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).
Strait, 28, served as the Islanders sixth/seventh defenseman for the four years, appearing in 170 games, collecting just six goals and 20 assists (26 points) along the way. He should have a better chance cracking the Jets’ blueline on a more regular basis.
The Islanders lost a bottom-6 forward in Matt Martin, so they’ve added 37-year-old Chimera to the fold, bringing some experience and speed to their third or fourth line. He is coming off of a strong season in Washington, having collected 20 goals and 20 assists (40 points) in 82 games.
Howden, 24, played in his first full NHL season in 2015-16, picking up 11 points (6G / 5A) in 58 games with the Panthers. He will battle for a spot with fellow young forwards to earn a spot in the Jets’ bottom-6. Howden has 17 points (10G / 7A) in 92 career NHL games.
Fraser spent all of 2015-16 in the AHL with Binghamton, where he had two goals, five assists and 136 PIMS in 60 games. He has 219 games of NHL experience with the Devils, Maple Leafs and Oilers. He returns to Edmonton, where he had one goal in 23 games back in 2013-14.
Eaves, 32, has had a difficult time staying healthy during his two-year tenure with the Stars, missing a total of 63 games over that span. Despite missing a tonne of time, he has been a versatile forward, moving up and down the Stars lineup and collecting 25 goals and 19 assists (44 points) in 101 games.
After spending the first four and a half years of his career in the Blackhawks organization, Morin has bounced around quite a bit. After Chicago he has gone from Columbus to Toronto to San Jose and now lands in Tampa Bay on a one-year deal. In 2015-16 he played for Rockford, Toronto and San Jose (AHL), totalling 16 goals and 26 assists (42 points) in 59 games.
Purcell, 30, broke into the NHL with the Kings, before moving onto the Lightning, Oilers and the Panthers at last year’s trade deadline. He finished the season with 14 goals, 29 assists (43 points) in 76 games with Edmonton and Florida, but now he heads back to the team that he made his NHL debut with in 2007-08.
After spending the first seven and a half years with the Coyotes, who drafted him eighth overall in 2008, Boedker was traded to the Avalanche at the trade deadline and has now signed with the Sharks. The 26-year-old is coming off of a 17-goal, 34 assist (51 points) season and now he joins a Sharks team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals last season.
Trotman, 25, served as the Bruins’ seventh-defenseman in 2015-16, collecting seven points (2G / 5A) in 38 games. Trotman has offensive ability, but has not been given a chance through 67 career NHL games. He will likely start the season as the Kings’ seventh defenseman.
