Maroon returned to his hometown in 2019, scoring 10 goals with 18 assists (28 points) in 74 games with the Blues. He went on to have a decent postseason but won a Stanley Cup and now signs on with the 2020 preseason favorites to win the Cup. Maroon will have a really hard time cracking the Lighting’s top-6, but he will solidify their bottom-6 and second power-play unit.
Bouramman was a seventh-round pick of the Wild in 2015. Since being drafted, Bouramman has just one goal and three assists (four points) in 28 AHL games with the Iowa Wild. He will report to Springfield (AHL) to start 2020.
Silovs was selected in the sixth-round of this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old has the size of a modern-day netminder, standing at 6-foot-4 and 203 lbs. Silovs had a 3.26 GAA and .914 SV% in Latvia’s top league last season.
Brassard was a great No.2 centre during his time in New York but has struggled since—averaging 16 goals and 20 assists in the last three seasons. He isn’t suited for a checking role, so signing with the Islanders could provide him a chance to return to a top-6 role.
Since being picked No.20 in 2015, Eriksson Ek has not topped 16 points in his first two NHL seasons. However, once Mikko Koivu went down last year, Eriksson Ek had five goals and two assists in 22 games while averaging 15:23 TOI/gm—averaged 12:22 prior. Koivu will likely be eased back into action early in the season, giving Eriksson Ek an opportunity to get off to a hot start in 2020.
During his first full NHL season, White had 14 goals and 27 assists (41 points) in 71 games. White averaged 16:12 TOI/gm while carrying a +3.4 CF% rel on the league’s worst team. White is set to start 2020 as the Senators No.1 centre and should build off of 2019 as he should play 17-18 minutes per night.
Despite having 24 points (7G /17A) in 53 NHL games—37 points per 82-game pace—Ho-Sang has had a difficult time cracking the Islanders roster permanently. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick in 2014 and is coming off of 43 points (8G / 35A) in 56 games at the AHL-level last season.
Dal Colle has struggled to produce at the NHL-level since being picked No.5 overall in 2014. However, the 23-year-old winger was a point-per-game player in the AHL a season ago, scoring 18 goals with 16 assists (34 points) in 34 games. Dal Colle has just seven points (3G / 4A) in 32 career NHL games to this point, but has a chance to be a full-time NHLer if he impresses in training camp this fall.
The former No.10 overall pick (2013) struggled mightily in 2019 after returning from a two-year stint in the KHL. Nichushkin failed to record a goal while compiling just 10 assists in 57 games with the Stars and has just 74 points (23G / 51A) in 223 career NHL games with Dallas. This is a low-risk signing for the Avalanche and Nichushkin has a chance to produce in a quality bottom-6 that improved this summer.
Priskie, 23, was a sixth-round pick (No. 177 overall) in 2016 and is set to turn pro following his senior campaign at Quinnipiac University. This past season, Priskie had 17 goals and 22 assists (39 points) in 36 games with Bobcats.
Erne was a second-round pick of the Lightning in 2013 and finished his first full NHL season with 20 points (7G / 13A) in 65 games. Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman is familiar with Erne from his time with Tampa Bay and added the 24-year-old to a team that has a ton of bottom-6 players. Erne will likely open 2020 on their third line.
After playing in Sweden from 2012 to 2017, Holm came to North America in 2018. He started the year with Vancouver, where he had 29 points (11G / 18A) in 42 games in Utica (AHL). He ended up being traded to the Golden Knights, posting nine points (1G / 8A) in 21 games with Chicago (AHL). The 27-year-old went to the KHL for the 2019 season and had 26 points (7G / 19A) in 61 games. The 27-year-old provides the Blackhawks with some D-depth but will likely start 2020 in the AHL.
Warner had seven points (1G / 6A) in 73 games with Iowa (AHL) last season. The 23-year-old had played with Iowa for the last three seasons, picking up a combined 17 points (3G / 14A) across 162 games.
Marino was acquired from the Oilers for a conditional sixth-round pick in late-July and signs his entry-level deal with the Penguins a few weeks later. Marino had 11 points (3G / 8A) in 33 games at Harvard University last season.
Dano was originally a first-round pick (No.27 overall in 2013) of the Blue Jackets but was traded to the Blackhawks as a part of the Brandon Saad deal in 2015. Since then, Dano has played 13 games for the Blackhawks, 82 games for the Jets and eight games for the Avalanche. He spent most of last season in the AHL, where he had 30 points (12G / 18A) in 51 games for the Manitoba Moose. Dano will be a fringe NHLer for the Blue Jackets and could start 2020 in the AHL.
Grimaldi had 13 points (5G / 8A) in 53 games with the Predators before adding three goals in five playoff games. The diminutive forward should open 2020 in the Predators’ bottom-6 after a solid showing in the second-half of 2019.
Forsberg was average in his first and only season with the Blackhawks. During his 35 NHL games, Forsberg went 10-16-4 with a 2.97 GAA and .908 SV%. While with Rockford (AHL), the 26-year-old went 15-17-1 wth a 2.64 AA and .919 SV%. With Petr Mrazek and James Reimer already in the NHL, Forsberg is likely headed to Charlotte (AHL) to start 2020.
In his first four NHL seasons, Edmundson has never played more than 69 games. Edmundson had just two goals and nine assists (11 points) in 64 games this past season. The 26-year-old ranked fourth among Blues defensemen in TOI/gm (19:23) while leading them in hits (128) and ranking fourth in blocked shots (106).
Wood, a former third-round pick (No.84 overall in 2014), improved on his 2018 numbers, scoring six goals with 29 assists (35 points) in 68 AHL games in 2019. Wood will almost certainly open the 2020 campaign with Charlotte (AHL).
Carrick has posted back-to-back 40 point seasons in the AHL, scoring nine goals with 38 assists (47 points) in 71 games with Charlotte last year. Carrick, who has just four career NHL games under his belt, will likely open the 2020 season with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
