The Blue Jackets open their season with a back-to-back in Detroit and Carolina, so they will save Sergei Bobrovsky for the home opener and the tougher matchup. Korpisalo didn’t see a lot of work in 2018 and his numbers didn’t warrant many more starts—he finished the year with a 3.32 GAA and .897 SV% in just 18 starts.
Rask started 60-plus games from 2015-to-2017 but was limited to just 53 starts in 2018. Despite a few less starts for the ageing netminder, Rask won 34 games with a 2.36 GAA, .917 SV% and three shutouts. Playing behind one of the strongest teams in the NHL, Rask should be in-line for a lot of wins in 2019, but draws a tough matchup out of the gate. Rask was 13-8-2 with a 2.51 GAA, .915 SV% and three shutouts on the road last year.
Bergeron got rid of his non-contact jersey during Monday’s practice and centred the top line with Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak on his wings. After the session, head coach Bruce Cassidy said he “anticipates [Bergeron] will be good to go for Wednesday.” Bergeron missed 18 games last season, but was on-pace for a career-high in goals (38) and points (80). A healthy season on a dominant Bruins’ top line could make Bergeron a point-per-game player in 2019.
Johnson has been dealing with an upper-body injury throughout the preseason and could miss the Lightning’s opener vs. the Panthers on Saturday. With Johnson out during Monday’s practice, Mathieu Joseph skated in his spot on the third line.
Kuraly had 14 points (6G / 8A) in 75 games with the Bruins last season. Boston has one of the deepest forward depth charts in the NHL, so Kuraly will be locked into a fourth line role again in 2019.
The Hurricanes were reportedly far apart in their contract negotiations with Lindholm, who is an RFA. With no contract in sight, the Hurricanes elected to move on from the former No.5 overall pick (2013), who has averaged just 14 goals and 28 assists (42 points) over the last four seasons. Matt Cane of HockeyGraphs predicts a five-year extension worth $24.98M ($4.978M AAV) for Lindholm.
Wahlstrom was a YouTube sensation before his 10th birthday and has since become a star for the United States Development Team. Wahlstrom had 48 goals and 46 assists (94 points) in 62 games with the U.S. National U-18 team. Wahlstrom has outstanding hands, but still needs to polish his defensive game.
Jokiharju, 19, was a first-round pick of the Blackhawks (No.29 overall) in 2017 and is coming off of a 71-point (12G / 59A) campaign with the Portland Winterhawks (WHL). His 71 points ranked tied for third among defensemen in the WHL and represented a 0.45 point-per-game increase from his rookie season. Jokiharju will likely battle for a spot on the Blackhawks’ blueline this fall, but will likely end up back in Portland.
