The 32-year-old veteran defenseman re-joins the Flames for a seventh straight season after signing a one-year contract with an AAV of $750,000. Throughout his 180 career games with Calgary, the skyscraping defenseman has collected 11 goals, 38 points and 262 blocks while filling out the bottom of the Flames' defensive pairings. He will look to surpass 33 games played for the first time in five seasons in 2022-23.
Jaden Schwartz returned to practice with Seattle's main group Tuesday after leaving the team's previous pre-season game against Edmonton due to a lower-body injury. The winger is projected to line up on both the Kraken's top line and powerplay to start the season. The 30-year-old put up 23 points (8G/15A) in an injury-filled 37 games in his first season with Seattle in 2021-22.
Buffalo's newest captain will return to the lineup for the Sabres for their opening matchup against the Ottawa Senators Thursday night. The 34-year-old enjoyed a resurgent 2021-22 scoring 21 goals and 45 points for the fourth time in his 15-year career. He will likely start the season on Buffalo's fourth line.
Andrei Vasilevskiy will take the crease for Tampa Bay in their opening game against the New York Rangers as he enters his ninth NHL season. The 28-year-old Russian netminder will enter 2022-23 looking to lead the NHL in wins for the sixth straight season while finishing with an above .916 SV% for the eighth season of his already historic career.
The 25-year-old rookie will get the first start of the Golden Knights 2022-23 season as he takes the crease against the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday. Thompson enjoyed a successful first taste of the NHL in 2021-22 collecting 10 wins, alongside a 2.68 GAA and a .914 SV% in 19 games played with the Golden Knights.
The 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner will return to the crease for his fourth season in the Big Apple against one of the league's top-scoring units in the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 26-year-old Russian will be looking to build off a historical 2021-22 season which saw him finish first in the NHL in both SV% (.935) and GAA (2.07), while also finishing sixth in Wins (36) and third in Shutouts (6).
Quick enters the crease after a bounce-back season in 2021-22 where he stole back the Kings' starting job by winning 23 games along with a .910 SV% and 2.59 GAA in 46 games started. Quick currently ranks 22nd all-time in wins by goaltenders with 359 career victories.
Darcy Kuemper will make his Capitals debut Wednesday as he leads Washington between the pipes at home against Boston. Fresh off a Stanley Cup victory in 2021-22, Kuemper joins Washington after finishing fourth in league Wins (37), fifth in SV% (.921), 11th in GAA (2.54) and fourth in Shutouts (5).
Stepan was with the Hurricanes on a PTO and earned a one-year deal. Stepan is expected to play in the season opener and skate on the fourth line. Last year, he had nine goals and 10 assists (19 points) in 58 games with the Canes.
Dubois was nicked up late in the preseason, and the Jets were being careful with him to ensure he was ready for the start of the season. Returning as a full participant on Tuesday clears the way for him to play on Friday.
Donskoi suffered an upper-body injury in training camp and will open the season on injured reserve. The Kraken haven't provided many details on Donskoi's timeline, so consider him out indefinitely until they specify otherwise.
33-year-old veteran Left Winger Paul Byron will be placed on the LTI due to a hip injury steaming from last season. Byron has struggled to stay healthy the last few years playing only 102 games in the last three NHL seasons. He collected seven points in 27 games in 2021-22 as he found himself out of the lineup more often than in. By placing the 12-year veteran on the LTI, the Canadiens free up $900,000 in cap space.
The Capitals' prospect is expected to miss the first 6-8 months of the 2022-23 season. It is a tough blow for the 22-year-old right winger who was selected 47th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He scored eight goals and 19 points in 63 games in 2021-22 in his fourth season with the Hershey Bears of the AHL.
Hagelin has been placed on the Injured Reserve after being held out of camp with a lingering lower-body injury. The 24-year-old was looking to bounce back after a down year in 2021-22 where he posted three goals and 14 points in 53 games while occupying the Capitals' bottom six throughout the season. The 11-year veteran will hope to return sometime this season and make an impact as he looks to reach 30 points for the first time since 2017-18.
Blueger continues to battle an undisclosed injury that he suffered on September 28th. Blueger was not on the ice of Monday's practice, so look for Ryan Poehling to centre the fourth line if he's unavailable for the season opener on Thursday.
Vesey was with the Rangers on a PTO and turned it into a one-year deal. Vesey broke into the NHL with the Rangers back in 2017 and played with them for three seasons. Since then, he's been with the Sabres, Maple Leafs, Canucks and Devils over the last three seasons. Most recently, he had 15 points (8G / 7A) in 68 games with New Jersey in 2021-22.
The Lightning suspended defenseman Ian Cole on Sunday, approximately 48 hours after an anonymous and newly created social media account posted disturbing allegations that Cole groomed and sexually assaulted a woman while she was underage. The team suspended Cole with pay pending investigation, which was launched by the NHL on Sunday.
It was expected that Backstrom would start the season on LTIR and it's unclear if he will be back at all this season.
Arvidsson appeared in his first preseason game on Saturday and was on the ice for Monday's practice after undergoing back surgery in May. Arvidsson is expected to be in his usual spot with Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore.
Liljegren underwent hernia surgery prior to training camp and being moved to LTIR means he will miss at least 10 games or 24 days. It also provides the Maple Leafs with some much needed salary relief.
