NHL Player News

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.

Sanderson (undisclosed) might be available for Saturday's clash with the Maple Leafs after returning to practice Friday, Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News reports.

Sanderson appears to be trending in the right direction after missing several days of practice. The fact that the Senators sent Hoyt Stanley down to the minors also seems to indicate that Sanderson will be ready to suit up. If given the all-clear, the blueliner should take his spot on the top power-play unit.

Foegele (undisclosed) will play in Saturday's Opening Night matchup against the Maple Leafs, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Foegele was placed on the injured non-roster list after dealing with an undisclosed issue for most of training camp. However, he's practiced recently and was on the top line during Friday's practice session. The 30-year-old appeared in 68 regular-season games between Los Angeles and Ottawa last year, recording 13 goals, four assists, 74 hits, 19 blocked shots and 18 PIM while averaging 13:46 of ice time.

Ufko was assigned to AHL Milwaukee on Friday.

Ufko made 18 regular-season appearances with the Predators last year and was with the NHL club for Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Wild. He was held scoreless with a shot on goal, a blocked shot and a minus-1 rating in 15:27 of ice time, but he'll head to the minors a day later. Despite his demotion Friday, it wouldn't be surprising to see Ufko carve out more regular playing time at the NHL level during the 2026-27 campaign.

Oettinger was the first goalie off during Friday's morning skate, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start during the Stars' regular-season opener against the Blues.

After dealing with a lower-body injury late in the preseason, Oettinger was recently deemed available for the start of the regular season, and he'll officially be in the net for the Stars' Opening Night matchup. The 27-year-old should reprise his role as the Stars' primary goaltender during the 2026-27 campaign after he went 35-12-6 with a 2.59 GAA and .899 save percentage across 54 regular-season appearances last year.

Sorokin is expected to start at home against the Devils on Saturday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Sorokin defended the road crease during Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against the Maple Leafs, and he turned aside 24 of 26 shots in the 2-1 loss. He was the first goalie off during Friday's practice session, signaling that he's slated to draw a second consecutive start to begin the regular season.