Cody Goloubef was hurt in the morning skate, so Jaros comes up and will make his season debut on Friday. Jaros, who has six points (1G / 5A) in 14 AHL games this season, has registered 10 points (1G / 9A) in 63 career NHL games with Ottawa.
Olivier, who has seven points (2G / 5A) and 37 PIMS in 17 AHL games, was recalled on Monday and is expected to replace Kyle Turris in the lineup on Tuesday. Olivier is a 6-foot-1, 222 lbs. winger that will skate on the fourth line with Colton Sissons and Auston Watson.
Olivier has scored two goals with five assists in 17 games with Milwaukee this season. The undrafted free agent could make his NHL debut vs. the Jets on Tuesday.
White was a fourth-round pick in 2015 and appeared in three NHL games with the Devils last season. The 22-year-old defenseman, who has three assists in 15 AHL games this season, could make his season debut on Friday night. Sami Vatanen (upper-body) was moved to IR to make room for White.
Merzlikins went down to get some playing time with Cleveland but was called back up quicker than originally planned. Joonas Korpisalo struggled last week, so Merzlikins returns after one game and will start Tuesday.
Merzlikins was sent to Cleveland (AHL) late last week to get some playing time but returned quicker than originally planned because Joonas Korpisalo struggled in Colorado on Saturday. Merzlikins hasn't been great this year either, going 0-1-2 with a. 3.90 GAA and .882 SV%. The Canadiens are 5-3-0 with 3.50 goals per game in eight games in Montreal.
With Columbus heading out on a three-game road trip that does not have a back-to-back, Merzlikins heads to Cleveland just to get some playing time. The 25-year-old is 0-1-2 with the Blue Jackets so far this season and will get some AHL starts before likely returning to the NHL next week. Matiss Kivlenieks comes up to take his spot as the backup goalie.
Merzlikins stopped all 19 shots that he faced after replacing Joonas Korpisalo in the Blue Jackets loss to the Oilers on Wednesday. Tonight will be Merzlikins' first start since October 18th and he comes in having allowed a combined 10 goals on 92 shots (.891 SV%) in three appearances this season. Even without Vladimir Tarasenko, the Blues present a difficult road test--there are better options than Merzlikins tonight.
Nichushkin has just one assist in his first five games with the Avalanche and will rest Wednesday in Pittsburgh. J.T. Compher is returning from a lower-body injury, replacing Nichushkin in their bottom-6.
With Joonas Korpisalo starting the season opener vs. Toronto, it sets Merzlikins up for a date with the Pittsburgh Penguins in his NHL debut. The Blue Jackets have high hopes for the 2014 third-round pick, who turned in a .921 SV% in two straight seasons while playing with Lugano of the Swiss-A League. He will have spot-start value this season, but this is a tough spot for him.
With top prospect Ilya Samsonov ready to begin his NHL career, Copley was placed on waivers on Wednesday. After clearing, he was sent to Hershey for the first time since 2018, when he was 15-17-4 with a 2.91 GAA and .896 SV%.
Provorov and the Flyers wrap-up their RFA stalemate with a six-year extension that makes him the highest-paid defenseman on the team (per PuckPedia). After a breakout 2018 campaign, Provorov had a disappointing 26 points (7G / 19A) in 82 games last year. He has not missed a game in three years and is poised to lead the Flyers in ice-time again in 2020.
Werenski has been excellent since breaking into the NHL in 2017, scoring double-digit goals in all three seasons and 40-plus points in two out of three. Overall, he is 11th among defensemen in goals (27) and 24th in points (81) over that span.
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.
