Luostarinen missed the first three games of the season with an undisclosed injury but will play Thursday vs. the Avalanche. Luostarinen will replace Joe Thornton on the fourth line and skate with Frank Vatrano and Mason Marchment.
Tkachuk sat out the first few games of the season after signing on Senators' opening night. Tonight he will replace Parker Kelly in the lineup and return to the top line with Josh Norris and Drake Batherson.
Tkachuk will sit out for a third straight game, which will give him a few days to skate with his teammates next week before Thursday’s game vs. the Sharks.
Tkachuk signed on Thursday and missed the season opener and will sit out for a second straight game on Saturday. Head coach DJ Smith said that they will consider him tomorrow but it's more likely that he will make his season debut on Thursday.
Tkachuk signed a seven-year extension with the Senators this afternoon but is not expected to play in their season opener. Look for Tkachuk to make his season debut Saturday in Toronto.
Tkachuk and the Senators have agreed to terms on a seven-year deal on the day of their first game of the season. Tkachuk is a fantasy force, combining for 80 points (38G / 42A), 479 shots and 551 hits in 127 games over the last two seasons--that extrapolates to 25 goals, 27 assists, 309 shots and 355 hits over 82 games.
Bennett was forced to miss Saturday's preseason game due to COVID-19 protocol but was back on the ice for Monday's practice session. This is a good sign for his availability for the Panthers' season opener vs. the Penguins on Thursday.
Barkov is entering the final year of a six-year, $35.4M deal and is now signed through the 2030 NHL season. The $10.0M AAV cap-hit for Barkov represents a $4.1M AAV raise for the 26-year-old. Barkov is coming off of a season in which he scored 26 goals with 32 assists (58 points) in 50 games.
Gadjovich was a second-round pick of the Canucks in 2017 but has played just one NHL game since. The 22-year-old winger has spent all of his time in the AHL, where he had 15 goals and three assists (18 points) in 19 games a season ago.
Bennett's career with the Flames did not go as planned but he paid immediate dividends once arriving in Florida. The 25-year-old had 15 points (6G / 9A) in 10 regular seasons games and five points (1G / 4A) in five playoff games. Bennett seems to have solidified the Panthers' 2C role behind Aleksander Barkov and signed for a very affordable $4.4M AAV. Pairing up with Jonathan Huberdeau on the second line should help Bennett have his best season to date in 2021-22.
