces Its First Real Pressure Test
The Penguins opened their 2026-27 season with a 7-0 rout, and the new-look blue line came away looking like part of the solution. Six different players scored, including newcomers Nicholas Robertson and Hendrix Lapierre, while Arturs Silovs handled the rest with a shutout in his first start of the year. For a team that knows its defense is still the group under the most scrutiny, the opener offered a tidy first snapshot of how Erik Karlsson, Sam Girard and the rest can help set the tone.
Still, one game against a Philadelphia club that never really pushed back is only a first pass at the real evaluation. The Penguins can feel good about the way the defense moved the puck and limited chances, but the next step is finding out whether that early success holds when the pace rises and the pressure shifts into a more demanding test. [Read more 🡒]