Tomasek is an undrafted 29-year-old forward who signed with the Oilers towards the end of last season. He is slated to make his NHL debut and could get a look on the Oilers' electric top powerplay unit, where he spent some time during the preseason. Tomasek scored 57 points (24G / 33A) in 47 games with Farjestads BK Karlstad (SweHL) last season.

Olivier-Joseph split time last season between the St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins, averaging 15:16 time-on-ice and scoring three points (0G / 3A) in 47 games. The 26-year-old defenseman adds some depth to the Canucks' blueline but may have to wait to make his team debut as he recovers from injury.

Haight was the 47th overall pick of Minnesota in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old forward has yet to play an NHL game. He scored 34 points (20G / 14A) in 67 AHL games with the Iowa Wild last season.

Power has been absent from most of Buffalo's training camp due to an undisclosed injury, but could be ready for their season opener on Thursday against the New York Rangers. The 22-year-old Power is coming off a career-best season in 2024-25, scoring 40 points (7G / 33A) in 79 games. With Rasmus Dahlin locked into Buffalo's top powerplay unit, Power will likely spend most of the season quarterbacking the second unit upon his return.

The Canucks recalled Mancini, who is expected to be on their opening night roster on the third defensive pair alongside Elias Nils Pettersson. The 23-year-old Mancini played a career-high 16 games with the Canucks last season, scoring three points (1G / 2A).

Zuccarello will likely not be an option for Minnesota until late November, as he is recovering from a lower-body injury. The 38-year-old Zuccarello has remained productive for Minnesota, playing primarily alongside Kirill Kaprizov, including scoring 54 points (19G / 35A) in 69 games last season. Zuccarello's absence creates an opening in Minnesota's top six, which the team hopes can be filled by Vladimir Tarasenko, who is currently occupying a spot in the top six and on the top powerplay unit.

The start to Sturm's tenure in Minnesota has been delayed due to injury, as he will be sidelined for at least one week after being placed on Injured Reserve and is now expected to miss "a significant amount of time," according to Minnesota's Head Coach. After winning a cup with Florida in 2024-25, Sturm signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Minnesota in the offseason. He is coming off a seven-goal, 14-point campaign across 62 games with both San Jose and Florida in 2024-25.

Starting their 2025-26 season with a back-to-back, the Canadiens will turn to Dobes between the pipes on the tail-end against the Detroit Red Wings. Dobes established himself as a serviceable netminder last season, outdueling Cayden Primeau to secure sole possession of backup duties behind Samuel Montembeault. The 24-year-old Dobes posted a 2.74 GAA, .909 SV%, and one shutout in 16 appearances (7-4-3) last season, his first taste of NHL action.

The Canadiens will start their 2025-26 campaign by turning to Montembeault between the pipes on the front end of a back-to-back set. The Canadiens are coming off a successful season in which they snuck into the playoffs, aided by a strong campaign from Montembeault, who posted a 2.82 GAA, a .901 SV%, and four shutouts in 62 appearances (31-24-7). The Canadiens will start the season on the road, entering their contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs as +135 underdogs.

Despite being absent from practice on Tuesday due to personal matters, Marchenko will suit up for the season-opening contest on Thursday against the Nashville Predators. The 25-year-old Marchenko had a breakout 2024-25 campaign, posting 74 points (31G / 43A) in 79 contests. He is expected to start the 2025-26 season on a line with Sean Monahan and Dmitri Voronkov.

Silovs was acquired in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks in the offseason to battle with Tristan Jarry for the Penguins' crease and appears to have a head start on opening night as he will tend the twine against the New York Rangers. The 24-year-old Silovs has limited NHL experience, having played a career-high 10 games with Vancouver last season (2-6-1), posting a 3.65 GAA and a .861 SV%. Expect the Penguins to alternate starts between their goaltenders unless one can establish themselves as the undisputed starter. The Penguins enter Tuesday's contest against the Rangers as +194 road underdogs.

Afanasyev was battling for an opening night roster spot on the Sharks but will likely start the 2025-26 campaign sidelined due to a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the KHL, where he scored 21 points (7G / 14A) in 53 games with CSKA Moscow. He is considered day-to-day.

Thompson is battling a lower-body injury and will likely be unavailable for San Jose's season opener after being announced day-to-day on Tuesday. The 23-year-old defenseman played a career-high 31 games with the Sharks last season, tallying 10 points (4G / 6A).

Benn suffered a collapsed lung after a hit during a preseason game and is expected to be reevaluated at the end of October. The 36-year-old is entering his 17th NHL season and has only missed two games across the previous four years. In 2024-25, he had 16 goals, 49 points and 70 PIMs in 80 games played.

Erne joined the Stars for a PTO in training camp and has been rewarded with a one-year, two-way contract. With Jamie Benn and Oskar Back both on Injured Reserve, Erne could have an opportunity to crack the Stars' opening night roster on the fourth line. The 30-year-old Erne last played in the NHL in the 2023-24 season and has 91 points (41G / 50A) in 379 career games.

Samuelsson reaggravated an upper-body injury, sidelining him midway through training camp, but he could be ready to play in Buffalo's season opener after originally being ruled out. The 24-year-old is entering his sixth season with Buffalo after putting up career highs in goals (4), points (14), and games played (62) in 2024-25.

Woll has been away from the Maple Leafs for the past two weeks, tending to personal matters, and has no timeline to return. Woll started in exactly half of Toronto's games last season, posting a 2.73 GAA and .909 SV%, and was likely poised to see similar totals in 2025-26. The Maple Leafs claimed Cayden Primeau off waivers yesterday, but the crease should belong almost exclusively to Anthony Stolarz until Woll returns.

Sundqvist exited practice on Sunday due to a lower-body injury and has not practiced since. Blues' GM Doug Armstrong ruled Sundqvist out of the lineup for the next three games but isn't expecting the injury to linger for more than a week. The 31-year-old Sundqvist has 164 points (62G / 102A) in 493 career games.

Roy exited Saturday's preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets due to an upper-body injury and was absent from practice on Monday, but has confirmed he is good to go for the Capitals' season opener on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Roy is slated to start the season on Washington's second defensive pair alongside Rasmus Sandin after putting up 24 points (3G / 1A) in 69 games last season.