NHL Player News

Markstrom will defend the cage for Tuesday's preseason matchup with the Islanders at home, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Markstrom put up 26 wins in 49 regular-season games with the Devils last season, his eighth straight year reaching the 20-win threshold. Still, during that eight-year stretch, the Swedish backstop has only notched 30 victories once, back in 2021-22 when he was with the Flames. With Jake Allen in the fold, Markstrom is unlikely to be asked to play 60 games a year, which could prevent him from putting up the big win totals like Connor Hellebuyck or Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Lyon will be between the pipes for Tuesday's preseason matchup at home against Columbus, per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic.

Lyon will play in the first two periods of the contest, and Devon Levi will occupy the crease in the third. The 32-year-old Lyon earned a 14-9-1 record with one shutout, a 2.81 GAA and an .896 save percentage across 30 appearances with Detroit in 2024-25. He signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Sabres in the summer, and he will compete for the team's backup role behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) during training camp.

Georgiev will patrol the blue paint on the road versus Columbus on Monday, likely playing two periods, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports.

Georgiev will open Monday's preseason contest while Devon Levi is expected to come in for the third period. In 49 regular-season games between the Avalanche and Sharks last year, Georgiev went 15-26-4 with an .875 save percentage -- not exactly the type of numbers to instill confidence in his ability to carry a team. Still, Georgiev could see additional opportunities to start the 2025-26 campaign if Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) isn't ready to start the season.

Blomqvist will guard the road goal against Montreal on Monday in exhibition action, according to Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports.

Blomqvist will split the game with Sergei Murashov. The 23-year-old Blomqvist posted a 4-9-1 record with a 3.81 GAA and an .885 save percentage across 15 regular-season appearances with Pittsburgh in 2024-25. He will likely begin the 2025-26 campaign in the minors, as he is currently behind Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs on the Penguins' depth chart.

Primeau will get the starting nod at home versus Tampa Bay on Monday and might play the whole game, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Primeau will make his Hurricanes debut after coming over from Montreal, the club he spent the past six seasons with. As a depth option with Montreal last season, Primeau played in a mere 11 regular-season contests, going 2-3-1 with a 4.69 GAA and .836 save percentage. The 26-year-old Primeau will need to really impress in camp if he is going to force his way onto the Opening Night roster.

Montembeault will be between the pipes at home versus the Penguins in Monday's preseason game, Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette reports.

Montembeault heads into the 2025-26 campaign once again as the clear No. 1 for the Canadiens, even as the backup situation remains a little murky. In his 62 regular-season appearances last year, the 28-year-old backstop set new personal bests in wins (31), shutouts (four) and GAA (2.82). Looking ahead, Montembeault should once again feature in 60-plus contests, which will give him strong fantasy upside.

Luukkonen (lower body) hasn't practiced yet during training camp, but he has been making progress, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports Saturday.

The Sabres expect to have more information about Luukkonen's availability by Monday, and the team is hopeful that he could return to the ice at some point next week. The 26-year-old netminder posted a 24-24-5 record with two shutouts, a 3.20 GAA and an .887 save percentage across 55 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.

Woll (illness) will miss Saturday's practice.

Woll posted a 27-14-1 record with one shutout, a 2.73 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 42 regular-season outings in 2024-25. During the 2025-26 campaign, Woll will compete for starts with Anthony Stolarz.

Varlamov (knee) is skating individually as of Thursday but has no timeline to join the full group at training camp.

Varlamov has been out since he had knee surgery in December, and the Islanders will take a cautious approach with the tail end of his recovery. The Islanders signed David Rittich in the offseason, so they won't need to rush Varlamov back into the backup role behind Ilya Sorokin. More information on Varlamov's status should be available closer to the start of the season if he is able to join his teammates on the ice.

Montembeault (groin) practiced in Group A in Thursday's on-ice session to open the Canadiens' training camp.

Montembeault sustained a groin tear in April that cost him the last two games of the Canadiens' playoff run. The 28-year-old netminder was with the group that didn't scrimmage Thursday, but he should get a look in a game-like situation Friday. Montembeault is projected to be Montreal's No. 1 goalie in 2025-26 and should see ample playing time after making 62 regular-season appearances last year.