NHL Player News

Tolopilo is slated to compete for an Opening Night roster spot during training camp ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports Monday.

Tolopilo made a career-high 21 regular-season appearances with the Canucks last year, and he went 6-11-2 with a 3.61 GAA and .881 save percentage. It's not yet clear whether Thatcher Demko (hip) will be ready for the start of training camp this fall, while Kevin Lankinen was inconsistent over 47 regular-season appearances last year. As a result, the Canucks could benefit from beginning the 2026-27 season with three goaltenders on the NHL roster, but Tolopilo will likely need to prove that he's more reliable than other netminders who may become available on the waiver wire or via trade.

Lankinen appears to be poised for more consistency during the 2026-27 season after a shaky performance last year, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports Monday.

Lankinen made 47 regular-season appearances last year -- the second-highest mark of his career -- but went 11-27-5 with a career-worst 3.70 GAA and .875 save percentage. However, he was tending to some personal matters during the 2025-26 campaign, and with Thatcher Demko's (hip) status uncertain ahead of training camp this year, Lankinen could have the opportunity to emerge as part of a timeshare that would presumably allow him more time to rest and generate more consistent success. Lankinen has proven to be capable of performing well over a full season, as he went 25-15-10 with a 2.62 GAA and .902 save percentage across 51 regular-season appearances with Vancouver in the 2024-25 campaign.

Demko's (hip) status is uncertain for the start of training camp ahead of the 2026-27 season, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports Monday.

Demko missed the final few months of the 2025-26 campaign after undergoing hip surgery, and with less than a month before the Canucks begin training camp, it's not yet clear whether the netminder will be healthy enough to take the ice. After making 51 regular-season appearances during the 2023-24 campaign, Demko was limited to a total of 43 games over the last two years combined as he dealt with injuries in each of those campaigns. Regardless of whether the 30-year-old has the green light for the start of training camp, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Canucks manage his workload this year in order to preserve his health over a full season.

Forsberg is a candidate to see increased playing time during the 2026-27 season if he can maintain his level of production from last year, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports Monday.

Forsberg performed well during his first year in Los Angeles during the 2025-26 campaign, going 16-12-5 with a 2.57 GAA and .909 save percentage across 36 regular-season appearances. He saw an uptick in work late in the season and ultimately started in all four of the Kings' first-round playoff matchups against the Avalanche. Although Los Angeles was swept in that first-round series, Forsberg made a strong impression during a year in which teammate Darcy Kuemper displayed some inconsistency down the stretch. The two netminders will presumably compete for playing time during training camp this year, and it wouldn't be surprising to see some sort of timeshare take place early in the regular season. However, one of them could emerge with the bulk of the starts if they can put together some early-season momentum.

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.

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.

Thompson was on the ice for Friday's informal skate with teammates, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.

Thompson was breaking in some new pads while getting some early work in with his teammates ahead of training camp. The 29-year-old netminder played in a career-high 58 games last year, going 31-21-6 with a personal-best 2.44 GAA and a .912 save percentage, including four shutouts.

Copley is expected to step into the backup role due to Elvis Merzlikins (shoulder) being on the shelf, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Copley logged just one NHL game for the Kings last season in which he gave up three goals on 28 shots in a loss to the Kraken on Dec. 23. Back in 2022-23, the 34-year-old Copley backstopped the Kings 37 times, going 24-6-3 with a 2.64 GAA, and could see a similar workload this season depending on the severity of Merzlikins' injury.

Greaves will be in line to see plenty of work early in the 2026-27 regular season if Elvis Merzlikins (shoulder) is forced to miss time, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports Thursday.

After excelling over a limited sample during the 2024-25 campaign, Greaves saw a sharp uptick in work last season and remained effective, going 26-19-9 with a 2.60 GAA and .908 save percentage across 55 regular-season appearances. Although Greaves served as the Blue Jackets' No. 1 netminder last year, he still had to split some time with Merzlikins, who made 30 regular-season appearances. However, Merzlikins underwent successful shoulder surgery Monday and doesn't yet have a timetable to return, so Greaves could see even more work early in the 2026-27 season if Merzlikins' procedure forces him to miss games. If Merzlikins is sidelined to begin the year, Pheonix Copley would be in line to serve as the team's No. 2 netminder.