Plekanec, who signed back with the Canadiens this summer will sit in the season opener vs. the Maple Leafs. With Plekanec out, the Canadiens will go with Phillip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Max Domi and Matthew Peca down the middle.
Alzner is in the second year of a large five-year contract that he signed prior to last season and his season will start in the press box. Being a healthy scratch will end a lengthy ironman streak for Alzner and opens the door for Xavier Ouellet to play with Jordie Benn.
Gibson has been the best goalie in the NHL over the last three years, posting the league’s best SV% (.924) and GAA (2.26) while ranking third for third in shutouts (14). The Ducks have a stout bluleine that makes things easy on Gibson and he could be the best goalie in fantasy this season if he is able to start 60-plus games again.
Daley battled a lower-body injury towards the end of training camp but was back on the ice for Wednesday’s practice, where he skated on the second pair and top power-play unit. With Mike Green out to start the season, Daley should see plenty of power-play time for the Red Wings.
Ericsson took part in Wednesday’s practice session but is not progressing fast enough to be in the lineup on Thursday. With Ericsson out, the Red Wings will recall with Filip Hronek or Joe Hicketts to fill the No.6 spot on their blueline tomorrow night.
Anderson had a superb 2017 season, but crashed back to earth in 2018. The Senators were riddled with dysfunction and it led to Anderson posting a 3.32 GAA, .898 SV% and 23 wins in 58 games. Things got even worse this summer when Ottawa completely committed to a rebuild, making Anderson a low-end fantasy goalie option.
Dumoulin shed his non-contact jersey during Wednesday’s practice session and skated on the top pair with Kris Letang, which is a good sign that he will be available for Thursday’s season opener vs. the Capitals. Dumoulin doesn’t carry a to of fantasy value despite playing over 20 minutes a night for one of the best teams in hockey. He had just 18 points (5G / 13A) in 80 games a season ago.
Edmundson missed the Blues preseason finale with a groin injury and it doesn’t appear as if he will play in their season opener either. If Edmundson is unable to play, look for Chris Butler to get into the Blues lineup.
Price was once revered as the best goalie in the NHL and one of the first goalies drafted in fantasy. He is coming off of the worst season of his career, posting a 3.11 GAA and .900 SV% across 49 games and the team in front of him only got worse this summer. Price will be a No.2 starting option throughout the season, but he is a very risky start against a high-powered Maple Leafs attack.
Tkachuk’s NHL debut will be put on hold because of a mild groin strain, but he shouldn’t be sidelined for too long. With Tkahuck out, Colin White will move up to centre the second line with Zack Smith and Mark Stone.
Andersen put a rough October behind him last year and ended up finishing the season with 38 wins in 66 starts while posting a 2.81 GAA, .918 SV% and five shutouts. Andersen draws a fantastic opening night matchup vs. a torn down Montreal team that he was 3-0 with a 1.66 GAA, .950 SV% and one shutout against last season.
During the 2017-18 season, Markstrom started a career-high 57 games and went 23-26-7 with a 2.71 GAA, .912 SV% and two shutouts. The Sedin Twins are gone, but the Canucks have some young blood that could provide Markstrom with a decent amount of goal support this year. Tonight he faces a Flames team that he was 1-2-0 while allowing 13 goals on 78 shots (.833 SV%) against last year.
With Virtanen leaving practice on Tuesday, Brendan Leipsic played in his spot on the power-play and Tyler Motte drew in on the third line. The former No.6 overall pick is questionable for tomorrow’s game vs. the Flames, but doesn’t carry a lot of fantasy upside thanks to a limited offensive role in the Canucks’ lineup.
Varlamov enjoyed a strong 2018 season, winning 24 of his 51 games with a 2.68 GAA, .920 SV% and two shutouts. He will be pushed harder for starts this year with Philipp Grubauer in town, but that could help push the Russian netminder. Varlamov won both of his starts while only allowing two goals on 66 shots (.970 SV%) against the Wild last year.
