Preseason Injury Cascade Reshuffles Lineup Depth Across Seven Franchises

The NHL's preseason injury report released Wednesday reads like a casualty list from a hard-fought playoff series—except these teams are three weeks from dropping the puck on the regular season. Cale Makar logged a full practice session Tuesday and is penciled in to return Friday, but the Colorado defenseman's injury status remains fluid. Detroit's Dylan Larkin, sidelined since pre-camp training, faces an undefined recovery window; Red Wings coach Todd McLellan declined to expedite his return, effectively signaling Larkin will miss the season opener. Washington's Alex Ovechkin is managing a lower-body injury that may keep him out of both preseason games this weekend, though he has additional healing time before regular-season play begins.

The injury depth extends beyond star power. Columbus defenseman Dante Fabbro suffered an upper-body injury during Monday's exhibition game and remains in limbo. Pittsburgh's Ville Koivunen (upper-body), Justin Brazeau (lower-body), and Ben Kindel (lower-body, incurred blocking a shot Monday) are all day-to-day. Seattle's Jake O'Brien is out with a lower-body injury. Los Angeles' Mats Zuccarello is in a no-contact jersey with a shoulder issue and questionable for any remaining preseason action. These are not all-star names, but preseason depth losses compress roster flexibility at exactly the moment teams finalize their season-opening lineups and practice chemistry.

Semyon Varlamov's return for the Islanders carries separate weight—he played in a preseason game Tuesday, his first game appearance since November 29, 2024, following partial knee replacements. A 20-month absence from competition is substantial. Even if Varlamov clears medical protocols, his workload management will be gradual; the Islanders cannot count on him carrying starter volume immediately. This matters for backup-goalie props and team total games early in the season when Varlamov takes the net before the organization confidently stretches his minutes.

For bettors, the prop-angle splits into two categories: single-game lineup impacts and structural depth concerns. Makar's Friday status directly affects Colorado's team total and shot-on-goal props—a top-tier puck distributor out of the lineup compresses offensive volume and alters power-play architecture. If Makar is unavailable, lean under on Avalanche team totals and unders on their shot-on-goal team line for the opener. Larkin's absence removes a primary Detroit scoring threat; without him, the Red Wings lose both even-strength assists and power-play touches from a core forward. Detroit's opener team total and point totals for remaining forwards (Kucherov, Panarin proxies) carry inflated value if Larkin's recovery extends into game one.

Ovechkin's lower-body injury is less clear-cut because Washington's schedule offers padding—he has until October to regain full mobility before the Capitals' regular-season debut. Ovechkin props (goals, assists, shots) should remain close to preseason book values unless his absence is publicly classified as longer than 7-10 days. Varlamov's slow return, meanwhile, favors Islanders game totals in his early starts (expect unders as he works into rhythm) and suggests backup goalie action early in the season; New York will rotate net time to manage his ramp-up, depressing overall save volume and possibly widening spreads in games where a less-proven backup starts.

The wider pattern: teams cannot finalize depth lineups until injury clarity settles. Preseason injuries that linger into the regular season reshape line combinations, diminish penalty-kill personnel, and force coaches to elevate fourth-line options. Props on secondary scorers—wings, depth centers, check-in forwards—become volatile until rosters lock. Buy time and wait for official team announcements on return dates before committing to any injured-player-dependent prop.