NHL Player News

Merzlikins will be in goal for Latvia against Sweden on Tuesday in the qualifying round of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch reports.

Merzlikins is set to get his first start since the opening game of the tournament, as Arturs Silovs was between the pipes for the Latvians' last two games of the preliminary round. Merzlikins allowed five goals on 38 shots against the Americans on Thursday in a 5-1 loss. Sweden went 2-0-0-1 and finished third in Group B during round-robin play, picking up wins against Italy and Slovakia. The Swedes' lone defeat came at the hands of the Finns on Friday.

Gibson signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Capitals on Tuesday.

Gibson's new deal will begin this season. The Capitals also announced that they will place the 26-year-old on waivers Tuesday afternoon for the purpose of loaning him to AHL Hershey. Gibson has posted a 6-4-2 record, .918 save percentage and 2.48 GAA across 12 games with the Bears in 2025-26. He also made 13 appearances for ECHL South Carolina, going 8-5-0 with a 2.32 GAA and a .917 save percentage.

Sogaard (lower body) is serving as Denmark's No. 2 netminder versus Czechia in Tuesday's qualification game at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Sogaard left Saturday's loss to the Americans in the final frame but is seemingly well enough to be an option if he is needed Tuesday. The 25-year-old netminder will back up Frederik Andersen against the Czechs.

Andersen will be between the pipes for Denmark versus Czechia on Tuesday in the qualifying round of the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Andersen went 1-0-0-1 with a 2.58 GAA and a .918 save percentage across two starts in the preliminary round. Czechia finished with four points (1-0-1-1) and placed third in Group A during round-robin play. Martin Necas, Tomas Hertl and David Pastrnak started on the top line to begin the tournament for the Czechs, but the team has since split that trio up, spreading the talent throughout the lineup. The winner of Tuesday's game will face Canada on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

Dostal will the patrol the blue paint for Czechia against Denmark on Tuesday in the qualifying round of the 2026 Winter Olympics, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Dostal has allowed nine goals on 65 shots through two games during the tournament, both of which were losses. Denmark went 1-0-0-2 in the preliminary round in Group C, finishing third. If Dostal and the Czechs earn a win Tuesday, they will have a quick turnaround with an extraordinarily tough matchup against the Canadians on Wednesday.

Grubauer is expected to start for Germany against France in Tuesday's qualification game at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Grubauer has a 2.56 GAA and a .917 save percentage across two outings in the 2026 Olympics. He made 37 saves en route to a 3-1 victory over Denmark on Thursday, but fell 4-3 to Latvia on Saturday while stopping just 18 shots. The winner of this match between Germany and France is set to play Slovakia in Wednesday's quarterfinals game.

Bussi signed a three-year, $5.7 million contract extension with the Hurricanes on Monday.

Bussi has had a strong start to his NHL career during the 2025-26 campaign after being claimed off waivers from the Panthers, going 23-3-1 with a 2.16 GAA and .906 save percentage over 27 appearances to begin the year. His extension will keep him under contract with Carolina through the 2028-29 season.

Hellebuyck stopped 23 of 24 shots in the United States' 5-1 win over Germany on Sunday in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Hellebuyck made 17 saves in the 5-1 win over Latvia on Thursday and posted another impressive effort this time against Germany. Expect the Jets' netminder to remain the No. 1 option for Team USA in the knockout stages.

Silovs made 17 saves in Latvia's 4-2 loss to Denmark on Sunday at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. He allowed three goals.

Silovs finished the preliminary round with a 1-1-0 record, 3.01 GAA and .873 save percentage. He has allowed seven goals and has played 139:44, the second-most in the Olympics after Juuse Saros. Silovs, who backstopped Latvia to its first Olympic win since 2014 earlier in the competition, will likely be in the blue paint Tuesday in a tough matchup against Sweden in the qualification playoffs.

Cossa posted a 26-save shutout in AHL Grand Rapids' 5-0 win over Texas on Sunday.

Cossa improved to 21-4-2 with five shutouts, a 1.92 GAA and a .930 save percentage in 27 games this season. He went just 3-3-1 in January, but he's bounced back with three straight wins to start February. Given Cossa's improvements this season in his third AHL campaign, the 23-year-old is likely ready to compete for a full-time NHL gig in 2026-27.