Hofer stopped 19 of 22 shots in Saturday's 3-2 preseason loss to the Blackhawks.
Hofer played nearly the entire contest and was beaten three times over the first 30 minutes. Anton Frondell opened the scoring off a rebound in the first period before Ian Cole and Roman Kantserov converted breakaways 2:31 apart in the second, with Kantserov's tally coming on the power play. Hofer settled down after Chicago built its 3-0 advantage and didn't allow another goal before being pulled for the extra attacker late in the third, but it was too late to mount a comeback. Hofer posted a 24-13-5 record with six shutouts, a 2.61 GAA and a .909 save percentage in 46 appearances during the 2025-26 regular season, and it remains to be seen whether he or Jordan Binnington will start in the regular-season opener against the Stars on Friday, Oct. 2.