Hedman was listed as day-to-day on Monday but was always trending towards playing in the season opener. Hedman is coming off of 54 points (12G / 42A) last season and will skate with Kevin Shattenkirk at 5v5 and anchor the top power-play unit.
Crosby has practiced for the last two days and will play in the Penguins season opener. Crosby is set to centre the top line with Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist on his wings. The 32-year-old centre is coming off of his first 100-point season since 2014.
As expected, Galchenyuk was back on the ice for Wednesday’s practice, skating on the second line with Evgeni Malkin and Brandon Tanev. Head coach Mike Sullivan called Galchenyuk a “game-time decision” but all signs point towards him making his Penguins debut in the top-6 and on the second power-play unit.
2018-19 was Kuemper's first full season in Arizona and it went very well. Kuemper went 27-20-8 with a 2.33 GAA and .925 SV% in 55 games while filling in for an injured Antti Raanta. Entering 2019-20, Kuemper will be the Coyotes No.2 but showed he’s capable of handling the starting gig should the oft-injured Raanta miss time again. Kuemper is signed through the 2021-22 campaign.
After two years in Calgary, Smith made the three-hour drive up AB-2 to Edmonton this offseason. During his time with the Flames, Smith ranked 17th in the NHL in wins (48), 20th in GAA (2.68) and t-29th in SV% (.909). He will make his Oilers debut against a Canucks team that he was 2-1-0 with a 3.02 GAA and .871 SV% against last season.
For the third straight season, Bishop failed to start 60-plus games, but he led the NHL in SV% (.934) and was second in GAA (1.98). Durability and usage is a small concern with Bishop, but he is consistently among the best goalies in the NHL, making him a strong No.1 fantasy option. Bishop was 17-7-2 with a 1.90 GAA, .937 SV% and six shutouts on home-ice in 2018-19.
Binnington started the 2018-19 season in the AHL but took the NHL by storm once he was called-up. Binnington went 24-5-1 while leading the NHL in GAA (1.89) and tying for fourth in SV% (.927) in 32 games. He played very well in the postseason as well, en route to winning the Stanley Cup. Not a bad rookie season. He’ll start his second season on home-ice, where he went 14-2-0 last year.
Binnington started the 2018-19 season in the AHL but took the NHL by storm once he was called-up. Binnington went 24-5-1 while leading the NHL in GAA (1.89) and tying for fourth in SV% (.927) in 32 games. He played very well in the postseason as well, en route to winning the Stanley Cup. Not a bad rookie season. He’ll start his second season on home-ice, where he went 14-2-0 last year.
Krejci was a full participant at practice on Wednesday, which is a great sign for his availability for Thursday’s season opener. Monitor his status during tomorrow’s morning skate, but things are trending in the right direction for the veteran pivot.
Spezza signed a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs this summer and it looks like he will sit for Game 1 of 82. Nick Shore is expected to take his projected spot on the fourth-line and Trevor Moore will replace him on their second power-play unit.
Shore, who had 16 points in 37 KHL games last season, will make his Maple Leafs debut vs. Ottawa. Shore will centre the fourth line instead of Jason Spezza and has 53 points (15G / 38A) in 236 career NHL games with the Kings, Senators and Flames.
Andersen has been a model of consistency during his tenure in Toronto. The Dane has averaged 64 starts and 36 wins while posting a 2.75 GAA and .918 SV%. The Maple Leafs want to scale back his workload in 2019-20, but he remains a high-end fantasy option. His opening night matchup is outstanding, but Andersen was 1-1-0 with a 4.11 GAA and .881 SV% in two games vs. Ottawa last season.
This comes as no surprise because Tuch is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks. Tuch is officially listed as week-to-week, so expect an update on his status in mid-October. Cody Glass will get a huge early-season look while Tuch is on the mend.
Motte was set to skate on the Canucks fourth line in the season opener but will be replaced by Loui Eriksson. Motte will likely miss the first five or six games of the regular season but should travel on the Canucks east coast road-trip, which starts on October 17th.
Jurco was gearing up to skate on a line with Connor McDavid in his Oilers debut, but won’t play due to an undisclosed medical procedure. With Jurco not on the ice, Edmonton shuffled their lines and Joakim Nygard took his spot next to Connor McDavid.
After posting a 2.33 GAA and .921 SV% from 2013-to-2017, Holtby has a 2.90 GAA and .909 SV% over the last two years. Still, he has won 34 and 32 games in those seasons and has won at least 30 games in five straight seasons. He’ll be in tough against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions on opening night. Holtby was 15-10-1 with a 3.07 GAA and .903 SV% on the road last year.
Haley spent 2019 with the Panthers and the Sharks, totalling two goals, four assists (six points) and 75 PIMS in 43 NHL games. Haley will likely be a rotation player on the Rangers fourth-line to begin 2019-20.
Pateryn appeared in 80 games with the Wild last season but is set to miss the first six weeks of the 2019-20 season. With Pateryn expected to be out until mid-November, Brad Hunt is expected to open the season as the Wild’s No.6 defenseman.
Crosby practiced for the first time since being hit in the foot with a shot during Pittsburgh’s preseason game last Saturday. “I felt good today,” Crosby told reporters, but his status for Thursday’s season opener remains unknown. Expect another update on Thursday.
