NHL Player News

Kuemper has expressed his motivation to bounce back during the 2026-27 season, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports Monday.

Kuemper had a career-best season during the 2024-25 campaign, going 31-11-7 with a 2.02 GAA and .921 save percentage across 50 regular-season appearances. However, he was unable to replicate those results last year, as he went 19-14-15 with a 2.78 GAA and .891 save percentage while appearing in 50 regular-season games once again. He missed time in the second half of December due to an upper-body injury and had inconsistent production afterward, while teammate Anton Forsberg stepped up with one of the best showings of his career. Kuemper should be in the mix for ample playing time once again to begin the 2026-27 season, but Forsberg could push for additional starts if Kuemper's inconsistency continues this year.

Portillo could begin the 2026-27 campaign as the Kings' No. 3 goaltender, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports Monday.

The Kings have two established veterans in Anton Forsberg and Darcy Kuemper on the roster, but Portillo had a strong season with AHL Ontario during the 2025-26 campaign, going 18-7-3 with a 2.45 GAA and .907 save percentage after missing the start of the season due to injury. Portillo, Forsberg and Kuemper are all on the last seasons of their contracts, and Portillo would need to clear waivers before being sent down, which could give the Kings incentive to keep him on the roster as a backup option, at least over the first few weeks of the regular season.

General manager Joe Sakic said Sunday that the Avalanche have no health concerns heading into training camp, which indicates that Schwartz has moved past his upper-body injury and is ready to go for the 2026-27 campaign, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Schwartz missed the final two games of the 2025-26 season for the Kraken due to his injury, but he has had plenty of time to recover during the offseason. The veteran winger signed a three-year, $9.75 million contract with Colorado on the opening day of free agency in July, so he will likely play an important role in the team's middle six for the foreseeable future. As long as Schwartz isn't a fourth-line player, he should have plenty of chances to contribute to the scoresheet on one of the league's best offenses, which would make him a fine depth option in most formats for the 2026-27 season.

Pelletier will be in the mix for a full-time roster spot with Tampa Bay during training camp in September, per Patrick Williams of TheAHL.com on Wednesday.

Pelletier had 28 goals and a league-high 77 points across 63 appearances for AHL Syracuse during the 2025-26 regular season. However, he hasn't been nearly as productive at the NHL level, compiling 18 assists and 29 points in 91 career regular-season outings. If Pelletier fails to claim an Opening Night roster spot with the Lightning, he will need to clear waivers to be sent back to the minors.

Murashov appears to have the edge for a roster spot with Pittsburgh ahead of the 2026-27 season, according to Wes Crosby of NHL.com on Saturday.

Murashov will compete with Joel Blomqvist for an NHL spot during training camp in September. Both netminders are exempt from waivers and could battle with Arturs Silovs for playing time in the 2026-27 campaign. The 22-year-old Murashov had a 24-9-4 record, a 2.20 GAA and a .919 save percentage across 38 regular-season games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2025-26. He also went 1-1-2 with a 2.56 GAA and an .897 save percentage over five NHL appearances with Pittsburgh during the first half of the year.

Yakemchuk is expected to be one of the main storylines for the Senators when camp opens in September, Steve Warne of The Hockey News reports.

Yakemchuk is believed to be in competition for a third-pairing role, though the more experienced Nikolas Matinpalo is in his way. Between the regular season and playoffs last year, Yakemchuk logged a goal and three assists over his first five appearances at the NHL level. The 20-year-old defenseman is still a bit green in his own zone, but his offensive upside could help him earn his place. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues can afford to wait and see how this turns out, but those in dynasty formats may want to make space for Yakemchuk as soon as Opening Night.

Iorio signed a one-year contract with the Rangers on Friday.

Iorio was a restricted free agent this summer after completing his entry-level contract. He had three assists, 12 PIM, 15 hits and 39 blocks in 27 regular-season outings between San Jose and the Rangers in 2025-26. When everyone is healthy, Iorio probably doesn't have a regular role among the Rangers' three pairings, so if he makes the NHL squad, it will probably be as the seventh or eighth blueliner on the depth chart.

Seider is looking to take another step in his game during the 2026-27 season following an uncertain offseason for the Red Wings, Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com reports.

Seider put together one of the best seasons of his career during the 2025-26 campaign, racking up 10 goals, 50 assists, 180 blocked shots, 128 hits and 57 PIM while averaging a career-best 25:40 of ice time. While he was held below 200 hits for the first time since the 2021-22 season, he reached the 60-point threshold for the first time in his five-year career. The 25-year-old has been the model of durability to begin his time in the NHL, appearing in all 82 games in every season. The Red Wings lost Patrick Kane in free agency during the offseason, while Dylan Larkin's status with the team is in flux after he requested a trade in June, but Seider should have ample opportunities to maintain a significant role for Detroit during his sixth NHL season.

Stutzle is hopeful that the Senators will remain competitive during the 2026-27 season, Michael Traikos of The Hockey News reports Friday.

The 24-year-old said that he was "surprised" by the Senators' offseason trade that sent Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers, but Stutzle is also hopeful about the team's new additions, which include William Eklund, Andre Burakovsky and Samuel Ersson. Stutzle is a candidate to assume the captaincy for Ottawa in the 2026-27 campaign following Tkachuk's departure, and while Tkachuk's production and leadership will be difficult to replace, Stutzle is optimistic about the team heading into the 2026-27 season. Stutzle made 80 regular-season appearances last year and generated 34 goals, 49 assists, 126 hits, 44 blocked shots and 39 PIM while averaging 20:16 of ice time.

Draisaitl feels healthy and is hopeful for the start of the 2026-27 campaign, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports Friday.

Draisaitl was limited to 65 regular-season appearances during the 2025-26 campaign, his lowest mark over a full season during his NHL career. After missing the final month of the regular season due to a lower-body injury last year, he returned for the start of the postseason and recorded points in each of the Oilers' six first-round matchups against Anaheim. Draisaitl said that Edmonton's first-round exit gave him additional time to recover during the offseason, and he hopes that new head coach Mike Babcock will help the team find additional cohesion during the 2026-27 season. Across his 65 regular-season appearances last year, Draisaitl generated 35 goals, 62 assists, 34 hits, 26 PIM and 15 blocked shots while averaging 21:35 of ice time, and he remains one of the league's top fantasy options heading into this year.