Vaakanainen crashed heavily into the end boards in Friday's preseason game and had to be stretchered off of the ice. The Ducks said that Vaakanainen was released from the hospital on Friday night and continues to improve. They have yet to issue another update but expect Vaakanainen to miss the start of the season.
The Rangers selected Sykora in the second-round of this summer's NHL Draft. The 17-year-old winger spent the 2022 season with Nitra MHC (Slovak Extraliga), where he had 10 goals and seven assists (17 points) in 46 games.
Gawdin was originally a fourth-round pick of the Blues in 2015 but he turned pro with the Flames in 2019. He's only appeared in nine NHL games to-date but had a solid 2022 season in the AHL, scoring 15 goals with 35 assists (50 points) in 62 games with Stockton. The one-way contract suggests he could make the NHL roster to open 2022-23.
