Sherwood split his 2020-21 campaign between the AHL and NHL. Sherwood played as a point-per-game player with 16 points (10G / 6A) in 16 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) but struggled to find the same level of offence with the Avalanche. Depending on what the Avlanahce do with their $20.26M in cap-space, Sherwood could have a spot on the NHL roster to start 2021-22 season.
Blichfeld spent most of the 2020-21 season in the AHL, where he led the Barracuda with 12 goals and 10 assists (22 points) in 25 games. Blichfeld was a seventh-round pick in 2016 but is trending towards being an NHLer in 2021-22.
Balcers was claimed off of waivers from the Senators in January and went on to score eight goals and nine assists (17 points) in 41 games with San Jose. Balcers showed he was capable of playing in the Sharks' top-6 at times in 2021 but is probably best suited to play on their third-line.
Pitlick was selected by Seattle in the Expansion Draft on Wednesday but was quickly flipped to the Flames for a fourth-round pick. Pitlick doesn't bring a lot of offence to the table but has a trustworthy two-way game that should pair well with Mikael Backlund and help out the Flames penalty kill in 2021-22.
Goodrow won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning but they did not have the cap-space to keep him around for the future. He was acquired by the Rangers for a seventh-round pick on July 19th and signed a six-year extension a few days later. He brings very little offensively but will be a huge part of the Rangers' bottom-6 and penalty kill.
The Red Wings acquired Nedeljkovic from the Hurricanes and immediately signed him to a two-year contract. Nedeljkovic led the NHL in GAA and SV% in 2020-21 and helps solidify the Red Wings' crease moving forward and gives them a young goalie to build around.
Gostisbehere was outstanding from 2016-to-2019, tying for 14th among defensemen with 187 points (46G / 141A) but has fallen out of favour over the last two seasons. Over that stretch he is tied for 90th but getting a second-round and seventh-round pick to take him is an easy gamble for the Coyotes. With Oliver Ekman-Larsson being traded to the Canucks, Gostisbehere should see plenty of PP time in 2021-22.
Smith struggled in 2020 but the Oilers brought him back for 2021 and he flourished. At age-38, Smith went 21-6-2 with a 2.31 GAA and .923 SV% in 32 games and will head into 2021-22 as the Oilers' No.1 starting goalie with a more certain future after signing a two-year contract.
Rasmussen played almost the entire 2020-21 NHL season in the NHL, scoring three goals with nine assists (12 points) in 40 games. The former No.9 overall pick (2017) made serious strides this season and will look to be an important part of the Red Wings' middle-6 in 2021-22.
Bernier enjoyed a solid 2020-21 campaign, going 9-11-1 with a 2.99 GAA and .914 SV%. Those numbers aren't eye-popping but they were the best of his three-year tenure in Detroit. He is pending UFA, so could hit the open market on July 28th but the Hurricanes will have a few days to try and sign him to a team-friendly deal.
2020-21 was a bizarre season for Nedeljkovic. He started the season on waivers, went unclaimed, and then became the Hurricanes No.1 netminder after Petr Mrazek and James Reimer battled injuries. Nedeljkovic went on to lead the NHL in both GAA (1.90) and SV% (.932) in 23 games. The Hurricanes were concerned about going to arbitration with Nedeljkovic, so the Red Wings took advantage of that with their abundance of cap space.
Calvert played in 566 career NHL games with the Blue Jackets and Avalanche. Calvert was limited to just 18 games due to an upper-body injury in 2020-21 and calls it a career at the age of 31.
Driedger's selection in the Expansion Draft was the worst kept secret of the process. The 27-year-old has been outstanding over the last two seasons, leading the NHL in GAA (2.07) and SV% (.931) while going 21-8-4 in 34 starts. Driedger will get a shot to be a No.1 for the first time in his career with Vitek Vanecek serving as his backup.
Larsson was a UFA but was selected by the Kraken in the Expansion Draft and promptly signed to a four-year deal with a $4.0M AAV cap-hit. In his five seasons with the Oilers, Larsson averaged four goals, 13 assists, 256 hits and 159 blocked shots per 82 games. He doesn't bring a lot of offence to the Kraken but will be a steady part of their top-4 in their first year.
Oleksiak found a comfort zone on a pairing with Miro Heiskanen in Dallas but was selected in the Expansion Draft and signed to a five-year deal with a $4.6M AAV cap-hit. Oleksiak brings a little offence, scoring nine goals with 15 assists (24 points) in 125 games over the last two seasons. However, it's the physicality that the 6-foot-6, 255 lbs. blueliner brings that Kraken fans will love--Oleksiak ranks sixth among defensemen in hits (301) over the last two seasons.
Cramarossa split his 2021 season between the NHL and AHL. He finished with one assist in four games with the Wild and two goals and one assist in eight games with Iowa (AHL). The 28-year-old has bounced around the league quite a bit since turning pro in 2013 but will stick with the Wild for another two seasons.
Ladd appeared in just one game in 2021, failing to get on the board for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL). Ladd has two years left at $5.5M, so the Islanders did everything they could to get that contract off of their books. At 35-years-old, Ladd has only appeared in four NHL games since the end of the 2019 season.
Howden signed a one-year, $885K contract in early July but was sent to Vegas on Saturday and will likely be replaced by Barclay Goodrow, who is a pending UFA but was acquired from the Lightning on the same day. Howden has seen his playing time and offensive numbers drop since his rookie season, finishing 2021-22 with seven points (1G / 6A) in 42 games.
DeSimone was sent to the Golden Knights as a part of the Mattias Janmark trade last April. The 26-year-old has spent his entire pro career in the AHL, finishing last season with no goals and 11 assists in 22 games. Look for him to open the 2021-22 season in the AHL.
Goodrow is a pending UFA, so the Rangers sent a seventh-round pick to the Lightning to try and sign him ahead of free agency opening up on July 28th. Goodrow is an outstanding two-way forward who was a huge part of the Lightning's success as a bottom-6 centre. Brett Howden was sent to the Golden Knights on Saturday, so Goodrow would likely replace him if they can get him under contract.
