NHL Hockey Player News

Neal sat out of the preseason while rehabbing a broken hand that he suffered during the Western Conference Final last season and will miss the start of the regular season. However, Neal was skating on the Golden Knights’ second line during Tuesday’s practice, so that suggests that he might not be too far off. Vegas is going to struggle to find offence in their inaugural season and Neal’s health will be imperative if they’re going to have any success.

Despite Gostisbehere saying that he is ready to play on Wednesday, he skated on the Flyers’ fourth-pairing during Tuesday’s practice, which suggests that he may sit vs. the Sharks. Monitor his status during the Flyers’ morning skate tomorrow.

Raanta was held out of the preseason finale due to a lower-body ailment, but was back on the ice for Sunday’s practice so it looks like he will be ready to start Thursday’s season opener. Raanta is expected to see the largest workload of his career following an offseason trade from New York to Arizona, where he will serve as their No.1 goaltending option.

Ekman-Larsson missed time in training camp due to a knee injury, but was a full participant in Sunday’s practice and head coach Rick Tocchet said he’s hopeful that his star defenseman will be in the lineup on Thursday. Ekman-Larsson is coming off of the worst seasons of his career and that’s saying a lot considering he still managed to rack up 12 goals and 27 assists (39 points). O.E.L is one of the few locks for double-digit goals and 20-plus assists on the blueline.

Smith spent the last six seasons in Arizona, but was traded to the Flames this summer and will take over as their No.1 netminder for the 2017-18 season. Smith’s fantasy value improves with the move, as he goes from a team who gave up the second most shots per game (34.1) to a team that gave up the eighth fewest (28.7). However, his Flames career might get off to a rocky start as he goes up against Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

Pedan was a third-round pick in 2011 and has only appeared in 13 NHL games since. The Lithuanian defenseman had 10 points (5G / 5A) and 100 PIMS in 52 games with Utica (AHL) last season. He is expected to start the year with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).

Pouliot was the No.8 overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, but has yet to reach his full potential in Pittsburgh. The 23-year-old defenseman split last season between the NHL and AHL, recording 23 points (7G / 16A) in 46 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and no points in 11 games with the Penguins. The rebuilding Canucks can take a chance on the young blueliner, who likely won’t crack the top-6 to open the season.

Hossa is set to miss the entire 2017-18 season because of a skin disorder and the NHL have allowed the Blackhawks to place him on LTIR, giving them some salary cap relief.

Glass signs on with the Flames to be a depth forward after a solid training camp. The 33-year-old winger offers nothing in terms of fantasy value, having picked up just 69 points (24G / 45A) in 511 career NHL games.

Schlemko has been battling a hand injury throughout training camp and his movement to IR means that he will miss at least the first week of the regular season. With Schlemko out, Victor Mete has made the opening night roster and will play on the top pair with Shea Weber.

After two and a half seasons as the Blackhawks’ backup, Darling was dealt to the Hurricanes this summer where he is expected to take over as their No.1 goalie. Last season, the 28-year-old netminder was 18-5-5 with a 2.38 GAA and .924 SV% and now he’ll play behind one of the best young bluelines in the NHL. His first start will likely come against a Wild team that was second in the NHL in scoring last season (3.21 GF/PG).

Hurricanes head coach said on Tuesday that it will be 10 days to two weeks before Stempniak can play. The veteran winger missed some time during the preseason with a sore hip and his injury opens the door for Janne Kuokkanen to start the year with the Hurricanes.

Nemeth has appeared in 108 NHL games and 57 AHL games with the Stars organization since 2013-14. Last season he had just three assists in 40 games with Dallas. The 25-year-old will likely serve as a No.7 defenseman in Colorado.

Subban has struggled to find his way since being drafted No.24 overall in 2012. The 23-year-old has only appeared in two NHL games and is coming off of a year in which he was 11-14-1 with a 2.41 GAA and .917 SV% in 32 games with Providence (AHL). Subban will have to stay in the NHL, so Vegas may roll with three netminders.

Bergeron left Tuesday’s practice early and is listed as day-to-day heading into the season. There’s no word on what happened to Bergeron, but his status for the season is now in question. Monitor his status leading up to Thursday’s game vs. Nashville.

Anderson held out of training camp as an unsigned RFA, but gets a contract one-day before the start of the NHL season. The 23-year-old is coming off of 17-goal, 12-assist season and will look to carve out a larger role this season. Missing training camp will put Anderson behind the 8-ball and likely force him to start the season in the bottom-6.

Parise battled a back injury throughout training camp and will miss at least the first two games of the season. Parise is expected to return to practice next Monday, but this isn’t a great start to the season for the veteran winger, who was limited to 69 games last season.

Karlsson has been practicing and playing on Thursday seemed like a distinct possibility, but he told reporters that he “most likely I won’t play Thursday.” However, is not expected to be sidelined for too many games, so draft him as you would.

After a summer of hilarious Tweets and patiently waiting, Jagr has signed on with the Flames two days prior to the start of the season. The 45-year-old veteran appeared in all 82 games last season, posting 16 goals and 30 assists (46 points) with the Florida Panthers. Jagr will likely play be limited to a bottom-6 role to start, but could work his way up the depth chart in a hurry.

Anderson was entering the final year of a three-year deal but is now signed through the 2019-20 season. Anderson is coming off of a tough off-the-ice season, but played spectacularly in his 40 starts, going 25-11-4 with a 2.28 GAA, .926 SV% and five shutouts. As long as everything goes well, Anderson should get back to 50-plus starts and could approach 30 wins, making him a solid No.2 fantasy option.