Sorokin will be tasked with facing last season's highest-scoring team in the Florida Panthers for the Islanders opening night battle. The 25-year-old Russian netminder will be looking to continue his hot run of form as he finished 2021-22 third in SV% (.923%), fourth in GAA (2.40) on his way to finishing sixth in Vezina voting.
Mayfield was sidelined last week with an illness but was back at practice on Wednesday and is expected to play on Thursday. Mayfield had three goals and 15 assists (18 points) in 61 games a season ago.
Clutterbuck still hasn't returned to practice since undergoing shoulder surgery in April. According to head coach Lane Lambert, "it's still the status quo" for Clutterbuck. Nikita Soshnikov was skating in Clutterbuck's spot on the Islanders' fourth line.
Barzal enters the final year of his three-year, $21.0M ($7.0M AAV) deal and gets a $2.15M AAV raise to remain with the team through the 2031 season. Barzal dazzled as a rookie, posting 85 points (22G / 63A) in 82 games but has averaged just 67 points per 82 games in four years since.
The Maple Leafs are waiting for Engvall to be re-evaluated before they give a specific timeline on his expected return. Reports suggest that it's likely that Engvall could miss some time to begin the 2022-23 season. Toronto should be well equipped to handle his absence with many depth signings/PTOs in camp.
Highmore played the last two seasons with the Canucks, posting 12 points (5G / 7A) in 46 games a season ago. Signing a two-way contract with the Blues suggests he'll start the 2022-23 season in Springfield (AHL).
Duclair, who set new career-highs in goals (31), assists (27) and points (58) during the 2022 season is expected to be out for the first-half of the 2022-23 season after undergoing surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury. His injury could open the door for someone like Grigori Denisenko to make the Panthers out of training camp.
