Training Camp Buzz: Tarasenko full participant for Blues

Welcome to the 2019 preseason! Camps are open with players hitting the ice Friday. This is a busy time, with rookies looking to make a name for themselves and veterans looking to lock down roster spots. Each day, we will have all the updates of note right here.
Here is the training camp news for Friday:

Tarasenko 'fine' in first skate for Blues

Vladimir Tarasenko was a full participant on the opening day of St. Louis Blues training camp.
The 28-year-old forward had arthroscopic knee surgery during the offseason after he sustained a shoulder injury during the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins.
"Everything's fine, yeah," Tarasenko said. "Everything's good. Skating here with the guys and I feel good."
Forwards Robert Thomas (wrist) and Jordan Kyrou (knee) also skated; each is expected to be ready for the season opener against the Washington Capitals at Enterprise Center on Oct. 2 and will be brought along slowly.
"They're battling, coming off summer surgeries," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "We'll slowly get them into competition with the other players. What we're trying to do is be smart with them."
Forward Erik Foley (concussion) failed his physical and will remain out indefinitely. Foley missed the 2018-19 season from lingering concussion symptoms and Armstrong called it a "slow-moving process."
Louie Korac

Tavares misses Maple Leafs skate after birth of son

John Tavares did not accompany the Toronto Maple Leafs for the opening of training camp in Paradise, Newfoundland, following the birth of his first child on Wednesday. The center remained home with his wife, Aryne, and son Jace.
"The greatest gift in your life is being a parent," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "It changes your life for better forever on that day. John and his wife welcomed a new child and he's got to enjoy that experience. And then he'll be with his team.
"I'm not worried about him one bit."
Mike Zeisberger

Buchnevich skates with Zibanejad, Panarin for Rangers

Pavel Buchnevich will get the first opportunity to be the right wing on the New York Rangers revamped first line with center Mika Zibanejad and left wing Artemi Panarin, who signed a seven-year, $81.5 million contract on July 1, coach David Quinn said.
"I think [Buchnevich] had a really good last two months of [last] season," Quinn said. "We certainly want to build off the way his season ended and I think he deserves that opportunity."
Buchnevich scored nine goals in the final 26 games after scoring 12 in his first 38. Panarin had a career-best 87 points (28 goals, 59 assists) with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Zibanejad had a career-best 74 points (30 goals, 44 assists) last season.
Rookies Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, and Vitali Kravtsov, the No. 9 pick in the 2018 draft, each is competing to be the second-line right wing.
"You've got to find out what they're capable of," Quinn said. "Maybe in 10 days I'll feel differently about both of them, but you don't want to ask them to do too much, put too much pressure on them day in and day out."
Dan Rosen

Holmstrom day to day for Islanders

Simon Holmstrom was unable to participate in the first day of New York Islanders training camp because of a lower-body injury.
Coach Barry Trotz said he's hopeful the 18-year-old forward, the No. 23 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, will be able to practice Saturday.
"Just a little tweak," Trotz said. "The priority for every player is to make sure that they're fully healthy. I'm not that disappointed; we had a chance to see him [at development camp in June]. If he joins the group [Saturday], he'll be fine."
Defenseman Bode Wilde also did not skate and is day to day because of an ankle sprain. The 19-year-old was a second-round pick (No. 41) in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Trotz said forward Robert Carpenter will miss all of training camp because of a shoulder injury.
Defenseman Mitchell Vande Sompel left practice after crashing into the goal post and is doubtful to practice Saturday.
Brian Compton

De Haan, Dach sidelined for Blackhawks

Calvin De Haan is expected to be out of the Chicago Blackhawks lineup for 2-3 weeks.
The 28-year-old defenseman, acquired by the Blackhawks in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on June 25, has a groin strain and is recovering from right shoulder surgery on May 21. He and forward Philipp Kurashev, who's day-to-day with an injured left knee and a shoulder contusion, skated before Chicago held its first training camp practice.
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said it's uncertain whether de Haan will be ready for Chicago's regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2019 NHL Global Series at 02 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, on Oct. 4.
"I think it'll be close," Bowman said. "At this point, I'm not sure. Once we get him back skating with the team in a full practice, we'll have a better idea. But he'll be close."
The Blackhawks also said center Kirby Dach, the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, is out of the lineup and in concussion protocol. Dach and Kurashev were injured Tuesday in Chicago's final game at the 2019 NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan.
Bowman said there is no timeframe regarding Dach's return.
"It's too bad," Bowman said. "I thought he played well there a couple of games [in Traverse City], but this is part of it. We don't need to make any determinations today. It's the first day of camp. So we'll just let that play out."
Tracey Myers

