NHL Hockey Player News

The Blue Jackets will turn to Merzlikins in their season opener on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. After an outstanding rookie season in 2019-20, where he posted a 2.35 GAA, .923 SV%, and five shutouts in 33 games (13-9-8), Merzlikins' quality of play has tailed off significantly and has been borderline abysmal. In his last two seasons combined, Merzlikins has a horrid 3.77 GAA and .889 SV% in 71 appearances (20-35-10). The Blue Jackets enter action as +223 road underdogs against the Wild.

Jenner is expected to miss the next 5-6 months as he rehabs from the successful shoulder surgery that he underwent on Wednesday. The 31-year-old Blue Jackets' captain will hope to return by seasons end while his absence will create a massive hole in their lineup after he had 22 goals, 35 points and 155 SOG in 58 games in 2023-24. Expect Sean Monahan and Adam Fantilli to lock down top-six roles while he recovers.

Kuemper was acquired via trade with the Washington Capitals in the offseason in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 34-year-old Kuemper had a forgettable 2023-24 campaign, posting a career-worst 3.31 GAA and .890 SV% in 33 appearances (13-14-3). Before last season, Kuemper was the picture of consistency, posting a superb 2.53 GAA and .918 SV% in 225 games (112-80-24) in his previous five seasons combined. After a solid preseason performance, posting a 1.52 GAA, .918 SV%, and one shutout in three contests (2-1-0), Kuemper is motivated to return to his form of years past. The Kings enter action on Thursday as slight -104 road underdogs against the Buffalo Sabres.

Ingram was solid in his season debut for the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday, saving 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%) in a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. The 27-year-old Ingram made his mark known in the 2023-24 season, posting an impressive 2.91 GAA, .907 SV%, and six shutouts in 50 games (23-21-3). Utah HC plays their first road game on Thursday and is a +132 underdog against a New York Islanders club playing their first game of the season.

Bains made his NHL debut last season, being held without a point in eight games for the Canucks. The 23-year-old Bains spent most of the 2023-24 campaign with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL), tallying an impressive 55 points (16G / 39A) in 59 games and could be in line for a more prominent role in the NHL this season.

Boqvist returned to Florida's morning skate on Thursday but will be out with an upper-body injury after taking a puck high and leaving the Panthers' previous game early. The 24-year-old has battled unfortunate injuries throughout his entire six-year career and will be replaced by Nate Schmidt on Thursday. Head Coach Paul Maurice stated he felt good about Boqvist's return in Florida's next game on Saturday.

Schmidt was a healthy scratch in the season opener for the Panthers but will draw into the lineup with Adam Boqvist temporarily sidelined due to an upper-body injury. Schmidt had 14 points (2G / 12A) in 63 games while also racking up 66 hits and 76 blocked shots in the 2023-24 season.

Bobrovsky was unspectacular in the Panthers' season-opening 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday but was good enough to secure the victory, saving 24 of 28 shots (.857 SV%). The 36-year-old Bobrovsky is coming off his best season in nearly a decade, finishing third in Vezina-trophy voting and posting a solid 2.37 GAA and .915 SV% in 58 games (36-17-4). Bobrovsky will return to the crease for the Panthers on Thursday in a matchup against the Ottawa Senators, where they are -133 road favorites.

Thompson has been away from the team since Monday due to personal reasons but will return to practice on Friday ahead of their season opener on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. Thompson is expected to share the crease with Charlie Lindgren this season, his first with the Capitals.

Liam O'Brien will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Carcone to make his season debut. Carcone was a regular for the Arizona Coyotes last season, playing 74 games, but had a tale of two very different seasons. In his first 26 games, Carcone had 17 points (14G / 3A), before tailing off for his final 48 games when he scored only 12 points (7G / 5A).

Michael Carcone will make his season debut on Thursday, resulting in O'Brien being a healthy scratch. On Tuesday, O'Brien played 10:30 time-on-ice, recording a +1 plus/minus, one shot on goal, and seven hits. He had 14 points (5G / 9A), 153 penalty minutes, and 229 hits in 75 games last season.

