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.
Nash, 27, was a first round pick (21st overall) in 2007 but has yet to develop into a full-time top-6 forward. He had nine goals and 13 assists (22 points) in 64 games with the Hurricanes last season. He enters the 2016-17 season with the Bruins where he will likely serve as their third-line centre.
Khudobin entered 2015-16 as the Ducks backup, but the emergence of John Gibson sent him to San Diego (AHL) where he was 19-8-3 with a 2.46 GAA and .921 SV%. During his brief stint with the Ducks, he was 3-3-0 with a 2.69 GAA and .909 SV%—the 30-year-old is expected to serve as Tuukka Rask’s backup and he comes in with a career 2.42 GAA and .918 SV%.
Gilbert, 33, served as an extra defenseman with Montreal last year, appearing in 45 games. Gilbert had solid offensive numbers early in his career, but had just five goals and nine assists (14 points) in 117 games with the Habs over the last two years. Look for Gilbert to be a sixth or seventh defenseman in Los Angeles.
Percy, 23, was a first round pick (25th overall) in 2011 but was not qualified by the Maple Leafs, so he signed in Pittsburgh. He has only appeared in 12 career NHL games, but has enjoyed a solid AHL career to this point. He had 24 points (4G / 20A) in 58 games with the Marlies last year and will be with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to start 2016-17.
Bournival, 24, has not played a lot of hockey in the last three years. He only appeared in 20 games last season (all with St. John’s) while picking up eight points (1G / 7A). Now with the Lightning, expect Bournival to start the 2016-17 season in the AHL.
McBain, 28, was the Kings seventh defenseman for the majority of last year, collecting nine points (2G / 7A) in 44 games. McBain is an offensive defenseman, but usually doesn’t play enough time on the power-play to be fantasy relevant. McBain signs in Arizona with 110 career points (30G / 80A) in 345 NHL games.
Tinordi, 24, had a difficult time cracking the Canadiens roster in 2015-16 and was ultimately dealt to the Coyotes, where he appeared in just seven games, failing to record a point. Tinordi will likely start as Arizona’s seventh defenseman.
Carr, 24, played his first professional season with Hamilton (2014-15) but split his second year between the AHL and NHL. He had nine points (6G / 3A) in 23 games with Montreal and 21 points (10G / 11A) in 24 games with St. John’s (AHL). He will fight for a permanent roster spot in training camp.
Bartley, 28, split his 2015-16 with the Predators and Canadiens’ organizations, spending more of his time in the AHL. He had one goal and three assists in 24 AHL games with Milwaukee and St. John’s. He signs with Minnesota, where he will likely start the year in Iowa.
Blunden, 29, has been a fringe NHLer for his entire career, most recently splitting time between the Lightning and Syracuse Crunch (AHL). He had 38 points (21G / 17A) in 49 games with Syracuse and five points (3G / 2A) in 20 games with Tampa Bay. He heads to Ottawa where he will likely split time with the Senators and Binghamton (AHL).