Kahun works on first line for Penguins

Dominik Kahun skated at first-line right wing during the first day of Pittsburgh Penguins training camp.
The 24-year-old joined center Sidney Crosby and left wing Jake Guentzel during line rushes and an exhibition. He was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Olli Maatta on June 15.
"[Kahun is] strong on the puck. He has a good shot," Crosby said. "He can see the ice well. I'm sure there will be a lot of different combinations throughout camp, some new faces, and we'll get different combinations. He looks really good out there."
As a rookie with Chicago last season, Kahun had 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games.
Three of the spots in Pittsburgh's top-six forward group were occupied by newly-acquired players. In addition to Kahun on the top line, Alex Galchenyuk was left wing on the second line with Brandon Tanev on the right of center Evgeni Malkin.
Pittsburgh received Galchenyuk in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes for forward Phil Kessel on June 29. Tanev signed a six-year contract with an average-annual value of $3.5 million on July 1.
Wes Crosby

Honka requests trade from Stars

Julius Honka
, a restricted free agent defenseman, has asked the Dallas Stars to trade him, general manager Jim Nill said.
Honka, selected by the Stars with the No. 14 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, had four assists in 29 games with Dallas last season. The 23-year-old was a healthy scratch for the final 35 games of the regular season and didn't dress in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nill said Honka will not take part in training camp.
"I've told his representatives that we'll see where that goes," Nill said of the trade request. "I've been talking to teams and we know their stance. Julius felt that it was probably not proper to be here and be a distraction, so I respect that. But that's where we stand."
Nill also said defenseman Stephen Johns, who missed all of last season with post-traumatic headaches, won't participate in training camp and that he won't answer any more questions regarding the 27-year-old's status.
Josh Clark

Alexeyev still out for Capitals

Alexander Alexeyev, who sustained an upper-body injury against the Nashville Predators at the NHL Prospects Showcase on Sunday, remains sidelined for the Washington Capitals, and there is no timetable for the 19-year-old defenseman's return.
The No. 31 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft was expected to compete for a spot on Washington's opening night roster, and missing the start of training camp might affect his chances.
"It's probably a tough time for him right now to not be on the ice after he was a guy who was in here three, four weeks early at the very least and really making a commitment to change his body and how he was preparing for camp," Capitals coach Todd Reirden said. "So it's disappointing, but at the same time it's something every player has got to go through and I guess sometimes it's better to go through it early your career than later on, and he can use this as something to go back on and remember the tough times he's had and learn from them."
Tom Gulitti

Patrick week to week for Flyers

Nolan Patrick is week to week with an upper-body injury, and the 20-year-old center was not cleared to participate on the first day of Philadelphia Flyers training camp.
General manager Chuck Fletcher said Patrick skated on his own and worked out off the ice but had no timeline for when he would return to the ice.
"We've known about it for a while," Fletcher said. "Been working with him for a while to try to get him healthy as quickly as we can."
Fletcher said Patrick's issue would not require surgery but did not say if he would be ready for the Flyers' season opener in the 2019 NHL Global Series against the Chicago Blackhawks at O2 Arena on Prague, Czech Republic on Oct. 4.
"That's tough to say," Fletcher said. "He skated today. I watched him skate, did a nice job, so we'll just continue to wait and see how things go."
Patrick has missed at least nine games because of injuries in each of his two NHL seasons. Last season he missed games four separate times because of upper-body injuries and had 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) in 72 games. He also had sports hernia surgery in early June 2017, before the Flyers selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Also absent from the first day of camp was forward Tyler Pitlick, who had surgery in August to repair a tear in his left wrist and is expected to miss at least four weeks, and forward Ben McCartney (lower-body injury), a training camp invite.
Adam Kimelman

Reaves to miss camp for Golden Knights

Ryan Reaves will not participate in training camp for the Vegas Golden Knights because of an undisclosed minor injury.
The 32-year-old forward is expected to be ready for the Golden Knights regular-season opener against the San Jose Sharks at T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 2, general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Thursday.
"It'll be a day-by-day thing," McCrimmon said. "Certainly, there's no reason for us not to [think he won't be ready for the regular season]. We'll see how it comes along, but that should be our expectation."
Reaves sustained the injury during an offseason workout, McCrimmon said.
Danny Webster