Tavares sustained a broken finger late in the Maple Leafs’ loss to the Capitals on Wednesday. Tavares will be out for at least two weeks and will be re-evaluated by the medical staff at that point. This is obviously a massive blow for the Maple Leafs and a rarity for Tavares, who has only missed a combined nine games over the last five seasons.
Dahlstrom has not recorded a point and is a minus-2 while play 22:04 ATOI in his first two games with the Jets. Dmitry Kulikov (personal) will replace Dahlstrom on Thursday.
Dahlstrom was originally selected in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft and has appeared in 49 NHL games over the last two seasons. The 24-year-old has spent most of his time in the AHL, where he had eight points (1G / 7A) in 22 games last year but will serve as an extra defenseman in Winnipeg this season.
Ekman-Larsson has been held off of the ice with the flu but head coach Rick Tocchet said that he’s on “the back end of it” now, which suggests that he’ll be available for the season opener on Thursday. Arizona added some quality offensive pieces this offseason, which should help boost Ekman-Larsson’s numbers this season.
Robertson was selected with the No.53 overall pick in 2019 after scoring 27 goals with 28 assists (55 points) in 54 games with the Peterborough Petes (OHL).
Carlo was the last of the Bruins RFA’s to sign and earned himself a $2.85M AAV contract after recorded 10 points (2G / 10A) in 72 games a season ago. The 6-foot-5, 212 lbs. defenseman has become a physical shutdown defenseman that the Bruins can rely on to eat up heavy minutes (20:55 ATOI) next to Torey Krug.
McCabe appeared in less than 60 games for the second straight season, posting 14 points (4G / 10A) in 59 games in his fourth full year in Buffalo. On the defensive-side of the puck, McCabe averaged 1.7 hits and 1.7 blocked shots per game while ranking third among Sabres’ defensemen in SH TOI/gm (2:09) and fifth in total ice-time (18:57).
Lettieri spent most of the 2019 season in the AHL, ranking fourth among Hartford skaters with 48 points (23G / 25A) in 48 games. He played sparingly with the Rangers, picking up just three points (1G / 2A) in 27 games. The Rangers added some big names up front this offseason, likely pushing Lettieri back to the AHL to start 2020.
Roy was selected in the fourth-round (No.96 overall) in the 2015 NHL draft. Since then, Roy has appeared in just seven career NHL games but is coming off of a 17-goal, 19-assist (36 points) season with Charlotte (AHL). Roy will likely start in Chicago (AHL) given the depth of the Golden Knights lineup.
Shaw spent the entire season in the AHL, where led the Manitoba Moose in goals (27) and was second in points (46). The former third-round pick has now been with a handful of different franchises since being drafted by the Panthers in 2011 but will stick with the Jets for at least one more season. Shaw has 12 goals and 19 assists (31 points) in 180 career NHL games with the Panthers, Ducks and Canadiens.
Stolarz allowed one goal on 17 shots after coming in in relief in the Oilers 5-1 loss to the Ducks on March 30th. Since joining the Oilers, Stolarz has gone 0-1-0 with a 4.00 GAA and .898 SV% in one start and four relief appearances. The Sharks have lost nine of their last 10 (1-8-1) but remain a very difficult test for Stolarz this evening.
Muzzin continues to battle an illness and will miss his second straight game on Thursday. Luckily for the Maple Leafs, Jake Gardiner will make his return from a back injury and will step into Muzzin’s spot on the second pairing.
Muzzin was listed as a game-time decision last night but ended up playing but will not be in the lineup vs. the Hurricanes. Martin Marincin will replace him on the Maple Leafs' blueline.
