Demko will lead the Canucks for his fifth career NHL season. He is coming off a career year in 2021-22 where he finished with a career-best 33 wins, .915 SV% and 2.72 GAA.
Kravtsov left Tuesday's game in the first period and did not return. He will not make the trip to Minnesota or Winnipeg but could be back for next week's game vs. Anaheim. Alexis Lafreniere moved up to the second line after Kravtsov left the game.
Boeser underwent hand surgery in late September and is expected to be back one week earlier than originally expected. Boeser skated on the top line with J.T. Miller and Tanner Pearson and on the second power-play unit in Tuesday's practice.
Hughes missed several practices with a non-COVID illness but was back on the ice for Tuesday's session. While he's expected to play in the season opener, monitor Hughes' status during the morning skate.
Blueger continues to battle an undisclosed injury that he suffered on September 28th. Blueger was not on the ice of Monday's practice, so look for Ryan Poehling to centre the fourth line if he's unavailable for the season opener on Thursday.
Kevin Lankinen will get the start between the pipes Saturday in Prague. He will get his first start as a Predator after posting a .901 SV% in 69 Career games played with the Chicago Blackhawks across two seasons. He will look to continue the Predators' winning ways after they won the inaugural game of the season 4-1 on Friday.
Myers was not on the ice for Thursday's practice, and the Canucks announced on Thursday that he would miss at least two weeks. Based on the timeline, expect Myers to miss anywhere from five-to-11 games. Kyle Burroughs or Christian Wolanin are expected to take Myers' spot in the lineup for the season opener.
Boeser suffered a hand injury in Saturday's training camp session and underwent surgery on Monday. Boeser is expected to miss the first 1-to-2 weeks of the regular season. Boeser's injury will open the door for someone like Conor Garland or Nils Hoglander to move up into the Canucks' top-6 for a short period of time.
MacEachern played four years with the Blues, scoring 11 goals with eight assists (19 points) in 111 games. He played most of 2022 in the AHL, tallying 25 points (12G / 13A) in 47 games with Springfield. In Carolina, he'll likely be a fringe roster player again and could start the season in the AHL.
Sherwood has had stints with the Ducks and Avalanche since turning pro in 2018, appearing in a combined 87 career NHL games, posting 18 points (7G / 11A). With the Predators he'll likely remain a fringe roster player that will excel during his time in the AHL--he was third in the league in goals (36) and sixth in points (75) in 2022.
Lankinen spent his first two NHL seasons in Chicago, where he was solid in 2021 but struggled in 2022. Last season he was 8-15-6 with a 3.50 GAA and .891 SV% in 32 games. Heading to Nashville, he'll battle with Connor Ingram for the backup role behind Juuse Saros.
After some off-the-ice issues ended his tenure in San Jose, Kane landed with the Oilers in the middle of the 2022 season and he flourished. The 30-year-old power forward scored 22 goals with 17 assists (39 points) in 43 games and was over a point-per-game during their postseason run, scoring 13 goals with four assists (17 points) in 15 games. Kane played 62.8 percent of his regular-season 5v5 ice-time with Connor McDavid, foreshadowing what his usage may be like next season. He was on pace for 42 goals and 32 assists this season, suggesting he could be one of the best fantasy hockey wingers available in 2022-23.
Boeser was set to become an RFA after his three-year, $17.625M deal expired. His new-deal carries a $6.65M AAV cap-hit and carries him through the 2025 season. Boeser is coming off of his fourth 20-plus goal season and has at least 45 points in five straight seasons. His biggest issue has been health, missing 15 percent of the games since 2018.
The hit knocked Kadri out for at least the remainder of the series. Kane will miss Game 4, where the Oilers need a win to keep their season alive. Zach Hyman will likely skate with Connor McDavid with Kane unavailable.
