The Golden Knights signed their RFA defenseman the day before the season started, so he will not play since he's been away from the team during the preseason. Hague was training with the Kitchener Rangers (OHL) during training camp. The 23-year-old had four goals and 10 assists (14 points) in 52 games a season ago.
Samsonov will get his first start as a member of the Maple Leafs a night after they dropped a 4-3 battle to the Canadiens in Montreal. The 25-year-old joins Toronto after three up-and-down seasons in Washington where he collected 52 Wins and a .902 SV% throughout 79 Games started. He will look to solidify the Maple Leaf's crease after Matt Murray gave up four goals on 23 shots the night prior.
The 23-year-old defenseman has collected 10 goals and 42 points across 142 games in three years with the Vegas Golden Knights. In 2021-22, he averaged a career-high 18:40 average time-on-ice on way to finishing third among Vegas defensemen with 116 shots on goal. He enters the 2022-23 season expected to be paired on the Golden Knights' third pair alongside Zach Whitecloud.
Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon announced Thursday that Patrick would miss the entire season due to an upper-body injury. Patrick, who was the No.2 overall pick in 2017, has struggled with migraine issues in his career. The 24-year-old had just seven points (2G / 5A) in 25 games last season.
Foo was highly sought after when he turned pro in 2018 after a 62-point season at Union College. He signed with the Flames but only appeared in four NHL games and ultimately left for Kunlun Red Star (KHL) in 2020. He spent the last three years playing for the Chinese team, leading them with 33 points (14G / 19A) in 48 games last season.
Manninen will be coming to North America for the first time in his lengthy career. The 30-year-old forward led Ufa Salavat Yulayev (KHL) in goals (19) and was second in points (32) in 38 games a season ago. He was also tied for the tournament lead with seven points in six games at the Olympics, winning gold with Finland.
Rondbjerg nearly split his time evenly between the NHL and AHL in 2022. With the Golden Knights he played almost exclusively on the fourth line, posting six points (2G / 4A) in 30 games while averaging just 10:01 TOI/gm. Entering 2022-23, Rondbjerg will likely be vying for one of the final roster spots on the Golden Knights' opening night roster.
Howden was originally not qualified by the Golden Knights but ended up signing a one-year deal to stay with the team. Howden, who was a first-round pick in 2016, has never lived up to the offensive potential he flashed in the WHL. He's played almost exclusively as a fourth-line centre and will likely continue to do so in 2022-23.
In his first three NHL seasons, Olofsson has averaged 24 goals and 32 assists (56 points) per 82 games. Olofsson finished the 2021-22 season on a heater, scoring 13 goals with 12 assists (25 points) in his final 28 games.