NHL Hockey Player News

The Red Wings and Mrazek were reportedly pretty far apart during their contract negotiations, but were able to come to terms on a two-year bridge deal. Mrazek became the Red Wings’ No. 1 goaltending option in 2015-16, starting 49 games (appearing in 54), posting a 27-16-6 record, 2.33 GAA, .921 SV% and four shutouts. He will have the same role in 2016-17, where he will likely start near 50 games again and should be a low-end No.1, high-end No. 2 fantasy option.

Hoffman, 26, enjoyed a breakout year in 2014-15 and followed it up with an even more impressive 2015-16 campaign, scoring 29 goals and 30 assists (59 points) in 78 games. Hoffman has led the Senators in goals in both of those seasons and will look to do the same in 2016-17 on their top line, likely alongside the usual suspects—Kyle Turris and Mark Stone.

Namestnikov, 23, appeared in 80 games in his first full NHL season, collecting a total of 14 goals and 21 assists (35 points). The 2011 27th overall pick has collected 51 career points (23G / 28A) in 127 NHL games and enters 2016-17 as a third line option for the Lightning.

Granberg, 23, spent the majority of the 2015-16 season as an extra defensman for the Predators, appearing in 27 games with Nashville and six games with Milwaukee (AHL). He picked up two assists during his time with the Predators and will likely fill the same role in 2016-17.

Manning, 26, spent the entire 2015-16 season with the Flyers after splitting the first four years of his professional career between the AHL and NHL. He tallied just seven points (1G / 6A) in 56 games, bringing his career total to 12 points (1G / 11A) in 77 NHL games. Manning is a member of a very crowded Flyers blueline, which will likely add rookie Ivan Provorov during training camp, so Manning may end up as an extra defenseman or back in Adirondack (AHL).

DeKeyser, 26, is coming off of his third full NHL season and set a career-high in goals (8), but a career-low in points (20). DeKeyser is arguably the Red Wings’ top defenseman and they have locked him up through the 2021-22 season. Look for DeKeyser to play huge minutes for Detroit in 2016-17 and he has shown the potential to be and effective goal-scorer with 30-plus point potential.

Schroeder, 25, has been with the Wild for the last two years, this past season splitting his time between the AHL and NHL. He had 34 points (14G / 20A) in 40 games with Iowa and four points (2G / 2A) in 26 games with Minnesota. He will battle for an NHL roster spot in training camp this fall.

Harrington, 23, was a second round pick of the Penguins in 2011, but was traded to the Maple Leafs as a part of the Phil Kessel trade and was moved to Columbus this offseason for Kerby Rychel. Last year, Harrington split his time between the AHL and NHL—he had one assist in 15 games with the Maple Leafs and three points (1G / 2A) in 17 games with the Marlies.

The Flyers and Schenn avoid arbitration by getting this deal signed. Schenn is coming off of a career-year, notching 26 goals and 33 assists (59 points) in 80 games. In the 2016 calendar year, Schenn was among the best fantasy forwards, collecting 44 points (19G / 25A) in 46 games from January-to-April—he had just 15 points (7G / 8A) in the first 34 games of the season. Schenn might not turn into a point-per-game player during the 2016-17 season, but he might be able to top 60 points for the first time in his career.

Schenn, 26, started the 2015-16 season in Philadelphia before being traded to Los Angeles in the Vincent Lecavalier deal. Schenn finished the season with four goals and 12 assists (16 points) in 72 games. Schenn adds depth to the Coyotes’ blueline, where he will likely battle with Kevin Connauton for the last spot in the opening night lineup.

Farnham, 27, had 10 points (8G / 2A) in 50 games with the Devils last season. The fourth-line forward has appeared in 64 career NHL games with the Devils and Penguins, totalling 121 PIMS and brings some feistiness to the Montreal bottom-6.

Hayes, 24, had an excellent rookie season and was among the breakout candidates heading into 2015-16, but he struggled for the majority of the year. He scored 14 goals with 22 assists, falling short of his 17-goal, 28-assist rookie campaign. Heading into 2016-17, Hayes remains an intriguing sleeper option given his great size and skill, but he will need to find a way to break into the Rangers’ top-6 if he’s going to have huge impact.

Kreider, 25, posted a career-high 46 points (21G / 25A) in 2014-15 and followed it up with a nearly identical season in 2016-16, posting 21 goals and 22 assists (43 points) in 79 games. Kreider will once again skate in the Rangers’ top-6 this season, with either Derek Stepan and Mika Zibanejad in the middle. Kreider could be in for a breakout season, which includes his first 25-goal, 50-point season.

Leivo, 23, spent the majority of the 2015-16 season with the Toronto Marlies, but also appeared in 12 games with the Maple Leafs. During his time in the NHL he scored five goals, but was much more effective in the AHL, collecting 17 goals and 31 assists (48 points) in 51 games. Leivo will try and crack the Leafs’ roster during training camp.

Callahan, 24, spent the entire 2015-16 season with Grand Rapids (AHL), where he had 19 goals and 13 assists (32 points) in 62 games. He plays a pest-style game, perfect for a bottom-6 role in Detroit, but there are far too many veteran forwards in his path for Callahan to be a Red Wing in 2016-17.

After spending the first three years of his NHL career in Buffao, Grigorenko moved to Colorado last season, where he collected six goals and 21 assists (27 points) in 74 games. The former 12th overall pick has yet to max out his potential, scoring just 12 goals with 29 assists (41 points) in his first 142 career NHL games.

Johansson, 25, has settled in nicely with the Capitals since they drafted him 24th overall in 2009. He had 46 points (17G / 29A) in 74 games last year, continuing his consistent mid-40’s point production. At just 25, there is room for him to grow into a mid-50’s player, especially in an explosive Capitals’ offence. Draft him as the player he has been with room for upside.

Nieto, 23, is a former second-round pick, who already has 205 career NHL games under his belt. He was a great scorer during his time with the U.S. development team and at Boston University, but hasn’t been given the high-end minutes in San Jose that he needs to produce fantasy relevant numbers. Nieto has just 68 career points (28G / 40A).