NHL Player News

Demko (hip) still doesn't have a timeline for his return, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK on Tuesday.

Demko underwent hip surgery shortly after leaving a game against Toronto on Jan. 10, and he hasn't played since. He posted a record of 8-10-1 with one shutout, a 2.90 GAA and an .895 save percentage across 20 appearances in the 2025-26 regular season. If Demko isn't ready to start the 2026-27 campaign, Kevin Lankinen will likely get another crack at being the Canucks' No. 1 netminder.

Gustavsson is still recovering from his offseason hip surgery ahead of training camp, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Friday.

While Gustavsson's teammates have moved past their injuries from late in the 2025-26 campaign, the netminder is still recovering from the procedure he underwent early in the offseason. The 28-year-old's recovery timetable isn't yet clear, and whether he'll be available for preseason action or the start of the regular season remains to be seen. Gustavsson lost out on playing time to Jesper Wallstedt late in the 2025-26 season, and Wallstedt will presumably have increased opportunities to earn the No. 1 goaltending job if Gustavsson is sidelined during camp, while Calvin Pickard will be available as a depth option.

Tokarski will serve in a scouting role for the Hurricanes, the team announced Friday.

Tokarski played for six teams over 10 NHL seasons, logging 86 games with a 27-36-12 record, a .902 save percentage, a 3.08 GAA, and three shutouts. The backstop's only postseason appearances came during the 2013-14 campaign, in which he logged five games for the Habs.

Vanecek could begin the 2026-27 campaign as the No. 3 goaltending option for the Islanders, Cory Wright of the Islanders' official site reports.

Vanecek signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Islanders in early January and will likely have the opportunity to compete for a backup role during camp. However, Semyon Varlamov seems to be back to full health after missing all of last season, and he appears to be the favorite for the No. 2 job behind Ilya Sorokin. Vanecek made 22 regular-season appearances for the Mammoth last year, and he went 5-13-3 with a 2.94 GAA and .883 save percentage.

General manager Mathieu Darche said Wednesday that Varlamov (knee) is no longer on medication and isn't experiencing pain, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Varlamov hasn't seen NHL game action since November of 2024 due to his knee injury, but it appears as though he'll be back to full health for the start of training camp ahead of the 2026-27 season. The Islanders also have Ilya Sorokin and Vitek Vanecek as goaltending options heading into the year, so Varlamov will likely need to make enough of an impression during camp to earn a role. Varlamov was relatively productive over his first six seasons with the Islanders, going 76-63-21 with a 2.57 GAA and .916 save percentage.

Hellebuyck issued a statement Thursday publicly confirming that he has requested a trade, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Hellebuyck has spent the last 11 years in Winnipeg and has been one of the league's top netminders during his time with the team. However, his production dipped slightly during the 2025-26 campaign, as he went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 GAA and .895 save percentage across 57 regular-season appearances. Hellebuyck said in his statement Thursday that he privately requested a trade several months ago, and his desire for a change of scenery lingers with less than a month remaining before training camp. The 33-year-old would need to approve a trade due to his no-movement clause, but he's drawn interest from several teams this summer and remains motivated to don a new sweater for the first time in his career.

Andersen will not take part in training camp due to an undisclosed injury suffered during the offseason, the Oilers announced Wednesday.

Per Ryan Rishaug of TSN, Andersen could be out until late October. Andersen looked poised to enter the 2026-27 season as the No. 1 option in Edmonton, but his absence from training camp could open the door for both Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi. Considering the 36-year-old Andersen hasn't appeared in more than 35 regular-season games since the 2021-22 campaign, he was unlikely to be a top goaltender option even if healthy. This injury could further impact his fantasy value.

Petersen signed a professional tryout agreement with Washington on Tuesday.

Petersen posted a 13-16-2 record with a 2.73 GAA and an .896 save percentage across 33 appearances for AHL Iowa in the 2025-26 regular season. The 31-year-old netminder has played exclusively in the minors for the past two campaigns. If he impresses during training camp, he could earn a two-way contract with Washington.

Tolopilo is slated to compete for an Opening Night roster spot during training camp ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports Monday.

Tolopilo made a career-high 21 regular-season appearances with the Canucks last year, and he went 6-11-2 with a 3.61 GAA and .881 save percentage. It's not yet clear whether Thatcher Demko (hip) will be ready for the start of training camp this fall, while Kevin Lankinen was inconsistent over 47 regular-season appearances last year. As a result, the Canucks could benefit from beginning the 2026-27 season with three goaltenders on the NHL roster, but Tolopilo will likely need to prove that he's more reliable than other netminders who may become available on the waiver wire or via trade.

Lankinen appears to be poised for more consistency during the 2026-27 season after a shaky performance last year, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports Monday.

Lankinen made 47 regular-season appearances last year -- the second-highest mark of his career -- but went 11-27-5 with a career-worst 3.70 GAA and .875 save percentage. However, he was tending to some personal matters during the 2025-26 campaign, and with Thatcher Demko's (hip) status uncertain ahead of training camp this year, Lankinen could have the opportunity to emerge as part of a timeshare that would presumably allow him more time to rest and generate more consistent success. Lankinen has proven to be capable of performing well over a full season, as he went 25-15-10 with a 2.62 GAA and .902 save percentage across 51 regular-season appearances with Vancouver in the 2024-25 campaign.