Kylington has failed to record a point while averaging 11:59 TOI/gm through three games this season. Michael Stone is expected to replace Kylington on the third-pair on Thursday.

Georgiev had a solid rookie campaign, going 14-13-4 with a 2.91 GAA and .914 SV% in 33 games as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup. Depending on how King Henrik plays, Georgiev could be in-line for an even bigger workload in his second full-season. Overall, he has a .915 SV% in 39 career starts and is a solid spot-start option against a bad Senators team.

de Haan has been questionable leading up to the Blackhawks season opener in Prague but was officially ruled out a few hours prior to puck-drop. Dennis Gilbert will play in his second career NHL game in de Haan's spot on the Blackhawks blueline.

Rantanen missed training camp because of a contract holdout but was back on the ice with the Avalanche on Monday. After his first practice session, head coach Jared Bednar said that his star right-winger will play Thursday. Rantanen is scheduled to skate on the top-line with Nathan Mackinnon and Gabriel Landeskog and should have no issues topping 80 points for the third consecutive season.

Rantanen and the Avalanche came down to the wire but finally came to terms on a six-year deal. The soon-to-be 23-year old has posted back-to-back 80-plus point seasons, including 31 goals and 56 assists last year. He is expected to re-join the Avalanche and should be available for their season opener on Thursday.

The former No.10 overall pick (2013) struggled mightily in 2019 after returning from a two-year stint in the KHL. Nichushkin failed to record a goal while compiling just 10 assists in 57 games with the Stars and has just 74 points (23G / 51A) in 223 career NHL games with Dallas. This is a low-risk signing for the Avalanche and Nichushkin has a chance to produce in a quality bottom-6 that improved this summer.

Girard posted a career-high with 27 points (4G / 23A) in 82 games last season. Girard will be the man in Colorado to start 2020 following the trade of Tyson Barrie. However, Cale Makar could quickly elevate up the depth chart but Girard will likely play on the top-pair and second power-play to open the season.

Kamenev only appeared in 25 combined games last year after suffering a shoulder injury in mid-December. Kamenev had just two goals and three assists (five points) in 23 games with the Avalanche and will likely start 2020 on their fourth line.

Hudon spent the entire 2019 season with the Canadiens but appeared in just 32 games and picked up just five points (3G / 2A). It was a disappointing year for Hudon, who had 30 points in 2018. With Ryan Poehling and Nick Suzuki pushing for the NHL, Hudon will likely be an extra forward to start 2020.

Nichushkin has been a huge disappointment for the Stars since selecting him No.10 overall in 2013. Nichushkin failed to live up to expectations early in his career before going to the KHL for two years (2017 and 2018). He returned to the NHL last year but did not score a goal while collecting just 10 assists in 57 games. Nichushkin has one-year left on his deal that carries a $2.95M cap-hit (per PuckPedia).

MacDonald had one goal in two games with the Panthers last year but spend most of the season in Springfield (AHL). The 26-year-old led all Thunderbirds’ defensemen in goals (14) and points (43) in 72 games. MacDonald is likely headed to the AHL to start 2020 as well.

In his first and only season with the Hurricanes, de Haan registered one goal with 13 assists (14 points) in 74 gmaes. It was the worst statistical season of de Haan’s 378-game career. The 28-year-old has three year’s left with $4.55M cap-hit and represents the second offseason addition to the Blackhawks blueline—they acquired Olli Maatta from the Penguins just over a week ago.

Kiviranta, 23, was an undrafted free agent from Finland, who had 16 goals and 15 assists (31 points) in 48 games with Sport Vaasa of the Finnish Elite League.

Francouz just finished his first full professional season in North America, going 27-20-1 with a 2.68 GAA and .918 SV% in 49 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL). The 28-year-old Czech netminder also appeared in two games with the Avalanche, stopping 33 of the 35 shots (.943 SV%) he faced in 61 minutes of play. Francouz is expected to start the 2019-20 season with the Eagles.

Wagner played in the first two games of the series, registering four shots while averaging 13:00 TOI/gm. Wagner will be replaced by Karson Kuhlman in Game 3.

Girard suffered an upper-body injury in Game 2 in Calgary and missed the next three games. With Girard returning to the lineup, the Avalanche are expected to go with 11 forwards and seven defenseman but it remains unclear whether Girard or Cale Makar will quarterback the second power-play unit—they alternated in Thursday’s practice.

Wagner has been a healthy scratch since Game 5 vs. Toronto but will replace Karson Kuhlman in Game 1 vs. Columbus. Wagner, who is an effective fourth liner, had no points and just five shots in five games against the Maple Leafs.

Girard is dealing with an injury, missed the morning skate and will not play in Game 3 vs. the Flames. Luckily for the Avalanche, they signed top prospect Cale Makar on Sunday and he will replace Girard in the lineup and on the second power-play unit.