NHL Player News

Schmid was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Max Miller of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against San Jose.

Jacob Markstrom drew the Opening Night start for the Panthers on the road against Carolina on Tuesday and led Florida to a 1-0 overtime win, but Schmid will have an opportunity to defend the crease Thursday. Schmid made 34 regular-season appearances for the Golden Knights last year, going 16-10-6 with a 2.59 GAA and .893 save percentage.

Askarov will guard the home crease in Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Panthers, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.

Askarov is set to lead the Sharks onto the ice in Thursday's home opener after he put together a solid first full season of work at the NHL level. The 24-year-old backstop put together a 21-20-4 record, a 3.63 GAA and an. 883 save percentage across 47 regular-season outings. While he is coming off a campaign with plenty of ups-and-downs, San Jose's young offensive core is expected to take another step forward this season, and the team also brought in veteran defensemen Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba to help shore up the other side of the ice. Because of this, Askarov could be in line to see his numbers go up in 2026-27 while he competes for work against Alex Nedeljkovic. Askarov is a fringe No. 2 goalie option in fantasy to begin the new season.

Woll will defend the road crease in Thursday's matchup against New Jersey, per Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Woll is in line to make his regular-season debut with the Flyers on Thursday after he was traded to Philadelphia from Toronto in the offseason. The 28-year-old backstop had a rough go of things in 2025-26, where he posted a 15-16-7 record, a 3.34 GAA and an .898 save percentage across 39 regular-season outings. It was his lone year above three goals allowed per game, so expect him to bounce back in some capacity. Woll will likely be the No. 2 netminder in Philadelphia for the 2026-27 season unless Dan Vladar's struggles from Opening Night persist. Woll is a solid streaming option in fantasy for the time being.

Lankinen is expected to start Thursday's home game against the Oilers, Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports.

Lankinen drew the start during Tuesday's Opening Night matchup in Edmonton, and he allowed five goals on 37 shots during the overtime victory. He's slated to defend the crease once again during Thursday's home opener. Lankinen made 47 regular-season appearances last year, going 11-27-5 with a 3.70 GAA and .875 save percentage.

Garand was recalled from AHL Hartford on Thursday, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.

Garand was waived by the Rangers on Sunday and subsequently sent to the minors after going unclaimed. However, Joonas Korpisalo (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Thursday and is considered week-to-week, so Garand will rejoin the NHL club to provide additional depth behind Igor Shesterkin. Garand could draw the start in Detroit on Friday since Shesterkin will start at home against the Lightning on Thursday in the first half of a back-to-back set.

Korpisalo sustained a lower-body injury and has been placed on injured reserve Thursday, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.

Korpisalo was labeled week-to-week by the Rangers, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him back in action in the short term. Last year, the 32-year-old netminder went 14-9-6 in 31 regular-season outings with a 3.15 GAA, .894 save percentage and one shutout. With Korpisalo on the shelf, Dylan Garand has been called up to serve as the No. 2 option in New York.

Vejmelka was the first goalie off the ice during Thursday's morning skate, indicating that he'll defend the home crease in Utah's Opening Night matchup against Chicago, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.

Vejmelka will lead the Mammoth onto the ice in Thursday's home opener fresh off his breakout season in 2025-26. Across 64 regular-season appearances, the 30-year-old backstop posted a 38-20-3 record, a 2.75 GAA, an .896 save percentage and two shutouts. He trailed only Andrei Vasilevskiy in regular-season wins a year ago, giving Vejmelka a high ceiling in fantasy once again in the 2026-27 campaign. While Utah added Sebastian Cossa to hopefully provide stability as the team's backup netminder, Vejmelka will likely be called upon over 50 times once again in the 2026-27 campaign, making him a low-end No. 1 goalie option in all fantasy formats to begin the season.

Lindgren will guard the road crease in Saturday's contest against the Lightning, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.

Lindgren will make his season debut in the second half of the Capitals' upcoming back-to-back. The 32-year-old netminder's 2025-26 campaign was riddled with injuries, but he also took a step back in production when healthy, posting a 9-8-3 record, a 3.52 GAA and an .879 save percentage across 21 regular-season outings. He's currently off the fantasy radar to open the season, but if he can post solid numbers against the Lightning on Thursday, who made the postseason in 2025-26, Lindgren could trend back towards fantasy relevance.

Thompson will tend the twine on the road against the Hurricanes on Friday, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.

Thompson set new personal bests in games played (58), GAA (2.44) and shutouts (four) last season. Looking ahead to 2026-27, the 29-year-old backstop should continue to see significant opportunities in the crease, with the potential of hitting a new career high in wins.

Greaves was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports, indicating that he'll draw the Opening Night start at home against the Sabres.

Greaves saw a career-high workload during the 2025-26 campaign, making 55 regular-season appearances and going 26-19-9 with a 2.60 GAA and .908 save percentage. New backup goaltender Cam Talbot has also proven to be capable of handling a hefty workload, but Greaves should begin the regular season as the Blue Jackets' No. 1 netminder.