NHL Hockey Player News

The Stars have complemented Oettinger with a strong backup in Casey DeSmith, easing the pressure of a heavy workload, but that translated into career-worst totals for Oettinger last season. The 27-year-old American goalie posted a 2.59 GAA and a subpar .899 SV% last season in 54 games (35-12-6). Oettinger should continue to pile up wins in 2026-27, with the Stars a strong team, but it's unclear whether he will challenge the league's best netminders with an improved save percentage. The Stars enter their season opener as -180 home favourites against the St. Louis Blues.

Sorokin was serviceable in his season-opening performance, saving 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%), but fell short in a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old goalie had an up-and-down 2025-26 season under Head Coach Patrick Roy, posting a 2.68 GAA and .906 SV% in 55 games (29-24-2), and will hope to find more consistency under new bench boss Pete DeBoer. The Islanders enter Saturday's action at home with -105 odds against the New Jersey Devils.

With a highly publicized trade request keeping three-time Vezina-winning goalie Connor Hellebuyck out of the lineup, the Jets will rely on Stuart Skinner to open their season against the Boston Bruins. Skinner was highly scrutinized during his time with the Edmonton Oilers, but had a fresh start last year in a mid-season trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins. That said, the 27-year-old goalie's struggles continued in Pittsburgh, posting a 2.99 GAA and .885 SV% in 27 outings (12-9-5). The Jets enter Friday as slight -117 home favourites against the Bruins.

The Hurricanes were pretty liberal with their goalie rotation last season, and that's likely to be the case again in 2026-27, with a tandem of Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov. That said, it's hard to question Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour returning to Bussi for consecutive games after an impressive opening-night performance, saving 19 of 20 shots (.950 SV%) in a 1-0 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers. The Hurricanes enter Friday's contest as -141 home favourites against the Washington Capitals.

The Red Wings came close to ending a decade-long playoff drought last season, thanks to an impressive stretch run by John Gibson, and they will need him to do it again in 2026-27 if they want to be competitive. The 33-year-old Gibson, a 13-year-old NHL veteran, has long been a talented goalie, but has had the misfortune of being surrounded by struggling teams, which will likely be the case again in Detroit. Last season, he posted a 2.72 GAA and .901 SV% in 57 appearances (29-22-4). The Red Wings enter their season opener as -125 home favourites against a New York Rangers team coming off an impressive 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning yesterday.

Forsling was a late scratch on Thursday in San Jose but head coach Paul Maurice said he could play as early as next game. Uvis Balinskis replaced him on Thursday and would remain in the lineup in Anaheim if Forsling can't play.

Barkov immediately left Thursday's game in San Jose after suffering an apparent leg injury after getting tangled up in the corner. Head coach Paul Maurice said that the injury is "not related to his injury last year at all," and added that they'll have a "good idea by tomorrow afternoon." Barkov will be evaluated in California and an update should be provided ahead of Sunday's game in Anaheim.

Lankinen struggled in Vancouver's season opener, allowing five goals on 37 shots (.865 SV%), but got plenty of help in an eventual 6-5 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks will likely need Lankinen to be more stoic between the pipes on Thursday in a rematch against the Oilers. Expectations are low for the Canucks this season, but Lankinen will hope to improve on last season's ugly 3.70 GAA and .876 SV% in 47 outings (11-27-5). The Canucks enter the action as +187 home underdogs.

Vejmelka was a busy goalie last season, and he should continue that role in 2026-27, as his backup is Sebastian Cossa, who, while he has a promising future, has only one career NHL appearance. The 30-year-old Vejmelka led the Mammoth to the playoffs last season, appearing in 64 games (38-20-3), posting a 2.75 GAA and .896 SV%. The Mammoth enter their season opener on Thursday as sizeable -219 home favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks team that lost 5-2 on Tuesday to the Vegas Golden Knights.

After back-to-back seasons with a SV% above .906 and a Quality Start% over 61.8%, Daccord dropped to an .896 SV% and 52.2 Quality Start% in 2025-26. He also dipped back to 46 starts, with Philipp Grubauer bouncing back. The Kraken are expected to be a bottom-10 team this season, so Daccord is more useful in points-formats where the saves will accumulate, but he’s positioned nicely on Thursday against a Calgary team that is expected to be near the league’s basement. The Kraken enter play at -102 on the road.

The Sabres acquired Crevier in the offseason and he has been rewarded with a four-year, $16 million contract ($4.0M AAV). The 25-yera-old defenseman played a career high 78 games last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, averaging 17:08 time-on-ice and scoring 25 points (7G / 18A).

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2026-10-01T16:18:30.149Z

Luneau has only 14 NHL games of experience, but the Ducks have awarded him a significant six-year contract worth $43.2 million ($7.2M AAV). The Ducks clearly think highly of the 22-year-old defenseman, who was drafted 53rd overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, and hope he develops into a prominent role on their blueline.

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2026-10-01T20:27:26.074Z

Greaves impressed in his first full NHL season in 2025-26, recording a solid 2.60 GAA and .908 SV% in 55 games (26-19-9). The 25-year-old goalie is expected to lead the way between the pipes for the Blue Jackets in 2026-27, with newly acquired veteran Cam Talbot serving as his backup. The Blue Jackets fell just short of a playoff spot last season, and will need Greaves to showcase his talents again if they have any intention of returning to the postseason. The Blue Jackets enter their season opener as slight -100 home underdogs against the Buffalo Sabres.

Fresh off winning his second Vezina Trophy, Vasilevskiy will be between the pipes to open the 2026-27 season for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 32-year-old goalie posted a solid 2.31 GAA and .911 SV% last season in 58 games (39-15-4), and should have a heavy workload again in 2026-27 with the largely unproven Dennis Hildeby as his backup. Tampa Bay enters Thursday's contest as -142 road favourites against a New York Rangers team that lost 3-0 in their season opener against the Boston Bruins.

With Filip Gustavsson (hip) sidelined to the start of the season, Minnesota will rely heavily on Jesper Wallstedt, beginning with Thursday's season opener against the Nashville Predators. The 23-year-old Wallstedt excelled last season as a rookie, posting a 2.61 GAA and .915 SV% in 35 appearances (18-9-6). Minnesota enters the action on Thursday as -145 road favourites.

A night after being pummeled 7-0 in their season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers will likely change things up between the pipes, turning to newcomer Joseph Woll for his team debut. The 28-year-old Woll spent the first few seasons of his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they parted ways after a disappointing 2025-26 campaign, posting a 3.34 GAA and .898 SV% in 39 outings (15-16-7). The Flyers hope to rebound on Thursday, entering the action as +149 road underdogs against the New Jersey Devils.

Samoskevich missed most of training camp because of an upper-body injury, but he appears to be inching closer to a return after practicing Thursday in a non-contact jersey. The 23-year-old Samoskevich spent his first three seasons with the Florida Panthers. He scored 32 points (12G / 20A) in 77 games last season. He will likely play a more prominent role on a Seattle team with less offensive depth.