Around the NHL: Kindel and Fabbro exit early, Joshua iffy, Rielly stays put

Monday's preseason slate cost two teams a regular, left the Leafs guessing about a fourth-liner, and gave two veterans a chance to talk about the summer. Here's what mattered around the league.

Ben Kindel leaves Penguins' win with a lower-body injury

Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 4-1 on Monday, but the story was the 19-year-old center who didn't finish it. Kindel left with a lower-body injury and didn't return, per Daily Faceoff's Scott Maxwell. The Penguins said he was being evaluated and that an update would come when they had one.

Kindel, the 11th pick in 2025, put up 17 goals and 35 points in 77 games as a rookie and was penciled into the middle six.

Ferda read: it's September, so Pittsburgh has every reason to sit him until October even if it's minor. Nobody wins a Calder-adjacent sophomore season in a preseason game.

Dante Fabbro exits Blue Jackets' shootout win over Detroit

Columbus opened its preseason with a 1-0 shootout win over the Red Wings, and Conor Garland's shootout goal was the only puck that crossed the line all night. The Blue Jackets also lost Dante Fabbro to an upper-body injury, per Daily Faceoff's Kyle Morton. The team said more information would come Tuesday.

Fabbro, 28, carries a $4.125 million cap hit and was slotted on the third pair. Erik Gudbranson is the likely fill-in if he misses time.

Ferda read: Columbus has enough on its plate with the Fantilli standoff. Losing a right-shot D before October would be a bag of pucks it didn't need.

Dakota Joshua iffy for Leafs' opener

Toronto coach Jim Hiller wouldn't commit to Joshua being ready for the Sept. 29 opener against Montreal, per Daily Faceoff. The injury is unspecified, and Joshua hasn't dressed for a preseason game yet.

Pro Hockey Rumors notes he led the Leafs with 195 hits last season despite missing time with a lacerated kidney. In camp he'd been on the fourth line with Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime.

Ferda read: a fourth-line injury doesn't sink a season, but Toronto rebuilt its bottom six on purpose. Joshua's the guy who makes that group hard to play against.

Morgan Rielly says he's staying, and he means it

After a summer of trade talk, Rielly told reporters Monday he isn't going anywhere by choice. "I'm extremely happy and grateful to be here now. This is my home. This is the team that I love," he said, per Daily Faceoff's Tyler Kuehl.

The Leafs Nation's Alex Hobson reports Rielly gave Toronto a short, Western-heavy list of acceptable destinations over the summer. No deal came, and he enters his 14th season with the club after a career-low 36 points.

Ferda read: the 2012 fifth-overall pick wants a do-over under Hiller, and his game fits a coach who lets his D skate. Fine, but the minus-18 has to go.

Evan Bouchard heard you, and he says he's simplifying

Bouchard led every NHL defenseman with 21 goals and 95 points last season and still spent the summer hearing about the mistakes. The Oilers blueliner told The Canadian Press his focus is "making the simple play, not always going for the home run play."

Connor McDavid pushed back on the critics, saying people fixate on the errors and skip the thousand good plays. Edmonton gave up 269 goals last season, moved Darnell Nurse, and added Ryan Shea on a five-year, $20 million deal.

Ferda read: 95 points from the back end is not a problem you fix. Edmonton needs Bouchard to stop the one bad read a night, not the twenty good ones.