NHL Player News

Zub (knee) isn't expected to be ready for Ottawa's season opener in Toronto on Oct. 3, per TSN 1200 Ottawa on Wednesday.

Zub had five goals, 30 points, 57 PIM, 66 hits and 120 blocks in 81 regular-season appearances with Ottawa in 2025-26. It remains to be seen how long he will be on the shelf for, but he has been out since April 18. He missed Ottawa's final three playoff games because of the injury.

Sanderson didn't skate Wednesday due to a minor undisclosed issue, Claire Hanna of TSN reports.

Head coach Travis Green hesitated to label the reason for Sanderson's absence as an injury, so fantasy managers likely shouldn't worry. Sanderson isn't expected to play in either of Wednesday's split-squad preseason games against Toronto. Still, it wouldn't be surprising if he was fine for the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

Spence is dealing with a minor injury that will sideline him for Wednesday's matchups with Toronto, Claire Hanna of TSN reports.

Spence saw action in 73 regular-season tilts last year in which he set new personal bests in both goals (seven) and points (31) while averaging a career-high 18:44 of ice time. It certainly doesn't sound like the 25-year-old blueliner will miss the season opener against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 3.

Larkin (upper body) participated in Wednesday's practice session but won't play in Thursday's preseason matchup against the Sabres, Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News reports.

Larkin has been recovering from an upper-body injury during training camp. Although he hasn't been cleared to play, head coach Todd McLellan said Wednesday that Larkin is making progress. In addition to missing Thursday's exhibition game, Larkin could also be held out for Saturday's preseason finale against Columbus. It remains unclear whether he'll be in the mix to suit up for the Red Wings' Opening Night matchup against the Rangers on Oct. 2.

Silovs allowed seven goals on 23 shots during Tuesday's 7-4 preseason loss to the Red Wings.

Silovs made his preseason debut after Sergei Murashov got the nod for Monday's preseason opener. Silovs wasn't particularly effective in the defeat, and he defended the crease for the entire game. He made 39 regular-season appearances with the Penguins last year, going 19-12-8 with a 3.07 GAA and an .887 save percentage. Silovs could still begin the 2026-27 campaign as Pittsburgh's primary netminder, though Sergei Murashov is expected to push for playing time.

Gibson turned aside 22 of 24 shots during Tuesday's 7-4 preseason win over the Penguins.

Gibson drew the start during Tuesday's exhibition and played the first two periods before being replaced by Trey Augustine. Gibson made 57 regular-season appearances in his first year for Detroit in 2025-26, going 29-22-4 with a 2.72 GAA and a .901 save percentage. He's expected to serve as the Red Wings' starting goaltender again in the 2026-27 campaign, with Daniil Tarasov operating as the No. 2 option.

Hildeby stopped 23 of 26 shots in a 3-2 overtime preseason loss to Nashville on Tuesday.

Hildeby had a 5-7-4 record, 2.85 GAA and .912 save percentage in 20 regular-season appearances with Toronto in 2025-26. The 25-year-old netminder has the potential to become a solid starter, but his short-term fantasy value will be limited by the presence of Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is expected to get a considerable majority of the workload this year.

Lindholm recorded a goal on two shots while also recording two blocked shots during Tuesday's 5-1 preseason win over Philadelphia.

Lindholm didn't appear in the Bruins' preseason opener against the Capitals on Sunday, but he was on the ice Tuesday and made his presence felt with a third-period goal. He appeared in 69 regular-season games during the 2025-26 campaign, recording 17 goals, 31 assists, 59 blocked shots, 41 hits and 38 PIM while averaging 17:53 of ice time.

Oettinger is expected to guard the home goal in Wednesday's preseason game against Minnesota, per Robert Tiffin of NHL.com.

Oettinger had a 35-12-6 record, 2.59 GAA and .899 save percentage in 54 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. That marked a career low for him in terms of save percentage and a substantial drop from his .912 save percentage across 251 regular-season outings from 2020-21 through 2024-25. Even after that drop, Oettinger's position as Dallas' No. 1 netminder is secure going into the 2026-27 campaign, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him do better this season.

Geekie scored a power-play goal on one shot while also recording a hit during Tuesday's 5-1 preseason win over the Flyers.

Geekie has shown improvement over each of his first three seasons in Boston, and he appears to be in line for a significant role once again during the 2026-27 campaign. Across 81 regular-season appearances last year, he recorded 39 goals, 29 assists, 110 hits, 34 blocked shots and 22 PIM while averaging 17:24 of ice time, and it was encouraging to see him score a third-period goal with the man advantage during his preseason debut Tuesday.