Hedman missed Monday’s practice as “maintenance” but head coach Jon Cooper believes his star defenseman will be able to play in the season opener. Hedman is coming off of a 54-point (12G / 42A) season, where he only skated in 70 games.
Cizikas is dealing with a lower-body injury and head coach Barry Trotz said it’s too early to determine if he will be ready for the season opener. Trotz is hopeful he’ll have his fourth-line centre available, but it doesn’t sound like the injury is going to linger too deep into October.
Connolly returned to Panthers practice on Monday and head coach Joel Quenneville said that “it looks like he’s going to be more than ready for opening night.” Connolly is set to play a top-6 role with his new team, skating on the second line with Vincent Trocheck and Mike Hoffman. That should set him up for a career-high in ice-time and should allow him to be at least a 20-20 player again in 2020.
Perry suffered a broken foot in mid-September and will miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season. Perry’s play has slipped in recent years and he is not expected to be anything more than a third-liner once he returns to the Dallas lineup.
Anderson appeared in 50 games last season, going 17-27-4 with a 3.51 GAA and .903 SV%. Playing for the league’s weakest team makes Anderson as risky of a goalie option as you will find in fantasy and an opening night meeting with the Maple Leafs must be avoided. Surprisingly, he was 2-1-0 despite a 3.36 GAA and .910 SV% vs. Toronto last season.
Point was not expected to be ready for the season opener, but he was a full participant in Monday’s practice and centred the top-line with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. This doesn’t necessarily mean Point will be ready for Thursday, but the possibility of him playing is looking more and more likely.
Paquette took a big hit from Riley Stillman in Saturday’s preseason game and was seen leaving the arena with his arm in a sling. His status for Thursday’s opener is obviously in question, which leaves Gemel Smith to start the season as Tampa Bay’s fourth-line centre.
Little was blindsided by Wild forward Luke Kunin and left the ice with an upper-body injury and did not return. The Jets did not have an update on Little’s status post-game, so look for an update prior to Thursday’s season opener in New York.
Sheary didn’t play in Saturday’s preseason finale and missed Sunday’s practice as well. Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger said that Sheary skated on his own before practice, but his absence over the weekend clouds his status for Thursday’s season opener.
Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said that Rask is pencilled in for 50-to-55 starts this season and that will start in Dallas on Thursday. Rask was 27-13-5 with a 2.48 GAA, .912 SV% and four shutouts in 46 games last season, including going 1-0-1 with a 0.95 GAA and .968 SV% in two games vs. Dallas.
Krejci suffered a lower-body injury in last Monday’s preseason game but skated lightly on Saturday. It was a step in the right direction for the veteran centre and head coach Bruce Cassidy believes Krejci will be good to go for Opening Night (Thursday @ Dallas). Krejci is set to centre the Bruins second-line with Jake DeBrusk and Karson Kuhlman on his wings.
Raanta has dealt with injuries in his first two seasons with the Coyotes and was limited to just 12 starts in 2019. So this is far from the ideal start to the 2020 season for Raanta. If he is unable to go in their season opener, the Coyotes will turn to Darcy Kuemper, who went 27-20-8 with a 2.33 GAA and .925 SV% last season while filling in for Raanta.
Kase has not been on the ice since last Monday when he took an elbow to the head from Kings forward Jeff Carter. Kase finished the game and the Ducks haven’t pinpointed what is ailing the oft-injured winger, but he is “close” according to head coach Dallas Eakins. The only way Kase plays in the season opener is if he gets onto the ice over the next few days, so monitor his status leading up to Thursday’s opener.
Eakin was hurt in Friday’s preseason game and is danger of missing the start of the regular season. While he is only day-to-day, Eakin’s injury opens the door for Cody Glass to start the season as the Golden Knights’ No.3 centre.
Tuch crashed hard into the end boards and left the ice during Friday night’s preseason game. The Golden Knights have listed their right-winger as “week-to-week.” With Tuch out, Reilly Smith is guaranteed a spot in the top-6 and it opens the door for Cody Glass to start the year in the NHL.
Rinaldo spent the 2019 season with the Predators but only appeared in 23 games, posting three points (1G / 2A) and 20 PIMS. He also had one assist in three AHL contests. He is expected to start the season in Stockton (AHL) if he clears waivers.
Rieder did not score a goal while compiling 11 assists in 67 games with the Oilers last season. He was able to earn a contract while on a PTO with the Flames and could be part of their fourth line in 2019-20.
Connor was looking for term and he got it. The 22-year-old winger has scored 30-plus goals in back-to-back seasons and set a new career-high in points (66) in 2018-19. Connor is expected to be a fixture on the Jets top-line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler again in 2019-20 and should have no trouble approaching 30 goals again.
Rantanen and the Avalanche came down to the wire but finally came to terms on a six-year deal. The soon-to-be 23-year old has posted back-to-back 80-plus point seasons, including 31 goals and 56 assists last year. He is expected to re-join the Avalanche and should be available for their season opener on Thursday.
Meloche is a former second-round pick of Colorado and is coming off of a 21-point (6G / 15A) season with the Colorado Eagles (AHL). He will report to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
