Boqvist took a puck to the face in the Panthers' season opener and had to leave after just 4:38 TOI. He missed Thursday's game in Ottawa but will be back in the lineup in Buffalo. Boqvist will be one of the Panthers' seven defensemen in the lineup but will serve as the quarterback on their top power-play unit.

Patrick Roy favored Varlamov last season after taking over the Islanders' head coaching duties and appears to be doing so again, likely turning to Varlamov for consecutive games to start the season. The 36-year-old Varlamov was great last season, posting a 2.60 GAA and .918 SV% in 28 games (14-8-4), but struggled in the Islanders season opener on Thursday, allowing five goals on 26 shots (.808 SV%) in 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club.

Boqvist returned to Florida's morning skate on Thursday but will be out with an upper-body injury after taking a puck high and leaving the Panthers' previous game early. The 24-year-old has battled unfortunate injuries throughout his entire six-year career and will be replaced by Nate Schmidt on Thursday. Head Coach Paul Maurice stated he felt good about Boqvist's return in Florida's next game on Saturday.

Sorokin underwent back surgery in the offseason and, despite being ready to play, will serve as the backup to Semyon Varlamov in the Islanders' season opener on Thursday. Last season, after Patrick Roy became head coach of the Islanders, Sorokin's workload decreased dramatically. Sorokin had a poor campaign by his standards, posting a 3.01 GAA and .908 SV%, and will need to improve to his Vezina-caliber numbers of years past if he plans to regain the trust of the coach as one of the premier netminders in the league.

Ilya Sorokin has fully recovered from offseason back surgery but will start the season backing up Varlamov, as he did for much of the stretch run and into the playoffs last season. Varlamov has a report with head coach Patrick Roy from their days with the Colorado Avalanche and could find himself in a position to garner more starts again this season if his play warrants it. The 36-year-old Varlamov is coming off a solid 2023-24 campaign, posting a .260 GAA and .918 SV% in 28 games (14-8-4).

Boqvist took a clearing attempt to the face while the Panthers' were on the power play in the first period of Tuesday's game vs. the Bruins. This is a tough break for the often injured Boqvist, who had a great opportunity starting on the Panthers' PP1 to open the season. Aaron Ekblad took over for Boqvist on that unit.

Sorokin missed the start of training camp after undergoing offseason back surgery but GM Lou Lamoriello said that "he's ready" for the start of the season. It's still unclear if Sorokin or Semyon Varlamov will get the start but it's good news that Sorokin won't miss any time to start the year.

Sorokin's return date is still unclear after the 29-year-old successfully underwent back surgery in the offseason. However, he had some incredibly positive signs on Thursday after he returned to Islanders' practice in full for the first time. The four-year NHL veteran claimed he felt good during the skate and is hopeful to be back shortly. Sorokin endured one of the roughest seasons of his professional career in 2023-24, posting a 25-19-12 record with a 3.01 GAA and .909 SV%.

Islanders' GM Lou Lamoriello said that Sorokin could miss the first couple of days of training camp but there's no concern about his injury extending into the regular season. Sorokin will be looking to bounce-back in 2024-25, after posting career worsts in GAA (3.01) and SV% (.908) in 56 games last season.

Holmstrom waited to sign his contract after heading into the offseason as a RFA and has agreed on a one-year, $850,000 contract with New York on Tuesday. The 23-year-old right-winger was New York's 2019 1st round pick (23rd overall) and had a solid second NHL season in 2023-24 with 15 goals, 25 points, 72 SOG and 14 PIMs in 75 games played.

Beckman's rights were acquired from the Wild in late June and he signs a one-year, two-way deal with the Devils. The 23-year-old spent most of 2024 in the AHL, where he had 33 points (19G / 14A) in 51 games with the Iowa Wild. During his 11-game stint with Minnesota, Beckman had two assists, 10 SOG, 13 hits and three blocked shots.

The Islanders selected Pulkkinen with the No.54 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old blueliner spent most of 2024 in Finland's top league, posting eight points (2G / 6A) in 29 games with JYP Jyväskylä.

Boqvist was the No.8 overall pick in 2018 and was a key part of the return for Seth Jones in 2021. In three seasons with the Blue Jackets, Boqvist saw his games played decline in each season, most recently posting just 10 points (1G / 9A) in 35 games. With the Panthers, expect him to start in the AHL but be one of the first defensemen called upon when they need reinforcements.

Ritchie was the No.27 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old forward had 80 points (28G / 52A) in 50 games with the Oshawa Generals (OHL) last season and added another 30 points (8G / 22A) in 21 playoff games.

Duclair will join his ninth NHL team in 11 seasons after he signed a four-year deal worth $14.0 million ($3.5M AAV) with the Islanders on Monday. The 28-year-old went on a nice run with Tampa Bay after being acquired at last year's trade deadline, with 15 points in 17 games to add to his 24 goals and 42 points in 73 games played on the season.

Reilly will remain with the Islanders after a successful first campaign with New York in 2023-24 and has earned himself a one-year deal worth $1.25 million. The 30-year-old was claimed off waivers from Florida early on during the 2023-24 season but bounced back positively by picking up six goals, 24 points and 28 PIMs in 59 games with New York.

Boqvist was expected to earn $2.6 million in 2024-25 but has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purposes of buyout on Sunday by Columbus. The 23-year-old defender was drafted by Chicago back in the 1st round (8th overall) of the 2018 Draft and was a key piece in the trade which sent Seth Jones to the Blackhawks. Boqvist appeared in 35 games with the Blue Jackets in 2023-24 and had one goal, 10 points, 45 SOG and a -8 plus/minus.

New Jersey made another offseason move on Friday as they traded forward Adam Beckman for defenseman Graeme Clarke with the Minnesota Wild. The 23-year-old has appeared in 23 games sparsely across three seasons with Minnesota and had no goals, three assists, 14 PIMs and 26 shots on goal.