Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, the team announced Wednesday.

Quick had already missed five games this season with a separate lower-body injury he sustained during the first game of the season, returning from the ailment on Oct. 18. Then, on Saturday, the netminder was ruled out again and required a new evaluation.

He's started four games in 2018-19, going 0-3-1 with a .845 save percentage. Quick's latest surgery marks his second significant absence in three seasons, as he appeared in just 17 contests in 2016-17 because of a groin injury.

The Kings are not expected to explore the trade market while Quick is out, according to Fox Sports West's Jon Rosen, meaning they'll likely roll with Jack Campbell and Peter Budaj between the pipes in the meantime.

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The Carolina Hurricanes and burgeoning superstar Sebastian Aho appear to be on the same page when it comes to his future with the franchise.

Aho's currently playing out the final year of his entry-level contract and is in line for a major raise. Negotiations on a long-term pact began in the offseason, and Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell is optimistic a deal will be signed before the end of this season.

"We've had lots of discussions and everything has been positive," Waddell told Chip Alexander of The News & Observer on Monday. "We both have the same goal, and that is we want to sign him to a long-term deal and he wants to be here long term. That's always the starting point, which is always good."

Waddell added that the two sides aren't too far apart when it comes to finances.

"The amount of money we're talking, there's not a crazy difference," he said.

Last month, Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon called Aho's next contract one of the organization's top priorities, and for good reason. Since being drafted 35th overall in 2015, the forward's managed 131 points in 172 contests.

So far this season, his game looks to have reached another level. In 12 contests, Aho's already notched 17 points and matched an NHL record set by Wayne Gretzky and Ken Linseman by recording an assist in 12 consecutive games to start a season.

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Roberto Luongo isn't quite ready to play just yet, but he doesn't appear to be far off.

Florida Panthers head coach Bob Boughner provided an update on the veteran goaltender's timetable from Helsinki on Wednesday.

"I think the plan is for him to … unless there's a complete surprise that I haven't heard yet, the plan is for him to probably try and play next week when we get home," Boughner told NHL.com's Brian Compton. "This is more of a rehab week."

Luongo hurt his knee when teammate Frank Vatrano fell on it in the Panthers' season opener. Florida's No. 1 netminder hasn't played since. He was expected to miss two-to-four weeks, so an early-November return would keep him on schedule.

"He does look good," Boughner said. "I know his knee feels good. So hopefully we'll hear something in the next few days what his plans are."

The Panthers and the Winnipeg Jets are in Finland for games on Thursday and Friday.

Florida's first game back from the trip will be a home date against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 8. That contest is the first of a three-game homestand that also includes a matchup with the New York Islanders on Nov. 10 and a clash with the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 11.

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The Ottawa Senators have placed goaltender Mike Condon on waivers, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

Condon has started just two games for the team this season, allowing eight goals. On Tuesday versus the Arizona Coyotes, Condon was pulled after giving up three goals on eleven shots, including one from the blue line at the other end of the ice.

He's been with the Senators since the 2016-17 season, managing a .906 save percentage over 73 games.

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With some of the league's top defensemen off to slow starts, the Norris Trophy race is wide open to begin the season.

ATOI = Average time on ice
SCF% = Percentage of scoring chances generated while player was on the ice at 5-on-5
HDCF% = Percentage of high-danger scoring chances generated while player was on the ice at 5-on-5

5. Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets

Zach Werenski is showing he wasn't just riding the coattails of Seth Jones for the last two years. With Jones missing the first seven games of the season, Werenski is proving he can anchor his pairing. The 21-year-old has made huge strides at both ends of the ice while continuing to develop into one of the league's best blue-liners.

4. John Carlson, Washington Capitals

John Carlson still isn't a shutdown defenseman, but there's no arguing he's the league's best power-play quarterback. Eight of his 14 points this year have come with the man advantage, and while having Alex Ovechkin to his left certainly helps, Carlson's production isn't merely a by-product of sharing the ice with The Great Eight.

3. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators

P.K. Subban has arguably been the best defenseman on the league's best back end, and on the NHL's best team. In the early going of the season, he's driving offense at a better rate than his entire career, playing shutdown defense, and cutting down on turnovers.

2. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

While Erik Karlsson has taken some time settling into his new surroundings, Brent Burns has not only been the Sharks' most effective defenseman, but also the team's best player overall. The 2017 Norris Trophy winner is riding a nine-game point streak after being held off the scoresheet in the team's first three contests.

1. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

It's quite astounding that throughout Kris Letang's storied career he's only been a Norris Trophy finalist once. But he may be playing his best hockey early in the 2018-19 season and proving to be a force at both ends of the ice. Letang's importance to the Penguins was on full display Tuesday night, as the club fell 6-3 to the Islanders at home without its top defenseman in the lineup due to a lower-body injury.

Honorable mentions: John Klingberg, Morgan Rielly, Ryan Suter, Drew Doughty, Thomas Chabot

(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

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The Nashville Predators have activated goaltender Pekka Rinne off injured reserve, the club announced Wednesday.

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner missed five games with an undisclosed ailment after exiting late in the Predators' 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Oct. 19.

The veteran netminder who turns 36 years old on Saturday was 3-1-0 with a .929 save percentage, a 2.11 goals-against average, and one shutout in five contests before suffering the injury.

The Predators' heir apparent in goal, Juuse Saros, went 3-2-0 with a .917 save percentage across five starts while Rinne was out.

In a corresponding move on Wednesday, Nashville reassigned netminder Troy Grosenick to its AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

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Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play.

Hannah Stuart and Josh Wegman, both of theScore, join John to talk about the 2019 NHL draft and fantasy hockey, respectively. Topics include:

• The incredible traits of projected top pick Jack Hughes
• Why you should remember the name Kaapo Kakko
• Lesser-known prospects worth keeping tabs on
• Fantasy risers and fallers after the first month of action
• How to handle William Nylander in your fantasy league

... and more

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