Line Change
Holl will be a healthy scratch on Saturday.
Holl skated just 9:07 TOI in his season debut on Saturday. Head coach Mike Babcock wanted to get Holl into the lineup, but Martin Marincin will replace him vs. Montreal on Saturday.
Detroit Red Wings News
The Oilers have recalled William Lagesson from Bakersfield (AHL).
Lagesson, 23, was a fourth-round pick of the Oilers in 2014 and this is his first taste of the NHL. The 6-foot-2, 207 lbs. defenseman had 27 points (8G / 19A) in 67 AHL games last season and he will likely serve as an extra defenseman while Adam Larsson is out.
Goalie Start
Gibson will start the Ducks season opener vs. Arizona.
Gibson started 57 games, going 26-22-8 with a 2.84 GAA and .917 SV%, the worst numbers since his rookie campaign. The Ducks did not do much to improve in front of Gibson this offseason, so it’s difficult to envision him returning to 30-plus wins. Tonight he faces a Coyotes team that went 1-0-2 with a 2.27 GAA, .936 SV% and one shutout against last season.
Larkin (undisclosed) will play on Saturday.
Larkin was banged up when he fell into the boards in Tuesday’s practice. He returned in a no-contact jersey on Thursday and told reporters all tests were negative and he’ll be in the lineup for the season opener on Saturday.
Larkin (undisclosed) playing in the season opener is “a definite possibility.”
Larkin left Tuesday’s practice early but head coach Jeff Blashill said that the injury is not significant and he could play in Saturday’s opener. This is obviously huge news for the Red Wings, but monitor their No.1 centres status over the next few days.
The Blackhawks have signed Alex DeBrincat to a three-year extension worth $19.2 million ($6.4M AAV).
DeBrincat was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2019-20 season but gets his bridge deal before playing a game. DeBrincat scored 41 goals with 35 assists while shooting 18.6 percent with an 11.4 on-ice SH%.
Larkin will be evaluated after leaving Tuesday’s practice early.
Larkin went down along the boards in what head coach Jeff Blashill described as “fairly innocent” but was forced to leave early. Larkin will be evaluated on Tuesday and the Red Wings will likely release more information on his status on Wednesday.
Simek (leg) is not expected to be ready for the season opener (Oct.2).
Simek is expected to resume practicing soon but is expected to miss the season opener vs. the Golden Knights. With Simek’s status in question, the Sharks may open the season with a third-pairing of Mario Ferraro and Dalton Prout.
The Avalanche have re-signed Sheldon Dries to a one-year contract.
Dries split his 2019 campaign between the Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Eagles (AHL). During his time in the NHL, the 25-year-old centre had three goals and three assists in 40 games. Dries will likely be a fringe NHLer to start the 2020 season. The P-E Bellemare signing this offseason will likely push him back to the NHL to start though.
The Jets have signed Andrew Copp to a two-year contract worth $4.56 million ($2.28M AAV).
Copp was awarded a $2.28M AAV contract by an independent arbitrator and is signed through the 2021 season. Copp missed 13 games last year but had a career-high 11 goals to go along with 14 assists while ranking third among Jets forwards in SH TOI/GM (1:22).
The Avalanche signed J.T. Compher to a four-year deal worth $14.0 million ($3.5M AAV).
Compher set career-highs in goals (16), assists (16) and points (32) in 66 games last season. Compher averaged 17:29 TOI/gm but carried a -4.1 relative CorsiFor% but will likely get bumped down the depth chart following the addition of Nazem Kadri this summer. Compher should settle in as Colorado’s third line centre and could thrive against the oppositions’ bottom-6.
The Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to three-year, entry-level contract.
The Rangers signed Danny O’Regan to a one-year, $700K contract.
The Canadiens have signed Ben Chiarot to a three-year deal worth $10.5M ($3.5M AAV).
The Oilers have re-signed Alex Chiasson to a two-year contract worth $4.3M ($2.15M AAV).
The Flames have signed Cam Talbot to a one-year deal worth $2.75M.
The Blues have signed Nolan Stevens to a one-year extension worth $700K.
Stevens was a fifth-round pick (No.125 overall) in 2016 and turned pro in 2019. The 22-year-old played four years at Northeastern University, finishing third on the team in points (42) in his final season (2018). Stevens had nine goals and nine assists (18 points) in 59 games with San Antonio (AHL) this year.
With the No.6 Pick in the 2019 NHL Draft the Detroit Red Wings select Moritz Seider.
Goalie Start
Gibson will start Friday vs. the Kings.
Gibson stopped 30 of 31 shots in the Ducks win in Edmonton last Saturday. Gibson started the year strong and is finishing strong, winning three in a row and seven of his last eight while posting a 2.50 GAA and .925 SV%. The Ducks did him no justice this season but Gibson has won at least 25 games in three straight seasons now and should be a top goalie target heading into 2019-20.
Line Change
Watson will return to the Predators lineup on Tuesday.
Watson will play in his first NHL games since January 23rd after completing his suspension and injury loan with Milwaukee (AHL). The 27-year-old has 13 points (7G / 6A) in 34 NHL games this season and had four goals in two games during his AHL loan.
