Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who underwent left wrist surgery Sept. 8, will make his season debut Saturday night against the visiting New Jersey Devils.

Crosby, 34, had estimated he would miss "at least" six weeks, and it has been a little more than seven weeks since the procedure.

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty will be out for about eight weeks with a bruised right knee.

Doughty will need six weeks of recovery from the first significant injury of his 14-year NHL career before he begins skating again. The Kings hope the 2016 Norris Trophy winner can return to the lineup in less than two months, Los Angeles general manager Rob Blake said Wednesday.

Blake also announced that defenseman Sean Walker is out for the season after tearing ligaments in his knee. 

Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov underwent a procedure Tuesday for an unspecified lower-body injury and will be out for approximately eight to 10 weeks, the team announced Wednesday.

Kucherov suffered the injury Oct. 16 against the Washington Capitals, doubling over in pain after an innocent-looking collision, and has not played since.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby participated in an optional skate Tuesday morning and is nearing a return after undergoing left wrist surgery in early September.

Crosby skated in an individual workout first, then joined his teammates for the morning skate for the second time in four days.

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby still isn't sure when he will be cleared to return after he had left wrist surgery last month.

Crosby skated with his teammates for more than an hour Friday in the latest step in his recovery from surgery in early September. The team announced at the time of the procedure that Crosby would miss a minimum of six weeks.

Jack Eichel's camp is making one last attempt to convince Buffalo Sabres management to let him get his preferred surgery, sources told ESPN.

Eichel, 24, has a herniated disk in his neck, and there is now urgency to have it addressed as soon as possible. Initially, Eichel was hopeful that the Sabres would trade him to a team that would allow him to get a disk replacement surgery. The Sabres prefer Eichel receive a fusion surgery, as a disk replacement has never been performed on an NHL player. Under NHL collective bargaining agreement rules, teams have the final say on how to treat injuries.

Carey Price resumed skating Thursday and is in the Montreal Canadiens gym and medical clinic almost every day, working a surgically repaired knee back into shape for what will be the goalie's 15th NHL season. It's a return to business after a busy, short offseason, the Canadiens having gone to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, losing the best-of-7 series in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Arthroscopic surgery July 22 in New York cleaned up Price's torn meniscus, the shock-absorbing cartilage in the knee. The Canadiens said at the time his full recovery would take 10-12 weeks; but Price said he's encouraged by his rehabilitation.

New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes was placed on injured reserve Thursday with a dislocated left shoulder and is out indefinitely.

The Devils said Hughes will not need surgery after an MRI confirmed no additional damage to his shoulder.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Max Domi will miss two to four weeks with a rib fracture, the team said Monday.

The 26-year-old center was injured in the Blue Jackets' 2-1 win over Seattle on Saturday.

Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov's injury is expected to keep him out of the lineup for a significant amount of time, according to coach Jon Cooper.

"Definitely not a day-to-day thing," Cooper said after the Lightning's skate Monday.