Tinordi failed to pick up a point in any of his three games played so far this season and will be a healthy scratch Monday as Chicago takes on Toronto. The 31-year-old defenseman is in his ninth NHL season after playing a career-high 44 games with Chicago in 2022-23. He will be replaced by Nikita Zaitsev in the Blackhawks lineup Monday.
Mantha's frustrating tenure with the Capitals continues as he is expected to be a healthy scratch on Monday night. He had zero points and failed to record a shot on goal in 11:52 time-on-ice in the Capitals' season-opener. He has 58 points (24G / 34A) in 119 games as a Capital and is expected to be replaced by Aliaksei Protas on the fourth line.
Klapka had a shot to make Calgary's opening night roster but has unfortunately been re-assigned to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) to start the 2023-24 season. The 23-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022-23. He returns to the Wranglers where he had 13 goals, 12 assists, 80 PIMs, and a +1 plus/minus in 60 games during his inaugural AHL season in 2022-23.
Pelletier is expected to be out long-term after undergoing shoulder surgery. Last season he made his NHL debut, recording seven points (3G / 4A) in 24 games for the Flames. In his absence, Dryden Hunt is expected to make the opening-night roster and center the 4th line for Calgary.
Rooney had an assist, 14 SOG, seven PIMs and a -2 plus/minus through 17 games played with Calgary in 2022-23 but will be forced to miss the start of the 2023-24 season as he is out long-term with an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old forward was expected to battle for one of the Flames' final roster spots but will be added to their injured reserve which is also occupied by Jakub Pelletier (shoulder surgery).
Backlund had 19 goals, 37 assists, 36 PIMs, 260 SOG, and a +24 plus/minus in 82 games in 2022-23 with Calgary and has signed a two-year contract extension worth $9.0 million ($4.5 million AAV). Along with the new contract, Backlund has been announced as the Flames' 21st Captain in team history. The 34-year-old centre is entering his 16th NHL season as a Flame and has 185 goals, 492 points and a +66 plus/minus in 908 career NHL games played.
Pelletier injured his left shoulder during a Flames pre-season game, and he will undergo surgery next week. Pelletier split his 2023 season between the AHL and NHL, picking up seven points (3G / 4A) in 24 games with the Flames. He was poised to fill a middle-6 role with the Flames this season, but that will no longer be the case.
Miromanov last appeared for the Golden Knights on December 31st, 2022 after he was forced to miss the remainder of the 2022-23 season with a lower-body injury and will be out long-term to start the 2023-24 campaign. The 26-year-old defenseman appeared in 14 games last season and picked up two goals, four assists, 22 SOG, two PIMs and a -6 plus/minus prior to his injury.
Bahl had two goals, six assists, 27 SOG, 35 PIMs and a +4 plus/minus through 42 games in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year, $2.1 million contract extension ($1,050,000 AAV). The towering 23-year-old defenseman was Arizona's 2018 second-round pick (55th overall) and will be entering his fourth season in New Jersey in 2023-24. Through his previous three, he has three goals, 11 assists, 48 SOG and 45 PIMs through 66 career games played.
Honzek was the Flames 2023 1st round selection (16th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract worth $950,000. The 18-year-old forward had 23 goals, 33 assists, 16 PIMs and a +17 plus/minus through 43 games with Vancouver (WHL) in 2022-23.
Kirkland appeared in seven games for Anaheim in 2022-23 but failed to pick up a point while getting five SOG and a -3 plus/minus and has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 AAV with Arizona. The 26-year-old centre was a third-round pick in 2014 (62nd overall) with Nashville and made his NHL debut last season and has therefore not picked up a point yet in his career.
Lyle was an undrafted free agent out of the OHL, who turned pro in 2021 and has spent the first three seasons of his career in the Bruins and Blues organizations. He has yet to crack the NHL, totalling 61 points (19G / 42A) in 139 AHL games with Providence and Springfield.
Pospisil was a fourth-round pick of the Flames in 2018 and he has played exclusively for their AHL team. In 2023, he finished the season with 10 points (4G / 6A) in just 20 games.
The 2023 season was a whirlwind for Hunt. He started the season with the Rangers, was claimed off of waivers by the Avalanche, traded to the Maple Leafs and then traded to the Flames. He finished the season with three goals in 37 NHL games and 24 points (9G / 15A) in 32 AHL games between the four franchises. He'll once again be a fringe NHLer for the Flames in 2024.
Cooley went 15-8-2 with a 2.93 GAA and .909 SV% in 26 games with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) in 2022-23. For the 2023-24 season, expect Cooley and Dustin Tokarski to handle most of the AHL duties for the Sabres.
Hanley had two assists, 14 SOG, 15 PIMs and a +5 plus/minus through 26 games with Dallas in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year contract extension worth $1.575 million ($787.5K AAV). The 32-year-old defensemen has spent the last five seasons in Dallas and has two goals, 24 points, 33 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through 151 career games played.
Pachal had two assists, 18 SOG, eight PIMs and a +2 plus/minus through 10 games in 2022-23 with Vegas and has signed a two-year, $1.55 Million contract extension ($775,000 AAV). The 23-year-old defenseman was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Golden Knights originally, and has played in 12 NHL games since.
Sharangovich was acquired on Tuesday as a part of the trade that sent Tyler Toffoli to the Devils. The 25-year-old forward saw his role diminish last season, and his offensive output drop as a result. In Calgary, he should serve as a middle-6 winger with 25-25 upside.
Sharangovich is a pending RFA that had just 30 points (13G / 17A) in 75 games in 2023. Sharangovich saw his minutes drop by over two minutes per game. The 25-year-old will likely play in a bottom-6 role, potentially on a line with Mikael Backlund in 2024.