Zuccarello left the morning skate early and is a question mark for Monday's game, according to head coach Dean Evason. Marco Rossi was scheduled to be a healthy scratch but he would suit up if Zuccarello can't play vs. the Avalanche.
Kuemper gets the nod Monday at home against the winless Vancouver Canucks. After struggling in an opening night loss, the 11-year veteran stood on his head Saturday vs Montreal, stopping 21 of 22 shots (.955 SV%) on way to his first win as a member of the Capitals. He will look to continue his early run of success as he improves on his .902 SV% in his third start of the season.
Forsberg will draw his second start of the early season after the Senators’ unexpectedly dropped their opening matchup against Buffalo 4-1. Forsberg played incredible in his first action of 2022-23 stopping 32 of 34 shots on way to collecting the unfortunate loss. He will have the tough task of taking on the high flying Maple Leaf's Saturday in Toronto.
Kuemper will be looking to bounce back in his second start of 2022-23 after allowing four goals on 29 shots in an opening-night loss. The winless Capitals (0-2-0) will be hoping to get their first point of the early season off the back of their $6 Million AAV offseason signing.
Clarke was the No.8 overall pick in 2021 and registered 59 points (11G / 48A) in 55 OHL games in 2022. Clarke, who will replace Sean Durzi and skate with Alex Edler, had two assists in four pre-season games.
Anton Forsberg will lead the Senators between the crease as they take on a favourable matchup in Buffalo Wednesday night on the road. Forsberg is coming off a strong 2021-22 where he finished eighth in save percentage (.917 Sv%) across the NHL with 22 Wins and a 2.82 GAA. The Senators are without back-to-back games for their first 18 games of the season, meaning Forsberg could be in for a workhorse amount of action while Ottawa waits for Cam Talbot to return from an upper-body injury.
Darcy Kuemper will make his Capitals debut Wednesday as he leads Washington between the pipes at home against Boston. Fresh off a Stanley Cup victory in 2021-22, Kuemper joins Washington after finishing fourth in league Wins (37), fifth in SV% (.921), 11th in GAA (2.54) and fourth in Shutouts (5).
The Canadiens announced on Sunday that Armia will miss one-to-two weeks, so moving him to IR means he'll for sure miss seven days. Juraj Slafkovsky will open the season with the Canadiens, which could change once Armia is back and in need of a roster spot.
Edmundson's rehab for his lower-back injury is progressing, but there's still no timeline for his return to the Canadiens lineup. Edmundson skated before Monday's practice but has yet to join his teammates for a team session.
Missing one to two weeks would mean that Armia would miss at least three games. The injury opens the door for No.1 overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky to start the season with the Canadiens.
Perunovich was injured on September 27th and will undergo surgery this week and will be re-evaluated in six months. The injury effectively ends Perunovich's season unless the Blues want him to make his season debut in the playoffs after a lengthy layoff.
Edmundson's injury is related to the back problems he had during the 2021-22 season. According to the Canadiens' head coach Martin St. Louis, Edmundson is considered out indefinitely because they "don't have enough details yet."
Perunovich was excellent in his first AHL season, posting 22 points (3G / 19A) in 17 games before being promoted to the NHL. He had six assists in 19 games before undergoing left wrist surgery in March. Perunovich may start the 2022-23 season in the AHL and have to work his way back to the NHL.
Haula is headed into the second year of a two-year deal that carries a $2.375M cap hit. With Zacha in need of a new contract as an RFA, Haula provides some cost certainty for the Devils ahead of the free agency window opening. Haula had 18 goals and 26 assists (44 points) in 78 games with the Bruins in 2022.
The Kings acquired Fiala from the Wild on Wednesday and signed him to a massive seven-year extension, which represents a $2.775M AAV raise for the Swiss winger. Fiala will play a huge role in Los Angeles, next to either Anze Kopitar or Phillip Danault, both spots could allow him to build off of his career-best 2022 season.
