NHL Player News

Hofer will start Friday's road game against Dallas, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

The Blues open the regular season with a back-to-back set that includes Friday's matchup followed by a game in Colorado on Saturday. Hofer will draw the Opening Night start against the Stars, while Jordan Binnington is slated to defend the road crease against the Avalanche a day later. Hofer had a career-best season during the 2025-26 campaign, going 24-13-5 with a 2.61 GAA and .909 save percentage across 46 regular-season appearances.

Kuzmenko (personal) has been removed from the non-roster list ahead of Saturday's matchup with Montreal, per the NHL media site.

Kuzmenko skated in a fourth-line role in his return to practice Friday, which likely speaks more to how well the third line performed in the first game of the year. The 30-year-old winger could get a look with the Penguins' No. 2 power-play unit at some point, but head coach Dan Muse may be hesitant to rock the boat too much out of the gates.

Sanderson (undisclosed) might be available for Saturday's clash with the Maple Leafs after returning to practice Friday, Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News reports.

Sanderson appears to be trending in the right direction after missing several days of practice. The fact that the Senators sent Hoyt Stanley down to the minors also seems to indicate that Sanderson will be ready to suit up. If given the all-clear, the blueliner should take his spot on the top power-play unit.

Foegele (undisclosed) will play in Saturday's Opening Night matchup against the Maple Leafs, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Foegele was placed on the injured non-roster list after dealing with an undisclosed issue for most of training camp. However, he's practiced recently and was on the top line during Friday's practice session. The 30-year-old appeared in 68 regular-season games between Los Angeles and Ottawa last year, recording 13 goals, four assists, 74 hits, 19 blocked shots and 18 PIM while averaging 13:46 of ice time.

Ufko was assigned to AHL Milwaukee on Friday.

Ufko made 18 regular-season appearances with the Predators last year and was with the NHL club for Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Wild. He was held scoreless with a shot on goal, a blocked shot and a minus-1 rating in 15:27 of ice time, but he'll head to the minors a day later. Despite his demotion Friday, it wouldn't be surprising to see Ufko carve out more regular playing time at the NHL level during the 2026-27 campaign.

Oettinger was the first goalie off during Friday's morning skate, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start during the Stars' regular-season opener against the Blues.

After dealing with a lower-body injury late in the preseason, Oettinger was recently deemed available for the start of the regular season, and he'll officially be in the net for the Stars' Opening Night matchup. The 27-year-old should reprise his role as the Stars' primary goaltender during the 2026-27 campaign after he went 35-12-6 with a 2.59 GAA and .899 save percentage across 54 regular-season appearances last year.

Sorokin is expected to start at home against the Devils on Saturday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Sorokin defended the road crease during Wednesday's Opening Night matchup against the Maple Leafs, and he turned aside 24 of 26 shots in the 2-1 loss. He was the first goalie off during Friday's practice session, signaling that he's slated to draw a second consecutive start to begin the regular season.

Bussi will start Friday's home game against the Capitals, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

The 28-year-old was in the starter's crease during Friday's morning skate, and head coach Rod Brind'Amour confirmed that Bussi will draw a second consecutive start to begin the regular season. During Tuesday's Opening Night matchup at home against the Panthers, Bussi turned aside 19 of 20 shots in an overtime loss. The Hurricanes also play on the road against Philadelphia on Saturday, which will likely give Pyotr Kochetkov an opportunity to make his regular-season debut.

Gilbert was loaned to AHL Rochester on Friday.

Gilbert joined the NHL club for Thursday's Opening Night matchup in Columbus to provide additional depth, but he didn't see any playing time in the 6-3 loss. He'll head back to the minors a day later and will likely spend most of his time in the AHL this year.

Kuzmenko (personal) has rejoined the Penguins and was on the ice for practice Friday, Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site reports.

Kuzmenko spent the past week away from the team while in Russia following the death of his father, and he was deemed a non-roster player by the Penguins to begin the regular season. The 30-year-old appears to be close to making his regular-season debut now that he's back with the team, but it's not yet clear whether he'll get the green light for Saturday's game against the Canadiens.