NHL Player News

Woll will be stepping away from the team indefinitely to attend to a personal family matter, the Leafs announced Tuesday.

General manager Brad Trevling was clear that this wasn't an issue related to the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. With no timeline to return, it's possible that Woll will not be with the Leafs for the season opener against Montreal on Oct. 8. Dennis Hildeby figures to step into the No. 2 role behind Anthony Stolarz while Woll is away.

Vejmelka will defend the road blue paint in Monday's preseason contest against the Ducks, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.

Vejmelka is cemented as the Mammoth's No. 1 netminder heading into the 2025-26 campaign. The 29-year-old received workhorse usage last season, registering a 26-22-8 record, 2.58 GAA and .904 save percentage across 58 outings. Jaxson Stauber will compete with Vitek Vanecek for backup duties behind Vejmelka this year.

Mrazek will start in Monday's home exhibition game versus the Mammoth, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Mrazek is slated to serve as the Ducks' No. 2 goaltender in 2025-26 after being acquired from the Red Wings in the offseason. The 13-year NHL veteran went 12-21-2 with an .891 save percentage and a 3.35 GAA over 38 appearances between Detroit and Chicago last season.

Johansson will guard the road crease in Monday's preseason contest against the Hurricanes, according to the NHL media site.

Johansson is set to be Andrei Vasilevskiy's backup once again during the 2025-26 campaign. The 30-year-old Johansson sported a 9-6-3 record, .895 save percentage and 3.14 GAA across 19 regular-season appearances last year. The Swedish netminder signed a two-year, $2.5 million contract with Tampa Bay in May.

Merzlikins will be between the home pipes for Monday's exhibition game versus the Sabres, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Merzlikins will attempt to start the preseason on a high note, as he has competition in the crease this year in the form of Jet Greaves and newcomer Ivan Fedotov. Greaves played at a high level last season with a .938 save percentage and a 1.91 GAA, albeit in a small sample (11 games), so there's no guarantee Merzlikins starts the 2025-26 campaign as Columbus' No. 1 netminder. The 31-year-old Merzlikins posted a 26-21-5 record, 3.18 GAA and .892 save percentage over 53 appearances in 2024-25.

George was loaned to OHL Owen Sound on Monday.

George was called up by the Kings in last year's playoffs to serve as emergency depth, but he's unlikely to see much, if any, playing time in the NHL this year. After beginning camp with Los Angeles, he'll now head back to his junior team.

Markstrom will defend the cage for Tuesday's preseason matchup with the Islanders at home, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Markstrom put up 26 wins in 49 regular-season games with the Devils last season, his eighth straight year reaching the 20-win threshold. Still, during that eight-year stretch, the Swedish backstop has only notched 30 victories once, back in 2021-22 when he was with the Flames. With Jake Allen in the fold, Markstrom is unlikely to be asked to play 60 games a year, which could prevent him from putting up the big win totals like Connor Hellebuyck or Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Lyon will be between the pipes for Tuesday's preseason matchup at home against Columbus, per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic.

Lyon will play in the first two periods of the contest, and Devon Levi will occupy the crease in the third. The 32-year-old Lyon earned a 14-9-1 record with one shutout, a 2.81 GAA and an .896 save percentage across 30 appearances with Detroit in 2024-25. He signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Sabres in the summer, and he will compete for the team's backup role behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) during training camp.

Georgiev will patrol the blue paint on the road versus Columbus on Monday, likely playing two periods, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports.

Georgiev will open Monday's preseason contest while Devon Levi is expected to come in for the third period. In 49 regular-season games between the Avalanche and Sharks last year, Georgiev went 15-26-4 with an .875 save percentage -- not exactly the type of numbers to instill confidence in his ability to carry a team. Still, Georgiev could see additional opportunities to start the 2025-26 campaign if Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) isn't ready to start the season.

Blomqvist will guard the road goal against Montreal on Monday in exhibition action, according to Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports.

Blomqvist will split the game with Sergei Murashov. The 23-year-old Blomqvist posted a 4-9-1 record with a 3.81 GAA and an .885 save percentage across 15 regular-season appearances with Pittsburgh in 2024-25. He will likely begin the 2025-26 campaign in the minors, as he is currently behind Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs on the Penguins' depth chart.