NHL Player News

Head coach Lindy Ruff said Friday that Zellweger (concussion) has been cleared to play ahead of Saturday's game against Chicago, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Zellweger missed Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Blue Jackets due to a concussion, but he practiced Friday and should be back in the lineup following a one-game absence to begin the regular season. The 23-year-old was traded to the Sabres from the Ducks during the offseason after he logged seven goals, 15 assists, 85 blocked shots, 34 PIM and 33 hits while averaging 16:59 of ice time across 76 regular-season appearances with Anaheim last year.

Samuelsson scored a goal, added four PIM and went minus-2 in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Samuelsson opened the scoring at 7:21 of the first period. The 26-year-old defenseman was listed on the first pairing but was limited to 18:21 of ice time in his first game back from a lower-body injury sustained during the preseason. The defenseman was a surprise last year with 41 points, 109 shots, 132 hits, 154 blocked shots and a plus-41 rating over 78 regular-season games, all of which were career highs. His place in the top four is secure, but expecting that level of offense again may be asking too much.

Olivier scored an empty-net goal on three shots, added seven PIM, doled out three hits and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Olivier is a bottom-six agitator, and he was doing the job well Thursday. He had a fight with Zach Metsa in the second period. Olivier posted 26 points in 61 regular-season games in 2025-26, as well as 209 hits and 101 PIM. He's shown the potential to produce at least 25 points with elite hit and PIM totals the last two years, so keep an eye on him for banger leagues.

Sillinger scored a goal on three shots, added four PIM and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Sillinger tied the game at 1-1 with his first-period tally. The 23-year-old forward saw work on the third line but didn't feature on the power play, which is a trend that continues from last year. Despite the lack of time with the man advantage, he's been largely consistent during his NHL years, posting between 31 and 33 points in four of his five seasons. If he can get a hot start going, he could move up in the lineup.

Monahan scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Monahan scored to stretch the lead to 5-3 in the third period. The 31-year-old center is healthy to begin the campaign after battling injuries late in the season. That's been a common theme in his down years, though his 78 games played in 2025-26 were his second-most in the last five seasons. For now, he's penciled into a top-six role, but he could shift to the third line if his production starts to slip.

Binnington is slated to defend the road crease against Colorado on Saturday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Binnington's production declined during the 2025-26 campaign, as he went 13-20-7 with a 3.33 GAA and .873 save percentage across 41 regular-season appearances. He appears to be in line to serve as the backup netminder to begin the regular season, but he'll draw an early-season start in the second half of a back-to-back set since Joel Hofer is starting the Blues' Opening Night matchup on the road against Dallas on Friday.

Fantilli scored a goal on two shots and added six hits in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Fantilli missed most of the training camp and the preseason while awaiting a new contract. While that's not usually a good sign for production to come, the 21-year-old center showed why he was worth a $13.75 million cap hit with a goal in the opening period of the season. Fantilli is already reliably productive, but his new deal will come with the expectation that he can build on last year's 24-goal, 59-point effort over 82 games. While he's unlikely to pace the league in offense, he adds some extra grit that can round out his fantasy value nicely.

Swayman will draw the start on the road against Winnipeg on Friday, Adam Pellerin of NESN reports.

Swayman posted a 24-save shutout to begin the regular season at home against the Rangers on Tuesday, so it isn't very surprising to see him tend the twine for a second consecutive matchup Friday. However, Friday's matchup is the first half of a back-to-back set, so Michael DiPietro will likely start Saturday's game in Minnesota. Swayman made 55 regular-season appearances last year, going 31-18-4 with a 2.71 GAA and .907 save percentage.

Hofer will start Friday's road game against Dallas, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

The Blues open the regular season with a back-to-back set that includes Friday's matchup followed by a game in Colorado on Saturday. Hofer will draw the Opening Night start against the Stars, while Jordan Binnington is slated to defend the road crease against the Avalanche a day later. Hofer had a career-best season during the 2025-26 campaign, going 24-13-5 with a 2.61 GAA and .909 save percentage across 46 regular-season appearances.

Kuzmenko (personal) has been removed from the non-roster list ahead of Saturday's matchup with Montreal, per the NHL media site.

Kuzmenko skated in a fourth-line role in his return to practice Friday, which likely speaks more to how well the third line performed in the first game of the year. The 30-year-old winger could get a look with the Penguins' No. 2 power-play unit at some point, but head coach Dan Muse may be hesitant to rock the boat too much out of the gates.