NHL Player News

Sandstrom was waived by the Sabres on Tuesday, per PuckPedia.

Sandstrom will report to AHL Rochester if he clears waivers. The 27-year-old sports a career record of 4-18-4 with a 3.66 GAA and an .880 save percentage in 30 career regular-season appearances.

Stezka was waived by the Kraken on Tuesday for the purpose of being assigned to AHL Coachella Valley.

Stezka could be the first goaltender recalled from Coachella Valley if one of Joey Daccord or Philipp Grubauer were to miss time. Stezka performed admirably for the Firebirds in 2023-24, going 18-6-2 with a 2.48 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 27 regular-season appearances. The 27-year-old has yet to make an appearance in the NHL.

Houser was let go from his professional tryout agreement by the Sabres on Tuesday.

Houser has already agreed to terms on a one-year, minor-league deal with AHL Rochester, so the veteran backstop should link up with the Americans ahead of the upcoming season. Without a full NHL deal, Houser won't be eligible to be called up from the minors this year -- though he could sign a deal later in the season.

Patera was put on waivers Tuesday to be assigned to AHL Abbotsford.

Patera posted a record of 11-10-4 with a 2.99 GAA and a .903 save percentage in 25 outings with AHL Henderson during the 2023-24 regular season. He will likely remain in the minors for most, if not all, of the upcoming campaign.

Ratzlaff will return to WHL Seattle for the upcoming season, the team announced Tuesday.

Ratzlaff got to see some shots in the preseason, stopping all 20 he faced in Saturday's 6-3 defeat to Columbus. There was little hope the 19-year-old backstop would even sniff NHL action, especially with James Reimer and Devon Levi already competing for the No. 2 job, but at least Ratzlaff was able to test the NHL waters. Barring a rough junior campaign, the Alberta native will likely be offered an entry-level deal at some point this season and could be in contention for a spot with AHL Rochester ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Blackwood was the first goalie off the ice for the Sharks' morning skate, indicating he'll be between the pipes for Tuesday's home preseason game versus Utah, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Blackwood is contending with Yaroslav Askarov and Vitek Vanecek for San Jose's starting gig in 2024-25. Blackwood was a second-round selection by the Devils in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The 27-year-old is coming off the second-largest workload of his career in 2023-24 -- he appeared in 44 regular-season contests, posting a record of 10-25-4 with an .899 save percentage and a 3.45 GAA for the Sharks.

Askarov (lower body) skated on his own Monday for the first time during training camp, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Askarov will most likely not be ready for Opening Night, but he seems to be progressing well with his recovery. The 22-year-old told reporters Sept. 21 that his injury was not significant, and that he hoped to return to the ice in short order, according to Miller. Askarov was a first-round pick by Nashville in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, and he was acquired in a trade by San Jose in August.

Shesterkin will tend the twine for Tuesday's home clash with New Jersey, Jim Cerny of NHL.com reports.

Shesterkin has reached the 35-win mark in three straight seasons and certainly seems capable of reaching that threshold again in 2024-25. The Rangers' decision to bring back Jonathan Quick for another year should ease the workload for Shesterkin, though he figures to make 55-60 appearances in goal for the club this year. As such, don't be surprised to see Shesterkin as one of the first goalies off the board in re-draft formats.

Jarry will be between the pipes at home versus Detroit on Tuesday, Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site reports.

Jarry will enter the 2024-25 campaign hoping to reclaim the starting job after Alex Nedeljkovic played in the final 14 games of the season for the Pens last year. A preseason lower-body injury for Nedeljkovic could ease the pressure on Jarry to open the season, but he figures to be on a short leash regardless.

Georgiev will get the starting nod at home versus Vegas on Tuesday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Georgiev has played in 60-plus games in each of the Avs' previous two seasons, including the 2023-24 campaign in which he posted a 38-18-5 record to go with a 3.02 GAA, .897 save percentage and two shutouts. Few goalies in the league would still rack up that many wins with a sub-.900 save percentage, but Georgiev has the benefit of playing behind one of the top offenses in the league. Still, if the 28-year-old backstop can't improve those numbers, the team could decide to give youngster Justus Annunen some more opportunities this season.