When you play one of the fastest and most physical games in the world, injuries are bound to happen, especially at the top level. A wave of significant injuries hit the NHL last season, sidelining several notable players for months, in some cases, the remainder of their respective seasons.
With training camps set to open in September, here’s a look at seven players who are on track to be full-go for 2026-27 and are looking to reclaim the impact they had before their sustained injuries.
Aleksander Barkov
The Panthers entered training camp last season as Stanley Cup favorites even with the knowledge that Matthew Tkachuk would miss the first half of the year, but that outlook collapsed almost immediately when captain Aleksander Barkov tore his ACL and MCL in a freak collision with Niko Mikkola on Sept.
25, the first day of camp. Barkov underwent surgery two days later with a seven-to-nine-month recovery window and never played another NHL game the rest of the way, as Florida’s three-peat bid unraveled into a 40-38-4 finish and its first missed postseason since 2018-19, just the second two-time defending champion in NHL history to miss the playoffs the following year.
His rehab stayed largely under wraps through the winter, with Barkov skating again by January, before he used an invitation from Finland to test the knee internationally, making his return in a May 7 exhibition against Switzerland after 324 days away from competitive hockey. He then captained Finland to 2026 IIHF World Championship gold, posting three goals and 11 points in 10 games with a tournament-best 65.7 faceoff percentage.
With a full offseason removed from surgery and a title run already behind him, Barkov looks ready to step back in as one of the league’s top two-way centers in 2026-27.
Tyson Foerster
Foerster looked like a breakout candidate through the first two months of last season, posting 10 goals and 13 points in 21 games, before a shot attempt against Pittsburgh on Dec. 1 led to a rather bizarre arm injury that required surgery two weeks later and an initial five-month recovery timeline, a diagnosis that effectively wrote off the rest of his season.
Instead, his rehab progressed ahead of schedule, and Foerster returned to the Flyers’ lineup on April 2 with a week and a half left in the regular season, immediately clicking back in alongside Trevor Zegras and Owen Tippett with three goals in his first four games back. He finished with 13 goals in 29 games overall, helped Philadelphia end a five-year playoff drought, and played out the team’s run to the second round before a sweep at the hands of Carolina.
Fully healthy heading into 2026-27, Foerster is positioned to pick up the 30-goal pace he was on before the injury hit. Foerster has a lot to prove this season for the Orange and Black after signing an eight-year $56.8MM contract ($7.1MM AAV) on July 1, and Flyers fans will be eager to see him get off to another hot start when the puck drops this fall.
Thatcher Demko
Demko’s injury history caught up with him again last season, as a hip issue, unrelated to what limited him in each of the previous two years, ended his year in late January after just 20 games (8-10-0, .897 save percentage). He underwent surgery shortly after and didn’t play again, with general manager Patrik Allvin confirming the recovery would keep him out the rest of 2025-26.
Demko shared a positive update on his rehab in June, showing himself back on the ice for the first time and expressing confidence that this surgery will finally settle his recurring issues, and the Canucks maintain he’s on track to be ready for the start of training camp in September. Still, this marks a third straight season disrupted by injury, so there’s real reason for skepticism about his ability to stay in the net even if he opens 2026-27 healthy.
Since finishing runner up for the Vezina trophy in 2023-24, Demko has played 43 games, posting a .892 save percentage and a 2.90 GAA.
Kevin Fiala
Fiala was in the midst of arguably his best season in Los Angeles, 18 goals, 22 assists and 40 points in 56 games, second on the team in all three categories, when he fractured his lower leg in a collision with Tom Wilson while playing for Switzerland at the 2026 Olympics.
Surgery in Milan ended his regular season, costing him the final 26 games, though general manager Ken Holland said afterward that Fiala would have been ready to return by the third round of the playoffs had the Kings advanced that far. That timeline puts him solidly on track for training camp, and given the pace he was on before the injury, Fiala looks like a strong bet to pick up right where he left off as one of L.A.’s top offensive weapons.
In 288 career games in LA, Fiala has notched 105 goals and 245 points.
Tyler Seguin
Seguin was playing arguably the best all-around hockey of his Dallas tenure with seven goals, 10 assists, a plus-10 rating and a 53.6 faceoff percentage in 27 games, when he tore his ACL in a Dec. 2 collision with New York’s Vladislav Gavrikov, ending his season and costing him the final 61 games plus the playoffs.
It’s the second straight year a major injury has cut Seguin’s season short, following hip surgery that limited him to 20 games in 2024-25. He said in May that his rehab was on the standard nine-month ACL timeline, which lines up with the opening of training camp, and general manager Jim Nill has been vocal that the version of Seguin who was playing before the injury, his best two-way stretch in years, is the one Dallas expects back this fall.
Seguin is entering the final year of his eight-year, $78.8MM ($9.85MM AAV) contract.
Alexander Romanov
Romanov’s first season on his eight-year, $50 million contract was derailed just 15 games in when he was hit from behind by Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen on Nov. 18, sustaining a shoulder injury that required surgery and a five- to six-month recovery period.
Unfortunately, Romanov never made it back into a game; he spent 65 games on the shelf, progressing to a full-contact practice jersey only in early April, and said at the Islanders’ breakup day that he was “pretty close” and likely would have played had New York made the playoffs. He’s expected to slot back into a second or third-pair, shutdown role for 2026-27, and with a clean recovery behind him, the hope in New York is that the 26-year-old makes a big impact on the back end this season.
Kyle Palmieri
Palmieri was in the middle of a strong bounce-back season, six goals, 12 assists and 18 points in 25 games, tied for second on the team in scoring, when he tore his ACL in a collision with Philadelphia’s Jamie Drysdale on Nov. 28, an injury notable for Palmieri managing to set up a goal on the same shift before heading to the bench.
Surgery followed with a six-to-eight-month recovery window, ending a 223-game ironman streak along with his season. He’s since reported his rehab is going well, telling reporters he expects no issues being ready for the start of training camp, and with a clean recovery he projects to return to the middle-six scoring role he’d carved out before the injury.
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