NHL Player News

Oettinger (undisclosed) won't play Wednesday at home versus the Wild, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Oettinger was expected to get the start, but he did not take the ice for warmups. No reason was immediately available. Oettinger will have one more chance to get into preseason game action Friday in Minnesota if he's fit to do so.

Merilainen will draw the start on the road in Wednesday's split-squad preseason game, per the NHL media site.

Merilainen will be backstopping what is largely a minor-league group on the road. Merilainen may start the 2026-27 campaign with AHL Belleville if he goes on waivers, as Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson are expected to be the NHL goaltending duo.

Stolarz will protect the road net in Wednesday's split-squad game versus the Senators.

Stolarz will get a tune-up as the Maple Leafs wrap up their preseason slate Wednesday. The 32-year-old is the expected backup to Sergei Bobrovsky for 2026-27, a position that should afford Stolarz the chance to play 25-30 games to keep Bobrovsky relatively fresh throughout the year.

Bobrovsky will guard the home goal in Wednesday's split-squad preseason game versus the Senators, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Bobrovsky will handle the goaltending duties in Toronto for the second straight preseason contest. The split-squad set is the end of the Maple Leafs' preseason slate, so Bobrovsky will get about a week of rest and practice time before likely patrolling the crease Opening Night at home versus the Canadiens.

Ullmark will protect the home goal versus the Maple Leafs in Wednesday's split-squad preseason game, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Ullmark is set to be the No. 1 netminder in Ottawa this campaign. He went 28-12-8 with a 2.73 GAA and an .891 save percentage over 49 regular-season outings in 2025-26.

Forsberg is slated to start on the road against Anaheim for Wednesday's preseason tilt, per Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider.

Forsberg had a 16-12-5 record, 2.57 GAA and .909 save percentage in 36 regular-season appearances with Los Angeles in 2025-26. Although Forsberg is set to open the 2026-27 campaign as the Kings' backup goaltender, he could expand his role if Darcy Kuemper doesn't rebound following a rough 2025-26 campaign. Still, Forsberg is expected to see a significantly larger share of the workload than a typical No. 2 goaltender.

Allen will be between the pipes for Saturday's road clash with the Islanders, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Allen looks set to be the Opening Night starter when the Devils square off with the Flyers on Oct. 1. In 37 regular-season appearances last year, the veteran backstop went 17-17-2 with a 2.74 GAA and one shutout. As long as Allen can hold on to the No. 1 job, he should be capable of reaching the 20-win mark for the first time since 2017-18.

Daws is slated to start Thursday's road preseason game against the Rangers, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Daws rejoined the Devils on a two-year, $2.2 million contract in July, and he's slated to make his preseason debut and play the full game during New Jersey's penultimate exhibition matchup. The 25-year-old has made just nine regular-season appearances for the Devils across the past two years, going 5-2-0 with a 2.02 GAA and .925 save percentage. The Devils traded Jacob Markstrom to Florida during the offseason, so Daws could compete with Jake Allen and David Rittich if he makes a strong impression during Thursday's start.

Copley was placed on waivers by Columbus on Wednesday, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

When Elvis Merzlikins (shoulder) underwent surgery in August, it initially looked like Copley would enter the campaign as the Blue Jackets' No. 2 goaltender. However, Cam Talbot signed a one-year, $950,000 contract with Columbus on Sept. 15, and he is now projected to be Jet Greaves' backup until Merzlikins is healthy. As a consequence, Copley is slated to open the upcoming campaign in the minors, assuming he goes unclaimed.

Johansson has been designated for waivers by the Lightning on Wednesday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Tampa Bay has been trying to trade Johansson as he no longer fits into the team's plans. He's a well-traveled veteran presence who could still catch on elsewhere as a depth option, but he could begin the 2026-27 campaign in the minors.