Reinhart was absent from practice on Wednesday after receiving stitches, but the injury does not seem overly concerning, as he was able to complete Tuesday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 29-year-old Reinhart was held off the scoresheet on Tuesday but will be relied upon heavily for offence in Florida this season. He had 81 points (39G / 42A) in 79 games last season.
The Bruins missed the playoffs last year for the first time in eight seasons and have lower-than-usual expectations again in 2025-26. In the first year of an eight-year contract in 2024-25, Swayman had the worst season of his career, posting a 3.11 GAA and .892 SV% in 58 appearances (22-29-7). If the Bruins hope to rebound into playoff contention in 2025-26, they will need Swayman to lead the way. The Bruins enter their season-opening matchup on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals as +163 road underdogs.
Batherson suffered an upper-body injury earlier in training camp but returned to practice on Wednesday. He has been ruled out of Thursday's season-opening matchup but could make his debut on Saturday. The 27-year-old right-winger is entering his eighth season in Ottawa after putting up career highs in points (67) last season across 82 games played. He will likely play an integral role in Ottawa's offence this season.
Reinhart was absent from practice on Wednesday after receiving stitches, but the injury does not seem overly concerning, as he was able to complete Tuesday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 29-year-old Reinhart was held off the scoresheet on Tuesday but will be relied upon heavily for offence in Florida this season. He had 81 points (39G / 42A) in 79 games last season.
With Joseph Woll (personal) away from the team, Toronto's crease should almost exclusively belong to Stolarz, starting with their season-opening matchup on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 31-year-old Stolarz was excellent when healthy in 2024-25, posting a superb 2.14 GAA, .926 SV%, and four shutouts in 34 appearances (21-8-3), but his season was derailed due to injuries. Toronto enters its matchup on Wednesday as -167 home favorites against Montreal.
The Capitals ended the 2024-25 season with the best record in the Western Conference, largely due to an outstanding season by Thompson. The 28-year-old Thompson split time with Charlie Lindgren throughout last season but was excellent when called upon, posting a 2.49 GAA and .910 SV% in 43 appearances (31-6-6). Thompson will likely be between the pipes for Washington's season-opening matchup on Wednesday against the Boston Bruins, where they are listed as -184 home favorites.
With Joseph Woll (personal) away from the team, Toronto's crease should almost exclusively belong to Stolarz, starting with their season-opening matchup on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 31-year-old Stolarz was excellent when healthy in 2024-25, posting a superb 2.14 GAA, .926 SV%, and four shutouts in 34 appearances (21-8-3), but his season was derailed due to injuries. Toronto enters its matchup on Wednesday as -167 home favorites against Montreal.
MacEwen split time last season between the Ottawa Senators and Belleville Senators (AHL), and could see a similar role this year with New Jersey and Utica (AHL). The 29-year-old forward has 34 points (17G / 17A) in 237 career NHL games.
Entering his age-35 season, Ekholm has agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $12 million ($4M AAV). The veteran defenseman has been a great addition to the Oilers since joining them prior to the 2022-23 trade deadline. In 165 games with Edmonton, Ekholm is averaging 21:28 time-on-ice and has 92 points (24G / 68A).
Batherson suffered an upper-body injury earlier in training camp but returned to practice on Wednesday and has not been ruled out for Thursday's season opener. The 27-year-old right-winger is entering his eighth season in Ottawa after putting up career highs in points (67) last season across 82 games played. He will likely play an integral role in Ottawa's offence this season.
Cowan was never really expected to make Toronto out of training camp and is expected to be a healthy scratch despite being called up before their season-opening game on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 19-year-old Cowan was Toronto's 28th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Heading into their season-opening matchup on Thursday against the Dallas Stars, the Winnipeg Jets announced their most lucrative contract in franchise history, signing Kyle Connor to a massive eight-year extension worth $96 million ($12 million AAV). The 28-year-old Connor was Winnipeg's seventh overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and has consistently been one of the NHL's most consistent scorers since his rookie season in 2017-18. Connor scored a career-high 97 points (41G / 56A) in 82 games last season and will be relied upon again in 2025-26 to spearhead Winnipeg's offence.
Lafferiere was banged up in the Kings' preseason game last Thursday and missed the preseason finale on Saturday, but was a full participant in the team's last two practices. The 23-year-old Laferriere had an impressive 2024-25 campaign, scoring 42 points (19G / 23A) in 77 games.
Kuemper's first season in Los Angeles was a major success, following his decline to mediocrity in his final season as a Washington Capital. The 35-year-old veteran netminder finished the 2024-25 campaign as the second runner-up for the Vezina trophy after posting an excellent 2.02 GAA, .921 SV%, and five shutouts in 50 games (31-11-7). Kuemper will be between the pipes for the Kings' season opener on Tuesday, entering the action as slight -101 home underdogs against the Colorado Avalanche.
Coming off a disappointing 2024-25 season in which they missed the playoffs, the Rangers will hope to start the 2025-26 campaign on a positive note, likely turning to Shesterkin in their season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite serviceable totals, the 29-year-old Shesterkin had the worst season of his career statistically in 2024-25, posting an average .905 SV% and 2.86 GAA and 61 outings (27-29-5). The talented netminder will aim for his seventh NHL season to be more aligned with the first five of his career, where he boasted a .921 SV% and 2.43 GAA in 213 games (135-59-17). The Rangers enter Tuesday's contest as sizable -219 home favorites against the Penguins.
Hryckowian had a strong preseason, recording one goal, two assists, five shots, and eight hits in five games. He was initially assigned to the AHL for cap-related reasons, but returns to the NHL roster after Jamie Benn and Oskar Back were placed on IR. Hryckowian ranked second on the Stars' AHL affiliate in scoring last season with 60 points (22G, 38A) in 67 games.
Holtz was the seventh-overall pick of the New Jersey Devils in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. After three years in the Devils organization, he made his Golden Knights debut last season, scoring 12 points (4G / 8A) in 53 games.
The Blackhawks will turn to Knight between the pipes for their season-opening matchup on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. The 24-year-old Knight was serviceable after being acquired by the Blackhawks last season, posting a 3.18 GAA and .893 SV% in 15 outings (5-8-2). Chicago enters Tuesday's contest as sizable +230 road underdogs against Florida.
Blueger missed practice on Sunday and will miss at least Vancouver's season opener. The Canucks will see how he responds in the next couple of days, but rookie Braeden Cootes looks poised to be in the opening night roster in Blueger's absence.
