NHL Player News

Luneau agreed to a six-year, $43.2 million contract extension with the Ducks on Thursday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Luneau has made just 14 regular-season appearances at the NHL level, recording two goals, two assists, 15 hits, 14 blocked shots and six PIM while averaging 16:51 of ice time. He spent most of last year at AHL San Diego, where he generated 10 goals, 31 assists and 29 PIM across 70 regular-season appearances. The 22-year-old should see a more regular role with Anaheim during the 2026-27 campaign and will have long-term stability with the organization.

McGroarty was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.

McGroarty opened the season with Pittsburgh, but he was a healthy scratch for the Penguins' 7-0 victory over Philadelphia. The 22-year-old had 10 goals and 34 points in 30 AHL outings as well as three goals and six points in 24 appearances with Pittsburgh during the 2025-26 regular season.

Hyman has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Vancouver for an undisclosed reason, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Hyman suited up for Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Canucks and was held scoreless with three shots on goal, two hits and a plus-1 rating while logging 20:33 of ice time, including 5:04 on the power play. He didn't travel with the Oilers ahead of Thursday's rematch and will be unavailable for at least one matchup, though the reason for his absence hasn't yet been revealed. Whether he'll be available Saturday against Seattle remains to be seen.

Levi is set to start on the road against Vancouver on Thursday, per Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton.

Levi had a 2-7-0 record, 4.12 GAA and .872 save percentage in nine regular-season appearances with Buffalo in 2025-26. Although he's struggled in the NHL, the Oilers are hoping that the 24-year-old will take a step forward this campaign. There is an opportunity for Levi to play a meaningful role because Frederik Andersen (knee) isn't expected to return until December at the earliest, and Tristan Jarry has endured struggles of his own over the past couple of years.

Schmid was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Max Miller of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against San Jose.

Jacob Markstrom drew the Opening Night start for the Panthers on the road against Carolina on Tuesday and led Florida to a 1-0 overtime win, but Schmid will have an opportunity to defend the crease Thursday. Schmid made 34 regular-season appearances for the Golden Knights last year, going 16-10-6 with a 2.59 GAA and .893 save percentage.

Kindel (lower body) was cleared to take contact during Thursday's practice, Wes Crosby of NHL.com reports.

Kindel skated with the fourth line while Blake Lizotte (lower body) was sidelined. Given how well the trio of Filip Hallander, Hendrix Lapierre and Ville Koivunen performed in the season opener, Kindel could find himself relegated to a fourth-line role once activated off injured reserve.

Askarov will guard the home crease in Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Panthers, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.

Askarov is set to lead the Sharks onto the ice in Thursday's home opener after he put together a solid first full season of work at the NHL level. The 24-year-old backstop put together a 21-20-4 record, a 3.63 GAA and an. 883 save percentage across 47 regular-season outings. While he is coming off a campaign with plenty of ups-and-downs, San Jose's young offensive core is expected to take another step forward this season, and the team also brought in veteran defensemen Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba to help shore up the other side of the ice. Because of this, Askarov could be in line to see his numbers go up in 2026-27 while he competes for work against Alex Nedeljkovic. Askarov is a fringe No. 2 goalie option in fantasy to begin the new season.

Woll will defend the road crease in Thursday's matchup against New Jersey, per Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Woll is in line to make his regular-season debut with the Flyers on Thursday after he was traded to Philadelphia from Toronto in the offseason. The 28-year-old backstop had a rough go of things in 2025-26, where he posted a 15-16-7 record, a 3.34 GAA and an .898 save percentage across 39 regular-season outings. It was his lone year above three goals allowed per game, so expect him to bounce back in some capacity. Woll will likely be the No. 2 netminder in Philadelphia for the 2026-27 season unless Dan Vladar's struggles from Opening Night persist. Woll is a solid streaming option in fantasy for the time being.

Lankinen is expected to start Thursday's home game against the Oilers, Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports.

Lankinen drew the start during Tuesday's Opening Night matchup in Edmonton, and he allowed five goals on 37 shots during the overtime victory. He's slated to defend the crease once again during Thursday's home opener. Lankinen made 47 regular-season appearances last year, going 11-27-5 with a 3.70 GAA and .875 save percentage.

Garand was recalled from AHL Hartford on Thursday, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.

Garand was waived by the Rangers on Sunday and subsequently sent to the minors after going unclaimed. However, Joonas Korpisalo (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Thursday and is considered week-to-week, so Garand will rejoin the NHL club to provide additional depth behind Igor Shesterkin. Garand could draw the start in Detroit on Friday since Shesterkin will start at home against the Lightning on Thursday in the first half of a back-to-back set.