Four rookie forwards made the Blackhawks’ opening night roster, but McNeill is not one of them. McNeill will start the year in Rockford, where he has 48 goals and 44 assists (92 points) in 127 games over the last two seasons.
Vey worked in the Flames’ top-6 throughout the preseason, but was one of the last cuts after clearing waivers. He had 15 points (3G / 12A) in 26 games with Utica (AHL) last year and should post solid numbers in Stockton this year.
Klein has missed the last few practices and is questionable for the start of the 2016-17 season. It looked as if Dylan McIlrath would start the season in the press box, but if Klein is unable to play, look for him to draw into the lineup. Klein has missed a combined 26 games over the last two years.
In his first year as the Oilers’ starter, Talbot was 21-27-5 with a 2.55 GAA and .917 SV% while playing behind the 19th ranked possession team. The 29-year-old proved that he is a capable No.1 and the Oilers’ all-around improvement this season should lead to even better numbers. His 2016-17 season starts against a Calgary team that he struggled against last season—2-2-0 with a 3.17 GAA and .892 SV%.
Allen (leg) returned to practice on Tuesday and will start the Blues season opener on Wednesday. The 26-year-old takes over as the Blues starter with Brian Elliott now in Calgary, but his season starts off with a difficult matchup, on the road in Chicago. Allen had a .920 SV% last year and carries a career .915 SV% through 99 games. He was 2-1-0 with a 2.11 GAA and .933 SV% against Chicago last season.
Jarry was set to start the season as Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup after Matt Murray suffered a broken hand in the World Cup of Hockey, but after they claimed Mike Condon this afternoon, Jarry heads back to the AHL to start the year. The 21-year-old was 17-13-3 with a 2.69 GAA and .905 SV% in 33 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last year.
Stalock was 3-5-2 with a 2.94 GAA and .884 SV% in nine starts and four relief appearances last year and signed with the Wild this offseason. He was always viewed as the No.3 option behind Devan Dubnyk and Darcy Kuemper, so this move is no surprise.
It looked as if Bertschy was going to crack the Wild’s opening night roster, but they were able to get Teemu Pulkkinen off of waivers this afternoon and had to send a forward back to Iowa. Bertschy had 35 points (11G / 24A) in 35 AHL games last season.
Manning has been battling a shoulder injury throughout the preseason, but will be good to go for the season opener. This is good news for the Flyers, who are without Michael Del Zotto (injury) and Radko Gudas (suspension).
Pavelec has been replaced by Connor Hellebuyck, who will share the crease with Michael Hutchinson to start 2016-17. Pavelec heads to Manitoba where he will likely serve as their starter and provide goaltending depth incase Hellebuyck or Hutchinson get hurt or struggle.
Dahlbeck, 25, had eight points (2G / 6A) in 71 games with the Coyotes last year. Dahlbeck has good size (6’3” / 207 lbs.), but doesn’t play an overly physical brand of hockey and is not very offensive either. Dahlbeck has 12 points (3G / 9A) in 94 career NHL games with Chicago and Arizona.
After signing a one-year deal with the Islanders this summer, a lot of people were expecting Parenteau to be a nice sleeper pick as a potential linemate of John Tavares’. Parenteau has been claimed by the Devils, where he could work his way into a top-6 role and potential play with Adam Henrique and Taylor Hall.
With Matt Murray injured for the first month of the season, the Penguins will bring in Condon to be a stop-gap behind Marc-Andre Fleury until Murray is healthy. Condon had a 2.71 GAA and .903 SV% in 55 games with the Canadiens last season and could see a couple of starts in October.
Griffith, 23, was a fifth round pick (131st overall) in 2012 and developed into a high-end AHLer scorer, but never found his way with Boston. Griffith is familiar with Maple Leafs’ assistant GM Mark Hunter from his time with the London Knights. Griffith had 77 points (24G / 53A) in 57 games with Providence (AHL) last season and has a chance to crack the Maple Leafs’ bottom-6 following this claim.
Pulkkinen had a tough time landing a permanent spot in the Red Wings lineup after a breakout AHL season in 2014-15. Pulkkinen had 61 points (34G / 27A) in 46 games with Grand Rapids but has only picked up 20 points (11G / 9A) in 67 NHL games since. Pulkkinen has a lethal shot and could crack the Wild’s top-9.
Kucherov burst onto the fantasy scene as a member of “The Triplets” line, only to improve on his numbers in 2015-16. Kucherov is coming off of 66 points (30G / 36A) in 77 games and has the potential to be a 70-plus point player who makes under $5 million per year. That’s unheard of.
Rodin is dealing with swelling and strength issues in his knee that required surgery back in January. Rodin had a strong preseason, scoring two goals with three assists (five points) but the Canucks feel he would benefit from being placed on LTIR and getting to 100 percent.
Lemieux was the 31st overall pick in 2014 and will start the year in Manitoba. The son of former NHLer Claude Lemieux had 32 goals and 30 assists (62 points) in 45 OHL games with Barrie and Windsor last season. The 20-year-old also had three points (2G / 1A) in five AHL games and should be a key contributor to the Moose’s success this season.
Kronwall was not expected to be ready for the season opener, so his movement to IR was inevitable in order for them to keep a young defenseman up with the big club. The lingering knee issue could be a big problem for Kronwall in the long-run and as for the short-term, he remains without a timetable to return.
Mantha made a strong case to make the Red Wings’ opening night roster, scoring three goals in five preseason games, but the Red Wings’ deep forward group will force Mantha to start the year in the AHL. The 22-year-old had 21 goals and 24 assists (45 points) in 60 games with the Griffins last season.
