NHL Player News

Bussi will defend the home goal in Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Panthers, per Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.

Bussi was exceptional for the Hurricanes in the 2025-26 season, which has paved the way for him to earn his first career Opening Night start. The 28-year-old netminder posted a 31-6-2 record, a 2.47 GAA and an .894 save percentage across 39 regular-season outings before he closed the door on Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final, where he had a 3-1-0 record, a 1.60 GAA and a .931 save percentage in four appearances. He'll face off against the Florida Panthers, who added Brady Tkachuk in the offseason, adding to their offensive potential. Bussi is a strong No. 2 goalie option in fantasy hockey to open the 2026-27 season.

Knight is expected to defend the road net against the Golden Knights on Tuesday, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Knight posted a 19-25-11 record with three shutouts, a 2.82 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 55 appearances for Chicago during the 2025-26 regular season. Vegas ranked 14th in the league last campaign with 3.22 goals per game. In his career against Vegas, Knight has gone 1-4-1 and has allowed 19 goals on 163 shots in six regular-season outings.

Hart will guard the home crease in Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Blackhawks, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Hart will get the starting nod to open the regular season for Vegas, which relied on him heavily during its postseason run. The 28-year-old backstop was solid in the regular season, compiling an 11-3-3 record, a 2.71 GAA and an .891 save percentage across 18 outings. When the playoffs arrived, he flipped a switch, anchoring the team and posting a 14-8-0 save percentage, a 2.56 GAA and a .907 save percentage across 22 appearances. Hart is a strong No. 2 option in most fantasy formats to open the 2026-27 campaign.

Andersen (knee) isn't expected back until "maybe" December, head coach Mike Babcock told NHL.com on Tuesday.

Andersen, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract with Edmonton in July, is still rehabbing from a knee injury. He posted a 16-14-5 record with a 3.05 GAA and an .874 save percentage in 35 appearances for Carolina during the 2025-26 regular season. Once he's ready to play in the 2026-27 campaign with the Oilers, Andersen could compete for starts with Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi.

Dobes will defend the road crease in Tuesday's Opening Night Matchup against the Maple Leafs, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Dobes was the top candidate to see Montreal's first reps of the season in net after his successful 2025-26 campaign. Across 43 regular-season games, the 25-year-old goalie put together a 29-10-3 record, a 2.78 GAA and a .901 save percentage before he appeared in 19 postseason outings. Dobes will be matched up against the new-look Maple Leafs, who traded away Matthew Knies and acquired Kirill Marchenko Monday. Dobes is a solid No. 2 option in fantasy ahead of his second full season in the NHL.

Bobrovsky will patrol the home crease in Tuesday's season opener against Montreal, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Bobrovsky struggled last season behind an injured Florida team that failed to make the playoffs. After signing a three-year, $21 million contract with Toronto in July, the veteran netminder is an intriguing bounce-back candidate for the 2026-27 campaign.

Vladar (upper body) has been cleared to play in Wednesday's Opening Night contest against the Penguins, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Vladar has been trending towards being available for the Flyers' season opener, and he confirmed that he'll be available for Wednesday's playoff rematch with the Penguins. The 29-year-old backstop had a breakout season in 2025-26, where he posted a 29-14-7 record, a 2.42 GAA and a .906 save percentage across 52 regular-season outings. It remains to be seen whether Vladar or Joseph Woll will get the start Wednesday. However, Vladar dominated against Pittsburgh in the postseason, compiling a 4-2-0 record, a 1.61 GAA and a .937 save percentage, so he could be in for a successful fantasy outing if the Flyers elect to roll with him over Woll.

Head coach Lindy Ruff stated that Lyon (upper body) is expected to miss a couple of days, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.

Lyon suffered the upper-body injury during Thursday's preseason outing against the Red Wings. The 33-year-old netminder had a solid showing in the 2025-26 regular season, where he posted a 20-10-4 record, a 2.77 GAA, a .906 save percentage and three shutouts across 36 outings. He's currently in jeopardy of missing the team's Opening Night contest, where the Sabres appear to be planning for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to start. If Lyon can't suit up for the opener, Colten Ellis will be the backup.

Sorokin will patrol the road crease in Wednesday's opening night matchup against the Maple Leafs, per Andrew Gross of Newsday.

Sorokin was the first goalie off the ice during Tuesday's morning skate, placing him in line to start the Islanders' season opener. The 31-year-old backstop had a lot of highs to look back on from the 2025-26 campaign, where he posted a 29-24-2 record, a 2.68 GAA, a .906 save percentage and seven shutouts across 55 regular-season outings. As he led the league in clean sheets a season ago, Sorokin has the ability to flip a fantasy matchup on its head, making him an elite option in all league formats to begin the upcoming season.

Swayman will defend the home crease in Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Rangers, per Jack Studley of Boston Hockey Now.

Swayman will look to carry the momentum he generated in the 2025-26 season into the upcoming campaign, where he'll kick things off against one of Boston's rivals from the Original Six. The 27-year-old backstop excelled in his second full season as the Bruins' lead option between the pipes, compiling a 31-18-4 record, a 2.71 GAA, a .907 save percentage and two shutouts across 55 regular-season appearances. Pitted against a Rangers' offense that struggled a season ago, Swayman is a strong start in all fantasy formats to welcome in the new season.