NHL Player News

Romanov signed a one-year, two-way contract with St. Louis on Wednesday.

Romanov attended New Jersey's training camp on a PTO, but he ultimately didn't land a contract with the Devils. Still, the 25-year-old has managed to earn a two-way deal, though Romanov is projected to begin the campaign in the minors. Romanov had a record of 0-6-0 with a 3.88 GAA and an .877 save percentage across eight appearances with the Sharks in 2024-25.

Wolf will start Wednesday's Opening Night matchup on the road against Edmonton, Derek Wills of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Wolf earned a starting role during the 2024-25 campaign and went 29-16-8 with a 2.64 GAA and a .910 save percentage over 53 regular-season appearances. He enters 2025-26 as the Flames' No. 1 netminder, and he'll draw the start in the first half of a back-to-back set to open the campaign. The Flames visit Vancouver on Thursday, and backup Devin Cooley might get the nod in that contest.

Swayman will defend the road crease during Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against Washington, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Swayman made a career-high 58 regular-season appearances for the Bruins but had one of the worst years of his career, going 22-29-7 with a 3.11 GAA and an .892 save percentage as Boston took a step back as a team. Despite last year's struggles, Swayman should have the opportunity to maintain a full-time starting role in 2025-26 and will attempt to return to form.

Skinner will get the starting nod at home versus the Flames on Wednesday, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Skinner has reached the 50-game mark in each of his previous three seasons and figures to do so again in 2025-26. Despite the heavy workload, the 26-year-old backstop has just one 30-win campaign, though with the team around him, he should be in the mix to reach that threshold again this year.

Gibson will patrol the home crease in the Red Wings' season opener against Montreal on Thursday, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.

Gibson will also make his Detroit debut after being acquired from Anaheim over the summer. The 32-year-old netminder had an 11-11-2 record, 2.77 GAA and .911 save percentage in 29 regular-season appearances with the Ducks last year. Gibson should get the majority of the Red Wings' starts this year, but Cam Talbot might still get a larger workload than a typical backup.

Kochetkov missed Wednesday's practice due to an undisclosed injury, per Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News.

It sounds like this is the same injury Kochetkov was dealing with during training camp. The goaltender was able to start in Saturday's exhibition clash against Nashville without issue, but the injury is bothering him again. Kochetkov's availability for Carolina's season opener against New Jersey on Thursday is uncertain as a result. Frederik Andersen will probably start Thursday regardless, but if Kochetkov isn't an option, then Brandon Bussi would slot in as Andersen's understudy.

Stolarz is expected to guard the home goal in Toronto's season opener against Montreal on Wednesday, per Dave McCarthy of NHL.com.

Stolarz posted a 21-8-3 record, 2.14 GAA and .926 save percentage in 34 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. He's entering the season as Toronto's clear No. 1 option. While Joseph Woll (personal) will likely get a good chunk of the work once he's available, the Maple Leafs should give Stolarz the lion's share of the starts until both netminders are in the fold.

Thompson will start Wednesday's Opening Night matchup at home against the Bruins, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.

Thompson made 43 regular-season appearances during his first campaign with the Capitals last year, going 31-6-6 with a 2.49 GAA and .910 save percentage. He performed well enough last year to earn No. 1 goaltending duties early in the 2025-26 campaign, but Charlie Lindgren is also a capable netminder who should push for playing time if Thompson struggles at any point.

Kuemper allowed four goals on 23 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Kuemper's season opener didn't go all that well, but this was a tough opponent. The 35-year-old kept the Avalanche at bay through one period, but he couldn't do the same in the middle stanza, when he allowed three goals on 11 shots. The Kings still did a decent job of keeping the shot volume down, which has been a hallmark of the team's style for years. That could make it tough for Kuemper to post a high save percentage in 2025-26, but his workload and ability to keep the puck out of the net should still make him a solid fantasy option. He'll likely get the night off Wednesday against the Golden Knights, paving the way for Anton Forsberg to make his team debut for the Kings.

Wedgewood allowed one goal on 25 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Kings.

The only tally against Wedgewood was Kevin Fiala's goal, which came on a 5-on-3 advantage for the Kings. All in all, it was a positive start to the year for Wedgewood. He went 14-6-2 with a 2.32 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 24 regular-season appearances between Nashville and Colorado in 2024-25. The 33-year-old will continue to handle a starting role while Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body) continues to work his way back from injury. The Avalanche's home opener is Thursday versus the Mammoth.