Krug took a puck to the mouth in the Bruins’ preseason win on Tuesday night. Krug will likely miss at least the first three games of the regular season. He will be re-evaluated in three weeks and a new update is expected to be released.
This summer the Flyers drafted Nolan Patrick at No.2 overall, creating a logjam down the middle in Philadelphia. With Nolan expected to make the roster out of training camp, the Flyers gave Giroux a look on the left side of Sean Couturier with Jakub Voracek on the wing. Couturier and Patrick would likely serve as the No.1 and No.2 centres with the likes of Valtteri Filppula and Jori Lehtera likely being the No.3 and No.4 pivots. The centre depth will allow the Flyers to get creative and putting Giroux on the wing with Couturier and Voracek could give them a dominant first line without sacrificing depth. It’s only been one day of practice, but Giroux would definitely see an uptick in fantasy value if he were to gain dual position eligibility (C/LW).
Brassard continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery and while he’s not expected to be sidelined for much longer, it doesn’t look like he’ll be ready for Ottawa’s season opener (Oct.5). Rookie Colin White was hoping to fill-in for Brassard and make the team out of camp, but broke his wrist in their preseason game on Monday, which opens the door for fellow rookies Logan Brown and Filip Chlapik to potentially crack the roster.
Sanford will need surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder that he suffered in training camp and is expected to be sidelined until at least early-February. Sanford joined the Blues following a trade from Washington on February 27th and tallied five points (2G / 3A) in 13 games with St. Louis.
Bouwmeester, who is entering his sixth season with the Blues will be sidelined with a left ankle fracture that he suffered in training camp. The Blues will re-evaluate Bouwmeester one-week into the season and they’ll likely release a more detailed timetable at that time. Look for Joel Edmundson to take on a larger role at even strength while Bouwmeester is sidelined.
White suffered the injury while blocking a shot during the Senators’ preseason game vs. Toronto on Monday. White will be sidelined until at least early-November and will likely start the 2017-18 season with Binghamton (AHL). The 20-year-old had three points (1G / 2A) in three AHL games after turning pro following his second year at Boston College. He was third in Boston College scoring with 33 points (16G / 17A) in 35 games.
The Senators’ first-round pick in 2015 (No.21 overall) was hurt during their preseason win over the Maple Leafs. The Senators have no released a statement on White’s injury, but the initial prognosis was not encouraging. White was expected to battle for a roster spot in training camp, but this injury will likely see the 20-year-old start the season in Binghamton (AHL).
The Stars’ offseason signing has not skated with his new team as he’s dealt with an ankle injury during the start of training camp. Hanzal has had a tough time with injuries throughout his career, so Stars fans should get used to this. When Hanzal begins skating, he is expected to be paired with Radek Faksa and the third member of that line is expected to be either Antoine Roussel or Tyler Pitlick.
Koivu was heading into the final year of his seven-year contract that carries a $6.75M cap-hit, but the Wild inked the 34-year-old to a deal that will take him through the 2019-20 season. The Wild captain had 18 goals and 40 assists (58 points) in 80 games last season and is tied for 30th in the NHL in assists (113) and tied for 45th in points (162) while only missing four games over the last three seasons.
Girgensons had a massive drop-off in production during the Dan Bylsma era, but it looks like he’ll get a fresh start with Phil Housley behind the bench. Girgensons has spent the first few days of training camp on the first line with Ryan O’Reilly and Kyle Okposo, which showcases the new regime’s belief in him. In 2014-15, while playing over 19 minutes per night, Girgensons had 15 goals and 15 assists (30 points) in 61 games—that’s a 20-20 pace over 82 games. He’s got the tools for be a top-6 forward and it looks like the Sabres will give him every chance possible to get his career back on-track.
Anisimov has played almost exclusively with Patrick Kane during his first two years in Chicago, recording 42 goals and 45 assists (87 points) in 141 games. However, so far in training camp, Nick Schmaltz has been skating on the second line with Kane and Anisimov is centering the third line with Patrick Sharp and Ryan Hartman. This affects Anisimov’s upside drastically, but it’s still early in training camp and he could find himself back in his regular role before too long.
During the first few days of training camp, Schmaltz has taken Artem Anisimov’s spot on the Blackhawks’ second line next to Patrick Kane. Anisimov, who has been very successful in that spot in year’s past, is skating on the third line with Ryan Hartman and Patrick Sharp. Head coach Joel Quenneville likes the chemistry between Schmaltz and Kane, which bodes extremely well for Schmaltz’s potential heading into 2017-18. The 21-year-old is coming off of 28 points (6G / 22A) in 61 games during his rookie season.
This is seemingly more more of a salary-saving move by the Panthers than an actual need for a player like McGinn. The Panthers are eating 12.5% of Demers’ contract to send him to Arizona, but it frees up a spot on the blueline for either Ian McCoshen or MacKenzie Weegar. McGinn is coming off of a disappointing 17-point (9G / 8A) season in Arizona.
After just one season in Florida, Demers is on the move to his third team in three years after being traded to the Coyotes on Sunday. Arizona was in need of a right-shot defenseman and they have found their man in the 29-year-old Demers. The Canadian-born blueliner is coming off of a season in which he collected a career-high nine goals with 19 assists (28 points) in 81 contests for Florida. With Jakob Chychrun to miss a lot of this season, Demers will slide right into a top-4 role, likely alongside Alex Goligoski.
Kesler underwent offseason hip surgery on June 8th and Ducks’ General Manager Bob Murray hopes that Kesler will be back by Christmas, but added that there is no official timetable on his return. With Kesler out, Antoine Vermette could play with Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg, while Rickard Rakell has also shifted back to centre to start training camp.
Lindholm is coming off of offseason shoulder surgery and the Ducks are expecting him to miss the first month of the season. Fellow defenseman Sami Vatanen is also out until November, so the Ducks brought back veteran blueliner Francois Beauchemin and their injuries open the door for a young defenseman like Andy Welkinski to make the team out of training camp.
Vatanen underwent surgery on a torn labrum this summer and the Ducks don’t expect to have the play-making defenseman in their lineup until early-November, if all goes to plan. This is a tough way for Vatanen to start 2017-18 after a rough 2016-17 season that saw him record just three goals and 21 assists (24 points). Look for Brandon Montour to see an extended look in the top-4 and on the power-play while Vatanen is out.
Pastrnak was back in the Czech Republic and was gearing up to skate with a team there if he didn’t get a new deal in Boston. GM Don Sweeney held his ground and got a good deal for both sides and now one of their top offensive weapons will report to training camp. Coming off of a 70-point (34G / 36A) campaign, the 21-year-old enters 2017-18 with huge expectations. Look for him to be a point-per-game player.
Little was entering the final year of a five-year deal with a $4.7M AAV, so the 29-year-old centre gets a bit of a raise starting in 2018-19. Little has been a strong playmaker for the Jets, but has had some concerns over the years, missing 60 games over the last three seasons. If he can stay on the ice, Little has 25-goal, 40-assist upside.
Ellis underwent knee surgery in June and is expected to miss the first three months of the season, at the very least. This is a huge blow to the Predators’ talented blueline as Ellis is coming off of a career-highs in goals (16) and points (38). With Ellis sidelined, look for offseason acquisition Alexei Emelin to play a more prominent role and for Matt Irwin to see regular playing time.
