Ducks winger A.J. Greer took part in practice today in a full contact jersey, relays Patrick Present of The Hockey News.  He has been dealing with an upper-body injury that left his availability for Friday’s season opener in question but the fact he can take contact now is a promising sign for his availability for that contest.  The 29-year-old is coming off a career year with Florida, one that saw him put up 17 goals and 203 hits in 78 games.  That performance was enough for Anaheim to acquire Greer in a swap of pending UFAs this summer (with Radko Gudas going the other way) and sign him to a four-year, $17MM contract to avoid testing unrestricted free agency.  While that deal helped cause them a bit of salary cap uncertainty later this summer, it reflects the expectation that he will have a prominent role with his new team beginning this season and will be expected to come close to repeating those numbers on a regular basis.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

• Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told the media today, including Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now, that injured forwards Logan O’Connor and Zachary L’Heureux are both progressing in the right direction in their respective recoveries, but are not quite ready to return to the lineup. He said the Avalanche will go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for tonight’s season opener against the Los Angeles Kings, and then “see what the next game brings.” L’Heureux, 23, is an offseason trade addition who has yet to make his regular-season debut for the Avalanche. O’Connor, 30, has been playing in Colorado for more than a decade, since his college hockey days with the Denver Pioneers. He’s carved out a solid career for himself as a speedy, reliable bottom-six winger, but missed most of 2025-26 with a hip injury. Both L’Heureux and O’Connor are dealing with lower-body injuries.
• The Vancouver Canucks announced that forward Ryan McAllister has been released from his AHL PTO with the Abbotsford Canucks. The 24-year-old will now need to find a new place to play out the 2026-27 season. McAllister is an undrafted player whose lone season of college hockey made him into a notable prospect for a brief period. In 39 games for Western Michigan University during the 2022-23 season, McAllister scored 13 goals and 49 points. He was regarded as one of the top NCAA free agents that year, and signed an ELC with the Florida Panthers. But despite showing some flashes at the pro level (he scored 15 points in 16 AHL games in 2024-25) McAllister wasn’t able to stay healthy or consistent enough to build momentum towards an NHL call-up. His entry-level deal expired over the summer, and he’ll now need to continue to look for his next opportunity in pro hockey.