Thompson has been making his rounds in recent years, as he lands with his sixth team in five years. The 36-year-old provides almost no offence but will serve as a fourth-line centre and is a quality penalty-killer.
Koivu comes in to replace Alexander Wennberg, who was bought-out, and will serve as the Blue Jackets' third-line centre. The veteran centre has had a tough time staying healthy over the last two seasons, missing 48 (31.8%) of the 151 games. Even in a decreased role, he's averaged 10 goals and 30 assists (per 82 games) over those two seasons and is a perfect fit as a third-line centre because he could move to the second line in a pinch.
Following four years at Miami (Ohio) University, Schilling turned pro with the Capitals organization in 2012. He spent the last three years with the Jets, playing in just four NHL games. The 32-year-old has just 10 career NHL games to-date, so expect him to be a fixture with Hershey (AHL) in 2021.
After striking out in a crowded goalie market, the Oilers have brought Smith back to serve next to Mikko Koskinen as their goaltending duo. Smith was 19-12-6 with a 2.95 GAA and .902 SV% in 2020--he now ranks 30th in GAA (2.81) and tied for 45th/49 in SV% (.900) over the last two seasons. Smith's game has eroded in his late-30s and likely won't be a fantasy asset in 2021.
Barrie's time in Toronto didn't go quite as planned. He finished 2020 with just 39 points (5G / 34A) in 70 games. It's hard to forget that he was sixth among defensemen in points (116) with the Avalanche in the two previous years combined, so the Oilers get a talented offensive-defensemen. Barrie signs a one-year deal to be the quarterback of the NHL's top power-play in an attempt to build his value back up before he hits the market again next year. This move also buys Oilers' prospect Evan Bouchard another year of development.
Stecher is an extremely mobile, puck-moving defenseman that will help the Red Wings' blueline immensely. Stecher set a new career-high in goals (5) last season but went from 19:55 ATOI to 15:21 as he was pushed down the Canucks' depth chart. Expect him to be back near 19:00 ATOI as he moves into the Red Wings' top-4.
Greenway set a new career-high with 28 points (8G / 20A) in 67 games in 2019-20. With Kirill Kaprizov coming over from the KHL, Greenway gets pushed down the depth chart, likely limiting him to a third-line role for most of 2021. The big, physical power-forward ranked third on the Wild with 95 hits last year.
Smith has provided great secondary scoring throughout his career in Nashville and will fill a similar third-line role in Boston. Smith was on-pace for 21 goals before the 2020 season was cut short. It would have been sixth time in seven years that Smith broke the 20-goal barrier. He has a solid floor but limited upside. Expect him to finish 2021 around 20 goals and 20 assists.
Jurco has bounced around the NHL over the last few years and his latest stop will be in Vegas, or most likely Henderson (AHL). He only played in a combined 20 games last year, eight with Edmonton (NHL) and eight in Bakersfield (AHL). He had seven points (4G / 3A) in the AHL and will likely be a key contributor for the Silver Knights in 2021.
Greiss was 16-9-4 with a 2.74 GAA and .913 SV% in 31 games (28 starts) in 2020. During his five years with the Islanders, Greiss was tied for 16th in SV% (.915), t-22 in wins (101) and t-28 in GAA (2.70). Greiss goes from a timeshare with Semyon Varlamov to a timeshare with Jonathan Bernier in Detroit. Expect him to start roughly 50 percent of the games but his win equity will be way lower with the Red Wings.
In his first year in the Boston Bruins organization, Lagace played the whole season in Providence (AHL). The 27-year-old netminder was second in the AHL in wins (22) and ninth in SV% (.919). Lagace is expected to be the No.1 netidner in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) to start 2021 and would be the first goalie recalled if Tristan Jarry or Casey DeSmith get hurt.
Gaudreau played 55 games with the Predators in 2019 but played the entire 2020 season in Milwaukee (AHL) where he had 11 goals and 17 assists (28 points) in 42 games. Gaudreau is a fourth line centre at most at the NHL-level and with that role filled in Pittsburgh, he'll be heading to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) to start 2021.
Welinski played the entire 2020 campaign in Lehigh Valley (AHL), where he had eight goals and 13 assists (21 points) in 42 games. Welinski has only appeared in 33 NHL games since being drafted in the third-round in 2011. After one year in the Flyers organization, Welinski returns to the Ducks and likely the San Diego Gulls (AHL).
Burakovsky earns a nice raise (from $3.25M to $4.9M) after setting career-highs in goals (20), assists (25), points (45) and PPP (11). Burakovsky has found a home in Colorado's top-6, sometimes on a line with Nathan MacKinnon, so he could take his point totals to another level in 2021.
Crawford has had concussion issues recently in recent years but has been one of the most consistent goalies in the league. From 2013-to-2018, Crawford ranked third in the NHL in SV% (.922) and 4th in GAA (2.31). However, those numbers have dropped to t-18th in SV% (.913) and t-31 in GAA (2.85) over the last two seasons. The good news for Crawford is that he's leaving the team that gave up the most Scoring Chances Against last year. The bad news, is that he signed with the team that gave up there third-most.
Tanev is a stable defenseman that can play the tough minutes but offers very little in the way of offence. Tanev struggled when he wasn't paired with Quinn Hughes in 2020 but this addresses a big need after the departure of TJ Brodie. Expect Brodie to be paired with Mark Giordano at the top of the Flames' blueline.
Brodzinski had a strong AHL season in 2020, finishing fifth on the San Jose Barracuda with 30 points (14G / 16A) in 44 games. The former fifth-round pick has had a tough time cracking the NHL and that won't change after signing with a deep Rangers team.
Appleton produced high-end numbers at Michigan State and in the AHL but has just 18 points (8G / 10A) in 82 career NHL games. Given the Jets' solid depth on the wing, Appleton will likely be a fourth liner for the duration of 2021, making it unlikely for his numbers to improve.
Davidson was one of a few depth defensemen that the Sabres added on Friday. The 29-year-old played 12 NHL games with the Flames and Sharks in 2020, failing to record a point. Look for him to play for the Rochester Americans (AHL) in 2021.
Krug is one of the league's best offensive-defensemen and will be a strong replacement for Alex Pietrangelo. Krug will likely skate on the top-pair with Colton Parayko and will quarterback the top power-play unit. His PP production has been elite but that's been on one of the best units in the NHL. It will be interesting to see how much of that carries over to St. Louis. Krug has registered at least 44 points in five straight seasons, averaging eight goals and 43 assists (51 points) per season.
