Gibson was steady in net for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) in 2020, going 10-8-5 with a 2.78 GAA and .914 SV%. Gibson has played very sparingly in the NHL throughout his seven-year pro career, going 3-4-3 with a 3.45 GAA and .904 SV% in 14 career games. Gibson will likely be the No.1 netminder in Syracuse (AHL) in 2021 and would come up if something were to happen to Andrei Vasilevskiy or Curtis McElhinney.
Bitetto was in and out of the Jets lineup during 2020, finishing with eight assists in 51 games. In 2021 he will be with his fourth team in three years and will likely be on the outside looking on their solid blueline.
Petrovic spent the entire 2020 campaign with the Providence Bruins (AHL) and will likely do the same in Stockton (AHL) next year. Petrovic is a big, physical defenseman that can log NHL minutes if the Flames find themselves in a bind.
Mermis is a hard-working defenseman but doesn't bring a lot of offence to the equation. He had four points in 10 games with the Coyotes last season but that was an outlier when you put it up against his AHL numbers. The Wild have a quality blueline, so it will be difficult for Mermis to crack that group to start 2021.
Benning has decent size (6-foot-1, 203 lbs) and moves the puck pretty well but is just a mid-tier third pairing defenseman. Now in Nashville, Benning will be one-half of their new third-pair, which will include Mark Borowiecki on the left side, who was also signed on Friday.
Hayden had just three goals and one assist in 43 games as a fringe player for the Devils last season. Hayden has just nine points (6G / 3A) in his last 97 NHL games, so he offers almost no offence but will be a big, physical presence on the Coyotes' fourth line.
Shattenkirk was bought out by the Rangers prior to the 2020 season, allowing him to signed a one-year deal with the Lightning. Shattenkirk was able to build his value back up while winning a Stanley Cup, posting 47 points (11G / 36A) in 92 combined regular season and playoff games. In Anaheim he'll play in the top-4 with either Hampus Lindholm or Cam Fowler and should see ample PP exposure.
After the Penguins bought out the final three years of his contract on Tuesday, the Rangers brought in Johnson on a one-year deal to have him replace Marc Staal. Johnson struggled in Pittsburgh, making this signing a little curious. But at the very least it allows the Rangers' young defensemen more time to develop.
Rieder has bounced around the NHL in recent years, with Buffalo being their fifth team in four years. After being held goalless in 2019, Rieder had four goals and six assists (10 points) in 55 games with the Flames last season. Rieder will battle for a fourth line role in training camp.
After spending nine seasons with the Senators, Borowiecki sings with the Predators where he'll serve as a third-pairing defenseman. Borowiecki obviously doesn't provide anything offensively but is a big, physical force, who ranked 11th in the NHL in hits (199) last season.
This will be Gran't third stint with the Ducks, returning after flipping him to the Flyers at last year's trade deadline. Grant is coming off of a career-high 25 points (15G / 10A) in 56 games and will be a fourth-line option for the Ducks in 2021.
Ennis returns to the Oilers on a one-year deal after posting four points (2G / 2A) in nine games as a trade deadline acquisition. Ennis is a candidate to play with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, making him someone worth keep an eye on on the waiver wire.
Jankowski struggled in 2020, going from 32 points in 2019 to just seven points (5G / 2A) in 56 games last year. Jankowski moves on to Pittsburgh, where he is expected to serve as the third line centre behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He has bounce-back potential but won't be anywhere near fantasy lineups.
Rodrigues was acquired from Buffalo last February and then his rights were flipped to Toronto in the Kasperi Kapanen deal this summer. Toronto did not tender the RFA, so he was free to re-join the Penguins on Friday. Rodrigues had six goals and four assists (10 points) in 45 NHL games last year and GM Jim Rutherford said on Friday that he'll be on the third line with Mark Jankowski and Jared McCann to start 2021.
After one season with the Flyers, Pitlick hit the open market, signing a two-year deal with the Coyotes. Pitlick provides very little offence but has good size (6-foot, 200 lbs) and fills an important role in the Coyotes' bottom-6. Pitlick led all Flyers' forwards with 132 hits while chipping in 20 points (8G / 12A) in 63 games.
Wennberg was bought out by the Blue Jackets yesterday but signed a one-year "show me" deal with the Panthers. In Florida, Wennberg has a perfect opportunity to serve as their second line centre and get back to his point producing ways. He has not topped 30 points in two straight seasons but registered a career-high 59 points (13G / 46A) in 2017.
Salomaki was drafted in the second-round in 2011 and spent the first six and half seasons of his career in their organization before being traded to Toronto last February. Salomaki will likely start 2021 in the AHL, where he had seven goals and 12 assists (19 points) in 49 games with Milwaukee and Toronto last year.
Greco bounced around the AHL last season, combining for 11 goals and 13 assists (24 points) in 47 games with Springfield, Syracuse and San Jose. Greco will start the 2021 season with Hartford (AHL).
Murray was acquired from the Penguins on Wednesday and signed a four-year extension this afternoon. The signing makes Murray the seventh-highest paid goalie in the NHL for the 2021 season. Last year, Murray was tied for 34th in GAA (2.87) and tied for 45th in SV% (.899 SV%), so he has a lot of work to do to earn this contract.
After being allowed to hit the open market, Khudobin circled back and re-signed with the Stars. At the age of 34 and after an 11-year career, this is the longest contract that he's ever signed. A season ago, Khudobin led the NHL with a .930 SV% and and had a 2.69 GAA and .917 SV% in 25 playoff starts during the Stars run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Given Ben Bishop's injury history, Khudobin figures to a get a good number of starts again in 2021, making him a low-end No.2/high-end No.3 fantasy netminder.
