NHL Player News

Grubauer turned aside 15 of 16 shots in Sunday's 4-2 preseason win over the Flames.

Grubauer played the first two periods of Sunday's game before giving way to Nikke Kokko in the third. The 34-year-old Grubauer posted relatively solid numbers in 2025-26 (2.65 GAA, .909 save percentage), but unless the Kraken take a step forward this year, wins may be difficult to come by for Grubauer.

Rittich allowed one goal on 24 shots during Sunday's 2-1 preseason win over the Islanders.

Rittich defended the home crease against his former team during the Devils' preseason opener, and he performed admirably while playing the entire game. Across 30 regular-season appearances with the Islanders last year, he went 14-10-3 with a 2.76 GAA and .894 save percentage. He'll presumably compete with Jake Allen for work in the crease early in the 2026-27 regular season.

Vanecek turned aside 20 of 22 shots during Sunday's 2-1 preseason loss to New Jersey.

Vanecek got the starting nod during the Islanders' preseason opener and defended the road crease for the entire game. He put forth a decent performance and should compete with Semyon Varlamov for the No. 2 goaltending job behind Ilya Sorokin as the preseason rolls on. Vanecek made 22 regular-season appearances for Utah last year, going 5-13-3 with a 2.94 GAA and .883 save percentage.

Gustafsson-Nyberg (undisclosed) will be in the lineup for Monday's preseason game in Chicago.

Gustafsson-Nyberg didn't play in Saturday's preseason opener due to soreness, but he is seemingly no worse for wear ahead of Monday's rematch against the Blackhawks. The undrafted defenseman is a long shot to make Minnesota's Opening Night roster, and he should be expected to continue his development with AHL Iowa in 2026-27.

Head coach Jared Bednar said that Wedgewood will draw the road start during Monday's preseason game against Winnipeg, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Previous reports indicated that Ilya Nabokov would defend the road crease Monday, but Bednar announced after Sunday's preseason win over the Mammoth that Wedgewood will begin the matchup in the crease, with Nabokov slated to enter about halfway through the game. Wedgewood made 45 regular-season appearances for the Avalanche last year and went 31-6-6 with a 2.02 GAA and .921 save percentage. He's likely to reprise a platoon role in net alongside Mackenzie Blackwood during the 2026-27 campaign.

Farabee is expected to have a more prominent role in Calgary's forward group this season, Chris Wahl of the Flames' official site relayed Saturday.

Farabee is expected to see a more prominent role in 2026-27 due to the departure of Blake Coleman, who was traded to the Wild in July. The 26-year-old Farabee has been working on Mikael Backlund's wing on the second line so far in training camp, but the former's fantasy value likely won't spike on a Calgary team that is expected to finish toward the bottom of the standings. Farabee posted 20 goals and 38 points over 82 games last year, so he might hover around the 40-point mark with an 84-game schedule this season.

Frost has been working as Calgary's No. 1 center to begin training camp, Chris Wahl of the Flames' official site reported Saturday.

Frost had a decent season offensively in 2025-26, as he put up 22 goals and 43 points over 82 appearances, which marked the first time he played in every regular-season game during his career. The 27-year-old averaged just 15:30 of ice time per game last year, but if he stays in the top-line center role, that number will certainly increase. While Frost could be an interesting flier in deeper formats, his fantasy value could be capped by playing on what is expected to be one the NHL's weaker teams.

Blackwood will be between the home pipes during Sunday's exhibition matchup against the Mammoth, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

The Avalanche have one of the best goaltending duos in the NHL, so Blackwood will certainly have competition for the No. 1 gig in the form of Scott Wedgewood. Wedgewood is coming off a career-best season, but it was reported Wednesday that Blackwood arrived at training camp in the best shape of his life, so head coach Jared Bednar has a good problem on his hands as far who will be in net on a nightly basis this season. Either way, Blackwood will be a strong fantasy option on one of the league's top teams.

Thompson will guard the road goal in Sunday's preseason matchup against the Bruins, Mike Vogel of the Capitals' official site reports.

Thompson earned a 31-21-6 record with four shutouts, a 2.44 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 58 regular-season appearances for the Capitals in 2025-26. He will likely make the majority of the starts for the team again in the 2026-27 campaign.

Saros will protect the road net in Sunday's preseason contest against Tampa Bay.

Saros posted a 28-22-8 record with a 3.16 GAA and an .894 save percentage in 59 games for the Predators during the 2025-26 regular season. He should see the bulk of the starts for Nashville again during the 2026-27 campaign.