Kent Johnson is one of the players that a lot of people feel can be a rookie of the year contender this season for Columbus. He certainly has the skills, it's just a matter of lineup slotting. There was a bit of a setback for him but should be back soon:

#CBJ kept Kent Johnson on the roster because they felt he deserved a spot after having a strong camp.
But he was expected to be an extra forward tonight vs. CAR and didn't need to clear waivers to go to @monstershockey, so that's how a spot was cleared to recall Jet Greaves.

1/2

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 12, 2022

This was done in response to Elvis Merzlikins missing the team's season opener due to illness and having Jet Greaves recalled. Johnson is exempt from waivers so he can be sent back and forth from the AHL.

This applies not only to him but players like Jake Neighbours in St. Louis and Nick Robertson in Toronto. According to Cap Friendly, over half the league is less than $300K away from the cap, which is less than half the league minimum. In other words, for a lot of rosters around the league, guys who are waiver exempt are going to be sent down whenever injuries or illness pop up. Teams don't want to lose players for nothing if they can help it. It just worries me when it comes to games played projections because in a cap-crunched league, guys who can avoid waivers are very valuable when the roster needs a bit of a shake-up.

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The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenceman Mattias Samuelsson to a seven-year extension:

Sammy szn 🤩

We have signed defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to a 7-year contract extension worth $30 million.

Details: https://t.co/zvrp56Fikz pic.twitter.com/hY4IXWz94C

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 12, 2022

Samuelsson's contract is not one that has many comparables, given that he has 54 career NHL games and zero goals to his name. Oscar Klefbom signed a long-term deal with just 77 games of his own, so that could be the upside for Buffalo here. If Samuelsson has the impact of (a healthy) Klefbom, this will be a home run sooner rather than later.

There are downsides, obviously. Buffalo needs to be confident that he can be a middle-pair blue liner for them or this turns into an anchor. The jury is still out on Jesperi Kotkaniemi in Carolina, but he was given a similar contract and with Vincent Trocheck gone, the pressure is mounting on him to fulfill his potential. Samuelsson won't have much pressure on him just yet but seeing signs of improvement this year will go a long way to settling the discourse a year or two down the road.    

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A quick Sean Couturier semi-update:

Chuck Fletcher said this is the best Sean Couturier has felt since pre-surgery.

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) October 12, 2022

We are not so far removed from Best Shape Of His Life discourse in the preseason, but given the nature of his injury, it warrants some optimism. It was just a month ago that there was some thought it could take months for Couturier to return. If he can be back sometime near the start of the season, the Flyers would certainly welcome it. There is still some distance between a media quote and skating in NHL games but we're off to a good start.

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Elmer Söderblom looks to have a tenuous hold on the third line in Detroit:

Red Wings Lines today:
Bertuzzi Larkin Raymond
Vrana Copp Perron
Söderblom Rasmussen Sundqvist
Erne Veleno Kubalik
Zadina / Suter

Chiarot Seider
Määttä Hronek
Hagg Lindstrom
Oesterle

— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) October 12, 2022

As has been reported in the media in Detroit a few times, there doesn't seem to be any set mix of players that will skate on the third and fourth lines consistently. Rather, there seems to be seven or eight forwards that will be in constant consideration for six roster spots. Here is another instance where being waivers-exempt may send a good player to the AHL, in lieu of the Red Wings risking losing someone to the waiver wire. Söderblom has impressed the team in training camp, which is why he's getting a look in the first place, but he may get the short end of the proverbial stick here.

Fantasy-wise, a lot of this isn't overly relevant unless you're in a deep league. The Detroit top-6 mix seems set in stone so unless there's an injury, the rest of the roster is fighting for third and fourth-line minutes.

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We have new New Jersey lines:

Not my best work, but here is a variation of how the #NJDevils skated today.

There was some swapping around on D, so we'll see tomorrow how things end up for the season opener. pic.twitter.com/S9l2sYyuZg

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 12, 2022

First and foremost, seeing Nico Hischier in his regular top-line role is great to see from a fantasy perspective. He had a career-best 60 points last year (in just 70 games) and with the Devils starting to look like a playoff team, better seasons are almost certainly ahead. If he can manage to return in time for the start of the season, his fantasy managers should be please with the return.

As someone who has been a big backer of Alexander Holtz as a Calder candidate, this is both encouraging and disheartening. Just earning his way to the team will go a long way in this regard, but my hopes had been for a top-6 role, preferably with Jack Hughes. He may yet get that role but he's going to have to dislodge one of Dawson Mercer or Yegor Sharangovich. The Calder campaign is off to a rocky start, but a start nonetheless.

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A Jordan Greenway update:

Jordan Greenway and Jon Merrill have been cleared for full contact. Next step toward them making their #mnwild season debuts. No timetable yet.

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) October 12, 2022

Over the course of a full season, Greenway has 40-point, 150-hit potential and that makes him valuable in banger leagues. For those needing some depth help, keep an eye for news of him slotting back into the lineup.

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New York provided an update on Vitali Kravtsov:

Kravtsov (upper) won't travel to Minny/WPG. Evaluated again next week. Blais (upper) on the ice today for practice with #NYR.

— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) October 12, 2022

He took an awkward hit from Victor Hedman in the team's season opener and did not return to the game. That there isn't a more serious prognosis yet is always a good sign, but that he's not going on the road trip is always a bit of a nervous moment.

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Alexander Barabanov is still not skating with San Jose and here are the lines:

#SJSharks lines

Meier-Hertl-Kunin
Lorentz-Couture-Labanc
Lindblom-Bonino-Nieto
Gregor-Sturm-Svechnikov

— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) October 12, 2022

Luke Kunin continues to carry huge upside in the short-term. Starting Friday, they have a 6-in-10 stretch including Chicago and Philadelphia. It may be worth checking the waiver wire to see if he was dropped after their second game in Czechia. That goes doubly for anyone in leagues counting hits.

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Jake DeBrusk was injured in Boston's game against Washington on Wednesday:

Don't see Jake DeBrusk to start the third.

— Fluto Shinzawa (@FlutoShinzawa) October 13, 2022

He did not return for the third period.

This could not be a worse start to the season for DeBrusk. The return of Taylor Hall pushed the 2015 Boston draft pick to the second power-play unit as it was, and now the injury. We will provide more specifics when they become available but not a great beginning.

Despite the injury to DeBrusk, it was a very successful season opening game for Boston's Brad Marchand-less top-6 forward mix. David Pastrnak exploded for four points (one goal, three assists) while David Krejci had a three-point night of his own (one goal, two assists) in a 5-2 win. Pastrnak had six shots on goal, too, so it seems as if he's ready for his contract year.

Linus Ullmark got the start and saved 33 of 35 for his first victory of the season.  

There were a lot of good things for Boston in this game. Boston's second line gave up their chances but looked to have great chemistry offensively together. Seeing Krejci and Pastrnak work so well together has to be a great feeling for Boston fans and fantasy owners alike.

Washington really didn't play a poor game as a whole. Their problem was that when breakdowns or a missed assignment happened, it all fell apart. Not recovering mistakes was a common theme and it cost them their first contest.

On the bright side for Anthony Mantha owners, he had a goal and six shots. It is a good start for those who believed in his value in the offseason.

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Cole Caufield scored his first of the season at home against Toronto:

Short king szn pic.twitter.com/Nj7N7X57Gn

— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) October 13, 2022

And followed that up with his second of the season on a snipe over Matt Murray's shoulder:

COLE CAUFIELD AGAIN! Second of the night, we're tied up at 2!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/ICBOk7TPfI

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 13, 2022

As a life-long Habs fan, it is getting a bit hard to contain myself here. Max Pacioretty was great winger for them for many years but it has been a long, long time since they've had a true game-breaker up front. A guy that, whenever he touches the puck, the entire rink sits up a bit and starts focusing harder. That kind of player makes every single game worth watching and also means they're not out of games when they fall behind. Caufield still has a long way to go before he's at that level, but the changes to his game since Martin St. Louis took over are noticeable. He and Nick Suzuki play catch with the puck more and have more confidence going into the offensive zone. Folks, we are getting excited.

What I want to hear are dynasty success stories. Did anyone out there acquire him for cheap when he struggled in the first half of 2021-22? Let us know in the comments.

Sean Monahan scored his first goal in a Montreal sweater, putting away a puck that deflected in front right to his stick. It gave Montreal a late 3-2 third period lead (William Nylander would tie it up shortly after), but it was the play that led to it that was important. Kirby Dach, who battled injuries in Chicago before being traded to the Habs, made a great forechecking play through three Leafs defenders to get the puck to the blue line. The puck was in the net seconds later:

MTL 3-2

A great sequence by MTL77 Dach.

Skates between checks for a shot attempt, then rolls off contact in the corner to keep the play going. pic.twitter.com/cVLrXprjUS

— Jack Han (@JhanHky) October 13, 2022

Dach using his size needs to be a big part of his game and this is a good sign for him. If he's going to recoup his fantasy value, forechecking plays like this are going to be necessary.

Josh Anderson marked his first tally of the campaign with 18 seconds left in the game following a rush from Nick Suzuki, giving Montreal a 4-3 win.

Jake Allen was victorious in goal for the Habs, saving 29 of 32 shots.

Michael Bunting and Denis Malgin both scored for Toronto, with the latter scoring his first since March of 2020. If he can complete that second line, it goes a long way to spreading more talent in the bottom-6.

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Patrik Laine appeared to suffer some sort of arm injury in Columbus's season opener against Carolina:

Laine was hit by Stastny at 4:19 of this second period and went into the boards awkwardly. Finished the shift, but went off for examination and hasn't played since.#CBJ

— Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) October 13, 2022

He opened the scoring for Columbus and then missed the back half of the game. He seems primed to really tear the league apart with Johnny Gaudreau on his other wing so let's hope this is nothing serious.

Martin Necas had a three-point night of his own (one goal and two assists) in Carolina's 4-1 win over Columbus. Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for the Hurricanes, who dominated play once Laine left the game.

Brady Skjei tallied a goal as well, adding four shots and three hits to go with it. A good start to the fantasy season for him.

Columbus's top line seemed to be playing well before the Laine injury. They were generating offence and appeared to have quick chemistry. Let's hope this issue with the goal scorer is very minor.