NHL Player News

Raty will likely have opportunities to take on an expanded role during the 2026-27 season, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports Monday.

Drance reports that there were times last season in which Raty wasn't in the good graces of former head coach Adam Foote, but the 23-year-old center should benefit from a fresh start under new bench boss Manny Malhotra. Across 66 regular-season appearances last year, Raty generated four goals, 10 assists, 165 hits, 22 PIM and 16 blocked shots while averaging 12:01 of ice time, and he should have plenty of chances to showcase his two-way prowess this season.

Ohgren is expected to have opportunities to showcase his two-way game in the 2026-27 campaign after he displayed some promise on the penalty kill last year, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports Monday.

Ohgren made a career-high 69 regular-season appearances between the Wild and Canucks last year, posting eight goals, 10 assists, 69 hits and 41 blocked shots while averaging 13:10 of ice time. Most of that production came during his time with Vancouver (51 games), and the 22-year-old should have opportunities to build upon that momentum during the 2026-27 season, especially outside of even-strength situations.

O'Connor could be placed in more situations to showcase his abilities in 2026-27, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports Monday.

O'Connor will be eligible for unrestricted free agency after the 2026-27 campaign, which could make him a potential trade candidate. His versatility and two-way game could be attractive to other teams, especially if he gets off to a strong start. O'Connor had 17 goals, 29 points, 136 shots on net and 77 hits across 82 games during the 2025-26 regular season.

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.

Cootes will likely see more games in the NHL during the 2026-27 campaign, according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic on Monday.

Cootes appeared in three games with Vancouver last October after claiming an NHL roster spot out of training camp. He will be in the mix for an Opening Night position again ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, but he is also eligible to play in the AHL or return to the junior ranks. The Canucks selected Cootes with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

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.

General manager Joe Sakic said Sunday that the Avalanche have no health concerns heading into training camp, which indicates that Schwartz has moved past his upper-body injury and is ready to go for the 2026-27 campaign, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Schwartz missed the final two games of the 2025-26 season for the Kraken due to his injury, but he has had plenty of time to recover during the offseason. The veteran winger signed a three-year, $9.75 million contract with Colorado on the opening day of free agency in July, so he will likely play an important role in the team's middle six for the foreseeable future. As long as Schwartz isn't a fourth-line player, he should have plenty of chances to contribute to the scoresheet on one of the league's best offenses, which would make him a fine depth option in most formats for the 2026-27 season.