NHL Player News

Ellis was claimed off waivers by the Sabres on Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Ellis was waived by the Blues on Sunday, and he'll join a new organization ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. Although Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) will miss the start of the regular season, Ellis will likely begin the year in the minors.

Primeau was claimed off waivers by the Maple Leafs on Monday.

Primeau was waived by the Hurricanes on Sunday, and he'll get an opportunity for a fresh start heading into the 2025-26 season. He could open the year as Anthony Stolarz's backup if Dennis Hildeby heads to AHL Toronto, and James Reimer gets released from his professional tryout agreement. The Leafs needed goaltending depth due to the indefinite absence of Joseph Woll (personal), who is on leave from the team, and Primeau could be a decent stopgap solution.

Luukkonen (lower body), as expected, was officially ruled out against the Rangers on Thursday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Luukkonen was expected to miss at least a week to open the season, so his absence for Opening Night shouldn't come as a surprise. With the 26-year-old backstop on the shelf, Alex Lyon looks poised to play Thursday -- though head coach Lindy Ruff hasn't officially named a starter. Despite missing the early part of the year, Luukkonen should still reach the 50-game threshold this year as the Sabres' No. 1 option in the crease, assuming he can shake off his injury issues.

Varlamov (knee), as expected, was placed on injured reserve Monday.

Considering Varlamov remains without a clear recovery timeline, his placement on injured reserve to open the season shouldn't come as a surprise. The Islanders will open the year with Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich as the goaltending tandem. Even once given the all-clear, Varlamov could struggle to unseat Rittich from the backup role and may find himself featuring in the minors at some point.

Stevenson was placed on waivers by the Capitals on Sunday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Stevenson made just one regular-season appearance in the NHL last year, and he'll head to AHL Hershey ahead of the 2025-26 campaign if he clears waivers. He made 33 regular-season outings with the Bears last year and went 18-8-4 with a 2.94 GAA and an .888 save percentage.

Ellis was placed on waivers by the Blues on Sunday, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.

Ellis served as one of the Blues' Black Aces during last year's playoffs, but he didn't make any appearances and will be left off the Opening Night roster ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. He'll presumably head to AHL Springfield if he clears waivers and seems likely to spend most of the year in the minors.

Skinner (flu) worked as the Oilers' top netminder during Sunday's practice session, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Skinner missed Friday's preseason game against the Canucks, but his role during Sunday's practice suggests that he's moved past his illness ahead of the regular season. It seems likely that Skinner will be in net for Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against Calgary.

Primeau was placed on waivers by the Hurricanes for the purpose of assignment to AHL Chicago, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports Sunday.

Primeau, acquired by the Hurricanes in an offseason trade, will begin the season in the AHL, assuming he clears waivers. It's not too surprising considering the 26-year-old is looking up at established NHL goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, and now the addition of Brandon Bussi off waivers further complicates his situation. Primeau was very impressive in his 26 regular-season starts last year with AHL Laval, registering a 1.96 GAA and a .927 save percentage.

Petersen was placed on waivers by the Wild on Sunday.

Petersen didn't make any regular-season NHL appearances last year, and he'll begin the 2025-26 campaign at AHL Iowa if he clears waivers. He made 31 regular-season outings with AHL Lehigh Valley last year, going 13-15-3 with a 3.14 GAA and an .885 save percentage.

Carolina claimed Bussi off waivers from Florida on Sunday.

Bussi posted a 15-14-3 record with a 2.77 GAA and a .907 save percentage over 33 regular-season appearances for AHL Providence in 2024-25. He is currently behind Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov on the Carolina depth chart.