What happened: Head coach Lindy Ruff anticipates Olen Zellweger will be ready to return next week. Mattias Samuelsson is also recovering ahead of schedule and could return on the early end of his week-to-week timeline after both defensemen left a recent preseason victory.

Why it matters: Having the two defensemen avoid long-term absences stabilizes the defensive rotation ahead of opening night. Their swift return trajectories mitigate concerns over early-season depth issues on the blue line.

What to watch: Watch for Zellweger to resume full practice reps in the coming days. Samuelsson's status will be monitored to see if he can beat his initial recovery estimates.