In his second professional season, Butcher had four goals and 26 assists (30 points) in 78 games. It was a step backwards from his rookie campaign and the Devils’ blueline just got a little more crowded with the offseason addition of P.K. Subban. However, Butcher should still see PP1 time throughout the year and should be a solid No.4 fantasy defenseman option.
Kamenev only appeared in 25 combined games last year after suffering a shoulder injury in mid-December. Kamenev had just two goals and three assists (five points) in 23 games with the Avalanche and will likely start 2020 on their fourth line.
Condon only appeared in three games last season—two with Ottawa, where he allowed eight goals on 40 shots (.800 SV%) and one with Belleville where he allowed six goals on 23 shots (.739 SV%). Condon will go to Syracuse (AHL) to start 2020.
Callahan has one year left on his contract and will be placed on LTIR after suffering a career-ending back injury. Callahan had seven goals and 10 assists (17 points) in 52 games with the Lightning last season.
Kunitz finished his 15-year NHL career with 268 goals and 351 assists (619 points) in 1022 games with the Ducks, Penguins, Lightning and Blackhawks. He is a four-time Stanley Cup Champion and one-time Olympic Gold Medalist. Kunitz will join the Blackhawks hockey operations department as player development adviser.
Gusev was acquired from the Golden Knights and immediately signed a two-year deal with the Devils. The 27-year-old led the KHL with 82 points (17G / 65A) in 62 games last year. He has totalled 63 goals and 152 assists (215 points) in 173 combined games over the last three seasons. Gusev projects to be a top-6 winger for the Devils to start 2020.
Gusev is a 27-year-old winger who was originally drafted in the seventh-round back in 2012. Gusev has been in the KHL since then and led the league in assists (65) and points (82) a season ago. Gusev joins a Devils team that has added Jack Hughes, P.K. Subban and Wayne Simmonds this offseason.
Vasilevskiy had an excellent 2019 regular season, leading the NHL in wins (39), fourth in shutouts (6), sixth in SV% (.925) and ninth in GAA (2.40). Despite having a forgettable postseason, Vasilevskiy earned a much-deserved raise, becoming the third highest-paid netminder in the NHL. He should absolutely be one of the first goalies drafted this fall (if not the first).
Rittich played very well for stretches of the 2019 season, going 27-9-5 with a 2.61 GAA and .911 SV% in 45 games with the Flames. However, when it came to the postseason, the Flames leaned on Mike Smith and were ultimately bounced in the first-round. Coming into 2020, Rittich will be battling with Cam Talbot for the No.1 job and the 26-year-old probably has the early edge to win the spot.
McCarron was a first-round pick (No.25 overall) in 2013 but has yet to make an impact at the NHL level. The 24-year-old had 21 points (7G / 14A) in 32 games with Laval (AHL) last year, but had just one assist in 18 NHL games. In total, McCarron has just eight points (2G / 6A) and 110 PIMS in 69 career games with Montreal.
Stephenson had five goals and six assists (11 points) in 64 games with the Capitals a season ago. The 25-year-old has settled into a bottom-6 role with Washington, but will have to battle with offseason additions Garnet Hathaway and Brendan Leipsic for playing time to start the 2020 campaign.
Turgeon had 20 points (6G / 14A) in 72 games with Grand Rapids (AHL) last season. He played in four games with the Red Wings but seems destined to start 2020 in the AHL for the fourth straight season.
Buchnevich set new career-highs in goals (21) and points-per-game (0.59) in 2019 while appearing in 64 games with the Rangers. Buchnevich has been a breakout candidate for the last two seasons, but 2020 looks like his best chance yet. As long as Buchnevich can remain in the Rangers’ to-6, the additions of Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko should give Buchneviche plenty of talent to work with.
Marino was picked in the sixth-round in 2015 and remains unsigned. Marino is a 6-foot-2, 181 lbs. right-shot defenseman who had three goals and eight assists (11 points) in 33 games in his Junior Year at Harvard University.
Lettieri spent most of the 2019 season in the AHL, ranking fourth among Hartford skaters with 48 points (23G / 25A) in 48 games. He played sparingly with the Rangers, picking up just three points (1G / 2A) in 27 games. The Rangers added some big names up front this offseason, likely pushing Lettieri back to the AHL to start 2020.
Dries split his 2019 campaign between the Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Eagles (AHL). During his time in the NHL, the 25-year-old centre had three goals and three assists in 40 games. Dries will likely be a fringe NHLer to start the 2020 season. The P-E Bellemare signing this offseason will likely push him back to the NHL to start though.
Rodrigues had nine goals and 20 assists (29 points) in 74 games during his first full NHL season in 2018-19. With bigger named prospects faltering around him, Rodrigues settled into a middle-6 role with the Sabres and finished the season ranked fourth among Buffalo forwards in TOI/GP (15:49). Entering the 2020 season, Rodrigues will once again be battling with Casey Mittelstadt for the No.2 centre role.
Borgman spent all of 2019 in the AHL, where he racked up four goals and 13 assists (17 points) in 45 games. Borgman will likely start the 2020 season in the AHL but will be one of the first call-ups when the Blues need a defenseman.
Schmaltz is a former first-round pick (No.25 overall in 2012) but has appeared in just 42 career NHL games since. Last season, Schmaltz had nine points (1G / 8A) in 36 AHL games and just two assists in 20 NHL games with the Blues. Schmaltz will likely start the 2020 season with the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Weegar had 15 points (4G / 11A) in 64 games with the Panthers last season, while ranking sixth among Panthers defensemen in TOI/GM (16:58). Weegar will likely open the 2020 season as the Panthers No.6 defenseman.
