Walker has put up strong AHL numbers over the years but hasn't been much of a factor at the NHL level. Over the last three years, he has scored two goals with two assists (four points) in 16 games with the Capitals and Blues. Look for him to remain in the AHL for most of 2021-22.
Bennett's career with the Flames did not go as planned but he paid immediate dividends once arriving in Florida. The 25-year-old had 15 points (6G / 9A) in 10 regular seasons games and five points (1G / 4A) in five playoff games. Bennett seems to have solidified the Panthers' 2C role behind Aleksander Barkov and signed for a very affordable $4.4M AAV. Pairing up with Jonathan Huberdeau on the second line should help Bennett have his best season to date in 2021-22.
Carlsson was a fourth-round pick of the Blackhawks and was traded to the Panthers as part of the deal that sent Henrik Borgstrom and Brett Connolly to Chicago. Carlssson had one assist in 12 games with the Blackhawks last year, as well as 12 points (3G / 9A) in 18 games between his two AHL homes. The Panthers don't have the strongest blueline at the moment, so he could factor into their top-6 at some point in 2021-22.
Allard spent most of the season in the AHL but made his season debut with the Predators in 2021. The 23-year-old, former third-round pick had 18 points (3G / 15A) in 25 games with Chicago (AHL) and will likely be a fringe roster player for the Predators in 2021-22.
Juulsen was claimed off of waivers in January but didn't play a lot of hockey afterwards. He went pointless in four games with the Panthers and had just one assist in five games with Syracuse (AHL). Headaches derailed his career in Montreal but he'll be looking to get back on track with the Panthers in 2021-22.
Smallman was a fifth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2015 but has bounced around between the AHL and ECHL since. In 2021, he had two assists in six AHL games and 12 points (6G / 6A) in eight ECHL games. He will not be a factor in the NHL in 2021-22.
Staal struggled mightily in 2019 and 2020 but had a nice bounce-back campaign with the Red Wings in 2021. He found some comfort on a pairing with Troy Stecher and the duo performed well as veteran minute-eaters for Detroit. In 2021-22, he should see slightly less playing time following the additions of Nick Leddy and the potential arrival of Moritz Seider but should still play with Stecher most nights.
Virtanen had just one year left on a two-year contract that carried a $2.55M cap-hit. The buyout will save them $2.05M against the cap in 2021-22 but cost them $500K in 2022-23. Virtanen should draw interest as a UFA to help bolster a team's bottom-6 and a change of scenery could be good for the former No.6 overall pick.
Moore had a career-year in Los Angeles in 2021, scoring 10 goals with 13 assists (23 points) in 56 games. Moore became an integral part during a rebuilding year but with so many high-end prospects coming up through the ranks, his spot in 2021-22 may not be as secure.
Imama was originally a sixth-round pick of the Lightning in 2015 but was traded to the Kings before he turned pro. The 24-year-old winger spent all of 2021 in the AHL, where he had nine goals and five assists (14 points) in 31 games for Ontario (AHL). He'll likely report to Tucson (AHL) to start 2021.
Hults was a fifth-round pick in 2017 and turned pro in 2021 after three years at Penn State University. Hults had five points (1G / 4A) in 19 games with Ontario (AHL) last year and will likely report to Tucson (AHL) to start 2021-22.
Steenbergen was a fifth-round pick of the Coyotes in 2017. The 23-year-old centre has spent the last three seasons in Tucson (AHL), where he had 13 points (10G / 3A) in 36 games a year ago. Steenbergen will likely report to Ontario (AHL) to start 2021-22.
Burke was an undrafted free agent out of the WHL, who has spent the last three years in the AHL. The 24-year-old winger had one goal and 13 assists (14 points) in 28 games with the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) last season. Burke will likely report to Ontario (AHL) to start 2021-22.
Reinhart is an RFA, so he'll need a new deal with the Panthers but is a huge addition to their top-6 for 2021-22. Reinhart has scored 20-plus goals in four straight seasons, averaging 27 goals and 32 assists (59 points) per 82 games over that span. Whether it's with Aleksander Barkov or Sam Bennett, Reinhart should receive a big fantasy boost by moving from Buffalo to Florida.
Bjorkqvist was a second-round pick in 2016 and played briefly with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) after going to KooKoo (Liiga) during COVID-19. Bjorkqvist had 11 goals with 15 assists (26 points) in 44 games in Finland.
Voracek has three years left on an eight-year contract that carries an $8.25M AAV cap-hit, so the Blue Jackets will have to pay $2.375M more for Voracek but he comes off of the books one year earlier than Atkinson. Voracek was originally drafted by the Blue Jackets and played in Columbus from 2009-to-2011. In 2021, he had nine goals and 34 assists (43 points) in 53 games.
After ranking tied for sixth in the NHL in goals (41) in 2019, Atkinson is tied for 133rd with 27 goals over the last two seasons combined. Atkinson has four years left on a seven-year contract that carries a $5.875M AAV cap-hit. The deal will save the Flyers $2.375M against the cap in 2021 but Atkinson has an extra year left on his deal compared to Voracek.
Makar appeared in 10 playoff games in 2019, burning the first year of his entry-level contract, so he needed to be re-signed after just two regular seasons in the NHL. Over that time, the 2017 No.4 overall pick is tied for fourth among defensemen in points (94) but second in points-per-game (0.93) while appearing in 101 of the 126 games. As of now, Makar is tied for the fourth highest-paid defenseman ($9.0M AAV) heading into 2021-22.
The Blue Jackets shipped out Seth Jones but brought in two young defensemen in Adam Boqvist (from Chicago) and Bean to bolster their blueline. Bean was the No.13 overall pick in 2016 and had 12 points (1G / 11A) in 42 games in his first full NHL season in 2020-21. Bean will battle with Vladislav Gavrikov for playing time on the left-side behind Zach Werenski.
Boqvist was the No.8 overall pick in 2018 and enjoyed some success in his first full NHL season in 2021. The 20-year-old had two goals with 14 assists (16 points) in 35 games with the Blackhawks last year and will likely see a massive workload increase in 2021-22. Boqvist could replace Jones on the Blue Jackets' top-pairing with Zach Werenski.
