Johansson was placed in COVID-19 protocol on Monday but has been cleared to play in the first game in franchise history. It is difficult to project who Johansson will skate with, but with Calle Jarnkrok, Joonas Donskoi and Jared McCann all out, you have to assume he will play a prominent role.
Chiasson turned his PTO into a one-year deal, picking up one assist in three preseason games. Chiasson was skating on the top line with Elias Pettersson in Tuesday's practice, so he'll play a big role while Brock Boeser is out.
Janmark will miss the Golden Knights season opener, so Pavel Dorofeyev will make his NHL debut on the fourth line. Monitor Janmark's status prior to Thursday's game in Los Angeles.
Grubauer had an outstanding season in 2021, going 30-9-1 with a 1.95 GAA, .922 SV% and seven shutouts, finishing third in Vezina voting. This offseason he signed with the Seattle Kraken, who will be an obvious downgrade from the Avalanche. His rates are sure to take a hit and with a number of player's questionable for Tuesday's opener, he's a risky option vs. a high-powered Vegas team.
MacKinnon tested positive but is asymptomatic, so he will miss Wednesday's season opener. The Avalanche are hopeful that MacKinnon will test out of COVID-19 protocol and will be available for Saturday's game vs. the Blues.
Dorofeyev was a third-round pick of the Golden Knights in 2019 and is set to make his NHL debut vs. the Kraken. Vegas will likely be without Mattias Janmark, Will Carrier, Nicolas Roy and Brett Howden, which opened the door for the 20-year-old winger. Dorofeyev had nine goals and four assists (13 points) in 24 AHL games last year.
Lehner split time with Marc-Andre Fleury last year, starting just 19 games. Since joining the Golden Knights, Lehner has gone 16-4-2 with a 2.20 GAA and .917 SV%. With Fleury in Chicago, Lehner should start 50-plus games this season and should be a top-5 fantasy netminder. You picked him early, so don't bench him vs. a Kraken team that could be without a few key players.
MacKinnon missed Tuesday's practice because of COVID-19 protocol, putting his status for tomorrow's season opener in jeopardy. Monitor his status during Wednesday's morning skate.
Matheson is dealing with a nagging lower-body injury and will miss the Penguins season opener in Tampa Bay. With Matheson out, Mark Friedman will draw into the lineup.
Murray was not at Tuesday's practice with a non-COVID-related illness and is questionable for the Senators' season opener. If Murray is unavailable, Anton Forsberg will start vs. the Maple Leafs.
Kelley is a 22-year-old undrafted free agent, who scored a goal in his NHL debut with the Senators last season. He spent almost the entire season in the AHL, scoring 10 goals with eight assists (18 points) in 33 games with Belleville.
Suzuki is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and will get a huge raise next season, going from $863.3K AAV to $7.875M AAV. With Philip Danault now in Los Angeles, Suzuki will be tasked with playing major minutes in 2021-22, as he looks to build on his 60-point pace from a season ago.
The Capitals did not provide much clarity on the severity of Backstrom's injury during the preseason but announced on Tuesday that he will be moved to LTIR. The move will keep him out for at least 10 games or 24 days. Hendrix Lapierre appears to be the front runner to replace him down the middle to open the season.
Galchenyuk, who recently signed with the Coyotes, is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Moving Galchenhyuk to IR opened up a spot for Liam O'Brien to start the season in on the 23-man roster.
Wood's lower-body injury landed him on IR on Monday but he remains "questionable" for the Devils' first game of the season. Monitor Wood's status as the week progresses and expect Marian Studnic and Jimmy Vesey to both get looks if he can't play.
Severson is dealing with a lower-body injury that landed him on IR on Monday but he is eligible to come off and play on Friday. With Severson and Ty Smith both questionable, PK Subban could see additional usage at 5v5 and on PP2.
Smith is battling an undisclosed lower-body injury that landed him on IR on Monday but he remains eligible to play in the season opener if he's healthy enough. The Devils don't start their season until Friday, so keep an eye on Smith's status throughout the week.
Jarnkrok is one of five Kraken players in COVID-19 protocol but the only one who has already been ruled out. According to The Athletic, there's a chance the other four (Oleksiak, McCann, Donskoi and Johansson) could clear protocol and play vs. the Golden Knights. Alex True and Kole Lind were recalled from the AHL and will play if needed.
Howden will not play Tuesday vs. the Kraken and the Golden Knights have not provided much clarity on his status. Consider Howden day-to-day until Vegas releases a more definitive timetable.
Roy remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and will not play Tuesday vs. the Kraken. With Roy out and Patrick Brown getting claimed off of waivers by the Flyers, the Golden Knights' fourth line is expected to feature Peyton Krebs and Pavel Dorofeyev.
