Boston Bruins forward Frank Vatrano will miss three months with a foot injury suffered while training, general manager Don Sweeney announced Saturday.
Vatrano tore ligaments in his left foot prior to Bruins' training camp, and will undergo surgery Sept. 26.
"Well, obviously, it's a blow," Sweeney said. "Frankie looks at his opportunity, we all did - how that was going to play out remains to be seen. But, he certainly was going to be put in a position to try and grab a hold of it, so he's disappointed and we are as well."
The 22-year-old led the AHL's Providence Bruins in scoring last season with 55 points in 36 games, and notched 11 points in 39 contests with Boston.
theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.
The Detroit Red Wings have not missed the playoffs since 1990, but there's a very real possibility that Joe Louis arena will not host a game past the upcoming regular season, thanks in no small part to the premature departure of Pavel Datsyuk.
Here's a look at the projected depth chart for 2016-17.
Forwards
LW
C
RW
Henrik Zetterberg
Dylan Larkin
Gustav Nyquist
Justin Abdelkader
Frans Nielsen
Thomas Vanek
Tomas Tatar
Darren Helm
Andreas Athanasiou
Drew Miller
RileySheahan
Luke Glendening
Veteran center Steve Ott will be battling for playing time, while Teemu Pulkkinen and Tomas Jurco will also be attempting to assert their presence in the lineup.
Dylan Larkin is the new face of the franchise, but it's probably too soon to expect him to serve as the top-line center.
Defense
LD
RD
Danny DeKeyser
Mike Green
Niklas Kronwall
Jonathan Ericsson
Brendan Smith
Alexei Marchenko
The state of the blue line could be the biggest reason why Detroit's playoff streak comes to an end.
Goalies
G
Jimmy Howard
Petr Mrazek
Jimmy Howard is at the top simply because of his salary, but Petr Mrazek is the better option and will take over the starting job for good sooner than later.
The 32-year-old is coming off a career-worst campaign with the Sabres, playing in all but one game and finishing with just eight goals and 21 points.
Despite the miserable season, though, the three-time 30-goal scorer is set on reversing his fortunes this year.
"I definitely have a chip on my shoulder coming in to prove a lot of people wrong who maybe lost a little belief," Moulson told John Vogl of The Buffalo News.
Where Moulson fits in the Sabres' lineup is unclear, with the top-six winger slots likely filled by Tyler Ennis, Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart, and new addition Kyle Okposo. He may also need to earn back coach Dan Bylsma's trust, after seeing his ice time drop to 11:54 last season, down from 17:41 the year prior.
The veteran winger has three years remaining on his contract, carrying a $5-million annual cap hit.
theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.
The post-Pavel Datsyuk era is set to begin in earnest.
The Detroit Red Wings will be decidedly less magical in 2016-17 without the presence of the dynamic Russian center, but life goes on in Hockeytown. Those still on the roster will do their best to make sure Joe Louis Arena sees playoff hockey for the 26th straight year, in its final season hosting the club.
Here are three players to watch in Detroit this season.
Dylan Larkin
Notorious for bringing young, developing players along slowly, the Red Wings appear set to hand 20-year-old Dylan Larkin the first-line center role.
Larkin's ascendance has been necessitated by Datsyuk's move to the KHL, but is also well-earned following a 23-goal, 45-point performance in 80 games as a rookie last season.
Selected 15th overall by Detroit in 2014, Larkin appears to possess the tools needed to succeed at a high level in today's NHL, and he should produce playing alongside Henrik Zetterberg.
Whether the role's responsibilities prove to be "too much, too soon" for Larkin, and whether he can stave off the dreaded sophomore slump, remains to be seen.
Danny Dekeyser
General manager Ken Holland signed 26-year-old defenseman Danny Dekeyser to a six-year, $30-million contract extension this offseason, signalling a serious commitment toward building around the Michigan native.
The extension came after Dekeyser recorded a career-high eight goals, but only 12 assists in 2015-16, a full 11-point drop from his previous campaign.
As a defenseman capable of munching minutes in all situations, Dekesyer is entering his prime, and is now being paid as someone expected to carry a heavy workload while contributing offensively.
With Niklas Kronwall entering the season a little banged up and with Mike Green no longer the offensive machine he once was, Dekeyser will need to start earning that new deal immediately.
Thomas Vanek
The Red Wings are banking on a bounce-back season for Thomas Vanek, after the veteran was bought out by the Minnesota Wild. Detroit then pounced, signing him to a relatively low-risk, high-reward one-year contract worth $2.6 million.
The 32-year-old has traditionally been a consistent scorer, but his 18 goals in 2015-16 marked the lowest output of his career, forcing the Wild to cut bait on a big-ticket deal that wasn't providing expected value.
Still, Vanek has averaged 31.7 goals per 82 games since entering the league over a decade ago, and should be motivated to score with increased regularity if he wants stability in his next contract.
If the Red Wings are getting back to the playoffs this season, they'll need significant contributions from Vanek.
