NHL Player News

Halverson was placed on waivers by the Stars on Tuesday, per James Mirtle of The Athletic.

Halverson signed a one-year deal with Dallas in the offseason. The 30-year-old netminder has been an effective backstop in the AHL each of the past two seasons, where he has earned at least 22 wins each year with the Syracuse Crunch. If he isn't claimed over the next 24 hours and clears waivers, he will likely be the No. 3 goaltending option in Dallas while playing with AHL Texas.

Dowling was put on waivers Tuesday, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic.

Dowling played primarily for AHL Hartford in the 2025-26 campaign, recording nine goals and 29 points in 46 regular-season games. He will head back to the Rangers' top minor-league affiliate if he goes unclaimed.

Vaakanainen was placed on waivers Tuesday, James Mirtle of The Athletic reports.

Vaakanainen contributed six assists, 23 shots on net and 26 blocked shots in 34 appearances for the Rangers during the 2025-26 regular season. Assuming he clears, he could begin the 2026-27 campaign with AHL Hartford.

Askarov is expected to patrol the home crease in Tuesday's preseason game against Vegas, according to Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.

Askarov posted a 21-20-4 record with a 3.63 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 47 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. He should get most of the starts for the Sharks again in the 2026-27 campaign, but he could face competition from Alex Nedeljkovic, Eric Comrie or Ilya Samsonov if he doesn't improve.

Harley scored a goal, fired two shots on net and recorded three blocked shots in Monday's 2-1 preseason win over St. Louis.

Harley sparked the Stars' offense Monday, as he scored the first goal 15 minutes into the contest. The 25-year-old blueliner took a small step back offensively in 2025-26, where he posted six goals and 36 points across 70 regular-season outings, so his goal should help ease any early-season nerves. He did have a career year for blocked shots, deflecting 148 attempts, making him a strong choice to return to the Stars' top defensive pairing to start the 2026-27 campaign.

Hofer halted 17 of 18 shots on net in Monday's 2-1 preseason loss to the Stars.

Hofer anchored the Blues for the first 40 minutes of the contest before Georgii Romanov allowed the go-ahead goal in the third period. The 26-year-old Hofer is coming off a season where he claimed the role of top netminder in St. Louis by posting a 24-13-5 record, a 2.61 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 46 regular-season outings. If Hofer continues to look sharp in the early stages of the 2026-27 campaign, he could be in line for his first year north of 50 regular-season appearances.

DeSmith turned aside 30 of 31 shots on net in Monday's 2-1 preseason win over the Blues.

DeSmith has picked up where he left off in 2025-26, when he posted a 15-8-6 record, a 2.43 GAA and a .907 save percentage across 30 regular-season outings. He's poised to be one of the league's best backups again in 2026-27 and is an underrated goaltending option to pair in a tandem with Jake Oettinger in deep fantasy leagues.

DiVincentiis will protect the home net in Tuesday's preseason contest against Edmonton, per Jamie Thomas of the Jets' official site.

DiVincentiis earned a 13-16-2 record with a 3.03 GAA and an .896 save percentage across 34 regular-season outings for AHL Manitoba in 2025-26. He is battling Thomas Milic for the backup role behind Stuart Skinner during training camp.

Makar (lower body) was a full participant in Tuesday's training camp session and could suit up for one of Colorado's upcoming preseason games, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

Makar was able to shed the non-contact jersey at Tuesday's practice, which is an encouraging sign for the superstar defenseman. The 27-year-old blueliner wasn't expected to miss any time to begin the regular season, so it appears as if his recovery is on schedule. Across 75 regular-season games in the 2025-26 campaign, he maintained strong numbers with 20 goals, 79 points, 199 shots on net, a plus-32 rating and 118 blocked shots. Head coach Jared Bednar mentioned that Makar is trending towards playing in one of the team's preseason games this weekend, meaning we could see the star blueliner as early as Friday against Winnipeg.

O'Brien (lower body) will not practice Tuesday and is considered day-to-day.

After a strong performance to open the 2026-27 preseason by recording a pair of points, O'Brien will stay in street clothes during Tuesday's practice. The 19-year-old center was incredibly effective with OHL Brandford last season, where he posted 28 goals and 93 points across 53 regular-season outings. While he's on the fringe of making Seattle's Opening Night roster, he holds a high ceiling and will continue to battle for a spot in the Kraken's forward core.