Cam Talbot started the Kings' season opener but they will turn to Copley in their second game on Saturday. Copley enjoyed success in 2022-23, going 24-6-3 with a 2.64 GAA and .903 SV%. As impressive as his win total was last season, he draws a dreadful matchup on Saturday and should be benched for better options.
Olivier missed the Blue Jackets' season opener with a leg injury but appears set to play in Saturday's game vs. the Rangers. The Blue Jackets will need to make a roster move in order for Olivier to play, so you'll know ahead of warmups if he's back or not.
Johnson was a healthy scratch in the Blue Jackets' season opening loss but will play Saturday vs. the Rangers. It's not clear who Johnson will replace in the lineup, but based on Friday's practice lines, it appears to be Jack Roslovic. Johnson had a strong rookie season, scoring 16 goals with 24 assists (40 points) in 79 games.
Merzlikins stopped 33 of 35 shots in the Blue Jackets' season-opening loss to the Flyers. Despite the loss, it was an encouraging outing for Merzlikins, who struggled mightily during the 2022-23 season. Tonight he'll face a difficult test with the Rangers in town. They had an impressive opening night win over the Sabres.
Johnson was a healthy scratch in the Blue Jackets' season-opening 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers but will slot into the lineup on Saturday against the New York Rangers as they search for their first victory of the season. Johnson will likely slot in on the third line with Cole Sillinger and Justin Danforth. He had 40 points (16G / 24A) in 79 games with the Blue Jackets last season.
Werenski was placed on the injured reserve and will miss at least one week after being the target of a knee-on-knee collision with Garnet Hathaway in the Blue Jackets' season opener. Hathaway was given a two-minute minor for kneeing on the play. Injuries have been a thorn in Werenski's side the last several seasons as he is coming off a 2022-23 campaign where he was limited to only 13 games. David Jiricek has been recalled from the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL in his absence.
Werenski left Thursday's loss after a knee-on-knee collision with Garnet Hathaway. Initially, it did not look good, but Blue Jackets' head coach Pascal Vincent said that Werenski's injury is not believed to be long-term. This is a fortunate break for Werenski, who missed 69 games a season ago.
A healthy scratch on Tuesday's opening night game against the Lightning, Fabbro will draw back into the lineup on Thursday in place of Luke Schenn (lower-body). Fabbro is expected to skate alongside Roman Josi on the Preds' top pair at 5v5. The 25-year-old defenseman tallied just two goals and nine assists in 79 games with the Predators last season.
Johnson will start the season as a healthy scratch but the talented centreman should find himself on the Blue Jackets roster before long. Patrik Laine being moved to the middle has created an influx of center-depth to start the season for the Blue Jackets, likely factoring into Johnson's early-season healthy scratch. The fifth overall pick from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft is coming off his rookie season with the Blue Jackets which saw him tally 40 points (16G / 24A) in 79 games.
After a fantastic rookie season in 2019-20, where he posted a 2.35 GAA and .923 SV% in 33 games (13-9-8), Merzlinkins has performed progressively worse each year. In 30 games last season (7-18-2), Merzlinkins had a horrendous 4.23 GAA and a .876 SV%. His league-worst GAA (minimum 10 starts) will need to be improved significantly or he will likely find himself battling for starts with backup goalie Spencer Martin. The Blue Jackets go into their season-opener listed as -113 home favourites against the Philadelphia Flyers.
After a fantastic rookie season in 2019-20, where he posted a 2.35 GAA and .923 SV% in 33 games (13-9-8), Merzlinkins has performed progressively worse each year. In 30 games last season (7-18-2), Merzlinkins had a horrendous 4.23 GAA and a .876 SV%. His league-worst GAA (minimum 10 starts) will need to be improved significantly or he will likely find himself battling for starts with backup goalie Spencer Martin. The Blue Jackets go into their season-opener listed as -113 home favourites against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Fabbro had two goals, nine assists, 50 PIMs, 101 SOG, and a -4 plus/minus through 79 games with Nashville in 2022-23 but will be a healthy scratch for their first game of the season vs. Tampa Bay. The 25-year-old defenseman is entering his sixth NHL season and should find himself in the Predators' lineup more often than not this season.
Olivier will be forced to miss the beginning of the 2023-24 season as he was placed on the injured reserve Monday with a leg injury and will be out indefinitely. The 26-year-old forward is entering his fifth NHL season and second as a Blue Jacket after putting up five goals, 10 assists, 75 SOG, 81 PIMs, and a -20 plus/minus in 66 games in 2022-23.
Lundstrom had four goals, 10 assists, 60 SOG, two PIMs and a -13 plus/minus through 61 games in 2022-23 and will now be forced to miss the next six months as he recovers from surgery for an Achilles injury sustained in Sweden. The 23-year-old centre is now expected to return around the turn of the new year and will be hoping to take a step forward after a down season in 2022-23. He currently has 26 goals and 58 points in 212 career NHL games.
Wood had 13 goals, 14 assists, 167 SOG, 76 PIMs and a +1 plus/minus through through 76 game with New Jersey and has signed a six-year contract worth $15.0 million ($2.5M AAV) with Colorado. The 27-year-old left-winger leaves New Jersey after eight successful seasons which saw him score 78 goals and 148 points in 402 career games played.
Columbus selected Fantilli with the No.3 overall pick in this year's draft. Fantilli had an outstanding season at the University of Michigan, scoring 30 goals with 35 assists (65 points) in 36 games. He also added five points (2G / 3A) in seven games while representing Canada at the World Juniors. Fantilli is a candidate to make the Blue Jackets out of training camp and could play a huge role in his rookie campaign.
Olivier had five goals, 10 assists, 75 SOG, 81 PIMs and a -20 plus/minus through 65 games played in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year contract extension worth $1.1 Million AAV through the 2024-25 season. The 26-year-old right-winger is about to enter his fifth NHL season and has 22 points (8G/14A) across 114 NHL career games played.
Monahan was only able to play in 25 games in his first season in Montreal in 2022-23 due to a season-ending groin surgery but managed to pick up six goals, 11 assists, 55 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus and has earned himself a one-year contract extension worth $1.985 million. The 28-year-old centre is entering his 11th NHL season after being the sixth overall draft pick in 2013.
Voronkov was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL draft and has spent the last four seasons in the KHL. During the 2023 season, he registered 31 points (18G / 13A) in 54 games with Kazan Ak-Bars (KHL).
