Fabbri is not expected to be out long-term but will be unavailable on Saturday after suffering an undisclosed injury in the Red Wings' first game of the season. In 14:44 time-on-ice, Fabbri scored a powerplay goal and recorded two shots on goal. Fabbri suited up on the second line alongside JT Compher and Lucas Raymond and could be replaced by Michael Rasmussen in his absence.
Boyd had 15 goals, 19 assists, 94 SOG, 26 PIMs and a -32 plus/minus through 82 games played with Arizona in 2022-23 but will be a healthy scratch for their season opener vs. New Jersey. It comes as a bit of a surprise after Boyd finished sixth in team scoring last season but he will be replaced by Jack McBain. Boyd is entering his sixth NHL season and has 45 goals and 110 points in 280 career games played.
Dermott signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with Arizona Coyotes in the offseason after having his 2022-23 reduced to only 11 games played due to concussion symptoms. The 26-year-old has played in a combined 28 games over the last two seasons due to injuries and had two goals, and an assist across that span with Vancouver. He is looking for a fresh start as he joins his third NHL team in his seventh season. He will replace Troy Stecher in the Coyotes' lineup Friday vs. New Jersey.
Stecher was signed to a one-year, $1.1 million contract by Arizona during the offseason but will be the odd-man out for the Coyotes' first game vs. New Jersey. The 29-year-old defensemen had three goals, 11 assists, 88 SOG, 44 PIMs and a -6 plus/minus in 81 games played with both Arizona and Calgary in 2022-23. He is entering his eighth NHL season and should find himself in the Coyotes' lineup more often than not.
Now in his fourth season as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, in which he has recorded 139 points (29 G / 110A) in 200 games, Toews has been rewarded a seven-year, $50.75 million contract extension. Toews has solidified himself as one of the league's premiere all-around defensemen and has secured himself a lucrative contract that will go through to his age-37 season.
Nedeljkovic fell into a backup role with the Red Wings last season and went 5-7-2 with a 3.53 GAA and .895 SV% in 15 games (13 starts). This summer he signed with Penguins, where he'll serve as Tristan Jarry's backup. He had a strong pre-season but is far from the goalie we saw in 2021 when he posted a 1.90 GAA and .932 SV%. Nedeljkovic has a sub-par matchup vs. the Flames and should probably be left on the waiver wire until he has a better matchup.
Vejmelka will get the start for the Coyotes in their season opener against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night. Vejmelka is coming off a 50-game campaign (18-24-6) that saw him record a 3.41 GAA and .900 SV% along with three shutouts. The Coyotes should see some improvements on their 28-40-14 record from last season but will be put to the test in their opening matchup against Jack Hughes and the high-flying offence of the Devils.
Jarry will get his second start for the Penguins in as many games and look to help them secure their first victory of the season. Despite a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, Jarry played reasonably well in the season opener, saving 32 of 35 shots. The Penguins are -120 road favourites against the Capitals, who will be playing their first game of the season.
Vejmelka is likely to get the start for the Coyotes in their season opener against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night. Vejmelka is coming off a 50-game campaign (18-24-6) that saw him record a 3.41 GAA and .900 SV% along with three shutouts. The Coyotes should see some improvements on their 28-40-14 record from last season but will be put to the test in their opening matchup against Jack Hughes and the high-flying offence of the Devils.
Montembeault will make his season debut for the Canadiens on Saturday against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. The 26-year-old Montembault is coming off the busiest season of his young career which saw him play in 40 games (16-19-3), recording a 3.42 GAA and .901 SV%. Montembault was fantastic in his only matchup against the Blackhawks last season, recording 30 saves in a 3-2 shootout victory.
MacEwen missed the Senators' opening night game due to an upper-body injury and will be a game-time decision for their second matchup of the season vs. Philadelphia. The 27-year-old bruising right-winger had four goals, six assists, 66 PIMs, 73 SOG, and a -11 plus/minus through 56 games with Philadelphia and Los Angeles in 2022-23.
Jiricek was recalled by the Blue Jackets after their star defenseman Zach Weresnki was placed on injured reserve earlier this morning. The talented young Czech defenseman had 38 points (6G / 32A) in 55 games with the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL. Jiricek was the sixth overall pick of the Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and could be an interesting piece on the back end if Werenski is forced to miss significant time.
Werenski was placed on the injured reserve and will miss at least one week after being the target of a knee-on-knee collision with Garnet Hathaway in the Blue Jackets' season opener. Hathaway was given a two-minute minor for kneeing on the play. Injuries have been a thorn in Werenski's side the last several seasons as he is coming off a 2022-23 campaign where he was limited to only 13 games. David Jiricek has been recalled from the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL in his absence.
Motte is dealing with an upper-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup indefinitely after playing 7:55 in the season opener for the Lightning. Injuries have been a recurring theme in Motte's career as he has only played more than 62 games once in his seven-year career. Alex Barre-Boulet has been recalled and could fill in for Motte in the interim.
Johansson left Thursday's win over the Panthers after getting clipped by an elbow by Uvis Balinskis. Post-game, the Wild did not have an update on Johansson's status and said that he'll be re-evaluated on Friday. If Johansson isn't available on Saturday, expect them to dress seven defensemen because they don't have a reserve forward on the roster and no cap space to bring one up (without having to waive Dakota Mermis).
Werenski left Thursday's loss after a knee-on-knee collision with Garnet Hathaway. Initially, it did not look good, but Blue Jackets' head coach Pascal Vincent said that Werenski's injury is not believed to be long-term. This is a fortunate break for Werenski, who missed 69 games a season ago.
A healthy scratch on Tuesday's opening night game against the Lightning, Fabbro will draw back into the lineup on Thursday in place of Luke Schenn (lower-body). Fabbro is expected to skate alongside Roman Josi on the Preds' top pair at 5v5. The 25-year-old defenseman tallied just two goals and nine assists in 79 games with the Predators last season.
Saros will be looking to rebound against Seattle on Thursday after a difficult opening-night matchup against the Lightning. The 28-year-old workhorse surrendered four goals on 33 shots enroute to a 5-3 defeat. Saros remains one of the best goaltenders in the NHL despite the poor start to the season he endured on Tuesday, and he’s got a great chance of notching his first win of the campaign at home against the Kraken on Thursday.
Binnington is the likely starting goalie in the Blues' season opener against the Dallas Stars. His stats have declined each year since leading the Blues to the Stanley Cup and reached career-worsts in 2022-23, where he posted a 3.31 GAA and .894 SV% in 61 games (27-27-6). Binnington, who has an annual cap hit of $6 million, will presumably receive the lionshare of time in the crease but any mistep could prompt rookie Joel Hofer to get a more thorough look between the pipes. Binnington lost both contests against the Stars last season (0-2-0) despite a strong 2.04 GAA and .930 SV%. That said, the Blues are +186 road underdogs against the Stars.
Schenn presumably picked up the injury at some point during Tuesday night's opening affair with the Lightning, though there was no mention or report of an injury prior to warmups for Thursday's game against the Blues. The 33-year-old blue-liner rarely contributes offensively, but his absence will be felt in fantasy formats that reward blocked shots and hits. Dante Fabbro will slide into the lineup in place of Schenn.
