NHL Player News

Keyser (upper body) was placed on non-roster injured reserve by the Sharks on Monday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The Sharks announced in mid-September that Keyser was facing a long-term absence due to an upper-body injury, so his placement on non-roster injured reserve isn't particularly surprising. Once he's cleared to return, the 27-year-old will likely report to AHL San Jose.

Merzlikins (shoulder), Kirill Marchenko and Miles Wood were traded to the Maple Leafs from the Blue Jackets on Monday in exchange for Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae and a second-round pick, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

It's not yet clear when Merzlikins will be ready to make his 2026-27 debut after he underwent shoulder surgery in late August. The 32-year-old is entering the final season of his five-year, $27 million contract, and the Blue Jackets will retain 18 percent of his salary as part of Monday's deal. Merzlikins made 30 regular-season appearances for Columbus last year and went 14-11-3 with a 3.39 GAA and .883 save percentage. Once he's healthy, he'll likely compete for playing time with Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz.

Gustavsson (hip) was placed on injured reserve Monday, according to Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News.

Gustavsson is expected to be out until at least early November. He posted a 28-15-6 record with two shutouts, a 2.69 GAA and a .903 save percentage in 50 appearances for Minnesota during the 2025-26 regular season. Once he returns, Gustavsson will be in the mix for starts with Jesper Wallstedt.

Driedger was released from his professional tryout agreement by the Canucks on Monday, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports.

Driedger signed a PTO with the Canucks in late August, but he'll be let go by the organization before the start of the regular season. Thatcher Demko (hip) is slated to miss the first few months of the year, and the team will roll with Kevin Lankinen and Leevi Merilainen in the crease during his absence. Driedger hasn't made a regular-season appearance at the NHL level since the 2023-24 campaign and will likely have to settle for a minor-league role once again this year.

Winnipeg claimed Stevenson off waivers from Washington on Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Stevenson appeared in five regular-season games for the Capitals over the past two years, posting a 3-2-0 record and allowing 13 goals on 139 shots. As a member of the Jets, Stevenson could compete for playing time with Stuart Skinner this campaign, as Connor Hellebuyck (suspension) is seemingly out of the picture.

Co-president of hockey operations Henrik Sedin said Monday that he hopes Demko (hip) will be ready to return before Christmas, Kevin Woodley of NHL.com reports.

Demko missed the second half of the 2025-26 season after undergoing hip surgery in January, and he was officially placed on injured reserve last week. He doesn't yet have a clear timetable for when he'll be back in action, but Sedin said that Demko is "taking steps every day" in his recovery process. While Demko is sidelined, Kevin Lankinen and Leevi Merilainen should compete for starts in the Canucks' crease.

Jarry will get the starting nod for Tuesday's home clash with Vancouver, Bob Stauffer of the Oilers Radio Network reports.

Jarry went 9-6-2 with a career-worst 3.86 GAA in his 19 regular-season appearances with the Oilers following his trade from Pittsburgh. While it seems the backstop is going to get the first crack at the starting gig with Frederik Andersen (undisclosed) on the shelf, Devon Levi will be waiting in the wings to take over if Jarry stumbles.

Vladar (upper body) was a full participant in Sunday's practice and is on track to be ready for the Flyers' regular-season opener against the Penguins on Wednesday, Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Regarding Vladar's status, head coach Rick Tocchet said, "I wouldn't say he's 100 percent, but he's very hopeful. Pretty spirited practice, and he made it through; he seemed like he looked good to me. So we'll see." General manager Danny Briere also said Saturday that Vladar should be ready for Wednesday's regular-season opener. Furthermore, the Flyers loaned netminder Aleksei Kolosov to AHL Lehigh Valley on Sunday, which is another indication that the Flyers aren't overly concerned with Vladar's availability for Wednesday. For now, though, Vladar should still be considered day-to-day until there is official word that he is good to go.

Portillo was loaned to AHL Ontario on Sunday.

The Kings have two veteran netminders on their roster in Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg, so the move to loan Portillo to the minor-league club doesn't come as much of a surprise. The 26-year-old Portillo will now shift his focus to working as the Reign's top netminder for the 2026-27 season.

Romanov was placed on waivers by the Blues on Sunday, PuckPedia reports.

Romanov signed a two-year, two-way contract with St. Louis during the offseason and is set to begin the regular season in the minors since the Blues will keep Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington as their two goaltenders on the roster for the start of the year. Romanov made 28 regular-season appearances with AHL Springfield last year and went 9-12-4 with a 3.29 GAA and .896 save percentage.