Hunt was the 65th overall pick of Minnesota in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old defenseman made his NHL debut last season, playing 12 games, but spent most of the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL, tallying 29 points (3G / 26A) in 51 games for the Iowa Wild.

Wallstedt is expected to fight for playing time in Minnesota this season but has been sent down to Iowa (AHL) for salary cap reasons ahead of their season opener on Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wallstedt was the 20th overall pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and spent most of the 2023-24 campaign in Iowa (AHL), posting a solid 2.70 GAA and .910 SV% in 45 games (22-19-4).

To no one's surprise, Oettinger will start for the Stars in their season opener against the Nashville Predators, who will likely turn to Oettinger's former understudy between the pipes, Scott Wedgewood. With the departure of Wedgewood from Dallas, the Stars signed Casey DeSmith to serve as Oettinger's backup this season. The 33-year-old DeSmith has started more than 30 games only once in his career, an indication that Oettinger will likely start more than the 53 times he did last season. As an impending RFA, Oettinger will also be hoping to improve on his statistics from last season when he posted an unspectacular 2.72 GAA and .905 SV% in 54 appearances (35-14-4).

Head Coach Andrew Brunette stated the team has not decided on a starter due to injuries but with starting netminder Juuse Saros temporarily sidelined due to a lower-body injury, Wedgewood looks likely to make his Predators debut in a matchup against his former club, the Dallas Stars. Wedgewood was a steadying force as the backup goalie for the Stars for three seasons, posting a reliable 2.83 GAA and .907 SV% in 61 appearances (28-16-11). The vastly improved Predators enter action as +109 home underdogs against a Dallas Stars club they are expected to battle with for supremacy in the Central Division this season.

There is some uncertainty in Minnesota's crease this season with veteran Marc-Andre Fleury and rookie Jesper Wallstedt in the mix, but the club will turn to Gustavsson for their season opener on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 26-year-old Gustavsson showcased a winning pedigree in the 2022-23 season when he posted a remarkable 2.10 GAA and .931 SV% in 39 appearances (22-9-7), before posting a forgetful 3.06 GAA and .899 SV% in 45 2023-24 appearances (20-18-4). If Gustavsson is unable to revert to the talent he displayed two years ago, there will be two eager netminders waiting on deck to steal starts.

Oliver Kapanen will draw into the Canadiens lineup for his NHL debut on Thursday, resulting in Heineman being a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old Heineman playing 9:40 time-on-ice in his season debut last night, recording two shots and two penalty minutes.

The Canadiens won their season opener 1-0 over the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, courtesy of an outstanding 48-save shutout performance by Sam Montembeault. However, the Canadiens will turn to Primeau between the pipes on Thursday for the tail end of their back-to-back set. The 25-year-old Primeau faced the heaviest workload of his young career last season and was impressive doing so, posting a solid 2.99 GAA and .910 SV% in 23 appearances (8-9-4). The Canadiens enter action on Thursday as sizeable +239 road underdogs against the Boston Bruins.

Emil Heineman will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Kapanen to make his NHL debut. Kapanen was the second-round pick (64 overall) of the Canadiens in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old spent last season with KalPa Kuopio (SM-liiga), where he scored 34 points (14G / 20A) in 51 games.

Swayman missed the entirety of training camp due to ongoing contract negotiations and finally joined the team to serve as their backup in their first game of the season on Tuesday, a 6-4 loss to the Florida Panthers. Jonas Koorpisalo struggled immensely in the loss, allowing six goals on 35 shots (.829 SV%), likely thrusting Swayman back into the starter's crease sooner than expected. Swayman cemented his place in the Bruins' crease last season after posting a tremendous 2.53 GAA and .916 SV% in 44 games (25-10-8), ultimately leading to his massive eight-year, $66 million ($8,250,000 AAV) contract extension.