After a breakout 2019 campaign, Binnington came back down to earth a bit in 2020. He still managed to win 30 games while posting a 2.56 GAA and .912 SV% in 50 starts. Binnington struggled a bit on the road, going 10-8-2 with a .903 SV%, so he could have a tough start to the season with a road matchup in Colorado. He was 2-2-0 with a 3.98 GAA and .857 SV% in two starts vs. the Avalanche last year.
Simek was banged up in training camp but head coach Bob Boughner expects to have him for the "St. Louis series" which suggests that he'll miss the season-opening back-to-back in Arizona.
This does not mean that Ehlers has tested positive for COVID-19 but that he came in feeling unwell, got tested and was sent home. Expect the Jets to provide an update on Ehlers stats prior to their season-opening game vs. the Flames.
Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello did not specify why Dal Colle went on IR but he will miss at least one week as a result. With Dal Colle out, one or both of Oliver Wahlstrom and Kieffer Bellows could be in the lineup when the Islanders open their season on Thursday.
Johnson has been missing from Avalanche training camp and head coach Jared Bednar told reporters on Wednesday that it was due to COIVD-19. With Johnson out for the opener vs. St. Louis, Conor Timmins will skate on the second pair with Samuel Girard.
Matt Murray was traded to the Ottawa Senators this offseason, so Jarry becomes the Penguins' No.1 netminder for 2021 with Casey DeSmith serving as his backup. Jarry was impressive in 33 appearances last season, finishing 20-12-1 and ranking ninth in GAA (2.43) tied for eighth in SV% (.921). He showcased he has what it takes to carry a sizeable workload this season and it will start tonight in Philadelphia. He was 1-1-0 while stopping 54 of 59 shots (.915 SV%) in two starts vs. the Flyers last season but Philadelphia looks like a much deeper team in 2021.
There was initial concern that Marchand may miss the start of the regular season but he participated throughout training camp and head coach Bruce Cassidy expects him to be available on Thursday. With David Pastrnak out for the start of the year, Marchand will need to get off to a hot start for the Bruins to have success.
After playing 55 of the Oilers 71 games a season ago, Russell will sit out the season opener as a health scratch. This offseason the Oilers brought in Slater Koekkoek and he will skate with Tyson Barrie on Wednesday.
In his first year with the Islanders, Varlamov went 19-14-6 with a 2.62 GAA, .914 SV% and two shutouts in 45 appearances (39 starts). In year-2, Varlamov will be pressured by rookie netminder Ilya Sorokin but he is still expected to start the majority of games as long as he's healthy and playing well. He was 0-2-1 with an ugly 4.64 GAA and .857 SV% in three games vs. the Rangers last year.
Koskinen was 18-13-3 with a 2.75 GAA and .917 SV% in 34 starts and four relief appearances in 2020. It was a much better year than he had in his first season with the Oilers but still left the Oilers searching for goaltending help on the free agent market. When they struck out there, they brought Mike Smith back, leaving Koskinen as the de facto No.1 netminder. There's going to be plenty of high-scoring games in the North Division this season and Wednesday's Canucks vs. Oilers game looks like one of them.
Koivu was banged up midway through training camp and will miss at least the first two games of the season in Nashville. With Koivu out, Mikhail Grigorenko has been bumped up to the first line in order to allow Alexandre Texier to centre the third line. John Tortorella did not have much of an update on Koivu other than to say he won't travel, no timetable on his return was given.
Subban spent most of 2020 in Vegas before being shipped to Chicago as a part of the Robin Lehner deal in late-February. Subban played just one minute with the Blackhawks before the season was cut short but now he is their opening day starter. Before the trade, he was 9-7-3 with a 3.18 GAA and. 890 SV% in 20 games and has a career .899 SV% in 66 appearances. Subban has yet to showcase the talent-level of a full-time NHL starter and it will be difficult for him to get 2021 started on the right foot, as he gets set to take on the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
Vasilevskiy is Fantasy's unquestioned No.1 goalie due to his workload and the quality the team in front of him. He has led the NHL in wins each of the last three seasons while ranking eighth in GAA (2.53) and fifth in SV% (.921). On opening night he draws a tremendous matchup vs. a Blackhawks team that is without both Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach.
After bouncing between Edmonton, Philadelphia and Calgary over the last two seasons, Talbot landed in Minnesota on a three-year deal this offseason. Talbot was rock steady in 26 games for the Flames a season ago, posting a .919 SV% and was even better in the playoffs with a .924. He's a vastly under appreciated netminder and should have a solid season behind a Wild team that is one of the stiffest defensive teams in the NHL.
Anderson was in Capitals training camp on a PTO and signed a one-year deal on Wednesday. Anderson is not expected to start the season as the backup, so the Capitals have placed him on waivers in order to get him to the taxi squad or AHL.
Shesterkin started the 2020 season in the AHL before making his highly anticipated NHL debut on January 7th. Just over one year later, Shesterkin has gone 10-3-0 in 13 career starts and will be relied upon as the Rangers No.1 netminder this season. Shesterkin went 6-2-0 with a 2.75 GAA and .925 SV% in eight starts at Madison Square Garden last year.
Shore has bounced around the NHL in recent years, going from Dallas to Anaheim to Columbus since 2019 and now lands in Edmonton. The 26-year-old centre had five goals and seven assists (12 points) in 45 games in 2020 and appears destined to start the 2021 season on the Oilers taxi squad.
Price led the NHL in games played and minutes played (3440) in 2020 but could get more breathers this year with Jake Allen in as his backup. Price, who was 27-25-6 with a 2.79 GAA and .909 SV% in 58 starts, draws a tough assignment in the season opener. The Maple Leafs were third in the NHL in scoring last year but Price was 3-0-0 with a 2.58 GAA and .912 SV% against them.
MacEachern was originally sent to the taxi squad to the Blues could become cap compliant but was able to be recalled Wednesday because Vladimir Tarasenko was moved to LTIR. MacEachern had 10 points (7G / 3A) in 51 games a season ago.
