NHL Player News

Thornton was placed on non-roster, injured reserve Monday due to an undisclosed injury.

Thornton's placement on the non-roster injured list is a formality; he was never going to make the Opening Night roster. Undrafted out of the OHL, the 22-year-old netminder played primarily in the ECHL last year, going 2-18-7 with a 4.35 GAA with the Allen Americans. Those numbers aren't going to earn Thornton a call-up anytime soon. He'll head back to the minors once cleared to play.

Hildeby was assigned to AHL Toronto on Monday.

Hildeby performed well in the preseason, posting a 1.84 GAA and a .920 save percentage across three appearances. However, he will begin the year in the AHL after the Maple Leafs claimed Cayden Primeau off waivers from Carolina. Toronto also released James Reimer from his professional tryout agreement Monday.

Toronto released Reimer from his professional tryout agreement Monday.

Reimer struggled in Toronto's preseason finale against Detroit on Saturday, allowing four goals on 28 shots in a 6-5 overtime loss. The Maple Leafs claimed Cayden Primeau off waivers from Carolina on Monday for some additional depth between the pipes.

Blackwood (lower body) will not make the trip for Tuesday's season opener against the Kings, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Blackwood was expected to enter the season as the No. 1 option for the Avalanche, but instead, he will have to watch Scott Wedgewood take the Opening Night start. In his 56 regular-season games for the Sharks and Avs last year, the 28-year-old Blackwood went 28-21-6 with a .912 save percentage and 2.55 GAA. Once given the all-clear, Blackwood figures to see the bulk of the goalie starts this season.

Ellis was claimed off waivers by the Sabres on Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Ellis was waived by the Blues on Sunday, and he'll join a new organization ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. Although Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) will miss the start of the regular season, Ellis will likely begin the year in the minors.

Primeau was claimed off waivers by the Maple Leafs on Monday.

Primeau was waived by the Hurricanes on Sunday, and he'll get an opportunity for a fresh start heading into the 2025-26 season. He could open the year as Anthony Stolarz's backup if Dennis Hildeby heads to AHL Toronto, and James Reimer gets released from his professional tryout agreement. The Leafs needed goaltending depth due to the indefinite absence of Joseph Woll (personal), who is on leave from the team, and Primeau could be a decent stopgap solution.

Luukkonen (lower body), as expected, was officially ruled out against the Rangers on Thursday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Luukkonen was expected to miss at least a week to open the season, so his absence for Opening Night shouldn't come as a surprise. With the 26-year-old backstop on the shelf, Alex Lyon looks poised to play Thursday -- though head coach Lindy Ruff hasn't officially named a starter. Despite missing the early part of the year, Luukkonen should still reach the 50-game threshold this year as the Sabres' No. 1 option in the crease, assuming he can shake off his injury issues.

Varlamov (knee), as expected, was placed on injured reserve Monday.

Considering Varlamov remains without a clear recovery timeline, his placement on injured reserve to open the season shouldn't come as a surprise. The Islanders will open the year with Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich as the goaltending tandem. Even once given the all-clear, Varlamov could struggle to unseat Rittich from the backup role and may find himself featuring in the minors at some point.

Stevenson was placed on waivers by the Capitals on Sunday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Stevenson made just one regular-season appearance in the NHL last year, and he'll head to AHL Hershey ahead of the 2025-26 campaign if he clears waivers. He made 33 regular-season outings with the Bears last year and went 18-8-4 with a 2.94 GAA and an .888 save percentage.

Ellis was placed on waivers by the Blues on Sunday, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.

Ellis served as one of the Blues' Black Aces during last year's playoffs, but he didn't make any appearances and will be left off the Opening Night roster ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. He'll presumably head to AHL Springfield if he clears waivers and seems likely to spend most of the year in the minors.