Smith, 25, had a great debut season in Florida, registering 25 goals and 25 assists (50 points) in 82 games and an ultra-impressive eight points (4G / 4A) in six playoff games. Smith has only missed one game in his first three full NHL seasons and has already turned in two 20-plus goal seasons. He has a top-6 role for a good team and should have a shot at 30 goals in 2016-17.
Samuelsson, 24, was a second round pick in 2009, but has yet to have an impact at the NHL level. He is coming off of a good year with Springfield (AHL), where he had 31 points (4G / 27A) in 56 games, but still wasn’t good enough for the Coyotes to re-sign him. Now in Montreal, look for him to land in St. John’s (AHL) to start the year.
Agostino, 24, led Stockton (AHL) in points last season with 57 (23G / 34A) but the Flames still let him walk. Through two AHL seasons he has amassed 100 points (38G / 62A) in 132 games. He will likely start the year in Chicago (AHL), but could work his way into the Blues’ lineup.
Bleackley, 20, was originally drafted 23rd overall in 2014, but re-entered this year’s draft and was selected 144th overall by the Blues. At the time of the first draft, Bleackley was coming off of a 68-point (29G / 39A) season, but two years later he still hasn’t been able to duplicate that performance—he had 13 goals and 33 assists (46 points) with Red Deer (WHL) this past year.
Butler spent most of last season in the AHL, appearing in just five games with the Blues. During his time with Chicago (AHL), he had 18 points (4G / 14A) in 46 contests. He will once again be a depth defenseman for St. Louis.
Terry, 27, has spent his entire career with the Hurricanes, after being drafted by them in 2007, but is finally on the move to Montreal, where he will look to land a permanent roster spot. He had just 11 points (8G / 3A) in 68 games last year and has totalled just 34 points (20G / 14A) in 138 career NHL games, so don’t expect him to have a fantasy impact in 2016-17.
Polak had 13 points (1G / 12A) in 55 games with the Maple Leafs before they traded him to San Jose prior to last year’s NHL Trade Deadline. After the deal he only added three more assists, but the 16 points was the second highest total of his NHL career. He is known more for his bear-like strength and defensive abilities opposed to what he can or can’t do with the puck.
Trocheck is looking like a third-round steal from the 2011 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old centre is coming off of a huge 25-goal, 28-assist (53 points) season, earning himself a huge extension. He is a key member of a young core in Florida that will be looking to do even more damage in 2016-17. Trocheck should be able to turn in another 25/25 season.
Parenteau had the best year of his NHL career in his final year with the Islanders—18 goals and 49 assists (67 points) in 2011-12—but has played for three teams in four years since. Parenteau is coming off of a 20-goal, 21-assist season with the Maple Leafs and now he returns to the Islanders where he will look to re-kindle the chemistry with his old teammates, particularly John Tavares.
Nilsson was 2-0-0 with a 2.01 GAA and .935 SV% in two AHL starts last season, but didn’t have the same success at the NHL level, going 10-13-2 with a 3.12 GAA and .901 SV% with the Blues and Oilers. Nilsson has a career .900 SV% and will likely serve as Robin Lehner’s backup in 2016-17.
Malone, 27, is an NHL fourth liner. He had just six points and 75 PIMS in 57 games last season and has just 30 points in 176 career NHL games. Malone will likely replace Michael Latta, who signed with the Kings.
Arguably, Gudlevskis, 23, is good enough to be at the NHL level, but in Tampa Bay he is the third best option, which limits him to the AHL level. He was 16-12-8 with a 2.83 GAA and .907 SV% in 41 games with Syracuse last season and the only way he makes it to the NHL this year is as an injury replacement or if the Lightning end up trading Ben Bishop.
Demers was acquired mid-season in 2014-15, so 2015-16 was his first full season with the Stars. He missed 20 games, but still picked up 23 points (7G / 16A) in 62 games. He is a solid two-way defenseman who solidifies the Panthers’ second pairing and should look good as the third best defenseman on the team behind Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle.
Peters appeared in a career-high 21 games with the Hurricanes in 2013-14, but failed to make it to the NHL last season. He played the entire year at Hershey (AHL), where he was 17-8-7 with a 3.04 GAA and .896 SV%. Look for him to start this year with Springfield.
Miele, 28, is a former Hobey Baker Award winner, but has only appeared in 15 career NHL games since turning pro in 2011-12. The Flyers signed him to a one-way contract, which means that he should get a shot with the Flyers out of training camp. He spent the last two years with the Grand Rapids Griffins, where he had a 70 and a 62-point season.
After spending two years with the Flyers, White moves on to the Coyotes where he will serve as a fourth liner. He had a career-high 11 goals and 101 PIMS last season but isn’t a fantasy relevant forward.
Megna, 26, spent the majority of last season with Hartford (AHL) where he had 44 points (15G / 29A) in 68 games. He only appeared in six games with the Rangers and now heads to Vancouver where he will look to crack their roster in training camp. If he doesn’t he will start the year in Utica (AHL).
Prince, 23, was acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline and had five points (3G / 2A) in 20 games with the Islanders to go wit the 12 points (3G / 9A) he had with the Senators before the trade. He is destined for a bottom-6 role with the Islanders again in 2016-17.
After the Predators traded Shea Weber to Montreal they needed to bring in another Weber. The 27-year-old defenseman is known for his offensive ability and the power-play is his primary strength. He had just seven assists in 45 games with Vancouver last season, but had 11 gaols in 65 games the year prior.
Gordon, 32, is a former first round pick (17th overall in 2002) but has never cracked 30 points in his NHL career. In 2016-17 he will play for his third team in as many years as he heads to Philadelphia to serve as their fourth line centre. He isn’t known for his offence, but he ranked third in Face-off percentage (57.9%) among players who took at least 900 draws.
