NHL Player News

Black stopped 14 of 16 shots in Thursday's 5-3 preseason win over the Lightning.

This was essentially a dress rehearsal for the AHL Charlotte roster, and Black did his part well against a veteran-laden Tampa Bay lineup. Black is projected to be the organizational No. 3 in goal for the Panthers this year. He'll be in line for a call-up if Jacob Markstrom or Akira Schmid misses any time.

Annunen allowed six goals on 31 shots in Thursday's 6-5 preseason loss to the Hurricanes.

Annunen wasn't good, particularly when factoring in that the Predators led 5-1 midway through the second period. He has given up eight goals on 58 shots this preseason. Annunen is firmly in the backup role behind Juuse Saros, and he's done little to inspire much confidence for fantasy managers who might consider him a streaming option.

Hall had three assists in Thursday's 6-5 preseason win over the Predators.

Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake again led the way on offense. The 34-year-old Hall looks to have a steady home on the second line for the Hurricanes. He produced 48 points over 80 regular-season contests from the middle six last year, and he followed it up with a point-per-game postseason (seven goals, 12 assists in 19 games), including the Stanley Cup-clinching goal. He'll have appeal as a depth scorer in fantasy.

Stankoven scored twice on seven shots and added an assist in Thursday's 6-5 preseason win over the Predators.

Stankoven looks ready for the regular season now. The 23-year-old had 44 points in 81 regular-season games in 2025-26, but it was his 16-point effort in 19 postseason contests that really turned heads. He won't be surprising anyone this year, as he's set to reprise the second-line role that he excelled in during the Hurricanes' run to the Stanley Cup championship last spring.

Kochetkov allowed five goals on 28 shots in Thursday's 6-5 preseason win over the Predators.

All five goals against came over the first 28:24 of the contest. Kochetkov has given up 10 goals on 61 shots this preseason, offering little in the way of confidence that he'll be able to handle anything more than a backup role early in the season. Brandon Bussi will likely get the net for Saturday's preseason finale, as well as Opening Night against the Panthers on Tuesday, but Kochetkov could step into a platoon role as the season progresses.

Michkov scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 2-0 preseason win over the Bruins.

Michkov's goal came on an assist from Porter Martone. While it's unclear if the Flyers would want to pair their top young wingers together to start 2026-27, it's an intriguing idea. Michkov looked good overall, with better speed being the highlight. If he's able to showcase stronger fitness this year, he should bounce back after a mildly disappointing sophomore campaign.

Woll recorded a 28-save shutout in Thursday's 2-0 preseason win over the Bruins.

Woll is ready for the regular season. The 28-year-old may have a little more work early in the year if Dan Vladar (upper body) is unavailable to begin 2026-27. Woll has taken on a tandem role in the past, playing in a total of 81 games over the last two regular seasons with Toronto.

DiPietro allowed two goals on 28 shots in Thursday's 2-0 preseason loss to the Flyers.

DiPietro has allowed four goals on 60 shots over two outings this preseason. That level of performance should be more than enough to secure his spot in the backup role this season. Jeremy Swayman will probably get a tune-up Friday versus the Capitals to close out the Bruins' preseason slate, though Jiri Patera could also get a chance to respond to DiPietro's strong exhibition play.

Perreault logged two assists in Thursday's 4-3 preseason shootout win over the Devils.

Perreault is looking to secure a top-six job during training camp. The 21-year-old winger had 12 goals, 15 assists, 73 shots on net and an even plus-minus rating over 49 appearances in 2025-26. Perreault should see decent ice time, including a power-play role, in 2026-27. The Rangers will be motivated to see what they've got in younger players as the team works through a retooling phase, though that process could limit the extent of any breakout Perreault has in his second full NHL campaign.

Cuylle scored a goal on three shots, dished an assist, added two hits and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-3 preseason shootout win over the Devils.

Cuylle looked to be bumped down into a checking-line role after the Rangers made a splash to get Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas in June. The 24-year-old Cuylle can still bring some scoring, especially if he ends up on a power-play unit. He put up 20 goals and 38 points over 82 appearances in 2025-26 while adding 302 hits and 65 PIM, so he'll have plenty of fantasy appeal in banger leagues and modest upside elsewhere.