NHL Player News

Oettinger (lower body) is available for Friday's season opener at home against St. Louis, per Owen Newkirk of DLLS Sports.

Oettinger hasn't been named the starter for the upcoming game versus the Blues, but the chances of him getting the assignment are high. He had a 35-12-6 record, 2.59 GAA and .899 save percentage in 54 regular-season appearances with Dallas in 2025-26. Oettinger is Dallas' clear No. 1 netminder, while Casey DeSmith is set to continue to serve as his understudy.

Brown (undisclosed) is expected to miss at least the first two games of the 2026-27 campaign, Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News reports Wednesday.

Brown sustained the injury during Monday's practice. Head coach Sheldon Keefe clarified that he doesn't believe Brown's injury is "too extensive," but the 32-year-old forward won't be ready until next week at the earliest. That rules him out for Thursday's season opener versus Philadelphia and Saturday's road game against the Islanders. Brown will likely play in a middle-six capacity once he's healthy.

Burakovsky will miss Saturday's matchup with Toronto due to an upper-body injury, Julian McKenzie of The Athletic reports.

Burakovsky notched 11 goals and 22 assists, including 10 power-play points, in 75 regular-season games last year. If Warren Foegele (undisclosed) is available Saturday, the Senators won't need to call up a player from the minors to replace Burakovsky.

Foegele (undisclosed) might be an option to play in Toronto on Saturday, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Foegele had 13 goals and 17 points in 68 regular-season appearances with Los Angeles and Ottawa in 2025-26. If he's able to play Saturday, it will probably be as part of the Senators' top six.

Larkin (upper body) is considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's season opener versus the Rangers, Michael Whitaker of The Hockey News reports.

Larkin has reached the 30-goal mark in each of the previous five seasons and should be capable of hitting that threshold again in 2026-27, assuming he isn't sidelined for too long. Once given the all-clear, Larkin should reclaim his spot on the first line.

Blackwood is set to start at home against Los Angeles on Wednesday, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

Blackwood had a 23-10-2 record, 2.50 GAA and .904 save percentage in 38 regular-season appearances with the Avalanche in 2025-26. Although Blackwood's getting the Opening Night assignment, Scott Wedgewood can't be easily categorized as Colorado's No. 2 goaltender. It wouldn't be surprising if the two netminders evenly split the workload in 2026-27, provided they both stay relatively healthy.

McQueen was reassigned to AHL San Diego on Wednesday.

McQueen had 11 goals and 27 points in 36 outings with Providence College as a freshman in 2025-26. He also had a goal and three points in seven AHL regular-season appearances with San Diego last year. Although it seems McQueen will begin the campaign in the minors, it wouldn't be surprising to see him get a chance to play with Anaheim later in the season.

Warren was called up from AHL San Diego on Wednesday.

Warren had two goals, 12 points and 26 PIM in 61 AHL regular-season appearances with San Diego in 2025-26. Anaheim summoned Warren, along with defensemen Travis Mitchell and Tristan Luneau, because Drew Helleson (lower body) and Ian Moore (lower body) are on injured reserve. It wouldn't be surprising if Warren was a healthy scratch as the Ducks' seventh defenseman for Friday's game in Vegas.

Silovs will get the starting nod on the road against the Flyers on Wednesday, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports.

Silovs gets the nod over rookie Sergei Murashov in what could be a season-long battle for starts. In his 39 regular-season outings last year, the 25-year-old Silovs went 19-12-8 with a 3.07 GAA and two shutouts. Given the likelihood of a goalie rotation, Silovs figures to be a mid-range fantasy option.

Mitchell was called up from AHL San Diego on Wednesday.

Although Mitchell successfully cleared waivers, it seems he won't be in the minors when Anaheim opens the 2026-27 campaign in Vegas on Friday. The 26-year-old had a goal, 17 points and 87 PIM in 58 regular-season outings with AHL Bridgeport in 2025-26. He also recorded a goal and six PIM in nine NHL regular-season appearances with the Islanders last year. Mitchell might be part of the third pairing versus Vegas.