Djoos missed a lot of time in 2019 due to a thigh injury that required surgery. The 24-year-old ended up finishing the season with 10 points (1G / 9A) in 45 games. Djoos will likely battle with Jonas Siegenthaler for the No.6 defenseman spot to open the 2020 season.
Gaudet had 25 points (8G / 17A) in 50 games with Milwaukee (AHL) last season. Gaudet has appeared in just 20 NHL games since turning pro in 2014. The 26-year-old will start 2020 in the AHL.
Wilson split the 2019 between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) and Pittsburgh (NHL). The 28-year-old had two goals and six assists (eight points) in 50 games with the Penguins—the first eight points of his NHL career (34 previous games with the Panthers). Wilson will start next year in the AHL.
Kossila spend most of the 2019 season in the AHL, where he had 14 goals and 21 assists (35 points) in 44 games with San Diego. The 26-year-old has two goals and one assist in 19 career NHL games (all with Anaheim). He will start 2020 with the Marlies.
Aberg is a former second-round pick of the Predators but Nashville gave up on him in 2018 and he ended up playing in Anaheim and Minnesota last year where he totalled 12 goals and 13 assists (25 points) in 59 games. It’s tough to envision Aberg making the Maple Leafs opening night roster but he could be an extra or one of the first AHL call-ups given his NHL experience.
Agostino has been a prolific AHL scorer throughout the years but has not been able to find the same success at the NHL-level. However, in 2019 he set career-highs in games played (63), goals (6) and assists (18) with the Canadiens and Devils. Agostino will likely start 2020 with the Marlies.
Engelland had 12 points (2G / 10A) in 74 games in his second season with the Golden Knights. While his point totals aren’t impressive, Engelland led Vegas in blocked shots (152), was fourth in hits (165) and ranked first among defensemen in SH TOI/GP (3:12). Engelland brings a reliable defensive game to the Vegas top-4 and was a priority for them this offseason.
Clarkson has a career-ending injury and will never play again in the NH. Trading Sparks and picking up Clarkson’s contract, which will be moved to LTIR, provides the Maple Leafs with a little more wiggle room in terms of cap-space. Michal Neuvirth has been signed to a PTO and could land the backup job in Toronto with Sparks now in Vegas.
Sparks is expected to go to Vegas to be their third string netminder after going 8-9-1 with a 3.15 GAA and .902 SV5 in 20 games with the Maple Leafs last season. It will likely take an injury to Marc-Andre Fleury and/or Malcolm Subban for Sparks to reach the NHL in 2020.
Copp was awarded a $2.28M AAV contract by an independent arbitrator and is signed through the 2021 season. Copp missed 13 games last year but had a career-high 11 goals to go along with 14 assists while ranking third among Jets forwards in SH TOI/GM (1:22).
After appearing in 48 games with the avalanche in 2018, Lindholm spent almost all of 2019 in the AHL. The 2014 fifth-round pick had one goal and seven assists in 57 AHL games and has four assists in 68 career NHL games. With Cale Makarset to play in his first full NHL season and Conor Timmins turning pro, Lindholm likely won’t be on the Avalanche roster to start 2020.
Shen was a seventh-round pick of the Bruins in 2018 and had one assist in 20 games with Ufa Salavat Yulayev of the KHL last year. Additionally, Shen represented Russia at the U20 World Juniors, where he had three goals and one assist in seven games.
Sissons set career-bests in goals (15) and points (30) in 75 games a season go. Sissons is an integral part of the Predators bottom-6, ranking second on the team in faceoffs (53.1 percent), first among Predators forwards in SH TOI/GM (1:59) and hits (109). It is the type of contract you don’t see very often for a player with Sissons role but the Predators are making a long-term commitment to him.
McCoshen split the 2018-19 season between the AHL and NHL. McCoshen had one goal and one assist in 19 games with Florida and nine assists in 38 games with Springfield. McCoshen will likely open the 2020 season in the AHL yet again.
Mueller, a former first-round pick (No.18 overall in 2013) served as a No.6/7 defenseman with the Devils last season. In 53 games, Mueller had 11 points (1G / 10A) to give him 21 points (3G / 18A) in 135 career NHL games. With P.K. Subban getting added to the Devils’ top-pairing, Mueller will be fighting with Connor Carrick for the No.6 defenseman spot in 2020.
Aston-Reese spent most of the 2018-19 season with the Penguins, where he had eight goals and nine assists (17 points) in 43 games. The 24-year-old posted ridiculous numbers at Northeastern University and solid AHL numbers but will be limited by his bottom-6 role with the Penguins.
The Jets acquired Pionk from the Rangers as a part of the Jacob Trouba trade and signed the RFA defenseman to a two-year contract. Pionk had six goals and 20 assists (26 points) in 73 games last season and will likely open the 2020 season on the Jets second or third pairing.
Sundqvist set career-highs in goals (14), assists (17) and points (31) in 74 games last season. Sundqvist was third among Blues forwards in SH/TOI (1:39), hits (101) and tied for sixth in blocked shots (31). The 25-year-old centre went on to add nine points (4G / 5A) in 25 playoff games to help St. Louis to the Stanley Cup.
Husso appeared in 27 games with San Antonio (AHL) last season, going 6-18-0 with a 3.67 GAA and .871 SV%. With Jordan Binnington and Jake Allen clearly ahead of him on the depth chart, Husso will remain in the AHL to start the 2020 campaign.
McGinn has settled in as a bottom-6 winger in Carolina, picking up 26 points (10G / 16A) in 82 games in 2018-19. With proven top-9 players like Ryan Dzingel and Erik Haula coming in this summer, McGinn will continue to be limited to a fourth-line role in 2020.
