Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (lower body) will make his season debut on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. He's been unavailable up to this point after suffering a lower-body injury at practice on Sept. 28. Nugent-Hopkins brings veteran experience and scoring ability to the Oilers' lineup. The 33-year-old has averaged 0.75 points per game over the past three seasons. Through the years, Nugent-Hopkins has always enjoyed facing the Hurricanes, posting 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 23 career games.

Philadelphia Flyers winger Tyson Foerster (hand) will return from a one-game absence on Wednesday against Buffalo, Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He has been nursing a hand injury and was initially considered a game-time decision for Wednesday's matchup. Foerster will skate alongside Sean Couturier and Alex Bump, with Michael Bunting coming out of the lineup. The Flyers hope some time off has improved Foerster's form. He's sitting on one goal and zero assists through 10 outings this season.

Carolina Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis (shoulder) was activated from Injured Reserve Wednesday. This sets the stage for him to make his season debut on Thursday against Edmonton. Jarvis was initially expected to be out until November after an offseason shoulder injury. He had dealt with a shoulder issue for several years. Now that he's at 100 percent, Jarvis may be even more productive. He has reached 30 goals and 60 points in three consecutive seasons. At Wednesday's practice, Jarvis skated on the third line. He's also set to strengthen Carolina's power play.

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (lower body) was deemed day-to-day by head coach Spencer Carbery on Wednesday. Thompson was banged up in Tuesday's loss to Los Angeles and may miss Saturday's matchup with Buffalo. So far in 2026-27, Thompson has been inconsistent, posting a 4-3-0 record, a 2.90 goals-against average, and a .901 save percentage. Charlie Lindgren, who is 1-1-0, will shoulder a heavier workload if Thompson misses time.