NHL Player News

Talbot will defend the road net in Tuesday's game against Buffalo and patrol the home crease in Thursday's matchup versus Pittsburgh, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Talbot posted a 12-9-6 record with a 3.19 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 34 appearances for Detroit in the 2025-26 regular season. Talbot will likely be Jet Greaves' backup to begin the 2026-27 campaign due to the absence of Elvis Merzlikins (shoulder).

Greaves will get the starting nod on the road versus the Red Wings on Saturday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Greaves posted 16 saves without allowing a goal over two periods in Monday's preseason opener against Detroit. The 25-year-old netminder will get a bit of rest before a final tune-up in the last game of the exhibition slate. Greaves is projected to be the Blue Jackets' starter this year.

Markstrom will protect the road goal in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Hurricanes, Rob Darragh of the Panthers' official site reports.

Markstrom started Sunday and earned a win over the Hurricanes, stopping 21 of 24 shots. As a veteran player limited to two games of preseason action, this will presumably be Markstrom's last appearance until the regular season, which opens with another matchup against Carolina on Sept. 29.

Helleson (lower body) will be out for at least one week, but he could be available for the start of the regular season, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Helleson will miss the rest of the preseason after he logged only 9:08 of ice time in Sunday's 6-2 win over San Jose. He produced two goals, 15 points, 39 shots on net, 79 blocked shots and 63 hits in 60 appearances for the Ducks during the 2025-26 regular season.

Butler was placed on waivers by the Red Wings on Tuesday, per James Mirtle of The Athletic.

Butler was one of six players that were placed on waivers by Detroit on Tuesday. The 24-year-old winger appeared in 16 regular-season games with AHL Iowa last season, where he scored a goal and recorded 13 shots on net. If he clears waivers, he'll likely be optioned to AHL Grand Rapids ahead of his first season as a member of Detroit's organization.

Dries was placed on waivers by the Red Wings on Tuesday, per James Mirtle of The Athletic.

Dries was one of six players who were placed on waivers by Detroit on Tuesday. The 32-year-old forward had a solid season with AHL Grand Rapids in 2025-26, compiling 23 goals, 45 points and 149 shots on net across 57 regular-season appearances. If he goes unclaimed through 24 hours, he'll likely return Grand Rapids ahead of his third season with the AHL squad.

Leonard was placed on waivers by the Red Wings on Tuesday, per James Mirtle of The Athletic.

With the move, Leonard will like return to the AHL, where he was highly effective last season. Across 47 regular-season appearances with AHL Grand Rapids in 2025-26, the 28-year-old center posted 33 goals, 54 points and 161 shots on net. If the Red Wings run into injury trouble in 2026-27, Leonard proved he can produce in the NHL, as he's coming off a season where he posted two goals and four points in 11 regular-season outings in Detroit.

Levi will patrol the road crease in Tuesday's preseason contest against the Jets.

Levi will make his Oilers debut Tuesday after he was acquired via trade in July. The 24-year-old backstop had a solid season with AHL Rochester in 2025-26, where he compiled a 23-20-9 record, a 2.83 GAA, a .904 save percentage and three shutouts across 52 regular-season appearances. He'll use Tuesday's preseason contest as an audition for the lead netminder role ahead of the 2026-27 season, as Frederik Andersen (undsiclosed) is set to miss the remainder of training camp.

Wallstedt will defend the road net against Dallas on Wednesday and patrol the home crease against the Stars on Friday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Wallstedt will get the nod for the Wild in the team's final two preseason games to help him prepare for the start of the 2026-27 campaign. He went 18-9-6 with four shutouts, a 2.61 GAA and a .915 save percentage across 35 NHL appearances during the 2025-26 regular season.

Tikkanen was placed on waivers Tuesday, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic.

Assuming he clears waivers, Tikkanen will report to AHL Hamilton. He posted a 17-9-1 record with a 2.65 GAA and an .897 save percentage in 29 appearances for AHL Bridgeport during the 2025-26 regular season.