Elie was a second-round pick of the Stars (No.40 overall) in 2013, but has picked up just 21 points (7G / 14A) in 90 career NHL games. Elie hasn’t had a lot of offensive success at the AHL-level either, so he could have a tough time cracking a suddenly deep Sabres lineup.
Jaskin played in a career-high 76 games last season, but scored just six goals and 11 assists (17 points) while averaging just 12:27 TOI/GM. Jaskin does carry an impressive 52.7 CorsiFor% and +2.5 relative Corsi in 266 career games, but has never been the offensive force that he was when he put up 99 points (46G / 53A) in 51 QMJHL games in 2013. Jaskin will fight with Chandler Stephenson and Nathan Walker for playing time in the Capitals’ bottom-6.
Pickard found himself fourth on the goaltending depth chart in Toronto and needed to go through waivers to head back to the Marlies (AHL). With Michal Neuvirth battling injury to start the season, Pickard will likely start the year as Brian Elliott’s backup.
McElhinney lost the backup job in Toronto to Garret Sparks, so he was placed on waivers and picked up by the Hurricanes. McElhinney figures to serve as Petr Mrazek’s backup while Scott Darling (lower-body) is out, but will likely find himself back on waivers after that.
De La Rose will not make the trip to Toronto on Tuesday because he was not medically cleared to travel and will remain in Montreal for ongoing evaluation. De La Rose likely wasn’t going to crack the opening night lineup anyways.
Darling suffered a lower-body injury in the Hurricanes’ preseason finale and will miss at least a couple of weeks. Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour said that his MRI revealed “nothing major” but it will still cost him some time to start the season. With Darling out, the Hurricanes will turn to Petr Mrazek as their No.1 for the foreseeable future.
McCoshen spent most of last season as a reserve defenseman for the Panthers, appeared in 38 games and picking up four points (3G / 1A) along the way. He goes back to the AHL where he has four goals and 13 assist (17 points) in his last 70 games.
Hunt was an NHL hopeful but he will start the year in the AHL, where he accumulated 46 points (23G / 23A) in 58 games a season ago.
Borgstrom seemed like a lock to make the Panthers’ opening night lineup as a third line centre or winger, but he will start the year in the AHL. The 6-foot-3, former first-round pick (No. 23 overall) turned pro at the end of last season after compiling 23 goals and 29 assists (52 points) in 40 games at the University of Denver.
Svechnikov was banged in the Red Wings’ preseason game on Saturday and it looks like it will cost him a spot in the opening night roster. The power-forward was on the bubble, but will likely make his season debut in Grand Rapids (AHL) as soon as he is healthy.
Green was already expected to miss the start of the regular season with a virus that caused him to miss part of training camp. With Green out, the Red Wings have kept a trio of rookie defensemen around to fill the holes on their blueline. There is no return date set for Green’s return.
Galchenyuk was already expected to miss the first few weeks of the season, so moving him to the IR was simply a formality to open up a roster spot. With Galchenyuk out, Dylan Strome is expected to take on a larger role in the Coyotes offence early in the season.
Sikura was among the final cuts from Blackhawks camp, leaving the team with 13 forwards. Sikura was expected to be a key contributor in an otherwise thin Blackhawks’ bottom-6, however a lacklustre training camp will see him start the season in Rockford. The 23-year-old is coming off of a 54 point (22G / 32A) in 35 game season at Northeastern University.
Vrbata was a seventh round pick (No.212) back in 1999 and went on to have a great NHL career. Vrbata played for the Avalanche, Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Coyotes, Lightning, Canucks and Panthers, picking up 284 goals and 339 assists (623 points) in 1057 games along the way.
Taormina has bounced the NHL and AHL throughout his career and has only played in 59 career NHL games since turning pro in late-2009. Taormina will report to Stockton (AHL).
Valiev was drafted No.68 overall in 2014 and spent the first three and a half years of his career in Toronto. The 23-year-old has spent most of his time in the AHL, but has played in 12 NHL contests. Valiev will report to the Stockton Heat (AHL).
Kulak was a fourth-round pick (No.105 overall) in 2012 and has appeared in 101 career NHL games with the Flames. The 24-year-old is coming off of a season in which he scored just two goals and six assists (eight points) across 71 games.
Crawford returned to practice on Monday and head coach Joel Quenneville said that Crawford has been medically cleared to play and now he just “has to get ready to play.” It remains to be seen when Crawford will play, but this is an excellent development.
Bergeron got rid of his non-contact jersey during Monday’s practice and centred the top line with Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak on his wings. After the session, head coach Bruce Cassidy said he “anticipates [Bergeron] will be good to go for Wednesday.” Bergeron missed 18 games last season, but was on-pace for a career-high in goals (38) and points (80). A healthy season on a dominant Bruins’ top line could make Bergeron a point-per-game player in 2019.
Darling was hurt in the Hurricanes’ preseason finale and is questionable for the start of the season thanks to a lower-body ailment. The Hurricanes will turn to Petr Mrazek if Darling misses any time. This is a tough start to the season for the 29-year-old, who will look to improve after a disastrous debut season in Carolina—3.18 GAA and .888 SV% in 43 starts.
